Emery's POV
"Emery, are you back to gaming?"
"Oh my god, I can't believe I never noticed CalvaryEmery goes to our school."
"Emery, teach me how to play RevMira!"
I rushed through the halls, trying to avoid the attention. No matter which turn I took, someone was trying to get my attention. I didn't think esports was this popular—in fact, I highly doubted it was. While some people may have been genuinely interested, most of the crowd was just there for the drama and controversy.
It had been a day since the tournament, and it seemed like people had recorded me playing and posted it online for the world to see. Thank God I wear loose sweaters to school so nobody recognized my uniform.
As soon as I opened the door to the classroom, a fluff of black hair jumped me, grabbing both of my arms.
"Emery, I'm sorry!" Lucas cried, gripping me harder. "I didn't know it would end up like this...."
I was sure he didn't. I mean, I never thought Lucas had bad intentions, and to be entirely fair, I was the one who agreed to join the tournament. I could've easily said no to Lucas's suggestions and he would've respected it. It was my fault for getting carried away by the atmosphere.
"Emery, I promise you my family's handling it! All the social media posts about your comeback are gone." Lucas showed me his phone, and the 'CalvaryEmery' tag really had no posts in it from the past twenty-four hours.
"People still have evidence on their phones, though. They can easily share them privately in group chats or servers," I huffed.
Oh no, I didn't mean to say it like that.
Lucas's eyes darted around and his grip on me loosened. He looked down and let out a sigh.
"I'm really, really, really sorry...." Lucas whimpered. "I know you didn't want to join the tournament and I just forced you.... It's just, I know that you love RevMira and the thrill of chasing stats. It's something that I can't give you, or anyone here can...."
Seeing Lucas with his shoulders dropped really pulled at my heartstrings. It made it look like I was tormenting him. I mean, I knew I wasn't, but you know... it was my situation.
"Lucas, it's fine. I just need some space," I said, moving past him.
Lucas started to call out again, but ultimately stopped.
Everyone in the room was staring at us at this point. For the first time today, it wasn't because I was CalvaryEmery, but rather because seeing Lucas sad would make anyone's head turn.
I sat in my assigned seat and pulled out my phone. I checked social media, and true to his word, Lucas had removed every public post about the tournament last night. I had no idea how he did that. I knew he was rich, but his family's wealth came from medicine. I didn't understand how the industries interact, but at least he was able to do something about it. That's what mattered.
I'm so pathetic, seriously. I couldn't even properly face my own consequences, and Lucas had to stand up for me last night and clean up the mess I made by being irresponsible. What kind of scholar goes to a tournament right after school anyway? I could've used that time being productive by studying and actually doing something for my future, but no—I thought it was genius to go to a useless tournament like the loser that I am.
"Sasha, good morning," Lucas greeted, and I turned slightly to watch them wave at each other.
"Good morning, Lucas. Thank you so much for treating me last night," Sasha responded.
Wow, Sasha looked put together as usual. That could never be me. I was usually terrified of her, but now I was envious. I wished I could go to school looking dignified and actually respectable, but instead, I was getting attention for the reputation I got as a degenerate of society.
"I know you contacted me, but how were you last night?" Lucas asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," Sasha reassured him.
"The Chairman didn't do anything?" Lucas pried. "No weirdos approaching you?"
"No. It was a straightforward walk."
Lucas sighed in relief and beamed at Sasha.
"I'm glad! But really, Sasha, you need to look after yourself better! It was late at night and you were walking alone on an empty street! You can be more selfish, especially at times like that." Lucas huffed, his brows furrowed.
"Lucas, just because I'm a girl, it doesn't mean I'm not capable—"
"I'm not saying this because you're a girl," Lucas interjected. "No matter who it is, they need to be careful. The world isn't kind, you know."
Sasha simply stared at Lucas's face, serious and unrelenting. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
"Thank you for looking after me. I apologize for dismissing you."
Only then did Lucas seem satisfied. He gave Sasha a huge smile and patted her shoulder. "As long as you know!"
Lucas is also amazing. I know I give him a lot of trash for being bad at RevMira, but he's not really competitive, so it doesn't matter. He's also so put together, it frustrates me. It's so annoying how everyone around me has their own thing and they're all so open and capable and good at everything, and I'm over here hiding in my shell!
"May I ask why you are so wary of the chairman?" Sasha asked Lucas. I had thought their conversation was over.
"Hm? Well, it's not like I'm particularly wary against him," Lucas thought out loud. "But, I don't know. He's actually really new to the circle."
"What circle?" Sasha asked.
Lucas glanced in my direction, and our eyes met. I instinctively looked away, but Lucas reached behind my chair and pulled me in closer.
I'm really not in the mood to be part of this conversation.
"Well, the top 1% have their own circle, you know. My family is a part of it," Lucas explained in a hushed murmur. "The chairman kind of showed up out of nowhere, and literally no one has any idea who he is. He bought the school and now he's just... there? As the chairman? I don't know how to describe it."
Is it okay that we're hearing this?! I just want to wallow in my depression. I don't care about the chairman right now.
"There?" Sasha probed further.
"He doesn't really do any socializing. He went to a gathering once to introduce himself and that's it," Lucas shrugged. "Look, dude, I know what rich people do. Someone showing up randomly like that is sketchy to say the least."
Again, should I be hearing this at school? This is the chairman we're talking about!
I looked around, and everyone else seemed to be in their own little world. Maybe? Or maybe they were just acting? My emotions were so heightened I didn't even know what I was thinking anymore.
"Alright. I'll take note of that." Sasha gave a sharp nod. "It seems like the chairman wants to give closer supervision to the Student Council, so I might meet with him more frequently soon."
