Page 53 of I Don't Need Your Romance

I don’t know why the thought of that stings. We’re friends now and it sucks to think we may not talk to each other once our tutoring sessions are over.

As soon as I get back to my dorm after meeting with Damian, I notice I have missed texts from Raven.

Raven: In the rec room. Guess who’s playing the arcade games?

Raven: Okay, you’ll never guess. Richie Farmer. I know you said he tries too hard to fit in with the rich kids, but he is on Addie’s list. And you never know what could happen, right? If you’re done with your tutoring, maybe you can stop by before he leaves.

Raven: His friends left and he’s completely alone. Maybe it’s best to make your move now, if you’re free. I wish I could reserve him for you before someone else comes or he leaves.

Sophie: Lol, he’s not a parking space, Raven. But I’m done with my lesson and am on my way. Try to get him to stay if he wants to leave.

Raven: Will do.

I’m not exactly in the mood to deal with another guy after such a long day, but I’m not one to back out of a challenge, so I hurry to the rec room. I hear Raven’s voice when I’m only a few feet away.

“We can do a co-op.Overcookedor aSuperMario Brosgame.”

“Overcookedis for wimps,” Richie’s familiar voice says.

“Are you serious? It’s mega hard.”

“If you suck,” he says in a cocky voice.

Even though I can’t see her, I can feel the steam shooting out of her ears. “I donotsuck at video games.”

“I mean, you’re pretty decent for a girl, but you’re nowhere near the same level as most guys.”

“I’m decentfor a girl? What decade is this, the 80s? Grab a controller and let me whip your butt.”

Knowing this can end badly, with Raven possibly strangling Richie with her controller because he said the trigger words—for a girl—I push open the door to the rec room and barge in.

The first thing I notice is the smug look on Richie’s face. He doesn’t seem one bit scared of Raven’s wrath. In fact, he seems amused by it. Like he never in a million years would think a girl could beat him at video games.

Raven does indeed look super ticked off. When she turns to me, I can tell by her eyes that she’s not so sure about this guy. But she shrugs at me and continues her game, which is a platformer with a ball of light.

“Hey, Richie,” I say as I move closer to him. “Want to play the arcade games with me? I bet I can beat your high score.”

“Not in your wildest dreams. Sure, let’s do it.”

He chooses a relatively easy one. I’m not good at arcade games and don’t play them often, but I played this one a lot as a kid and think I’m pretty decent.

I don’t know why I assumed he would offer for me to go first. Like a nice guy should do. He plays his game and curses at the screen when he messes up. Honestly, it’s a little over the top, but I get how passionate people can get over these kinds of games. It’s not that much different from me wanting to throw a book against the wall when a character does something I hate.

He ends up getting a very high score despite his mistakes. And he gives me another smug look. “Try to beat that, Sarah.”

“My name is Sophie.”

“Right. My bad.”

He doesn’t exactly give me enough room to take control of the machine. Not wanting to be a jerk about it or too pushy, I make do with what I have. I don’t seem to make as many mistakes as Richie did, but I’m moving more slowly than he did. The result is me receiving only fifty points less than him.

“Nice!” I say as I hold out my fist. “Almost tied.”

He gapes at the scores with his jaw practically sweeping the floor. “How did you score so close to me?”

“I used to play this game a lot as a kid. There’s really nothing to it once you take into consideration the probability of making every other shot—”

“Let’s do another. I’ll cream you this time.”