“The zombie game?”
“Yeah! You’ve heard of it?”
I gave him a small smile as I nodded. “I used to play the original game as a kid.” It felt strange to admit this aloud. I used to be completely addicted to my PlayStation, but some of the girls at school made fun of me for it. Because of their taunts, I’d stopped playing. It was a long time ago now, but it made me sad to think about how I’d allowed the opinions of a few snotty girls stop me from doing something I enjoyed. It was probably a part of the reason why I didn’t bow to peer pressure anymore. I refused to change who I was just to please other people.
“So, Horde II,” I continued. “I didn’t realize they brought out a new version.”
“Yeah, it just came out!” Elliot exclaimed. “They released it early because of the pandemic. I think they figured everyone would be at home with plenty of time free on their hands.”
“Makes sense.”
“So, you in?”
“Sure.” Killing a few zombies sounded like it might be oddly cathartic. I was so angry at the stupid virus for putting my parents in danger, and since I couldn’t do anything to harm the virus, zombies would have to do.
I smiled warmly at Elliot as I jumped from the bed and happily followed him downstairs to his bedroom. His room was typical for a boy. There was a slightly funky smell to it, like it hadn’t been aired in months, and there were clothes and stray socks littered across the floor. Elliot didn’t seem to notice the clutter as he got his PlayStation booted up. There were two beanbags in front of his small TV, and I sank down into the closest one.
“So, you really like zombie games?” he asked, taking the beanbag next to me.
“Yeah, and zombie shows. Anything to do with horror, really. My dad and I were obsessed with The Walking Dead until it lost its edge.” Speaking of my dad made my chest tighten, and I tried to ignore the feeling as I focused on Elliot. When would my dad and I get to watch a horror movie together again? We spent most the time during movies trying to scare Mom, and her squeals were so funny it had turned into a kind of game. I missed that.
“Cool.” Elliot was trying to sound unimpressed, but he was looking at me like he was seeing me in a different light. He slowly shook his head. “No girls in my class are into this kind of stuff.”
“Maybe there are girls who are into this stuff, but you just don’t know it.” I certainly had been at his age, but I’d been forced to hide it.
Elliot tilted his head like he was considering the idea but then dismissed the thought. “I still think it’s cool you’re into this,” he said. “You’re like the ultimate dream babe.”
“Ultimate dream babe?” I smiled. It was certainly the first time I’d been called that.
Elliot’s cheeks pinked a little, but he nodded and continued like he wasn’t at all embarrassed. “Yeah, you’re hot, but you’re also chilled.”
“Um, thanks,” I murmured, feeling a little embarrassed. It was a nice compliment but thoroughly inappropriate coming from a twelve-year-old kid. “Should we start playing?” I nodded toward the screen.
“Oh. Yeah.” Elliot grabbed his controller and passed me the other one before launching into the game.
The two of us quickly became completely absorbed by it. I hadn’t played a video game for years, so it took me some time to get used to the controls again. For the most part, it felt like I was playing with frozen thumbs. They were slow, and my movements were sluggish. I was useless, and my character kept getting overwhelmed by the attacking zombies. Nine-year-old Clary would have been so disappointed in me. It was fun playing a new version of a game I used to love so much though.
After a couple of hours, I placed my controller down, in desperate need of a break. “I think I’m going to call it for the day.”
Elliot’s shoulders slouched in disappointment. He looked like he was only just getting started. Meanwhile, my eyes felt like they were fuzzing over and my hand was cramping up from playing. I didn’t have Elliot’s gaming stamina.
“Thanks for inviting me to play with you. It was just the distraction I needed.”
Elliot’s expression warmed as he smiled at me. “You can play with me any time.”
“Thanks.” I returned his smile.
As I left his room, easing the door shut behind me, a cough sounded in the hallway. I spun around to find Aiden standing there. His expression was gentle as he looked at me, and I had a bad feeling he was going to bring up my parents.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk though. “Please tell me you’re not sneaking out from my brother’s room,” he said.
“I’m not sneaking…”
“But you don’t deny you were in there?”
“Well, of course not.” Irritation flared through me. I had no idea why he was grilling me with questions. But at least I could be grateful he wasn’t asking how I felt about my parents’ situation.
“You haven’t finally agreed to become his lockdown girlfriend, have you?”
“What?” I practically choked on the word.
Aiden’s smirk broadened. “His lockdown girlfriend,” he repeated. “You know, a romantic female companion to help him get through these terrible days.”
“I know what a girlfriend is.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I’m just surprised you’d go for someone so much younger than you…”
I shook my head, trying to dislodge this insane conversation from my brain. “I’m not dating your twelve-year-old brother.”
“You can tell me. I mean, it’s odd, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I’m not dating your brother!”
My fingers itched to slap the annoying smile from his face. I wasn’t normally a violent person—unless it involved killing zombies in video games, but Aiden certainly knew how to bring out that side of me.
Aiden shrugged, but his smile was devious. “Okay, if you insist.”
