"Esports? That's mostly something that's big in Asian countries, isn't it?" Dad asked at the breakfast table, dipping a biscuit in his tea while reading the paper.

I suppressed a deep sigh. "No," I replied. "There are also scholarships for it in western countries nowadays."

"But you need to be really good for that, don't you?" Mom argued. "Win big tournaments on television. You can't be playing in your attic room and expecting to get one."

"No, Mom," I agreed. "You can't."

I already regretted bringing up Esports as a counter argument against why gaming was always a waste of time, as my parents claimed.

In my case, they might be right. Actually, they were right about one thing already: I wasn't going to get an Esport scholarship sitting in my attic room and not appearing in any major tournament. I was also more of a streamer, providing entertainment, than I was a real professional player.

The real pros who won the big prices and got scholarships would chew me up and spit me out, while I didn't even know how these scholarships worked.

I finished the last bite of my scrambled eggs - a classic Sunday breakfast at the Hill residence - and got up from the breakfast table.

"Gabriel, why don't you go meet up with some friends today, hm?" Mom asked. "Go outside, take a walk, rather than sit in your room all day."

Because I don't really have friends to hang out with outside of school, Mom -- it's strictly a lunch-buddies and online multiplayer games deal. Also, because going out and exercise is not a fix to every problem no matter what your Fitbit tells you.

"Don't think they have time today," I lied.

I ignored Mom's disappointed, worried frown aimed at me as I left the room. As long as she didn't come up to interrupt me while climbing the ladder in Double Singularity, I could handle the looks.

And that's exactly what I did. I fired up my brand new game, and after zooming through a few single player campaign levels, I started my climb to the top.

I briefly considered making a whole new account, rather than connecting it to my existing one. It had been compromised, after all. Damn Asa prying into things he had no business with. Just because he was cooler and more popular than me and everyone was lowkey terrified of him, didn't mean he get to disrespect my privacy like this. Not if I had a say in it.

Unfortunately, I had absolutely no say in it. Asa had already seen it. He knew I was extra_ordinary online.

To add insult to injury, the doorbell rang around noon.

At first I figured it was just the neighbours coming over for a cup of coffee, a piece of my mom's lemon pie, and the latest neighbourhood gossip about Mrs. Taylor's failed boob job.

Then my mom's cheerful voice rang out. "Gabriel! A friend of yours is here!"

Slowly taking out my earbuds, I glanced at the door. Friend? That was a lie. Randall nor Camilla or even Landon would come to my house.

"It's Asa from your class!"

I jumped up from my chair, bumping my head into the low, slanted attic ceiling above my desk.

"Motherfu-" I swore under my breath, rubbing my head.

"Gabriel!" Mom called out again, a tad more impatient.

"Coming! Coming!" I replied.

Not before pacing around my room for a few seconds longer, however, before finally deciding I didn't have any excuses ready to get me out of this situation. I had to admit defeat and trudge down the stairs.

Mom's smile was so beaming, I had the urge to squeeze my eyes to slits. She was so overly happy I had a 'friend' visiting me it was embarrassing. I didn't even want to look at Asa's reaction.

Not that I hadn't already hit rock bottom and went even deeper than that around Asa on the embarrassment scale.

There was, sincerely, nothing that could make this worse.

"Asa, dear, would you like to have some lemon pie?" Mom offered. "We're so happy to finally meet one of Gabriel's friends. He never brings anyone over!"

I cringed. Except for that. Yeah, throw me under a bus here, Mom. Tell him I have no real life friends outside of school either.

Asa stuck his hands in his pockets. "Thank you, Mrs. Hill. But we have plans to go out."

My jaw went slack. "We do?" I brought out.

"You do!" my Mom said, delighted. "Off you go then. Put on a coat, it's cold outside Gabriel."

I was too much in shock to protest, and a few moments later I was walking on the street next to Asa.

"So, uh, you need more cookies or something?" I broke the silence.

Asa glanced at me, eyebrows knitted in an unamused frown. "Cindy wants you to teach her how to play Double Singularity."

Asa unlocked his car, a beaten-up old Ford, from a distance and wondered just how many vehicles he used. So far there'd been Cindy's bike, the motorcycle, and now the Ford.

I stopped in front of the car, not getting in like I was obviously supposed to. "I- Wait, I don't have time for that," I sputtered. "Not that I don't want to teach her of course, but I have a stream to run. So I can even pay you in the first place."

Asa opened the driver's car door. "I'm sure you can figure it out," he said.

Damn it. I should've known he wasn't going to go easy on me. Reluctantly, I got into the passenger seat. Asa's car smelled clean. Neutral. For some reason I expected it to smell like leather and cigarettes, but I suppose that was mostly a movie thing, and Asa didn't smoke for as far as I knew.

I also thought I'd be clinging onto my seat and fear for my life during the entire trip.

