Computer Lab 128B

“Steven, I need you to wash those plates!”

“No can do, Cyn!” On the large screen before them, Steven’s character ran past the dirty dishes and instead grabbed a patty from the dispenser. “I need to make this burger before Clyde fini- Ow!” His fingers jerked on his controller, sending the patty flying out of his virtual grip just as his character pivoted and turned to face the trash bin.

Cynthia winced, Steven screeching “Wes!” into her left ear when the meat was deleted. Her own character dropped its tomato. The vegetable landed on one of the stage’s conveyor belts and immediately became inaccessible as it was carried behind a wall to the other half of the virtual kitchen.

“We’re not racing to see who can make the most burgers, Steve!” said the one who had elbowed him. Wes’ character, at his board chopping lettuce, picked up the tomato that had moved beyond the wall and threw it back at her. “Save it for Smash! Not when we’re playing Overcooked!”

“Yeah Steven,” Running past Steven as he sent off the next burger in the order queue, Clyde rewarded the team with more points. “Just do your job and stay in your lane. I’ll make sure we get enough points to win this round.”

“We’ll see about that, Clyde!” He dropped his plate mid-wash. “Not if I-”

“Steven!” she yelled over him, cutting him off. She hated using this tone but he often left her ****. Her brother chuckled next to her and Cynthia wanted to hit him for it; he’d started calling it her ‘Mother’ voice recently; “There won’t be any burgers if those plates don’t get washed!”

“Yes Ma’am!” he obeyed, rushing off to grab a second plate. ”I’m gonna kick all your asses at cleaning plates!”

Despite the sudden flow of clean plates, Cynthia sighed. _Why must he turn everything into a contest? _The question had long since been proven to be impossible to answer.

“Don’t worry, Mom!” Clyde joked. “Wes and I have this! Hey Steve, need help with those plates? You can’t seem to keep up with how fast I’m pumping these burgers out!”

“Just you wait Clyde! Next round, we’re switching roles! Then we’ll see who’s the best at making burgers!”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. Why must you egg him on, Clyde? Wes, bless his soul, was the only saving grace that prevented her frustrations from bubbling over. Trying to play _Overcooked _with Steve and her brother had been a mistake. Despite their best efforts, Wes and Cynthia couldn’t keep the production of meat and veggies going fast enough to keep up with the game’s orders. With Steve more concerned with outplaying his rival, the backlog soon grew to be as tall as the plates did.

“One minutes left!” Wes called as he ran from storage bin to cutting board. He moved to place his latest contribution on the conveyor only to find it obstructed with dirty plates. “Steven!”

“Just one burger!” He left his post and Cynthia gave up on the match entirely. “I’ll save this!”

She lowered her controller and let the meat she’d been cooking burn completely. “Why do I even bother?” she mumbled to herself, watching the seconds count town as her friends flailed, unable to keep up with the game’s demands.

The timer soon hit zero and the level was over. When the game compiled the team’s final score, Cynthia was surprised to see they even managed to score two stars. Out of three, it was considered a pass. Barely, she thought, glancing down at the pointage. What hurt more was the fact that their three-star streak had been broken. Maybe we should change games, she wondered, turning to her brother.

Clyde, as player one, should have been moving them towards the next level, but he was already arguing with Steve over who was the best at their respective roles. A second attempt would needlessly extend the feud.

“I’m done!” the girl stated as she leaned back in her chair, doing her best to ignore the argument. “I’m tired of managing you clowns. Wes, pick something else for us to play.”

Wes would at least follow her orders without complaint.

“Pick Smash!” her brother called out, “so I can rip Steve a new one!”

“You wish!” Steven retorted, eager to finally channel his competitiveness through a proper outlet, “I’ve been maining Marth recently and there’s no way you’ll be able to outplay me!”

Wes chuckled as he picked the game in question. “Please, my Ness will kick all your asses.”

With Wes finally succumbing to the boys’ constant bickering, Cynthia tuned all three of them out. A skill she’d developed over the many years she’d grown up dealing with her friends, she used her frustration to hide her excitement behind her trembling hands. She loved _Smash _for this very reason. She wasn’t as good as Steven or her brother, but boy did it feel good when she beat them. It was hard not to get off at outplaying Steven in something he took pride in. Making his character clap for hers always filled her with satisfaction.

They easily settled on their typical combat arena: the classic tournament mode. It allowed them to select their characters and randomly generate a sporting bracket, pitting them against one another until a single player remained standing. Each match consisted of three stocks, timing out if 10 minutes had passed without a victory. Last place won the privilege of paying for pizza.

