“I… I… I…” Derek stared at the sheet. “I… I…”

If Nick let Derek continue to stutter, his friend would cobble together a justification for a re-roll.

“You…” Derek’s fingers shook as he picked up the dice. “You… you…” The cage lid snapped open as he shoved the dice in. “You… you…”

It was poetic, in a way. Their final campaign, a culmination of their years of friendship and memories, blew up in everyone’s faces.

Nick punched in the number. The AI calculated.

“Because of the red mana placed in an unstable containment, the metal explodes. Fire multiplies until everything within a five-hundred-mile radius is nothing more than ash.”

Silence descended on the two of them. Nick grabbed the player’s handbook and flipped open the page to the map. “Dude. You not only nuked the MED’s evil lair, but half the city of Osvoroth.”

The lid over the dice jail snapped shut. The red and gold one glimmered next to the white one. Nick tried to think of something comforting, but popped a chip into his mouth instead.

“You killed Torraq, yourselves, and everyone within a five-hundred-mile radius.” The AI female said it like they arrived at a train station’s last stop for the night. “Thank you for playing Choice, Chance, and Consequence. Leave feedback for a better AI ex—”

Derek slammed the lid of his laptop so hard Nick jumped. When Derek treated his latest model laptop like trash, Nick wondered how much more financially stable his friend was.

The empty soda can in front of Nick became an excellent distraction for his gaze. “Alright, well. That sucked. But at least you didn’t TPK everyone.”

“I literally did the Total Party Kill.” Derek jerked his finger at the dice hanging out in jail.

“It didn’t happen, remember? If anyone asks, we did a side quest with Milo, Grizzizzik, and Ezekiel. Next session will go a lot better.”

‘Next session’ meaning ‘never’, because school was Monday; but Derek needed comfort, not reality.

A whimper escaped Derek as he folded his arms on the table and buried his head inside. Nick patted his arm. “We had some bad dice rolls and Torraq had a ridiculous AC. Also, the rest of our team wasn’t here and threw off our energy. It’s alright.” It’s a game, Nick thought in his head, refusing to say it out loud. “We’ll try again sometime.”

Though they cycled through many other friend groups through the years, Nick and Derek remained the same since they were eleven. Joining drama in middle school did wonder’s to Derek’s popularity, and became president of the CCNC club in high school. Despite being a nerd, Derek was popular.

The opposite of Nick. If Derek stopped being his friend, he’d have no one. It didn’t help that Walt grounded him until he turned eighteen. He thought Walt was joking, but no laptop, no smart phone, and no socialization except for CCNC night for three years. These nights were Nick’s only escape, and he clung to them. Having so many months between sessions hurt him as much as it did Derek. He and Derek always hounded the others for more sessions. Derek, out of a passion for the game, and Nick because he craved other social interaction besides his almost sixteen-year-old sister to keep from going insane.

This game was over, which meant he had to go home now. Nick sighed, gathering up the snacks. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah.” Derek’s fingers were in his hair as his face remained covered. “Yeah.”

The chair scooted back as Nick stood to get the chip clips Derek’s mother, Amanda, insisted they use. He put the margarine lid back on the homemade salsa and put it in the fridge before coming back with the chip clips. He wanted to stay on the good side of his only friend’s parents.

Toward the end of his straightening, Derek’s phone vibrated. His head popped up as he picked it up. “Got an update from Tyler. Sprained wrist, no concussion. His parents are driving him back to Tucson now.” It wasn’t bad, but he was glad Tyler got checked out at the hospital. “Good call forcing him to the hospital.”

“We can’t all have magical healers that fix things with a touch,” Nick said.

“That’d be nice.”

Nick checked his watch. It was almost ten-thirty, giving him a half hour until his weekend curfew. If he was late, there would be hell to pay.

Something must have crossed Nick’s face, because Derek spoke up again. “I’ll shoot your dad a text when you pull out of the driveway.”

“Thanks.” Nick was both touched and annoyed at Derek’s gesture. He wished Derek didn’t have to, but it kept his father in an amicable enough spirit.

Nick climbed into his car and pulled out of Derek’s driveway, waving at his friend, who waved back. He listened to the radio as the weight of returning home put knots in his shoulders. Fear of getting pulled over kept him going the speed limit and no higher. He’d get back before curfew, but his eyes kept shooting toward the car clock to make sure it didn’t jump ten minutes.

Once his house came into view, he eased his used car into the driveway. He turned it off, putting up heat visors before rubbing the scar that cut across his eyebrow. If he was ten minutes earlier, he would’ve enjoyed the peace before entering home, but it was five minutes before eleven, cutting it too close.

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Arizona heat smacked his face as he opened the door. The garage was for his parents’ cars. His car was for outside. Even with the heat, he took his time walking to the garage door. He punched in the code before slipping in. The loud door announced his presence, so it was no surprise when Walt was waiting for him at the door, palm out.

His father had Nick’s same light brown hair, though his blue eyes were paler. Nick inherited Walt’s towering height, too, though it pleased him when he realized last year he’d grown an inch taller than Walt’s six-foot frame.

Nick approached Walt, handing over the car keys, and digging into his pocket to pull out the flip phone. He smacked it in Walt’s hand and moved into the kitchen, hungry even after all the snacks. His mother was on a business trip. Nick was jealous, simply because Lydia had an excuse to be gone.

The fridge was full, but Nick didn’t know what to eat. If he lingered in the kitchen, it’d be another few minutes near Walt, which neither wanted. He put together a fast sandwich and slipped out of the kitchen as his father searched through the text messages Nick sent. Not that he’d find many. Nick hadn’t texted anyone for months.

You have eight months, old man.