Actually, I was clinging onto my seat and feared for my life. But that didn't have anything to do with Asa's driving style but much to do with Asa himself. We were sitting so close together in his car. Every time his hand reached for the gear stick (of course, he drove manual - anything else would be too easy) my butt cheeks clenched and the little hairs on my arms stood up straight.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, I cleared my throat. "I, uh, I totally understand Cindy. But I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell people at school about my stream."

I thought Asa wasn't going to reply. But he finally glanced my way, indifferently, before turning his attention back to the road.

"Maybe I should."

"No no, you really, really shouldn't." I stiffened, realising I wasn't in the position to give Asa anything that even resembled a command. "I mean, it doesn't work for people like me. Standing out. It'd only make things worse."

Asa didn't reply after that. I don't know if that meant he understood and wasn't going to tell anyone, or if he thought I was talking bullshit.

At least his cousin appreciated me. When I entered Asa's living room, Cindy looked at me with a kind of reverence that made heat rush to my cheeks.

"I've been watching you since you started your channel," she said slowly, her eyes big and round. "I've seen every video. Every game you played. I can't believe we made you bake cookies for--"

"I got him here. Now play that new game," Asa cut in. "Gabriel has a stream to record today, too."

I almost snorted. Since when did Asa give a crap about my stream? Oh, right, since it paid him and since he wanted to prevent Cindy from finishing her sentence.

Cindy sprung into action. "Oh! Yes, I'll get my laptop, hang on!"

She ran out of the living room, then a few seconds later came dashing down the stairs again, pouting at Asa.

"Asa, do you have my charger? It's not in my room."

Asa stared at her, unamused, and just ever so slightly less cold than at the people at school.

Cindy bit her lip. "Okay, so maybe I lost it somewhere," she admitted. "Could I please..."

"Fine, take my computer."

Cindy smiled at me sheepishly. "Uhm, this way please."

My eyes shifted to Asa who clearly wasn't planning on coming along with us as he made himself comfortable on the couch and turned the tv on, back to a nearly bouncing Cindy. Then, I decided there was nothing else to do but follow her.

Holy shit. Was she taking me to Asa's room? And he was allowing it? My heart raced in my chest like I was doing something illegal as Cindy and I walked up the stairs together.

"Thank you for actually coming here to teach me," Cindy said. "Asa said you would do it, but I didn't expect you to, you know, actually make time for it."

Cindy looked so happy I didn't have the heart to tell her I probably wouldn't have, if it wasn't for the fact that Asa pretty much scared the bejesus out of me. I smiled.

"It's no problem. Anything for a fan. Uh, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone else about me. That I'm extra_ordinary online."

Cindy's smile faded, making place for a solemn expression. She pressed her hand to her chest.

"I promise," she said, sounding a lot more convincing than Asa. Then she frowned. "Oh, I do need to find my mouse. Can't play with Asa's. His room is on the far left, by the way. Wait there? I'll be right there!"

Cindy zoomed off again, and I heard the sound of drawers opening and closing, followed by a frustrated groan and more drawers opening.

I wasn't sure how one lost their favourite gaming mouse - mine was never far from my computer - but Cindy didn't appear to be the cleanest and most organised person.

I gulped, deciding to do as Cindy said and go ahead to Asa's room. Asa's bedroom. The place where he slept, made homework, did... other things that made me gulp even harder.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the door, was how meticulously made his bed was. Insanely meticulous. I was fairly sure I could bounce a coin on his sheets and it'd bounce right back up, that's how tightly it was made.

Then, my eyes fell on the drawer next to the door. To be more exact: my eyes fell on a stack of papers, and to be even more exact, on one particular paper with the corner sticking out.

CLIENT PROGRESS NOTES.

I froze in the door opening, knowing exactly what that paper was. Therapy notes from a psychologist. I looked away. Shit, that was private, I wasn't supposed to look at that. I was supposed to go right over to the computer, and not sneak around in Asa's room.

The paper was buried under a pile of other papers - mostly homework - so he clearly didn't mean for anyone to see. It was just an unhappy coincidence that those particular words caught my eye. I could've easily missed it if I hadn't stopped in the door opening, mystified.

In the hallway, I still heard Cindy searching. She wasn't very organised, but she was loud about it.

I bit my lip, staring at the innocent corner of the page sticking out.

Asa stole your phone. He started it. He invaded your privacy first and then threatened to tell people at school! It was only fair that I got to do some digging too, finding out his secrets.

I looked behind me, leaving the door on a crack so Cindy wouldn't immediately catch me. With a sandpaper throat and a heart about to escape my chest, I lifted the pile of papers above the one I wanted, and leaned down to sneak a glance.

No unexplained absences or discipline problems. Report cards indicate GPA of 3.8 (down from 4.3 before). Client dropped out of high school due to a job offer after showing interest in- and having talent for- developing AI and was employed as an apprentice in a classified military drone research program. Now returned to school to finish senior year. Problems started after--

Cindy's footsteps sounded in the hallway. I promptly let go of the pile of paper and threw myself into the black desk chair like I'd been there all along. I didn't know if I could keep the shock out of my expression, however.

Holy. Shit.