With Steve at the center of her frustrations, she willed the game to set him up against her first. Unfortunately, it had other plans.

“Guess I’m seeing you in the finals, Steve!” her brother called as his Ganon was shown next to her Puff. “Cynthia can never beat me when we’re playing back home.”

She smirked. Her brother would make for a good warm up.

“Please,” she responded to his boast before Steven could, “My Puff is always putting you in your place; this time won’t be any different.” She cracked her fingers and shook her hands to loosen her joints before firming her grip on the controller. “I’m facing Steve in the finals; I have a score to settle with him.”

Clyde had just the right amount of bite. He accepted her challenge and beckoned her by saying “Bring it sis!” when the match began.

As Puff and Ganon entered the stage, she noticed Steven use Wes’ arm to pull him from his seat. “Come Wes!” he said as her brother dashed towards her, “Let’s order some pizzas while they battle it out.”

She side-stepped the attack and immersed herself into the battle, already fantasizing of the look on Clyde’s face when she beats him.

“So, you gonna ask her out or nah?” Steve asked once they were in the back room and out of earshot.

Wes, anticipating a discussion about pizza, nearly choked on his spit at the sudden personal inquiry. “What, no!” he replied, immediately getting defensive. He quickly checked to make sure that the door was indeed closed before correcting himself. “I mean, I will!” he more quietly whispered, “...eventually, but-”

“No buts!” his friend countered, poking his chest. “Just get out there and do it! Tonight!” Wes frowned as the familiar image of Cynthia ignoring his attempt in favor of gaming with her brother briefly filled his thoughts. “And stop being such a doormat!”

The image vanished. “What do you mean, ‘doormat’!?”

“I mean earlier, in Overcooked” his friend said, waving it off as though it was obvious. “You were the only one on board with Cynthia’s little game plan, for all the good it did us. Take charge! Give some orders! I’m sure Cynthia would much rather have someone else take point and strategize than always be the one leading the group.”

But the role fits her so well... He recalled how direct and no-nonsense she’d been when she told him to prepare the vegetables. “What if I like following her orders, huh?” Wes stated, suddenly firm in his conviction. “Maybe I like her ability to take charge!”

“Spoken like a true doormat,” Steven chuckled, patting his friend on the back. “I hope for your sake that Cynthia's attracted to pushovers.”

Wes snorted, shaking his head. “I don’t think you know what Cynthia’s attracted to.”

“I highly doubt it’s you.”

“That’s not what Clyde said!”

“And you believe him?” His tone made Wes flinch. “Well then Wes, if you’re so confident, why hasn’t _she _made a move yet? It’s not like she’s been shy about it before! Wasn’t she the one asking David out last year?”

Dread shot through Wes as he recalled the event. Cynthia had shocked the group by asking one of the hockey players out. The date had ended in a failure, but the message the fiasco sent had been clear — Cynthia wasn’t afraid to approach those she was interested in dating. The fact that hadn’t been one of them... Wes wasn’t sure what to say and the resulting silence was almost deafening, broken only by Clyde’s sudden screech from the other room as he lost one of his lives.

When it became clear Wes wasn’t going to speak up, Steven simply shook his head. “Look man, I’m not trying to be mean. All I’m saying is that you better jump on that while she’s still single. I’ve heard some of the other guys talk in the locker rooms, and word on the street is that members of the hockey team want to pick up where David left off. And I don’t blame them, Cynthia’s hot” The smile Steve gave him was a sad one. “She isn’t going to wait around forever.”

“But hey!” he continued, suddenly full of energy and patting Wes on his back, “since you like following orders so much, can you handle the pizza? Extra bacon with double cheese!” Wes just nodded, knowing that arguing with Steve was futile. “Thanks Wes! I’m gonna go watch the game and see if I can pick up Clyde’s new strat!”

With his friend’s warning still echoing in his mind, Wes remained silent as Steve exited the lab’s storage room. Left alone, he leaned on one of the shelves, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Each heartbeat was loud behind his ears and he **** himself to take deep breaths.

Don’t let him distract you, he told himself, Steve’s just trying to make you slip up and win the match. But his words had struck a chord and found root within a fear he’d done his best to keep suppressed. What if he’s right though? What if she isn’t into me? Even ordering the pizza failed to distract him; his phone screen seemed distant and his fingers moved on autopilot.

“You okay?” came a sudden voice next to him, breaking his thoughts. Wes shook his head and returned to reality, turning to welcome Clyde as he entered the back room. “You seem lost in thought.”

Wes gave him what he hoped wasn’t a weak smile. “Just something Steven said. It’s nothing.” He lifted his phone and showed him the order. “Pizza’s on its way. Should be here in half an hour.”

