I mean it as a rhetorical point, but Emerson’s eyes suddenly light up and that uneasy feeling returns.
“Thatis a great idea.”
“No,” I respond quickly.
“Yes,” he argues, “we already have experience running clubs and events.”
“So now you want to open a club for people to…meet at and, what? Have sex?”
He smiles wickedly and I want to slam my face against the steering wheel. “Emerson, we cannot open a sex club.”
“Why not?”
“Because…I’m not…I can’t. It’s…” I’m stammering, and he’s staring at me, waiting for me to give him just one valid reason for why this is a bad idea, but the truth is, I don’t have one. All I have is voices in my head telling me that sex is shameful and wrong, and even if my rational brain can admit how ridiculous that is, indoctrination runs deep.
“Think about it,” he replies.
“I will.”
“Because it would be a mess without you.”
“I know it would.” I laugh.
With that, he closes my door and watches as I pull out of the parking lot and onto the road home. On my drive, I laugh again at his insane ideas. If Emerson thinks I’m the kind of woman to run a sex club, he is crazy.
Either he doesn’t know me at all…or I don’t.
Rule #1: Wizards are dickheads.
Beau
“The sorcerer casts a Ray of Sickness. Roll a constitution check.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I snap.
“Roll the dice.” So I do, and the players around the table wince in unison when it rolls to a stop.
“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask again.
“It means you’re dead,” the freckle-faced asshole sitting across from me says with a smug grin.
“What the fuck?” I toss down my character sheet as I glower at him, and I swear I see him flinch.
“Beau…” Sophie groans next to me in warning.
“What? That’s not fair. This guy literally makes up the rules and just decides that his stupid wizard kills my barbarian? This game is bullshit.” Trying to snatch the booklet out of his hand, I feel Sophie’s hand on my arm, so I pause. I look over at her, pink-faced, embarrassed by my outburst, so I quickly sit back down and let it go. Feeling all the players’ eyes on us, I decide to cool off.
With a grimace directed at the wizard, I bite my tongue. As much as I hate this stupid, fucking game, I do like being able to bring Soph, and if I act like an actual barbarian, she’ll find someone else to drive her to D&D night.
Since I’m now technically dead, it means I get to sit back and do nothing while she continues the campaign. It’s fucking boring, but it goes by quickly, and within an hour, we’re done, and we can finally leave.
As we’re packing up, I notice that fuck face wizard staring at Sophie a little too long. “Let’s get out of here,” I grumble as I tug her toward the door of the comic book shop.
“Bye, guys,” she says and they reply in unison.
“Bye, Sophie,” the kid calls after her.
Once we’re in the car, I sense her glaring at me. Finally, she breaks the silence. “Now I remember why I used to hate you.”