He turned to walk away from me, leaving me in a state of total frustration. He stopped when he reached the bottom of the staircase and glanced back at me though. His expression had completely changed, and a flicker of sorrow had entered his eyes. “And Clary? I’m sorry your parents can’t get home. If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
I slowly nodded, and he shared a genuine smile with me before disappearing up the stairs without another word. I stood there staring after him in shock. The whole interaction had been completely confusing. But the most bizarre part was the way I felt as I watched him go. I didn’t know whether I wanted to hit Aiden or hug him.
12
Aiden
It was nearly midday, and Clary still hadn’t emerged from her room. She’d been in there since she’d finished playing video games with Elliot yesterday afternoon, and I was growing worried. It was times like these I wished my mom were around more often. I felt like she’d know what to do to cheer Clary up.
Unfortunately, Mom was pulling another extended stint at the hospital today, and asking Elliot to play video games with Clary again was also off the cards. He’d been happy enough to spend time with her yesterday, but now he insisted it was eating into his “precious” gaming time. I considered trying to convince him, but since he’d already spent a whole afternoon with Clary, I felt bad pushing him. The smile on Clary’s face when she’d left Elliot’s room yesterday had me tempted though.
When we were kids, she loved playing video games. She used to wear T-shirts with funny gaming slogans or pictures of her favorite characters on the front to school. She was so different from the other girls in our class. It was part of the reason I’d started crushing on her in the first place. Clary wasn’t like everyone else. She never had been.
Since Mom and Elliot weren’t an option today, it was up to me to keep Clary company. I was the last person she’d want to spend time with, but I still felt like she shouldn’t be alone right now. Surely, I was better than nothing? I chuckled under my breath as I imagined how Clary would reply to such a question. Yeah, she’d probably rather stay all by h
erself, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I walked to the guest room and lightly knocked. She didn’t answer, which was hardly surprising. She probably suspected I was the one standing on the other side of the door and was hoping I’d go away if she stayed silent. I couldn’t let her keep drowning in her own misery though, so I ignored her silence and let myself in.
When I opened the door, the room was dark with the curtains closed and the overhead light off. A shapeless form was huddled under the bedcovers. It didn’t look like Clary had made it out of bed at all today. I went over and jumped on the bed beside her. “So, what are we doing?”
She groaned and blinked open an eye to glare at me. It was amazing how she could show such derision with a single look. I smiled in return, knowing it only annoyed her more when her anger bounced right off my skin. I found something about her irritation highly appealing. She was like a cute kitten trying to run her claws across my skin, and instead of inflicting pain, all she did was lightly tickle me.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I added.
All I got was a scowl in return.
“Or should I say good afternoon? It’s almost past twelve now.”
Clary let out a small moan as she sat up in bed. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy. It looked like she’d been crying, and a pang of guilt twisted my stomach. I knew she was upset about her parents but I didn’t realize it was this bad.
“Why are you in here?” she asked as she gently rubbed her eyes.
“I think the more pressing concern is why are you still in here? You haven’t left your room all day.”
“I’ve been busy,” she replied.
“Yes, I can see that. Don’t you think you should get out of bed though?”
She sighed and glanced down at the bedcovers that were still wrapped around her but didn’t respond. It seemed like she didn’t have the energy to come up with a reasonable answer.
“So, what have you been doing in here?” I pressed.
She let out another sigh. “Moping, I guess.”
“Moping? That sounds like a terribly depressing activity to do on your own.”
Her eyes sparked with a little more emotion as she glanced back up at me. “It’s not exactly the kind of activity you do with others either.”
“Are you kidding? I love a good moping session, and I happen to be a great moping buddy.”
Clary didn’t respond. Instead, she looked at me like I was slightly unhinged. I was only trying to help though, and she needed someone right now, whether she liked it or not.
“And as your official moping buddy, I have to say you’re doing it all wrong,” I continued.
“You’re not my official moping buddy. And I was moping just fine on my own before you came along.”
“I beg to differ. There’s no tub of ice cream in here, and you don’t even have some good emo music playing in the background. This is like a moping catastrophe.”
“So, you’re telling me that I don’t even mope right?”
“Your words, not mine, but pretty much. It’s lucky I came in here when I did, so I can set this all straight.”
Clary let out a sigh and closed her eyes for several seconds. I got the feeling she was hoping when she opened them again I’d disappear. Now that I knew the depth of her sadness though, there was no getting rid of me.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?” She blinked her eyes open, and my chest clenched at the misery in her gaze. Clary was truly hurting. I considered caving and giving her what she wanted, but I knew firsthand how pain could be so much worse when you were left to endure it alone. I’d acted exactly like her when my dad left us after my parents’ divorce a few years ago. This was a different situation, but I understood Clary’s sadness and knew she was feeling adrift and needed support.
“I wish I could,” I replied in a soft voice. “But the cardinal moping buddy rule is you can never leave your buddy alone in dire times.”
She deflated a little and rested back against the headboard of the bed. “So, I’m stuck with you then.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Isn’t it?” she replied.