Nick entered his room with his sandwich already half eaten. His room had the bare essentials, like a bed, desk, dresser, closet, and bookshelf half filled with books. He had no electronics, per “you’re grounded until you’re eighteen” threat Walt did an excellent job fulfilling. Honestly, April tenth couldn’t come soon enough. Being grounded meant he didn’t go anywhere, and therefore didn’t spend any money. Perhaps he was romanticizing the whole thing. Rent could be more expensive than the listings said, and he also had groceries to take care of. Leaving his prison of a home was worth all the money in the world.

With no electronics to distract him, Nick finished his sandwich, slipped into the bathroom to brush his teeth, before returning to dress in his baggy pajama bottoms and shirt. He read a book because part of him refused to go to sleep.

The front door opened, and Evelyn announced herself home from the party. Her cheerful voice sounded odd in the tense silence of the house. Walt’s deep voice rumbled through, asking her about her party, and a conversation started. It was clear why his little sister chose a princess as her CCNC character all those years ago. This family certainly treated her as such.

A knock came to his door. “Nick? You still up?”

“Yeah.” Nick assumed that was the extent of their conversation, but Evelyn opened the door, anyway. “Seriously?” He didn’t bother looking up from his book.

“What?”

“‘Yeah’ never translates to ‘please waltz into my room like you own the place.’”

Evelyn rolled her blue eyes, taking off her hat and running her hands through her blonde hair. “Ugh. I need a shower. We walked through downtown, and I am dripping with sweat!” She then waltzed in like she owned the place as she examined her face in her camera phone. He shot her a glare, which she ignored. “I need a facial, too. I cannot break out on the first day of school.”

Despite the general annoyance Nick felt toward his little sister, mostly stemming from how Walt treated her better, he couldn’t shut her off completely. He was that desperate for social interaction, though he had limits. He dropped his book on his leg. “Again, seriously, Evie? I know dad isn’t the best role model for this, but I require some privacy.”

“You’re fully dressed, bro. Besides, you need to tell me how CCNC went.” She leaned against his desk, smiling expectantly. “It’s getting harder to do a sesh with cheer, and I’m invested in the story. Did we win?”

Nick picked up his book again, focusing on the pages. “Grizzizzik, Milo, and Ezekiel went on a one-shot side quest. Ended in disaster. If you talk to Derek about it, he might start crying, so it’s better if we ignored it ever happened.” Nick fell back on a habit of lying, which meant mostly telling the truth.

She scrolled through her messages. “We’ll have to do another sesh somehow. How was Tyler, Derek, and Alejandra?”

“Alejandra couldn’t make it. Derek’s trying to get over the session. Tyler was at the hospital,” Nick said, trying to get back into his book.

“What?” Evelyn asked, far louder than he wanted. He kicked himself for saying that, because now she’d want to know details, and he didn’t have many.

“He’s fine. Already back in Tucson, no doubt.”

Evelyn kept tapping on her phone screen, her lips drawn together in a line. She’d know more details before tomorrow morning, anyway. Nick gave her smart phone a jealous glare before returning to his book.

“Fine.” Her nose was glued to her phone as she left the room.

Silence trickled in again. Nick straightened the pages of his book when Evelyn’s voice appeared in the kitchen. “Hey, Dad. Have you given my suggestion any more thought?”

“No,” Walt said.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not giving your brother a smart phone.”

Nick glanced up from his book, curious.

“You’re not giving him a smart phone. It’s an opportunity for him to buy a phone while staying on the family plan,” Evelyn said.

“After what that boy did, he doesn’t deserve access to the internet. I am doing everyone a favor,” Walt said.

Evelyn scoffed. “I know he made a stupid choice, but it’s been three years. If we ignore the incident, his record is more squeaky clean than mine. We all know he won’t do it again except you. Stop torturing him for a mistake he made when he was fourteen years old.”

“It wasn’t a mistake, Evie.” Walt’s voice took on a more authoritarian, unable-to-listen tone that made Nick cover his face with his book. “It was a criminal offense. He needs to shape up if he’s to avoid prison.”

“Oh my god, Dad. Stop being dramatic.”

“Go take your shower, Evie. It’s getting late,” Walt said.

She scoffed again. Knowing his sister, it’d be another half hour before the shower turned on. Nick closed his book, setting it to one side. Yes, his sister got the princess treatment in their house. She got everything, while Nick got nothing. But when push came to shove, Evelyn remained in Nick’s corner. She even let him borrow her laptop to research rental listings.

It was late when the shower turned on, and the rush of water made Nick’s eyes heavy. At least he didn’t have a shift tomorrow at the bookstore. An unfortunate job he landed because Walt knew the owner, but it was work, and he needed money.

Nick pulled his covers over him. It was close to midnight, and the shower was putting him to sleep. His lids felt heavy when a thump from inside his room shook the weight away. He sat up, turning his lamp back on. He saw a strange blur near his bed, becoming clearer.

“Would you get off my foot?” a male voice sneered.

“I was never on your foot,” another male voice said.

With a blink, the blur became a face. The rest of the black and gold body appeared, and he didn’t know how to react. There was no way he took any sort of drugs, because Walt would’ve grounded him another eighteen years. At the end of his bed, a man with legs and arms appeared. His head was a mesh of human and snake. He had yellow slits for eyes, with a bump of a snake nose. He wore a pair of cream-colored shorts. Black and yellow scales covered his entire body. The humanoid snake had the jacked physique he remembered describing years ago, but that was impossible. He was having a lucid dream about his CCNC character. The longer he stared, the clearer this man became. The snake man tried to balance himself on the floor of his room before his yellow eyes met Nick’s. Every bone in Nick’s body shivered, and a realization shook his core.

“What… the… hell…” Nick said.