"Okay, keep my stun gun. I brought a new one from my house."
Ring. Ring. Ring.
My ringtone chimed loudly across the room. I took my phone out of my pocket, and my heart dropped at the caller ID.
Mom.
Honestly, the fact that it took this long was already a miracle.
I bolted out of the classroom and ran until I found an empty hallway at the end of the building.
I took in a deep breath and clicked on the answer icon.
"H-hello?" I stuttered.
Nice, Emery. Real smooth.
"Nikoletta, what is the meaning of this?" Mom snarled. "The neighbors have been asking me if you're back to being this 'CanaryEmery' or whatever. Are you going back to those games again?"
Why? Why must the neighbors expose me to my chronically offline mother? And why were they calling me by my gamer name? Please, even if it was just in front of her, call me Nikoletta.
"Mom, I—"
"Nikoletta, I know your schedule. Clubs, exams, sports festivals, recitations.... You could be using that time to be more productive after school hours, but you chose to play a silly game and work harder on that silly little screen of yours. Your actual future will fail if you keep deluding yourself with those useless screens of yours. Didn't I tell you to delete that?"
"...Yes."
"Then why do you still have it?"
"No, Mom. It was just a school event. They wanted to play games together—I was with the Student Council President, Sasha," I tried to explain calmly, but I could still feel my voice shaking. "People just knew about my past, so they started reacting."
"Hmph. Well, stop them from referring to you as this 'CloudyEmery' and use your proper name, 'Nikoletta.' Your father and I didn't name you after your grandmother just for you to go by a different name."
"Yes, Mom. I understand."
When she dropped the call, I could finally breathe.
Nikoletta. I dreaded that name still. I rubbed the back of my neck to control the goosebumps. I admit, it was stupid of me to use my name as my in-game name, but I had found comfort in 'Emery' from using it during co-ops. At least that crisis was averted for now.
As I was about to turn back toward the classroom, I heard a sniffle from behind one of the pillars.
I walked closer to investigate, only to see Lucas hiding behind it. His eyes were red and watery, fighting back a tremor in his lip.
"...Lucas?"
"I'm fine."
He was very obviously not fine.
"Lucas? How long have you been there?" I asked, taking a handkerchief out of my pocket and handing it to him.
Lucas took the cloth and wiped away his tears.
"Emery, I'm sorry...." Lucas choked as he fought back a sob.
"What? Why?" I blurted out in response, having no idea what he was apologizing for.
"I'm sorry I chased you out here when you ran, and I'm sorry I didn't think you being in the tournament would be this bad...! I thought you just stopped competing and not this...."
Lucas's tears fell slowly down his cheeks. I patted his shoulder, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.
"Ahh, well... you couldn't have known," I comforted.
"No, but... if I wasn't there, then you wouldn't have joined! And you wouldn't have been there in the first place!" He sniffled.
Aah, I'm so bad at situations like this. It was usually Lucas's job to handle times like this, but now he was the one needing help. I couldn't just dismiss him.
"Lucas. It's alright. I'm used to it," I said seriously, giving him a small smile.
"Don't get used to it! You're Emery! You're CalvaryEmery! Nothing about everything you achieved is useless!" Lucas cried, desperately trying to correct Mom's words. "You're the coolest guy ever, and our bond over RevMira isn't stupid! It's not just a screen...!"
I mean, Mom calling me and lecturing me definitely felt bad, but I was used to it. I could just block her words out. I guess Lucas wasn't used to seeing conflict like that.
I momentarily forgot how hurt and uncomfortable I had been from the phone call and laughed at Lucas's attempt to comfort me. He was trying so hard even though I was so resigned. It was... kinda endearing.
"Lucas, it's okay. I'm not mad about the tournament. Thank you for handling everything for me," I reassured him.
Lucas tilted his head to the side, his tears stopping from the sheer surprise of hearing me laugh.
"I enjoyed the tournament. I hate to admit it, but I did. I could have refused at any point, but I didn't—I wanted to join too," I admitted, my voice shaking slightly. "But yeah, who cares about esports anyway? This isn't something to cry about."
Lucas's eyes scanned my face. He rubbed the remaining tears out of his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater and gave me a sharp nod.
"We'll get your confidence back," Lucas declared.
My eyes widened at his determination, and I found myself nodding along. I didn't believe it, and I didn't even think it was worthwhile, but Lucas was so self-assured that I couldn't help but get carried away by his enthusiasm.
Lucas then took my hand—something that had been happening a bit more frequently recently? I didn't know if that was just me suddenly noticing the gesture or if he was genuinely becoming more comfortable around me, but he took my hand and started guiding me back to the classroom. As we turned into the main hallway, Sasha was standing there with her arms crossed. I'm guessing she also followed after me since Lucas probably ran out mid conversation.
She let out a small cough and looked directly at me. Now that I was a bit calmer, her gaze felt intimidating all over again.
"Emery, I understand that this topic is quite sensitive," she approached, walking closer. "However, I did search you up and saw that you were the top player in the World Championship of RevMira last year."
I think my breathing stopped when I heard Sasha say that sentence. Sasha, of all people, was interested in my pro gaming era.
I nodded awkwardly and tightened my grip on Lucas's hand, unsure of how to even process the situation.
"I'm sorry, but rejection isn't an option. I need your expertise on this matter," she demanded.
"Excuse me?" I choked out. What was happening? She was acting like I was a doctor and she had pneumonia. What expertise?
"I need your account and skill. Please," she asked, her voice completely firm.
She looked so serious and unmoving. Her eyes showed no indication of a request—she had decided this was going to happen, and it would. That was the impression I was getting from Sasha, and the aura was so strong that all I could do was agree.