I started to smile. “Nope, I’m like that marshmallow cereal ice cream they serve at Scoop. At first, you’re not sure about it, and the first bite might be a little sweet, but once you get used to the taste it will quickly become your favorite. I’ll grow on you, trust me.”
“Yeah, like a fungus,” she grumbled.
I grinned a little wider. It wasn’t the reply I was shooting for, but at least Clary had the energy to give me attitude. That meant she wasn’t a complete lost cause.
“Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute,” I said, jumping from the bed.
“Where are you going?”
I turned to her as I reached the door. “The fungus needs to grab snacks and his laptop for our full-blown moping sesh.”
“Can’t wait,” Clary muttered as I walked out into the corridor. She was in a serious mood today, but I didn’t blame her one bit. I’d probably be just as bad if my mom was in the same situation as her parents.
I gathered supplies before returning to Clary’s room. She hadn’t moved while I was gone, which was a testament to how crappy she was feeling. Even the threat of being trapped in her room with me for hours wasn’t enough to get her out of bed.
“I come bearing gifts,” I said.
I passed her a tub of cookie dough ice cream before opening my laptop and setting it up on the bed. I made sure to wedge it between us. I was all for testing the boundaries of Clary’s personal space but only when she was her normal happy, slightly fiery self. She was like an electric fence I liked to try to get close to, just to see if I got zapped. It seemed like the power was currently off though, and it felt unfair to even try.
Clary took the ice cream and frowned at it.
“You don’t like cookie dough ice cream?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine.” Her words were devoid of emotion, but she must have been happy enough with the ice cream because she cracked the lid of the tub and started to eat.
“It’s no marshmallow cereal, but it will do in a pinch,” I replied with a wink.
She lifted her eyes to the ceiling before pointing her spoon in the direction of my laptop. “What’s that for?”
“Netflix,” I replied. “We need a good distraction, and I’ve got a great movie to get us started.”
I turned the laptop to show her what I was thinking. She looked intrigued until she caught sight of the title on the screen. She quickly looked away, and her eyes glistened like she was about to cry. I immediately started to panic.
“I-I picked a horror movie because I knew you liked them,” I said. “I mean, they terrify me, but I thought that would make you enjoy it even more.” I was rambling, but the sight of her watery eyes worried me. I was supposed to be helping her, not making things worse.
“You’re right,” she murmured. “I do love horror films. It’s just… It’s something I do with my dad…” Her voice broke as she spoke.
I quickly backtracked. “We can watch something else… In fact, I happen to know a few good chick flicks that we could watch instead.”
Her face scrunched at the thought, and she blinked away the tears. Her voice was a little firmer when she responded. “You think I want to watch a chick flick?”
“Uh, no? I mean, no, of course not. That was just a joke.” I quickly started searching the Netflix menu for something else. I was completely messing this up. Most girls loved cuddling up to watch a chick flick when I suggested it, but Clary wasn’t most girls. I was just relieved she wasn’t close to tears anymore. The idea of watching a chick flick with me was so ridiculous to her she seemed to have forgotten she was on the verge of crying.
All I wanted to do was watch something that would take her mind off things, and as I thought it over, another option came to mind. I’d watched a crazy documentary at the start of lockdown. It probably wasn’t Clary’s t
hing, but it would definitely distract her.
I pulled it up on screen before turning the laptop to face her once more. “How about this?”
A confused look entered her eyes as she flicked her eyes between the screen and me. “Tiger King. You want to watch a documentary on tigers?”
“The tigers are the tamest part of this documentary, trust me.” It felt like just the thing to take Clary’s mind off her parents.
She didn’t object to my choice, so I pressed play. At first, Clary seemed uncertain, but as the show progressed, she was officially hooked. I barely watched the documentary unfold though. All my attention was on Clary. Her demeanor didn’t brighten significantly, but I could see her becoming more engaged as the show progressed, and a little of the usual light began to reenter her eyes.
She’d been slightly listless when she had started eating the ice cream out of the tub, but as her enthusiasm grew, so too did her appetite. By the time we were halfway through the first episode, she’d smashed through the tub of ice cream. I was both amazed and proud at the effort. Not many girls I knew could demolish an entire tub of ice cream in one sitting, and it was impressive.
“This show is nuts,” she murmured, as she placed the empty tub aside.
“You think this is nuts; it’s only the beginning. Wait until the show really gets going.”
“It gets worse?”
I chuckled. “Oh, yeah.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You’ll have to watch and see then.”
Clary nodded and focused on my laptop. It probably would have been a better viewing experience if we’d watched it downstairs on an actual television. But there was something relaxing about huddling around the small screen of my laptop in the darkness of her room. I think Clary felt it too because she seemed to grow more comfortable as the afternoon progressed.
When the first episode ended, Clary eagerly asked to watch the second and then the third. By the time dinner rolled around, we’d almost completed the entire season. Mom had come home from work, and she called up the stairs to announce the food was ready.
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