“Excellent!” Clyde clapped his hands together, jumping up with excitement. “I’m gonna go wait at the school’s entrance and grab it. With the next match and the loser’s bracket before the finals, I have some time to kill.”

“Loser’s bracket?” Wes blinked. “Did you beat Cynthia’s Puff?”

“Barely!” he exclaimed, grinning at the memory of the match. “She’s gotten really good, it was close; came down to the wire! Sucks for her though, she won’t get to ‘put Steven in his place’.”

“Hehe, yeah.” Wes said, glancing away at the mention. God, I wish she’d put me in my place.

Clyde caught the side look and encouragely gave his friend a bump on his shoulder. “Hey man, try not to worry too much. She’s got a soft spot for you; I know she’ll go easy on you in the loser’s bracket.”

“Hey! Who says I’m losing!”

“There’s that fighting spirit!” his friend said as he pretended to give him a few more punches, “Good luck, don’t let Steve trounce you too badly!”

“Clyde, wait!” Wes called as his friend turned to leave. “Would Cynthia ask me out if she was into me?” he asked before he could stop himself, nearly **** on the words as they came out.

His crush’s brother paused at the door. “Who knows?” he answered coyly, masking a truth Wes knew he wasn’t telling him. “Have you tried...”

“Finally!” Cynthia called out as Wes and Clyde emerged from the back room. “Did you not know what to order?”

Wes raised his phone, showing her the order. “Extra bacon with double cheese!”

“No veggies?” Cynthia pretended to hurl. “Sounds like something Steve would order.”

Instead of confirming her suspicions, Wes stopped mid stride at the mention of his opponent. “Actually, where is Steve?” he asked, glancing around the computer room, unable to spot their friend.

“Washroom,” the girl replied, nudging towards the door her brother was approaching. It led out to one of the school’s main hallways.

“Good timing,” Clyde told them as he reached for the handle. “If I’m lucky the pizza will be here in time for the loser’s bracket.” He gave them a knowing grin as he opened the door. “Behave you two!” he told them before swiftly exiting out of the room and leaving them alone. He had the nerve to wink at them.

Cynthia did a much better job at hiding the flush that crept on her cheeks than Wes. He’s cute when he blushes. She liked how nervous he got when they were left alone; no doubt her brother had done that on purpose.

“Speaking of Steve,” she continued before things got awkward, “You better beat him during your match!”

To his credit, Wes didn’t glance away from the intensity of her statement like he usually did. He seemed more confident in himself, and it sparked a vision of a familiar fantasy. In her mind, she grabbed him by the hem and **** him back onto a bed, straddling him as she got ready to shatter that confident smirk of his. She quickly blinked the image away.

“That’s easier said than done,” he told her, “If there’s any of us who could go pro at Smash, it’s Steve.”

“Already expecting that L, I see.” She joked, egging him on. Having spent years watching him interact with Clyde and Steve, she knew exactly which buttons to push.

This time, it worked.

“Want to make a bet?”

Her heart fluttered as it skipped a beat, the girl surprised by his sudden resolve. This is new. Not expecting the determination that shone in his eyes as he asked the question, Cynthia felt a sudden lump in her throat and momentarily glanced away. Is he finally gonna do it? she asked herself, unable to suppress her hopes. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice dry.

“If Steve beats me and moves onto the finals, I’ll pay for the pizza in full regardless of the loser’s bracket’s outcome.”

“Done,” she agreed, deliberately keeping her answer short in order to mask her growing feeling of excitement in her stomach. It felt like butterflies had taken over. “And if you win?” she asked, forcing herself to keep her voice from breaking.

She expected his resolve to falter and remained pleasantly surprised when he continued. “If I win and you get to face Steve in the losers bracket, you and I have to-”

A sudden, loud knock drowned out the rest of his words.

Not expecting the interruption, he blushed and began repeating himself only for a second knock to reverberate through the computer room. They both glanced at the room’s main door and spotted the silhouette that was banging away behind it.

Frowning at the interruption, Cynthia **** herself to raise a finger. “Hold that thought,” she told him, wanting nothing more than to have him finish it. Channeling her annoyance at being interrupted towards their mystery arrival, it took everything in her to stop herself from mumbling angrily as she stomped over to the door.

She opened it, ready to immediately dismiss their new arrival, and instead almost jumped back. “Oh!” she exclaimed, suddenly greeting someone who was probably near the bottom of the list of people she’d expected to see.

“Good evening!” she muttered, looking up at the teacher. “What can I do for you, Mr. Dinger?”