Chapter Three

“The best part about the games is the players' candidness. These people are just thrust out of normal lives and into a new world. It makes them so human!” – Fan.

Nadia

This wasn’t Nadia’s first time making a hasty retreat from a party through a second-floor exit, but she hoped it would be her last. Dusting off her jeans and nursing a soon-to-be bruise on her thigh from the fall, she realized her descent from the gutter might have been louder than she had intended. Midway down the house, she crashed into the lawn—or, more accurately, the weeds and dirt—befitting the status of a mere college rental property.

After cleaning herself up a bit, Nadia took a quick breath and reflected on how awkward the night had become. She attended these parties to feel something, even if she always projected a “leave me alone” vibe. Letting the music and festivities wash over her, she sought out the most inebriated individuals to avoid lengthy conversations. Yes, she had to admit she was attractive, but her minimal makeup, loose jeans, covered top, and black jacket left much to the imagination. Still, it seemed Trent had a vivid imagination of his own.

To avoid confrontation, Nadia allowed the boy to sit beside her multiple times during the night. While she didn’t appreciate it when he put his arm around her, leading to her having to shift seats to move away from him continuously, he brought her drinks and mostly chatted with the people around her instead of with her. He didn’t seem to care much about what she had to say, and that was fine. When that last drink arrived, she knew where he was trying to take this. While Nadia could probably handle that much alcohol and more, Trent didn’t know that and was trying to push things in his favor. Rather than deal with the drama of rejecting him, she chose the path of a hurting thigh and an Irish exit, which was a new goodbye strategy for her. Coming from a Filipino background, goodbyes were always an hour-long process at parties. When her mom led her to believe they were leaving, she knew she only then had the fun of talking to every single auntie at the party before she left.

“So quick to leave?”

“Shit.”

To her relief, it was just Will. He had also left the party and come around to the backyard.

"I am starting to think you may enjoy this, Nadia. You know you could just leave through the front door? You do realize you have some actual friends at the party, right? Heck, even Tuck seemed to notice your interactions with Trent, and he was in the kitchen for most of the night.

Once Will saw Nadia abruptly get up and head upstairs, he knew what she would do. He even went so far as to make sure the window out of the bathroom was unlocked for her this time. Will saw Nadia as a friend, while Nadia would probably consider him an acquaintance. Since their first class together during the first week of school and a random pairing for a homework assignment, the two had become—well, to use Nadia’s perspective—comfortable with each other.

“Tuck?” she uttered, pausing briefly as she pretended not to know who Tuck was before proceeding. “You and I both know that if you didn’t want the night to end on a sour note at your house, my only choice was to make that exit.”

Nadia turned and started to head back to the dorms for the night. She didn’t mind Will, but she was unwilling to wait and see if Trent showed up.

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“Let me walk with you?”

Looking out over the cow farms and the dark walk back to the dorms closer to the school, Nadia nodded. Much like Trent, Will was a good talker, but to Will’s credit, you could also tell he cared about what she said. He was charismatic, and while he was usually the center of the party due to being the host, she didn’t think that would change based on the location. He had a way with words, was quick with humor, and knew how to navigate a tough conversation. Due to his friendly ways and the offer to accompany her, she finally gave in.

"Not enjoying your party?”

With a quick smile, Will jogged up to join Nadia. “I host three parties a week, so I think I can allow myself to miss an hour. Did you go to the game today?”

“No, but I heard that you were the star of the show. Well done… Brick? That’s what everyone calls you, right?”

Nadia secretly watched the game but didn’t want to reveal that information to Will or anyone else. Surprisingly, she enjoyed sports, even though she hadn’t played much while growing up. According to the Dela Cruz family tradition, she needed to prioritize education to become a nurse. Despite not participating, she often daydreamed about being on a team with others. The camaraderie, action-oriented play, and shared goal of getting a ball across some form of boundary fascinated her.

Her dorm room window faced the sports fields, providing a decent view of the games. While “studying,” she particularly enjoyed watching soccer matches and football games. The flow of the players on the field conveyed the action, even if she couldn’t always see the ball. Baseball, on the other hand, proved more challenging to follow, and those games were easier to ignore.

“You know, for someone who doesn’t watch the games, you are always quick to ask me about them. But yes, the game ended well. It was a much closer match than any of us expected, and Tuck’s departure from the game left us with a significant gap to fill, quite literally.” Will and Nadia continued to walk down the dirt path, cutting through the fields. "Are you ready for the Chemistry exam on Tuesday?"

Will enjoyed football and the camaraderie that came with being on a team. He was good, too. With his grades and talent, aside from Tuck, he was the most likely to get picked up by a D1 program after finishing his two years at the school. Will was a freshman from an even smaller high school in Southern Nevada on the outskirts of Vegas. Although he was well-known in high school as a star player, his school only played in a 2A program, which limited his visibility for D1 colleges right out of school. Despite setting records at his school, he faced doubts from recruits about the level of talent he played against. Colleges considered it too risky to offer him a scholarship. Fortunately, various weekend camps in Vegas allowed him to showcase his abilities to a few scouts within the Junior College community.

“And you say I deflect, huh?” Nadia gently accused Will. “Yes, I think so. That is one of the few classes I enjoy right now. Professor Williams has a way of bringing life to the material. It’s not hard to pay attention, even if some of the topics are pretty basic. How about you? We’ve studied together long enough to know you can brute force your way through those exams.”

"Brute force?” Will laughed. “I guess that’s one way to put it. If that’s what last-minute studying and acing exams gets called, then sure. I’ll take that."

With a few more chuckles and smiles, Will let the conversation slip into easy silence. One thing about Will: he knew people, and he also knew that Nadia only had so much conversation within her. He didn’t mind and enjoyed the night air and stars as they continued down the path.

The walk continued until Will felt a tremor sweep through his body. It was like a sudden jolt. As fleeting as it was abrupt, Will observed sweat forming all over his body as though a sudden shower had drenched him.

“Whoa. Did you feel something just then?”

Nadia had stopped walking as well. “I thought it was just me! I’ve been feeling quite a few small tremors lately. They seem to be getting worse.”

Checking herself out, Nadia felt strange for a second, but the only real difference was that the nerves must have made her sober up more than she already was, like what a shot of caffeine or a cold shower would typically do.

“Let’s head back to the dorms. I might take an Uber home tonight,” Will suggested as they resumed their walk.

Allowing for one more thought, Will wondered if the one resident Uber driver, Bill, was working tonight. Being in a small town, Uber wasn’t quite as easy to use out here due to the lack of willing drivers.