“It’s not fine. You don’t know who you’re conversing with within that game!” How can she be so willy-nilly, like it’s no big deal?
“Sure I do. I play all the time.”
“Fine, then who’s the Russian who was playing? He’s a grown man.”
“He’s on all the time. Usually only for a wave, and then bails. He must have liked you to keep playing until the town was destroyed.”
I ignore Olivia’s remark. She’s trying to smooth things over because she’s aware that her mother isn’t going to take kindly to the news.
“Give me the headset,” I say, holding my hand for the device.
“Fine,” she grumbles, and pushes it into my palms. I secure the device and power it on, using the controllers to navigate through the main menu. There has to be a setting to block a player. I find the input screen where I can view and invite other people.
His screen name isn’t hard to remember. I type in ‘Bearded Bad Boy,’ and immediately, an image pops up. Where it should be a profile picture, instead, it’s a tattoo of a star. It’s detailed and intricate and impressive if he designed it himself.
Which I doubt he did.
I don’t know much about tattoos, but I’d bet that’s not the only one that Bearded Bad Boy has on him, and there’s no way in hell I want my innocent niece discovering any other ink on his body.
His profile is considerably empty. There’s no first name, no description—just the close-up of a tattoo and the option to add him as a friend.
Nope.
It is not going to happen.
“Well?” Olivia quips, waiting for me to say something.
“I ought to block him,” I say.
“What? Why? He’s never said or done anything inappropriate. You’re overreacting, Aunt Sadie.”
I opt not to block him. He didn’t say or do anything while I was online. Not that I want to tell Olivia that she’s right. I exit the profile screen and power down the game before removing the headset. “Thirteen-year-old girls and grown men don’t mix. Men like Bearded Bad Boy don’t show up on the console just to play games.”
“Yes, they do. I’ll prove it to you. Buy a second console, and you can play every night when I’m online. You’ll see that no one is harassing me or violating me. It’s a safe space.”
I exhale a heavy breath. “How about no video games while you’re at my house?”
“Mom, you’re being so mean.”
“But I’m visiting for a month,” Olivia whines. “That’s going to be torture! I have friends online whom I chat with, and we hang out.” Her eyes widen, and the young girl’s eyes water.
I’ve seen the difference between real tears and the waterworks to get her way. These are genuine tears, which makes it that much harder.
“I know it seems silly and stupid to you, Aunt Sadie, but gaming gives me something to do. And it’s exercise. You can’t tell me you’re not sore from Orc Hunter.”
My arm is a little sore, and I’ll bet my legs will be aching tomorrow from all the squats I did to avoid getting an ax thrown at my head. “I’ll watch you girls play and monitor your phones,” I say.
“Okay, but when I’m asleep, you can borrow my headset,” Olivia says with a grin, glancing at Allie.
“That’s not necessary.”
A smirk lights up Olivia’s face. “A few hours of playing Orc Hunter this week, and you’ll be addicted.”
“Maybe we should find some other activities to do outdoors,” I say.
“Mom,” Allie whines. “I promise it’s good for the soul.”
“Playing video games?”