Ego and Melodrama

Friday, we found ourselves back at a familiar place. The arcade. So help me, if it was fucking skee ball again, I was going to lose my shit and start chucking the damn balls at the other guys. I’d place first if I eliminated the competition, right?

Tonight differed in the sense that I was competing without any chance at a prize. Emma still wasn’t a part of the Prize Pool, but I wanted to compete anyway. If nothing else, it would be fun talking shit to the other guys. Ryan wasn’t the type of guy who would let someone go unrewarded though. With his suggestion, the group quickly agreed that if I won, my reward would be free reign over the pairings for the week. No idea why everyone was so quick to jump on board until I remembered it was a novelty thing.

Besides, I had yet to win one of these damn competitions so the chances of it happening were fairly slim.

Right before the game was announced and things kicked off, there was a shift in the mood. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the guys were far more intense than usual—even for a Friday night completion. When I mentioned it to Emma, she quite happily reminded me the Prize Pool was smaller than normal. With Mike, there were now seven guys competing. Combined with Callie ‘dating’ Parker and Nina seeing Noah, both were no longer options. Emma not being an option either meant there were only five girls to the seven guys. For the first time since I’d started hanging out with them, the guys outnumbered the girls.

“Has this ever happened before?”

She shrugged. “A few times.”

“What happened?”

“They either doubled up or learned to share.” I continued to stare at her and her eyes narrowed as she immediately knew where my mind was headed. “No, they didn’t double up with me. I told you that.”

“Pity. Would have loved some pictures of that.”

She gave me a shove. “Disgusting.”

I was smiling and she seemed to be enjoying herself too. “I notice you mentioned nothing about sharing…”

“That is curious,” she said with a teasing smile.

Pulling her against me, I squeezed her tightly. “I think I would love to hear about that sometime—”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

I kissed the top of her head.

We were interrupted by Ryan getting everyone’s attention as he announced what the week's game was. As he revealed the game and explained how things were going to work, I kept a strong poker face. The moment he said what it was, Mike groaned, getting confused looks.

“Forget it. Save us all time and tears and just let Isaac pick the damn groups already.”

“No way!” I said, stepping in. “Where is your competitive spirit?”

“The same place you murdered and buried it the last time I made the mistake of playing a fighting game with you.”

“Speak for yourself,” Cameron said with a confident grin. “I’m actually pretty damn good at this.”

“Says the guy who lost to me last time we played this,” Zach said, rolling his shoulders and cracking his fingers.

“Fools,” Mike said with a sad shake of his head.

Cackling evilly, I stepped forward, cracking my knuckles in preparation. “Greetings mortals. Mark the day, because today will be the greatest experience of your lives, and know that to me, it will be nothing more than a Friday.”

Behind me, Emma groaned miserably as I heard a few girls chuckle.

The Prophet Mike foretold doom and ruination, and I delivered. I didn’t simply crush the opposition. No, that wasn’t my style. I embarrassed them. If I didn’t sweep the fight instantly, I let them beat me down to a sliver of health—giving them the illusion of victory—before snatching it away, obliterating that hope without mercy. Even Cameron and Zach, who so confidently declared their skill, was but newborn babes before my might. I was in my element and dominating all challengers. Mike didn’t even bother. He just stood there as I quickly stomped his character into dust.

When the dust settled, it was only me; top of the mountain of corpses that were once my friends. I was invincible!

And also a bit dramatic. My ego was definitely the size of a mountain after this.

“I suddenly regret giving you the power to choose pairings this week,” Ryan said as I was crowned king and elevated to godhood. Oh man, I was getting a bit melodramatic, but I had won. Finally! It was a legit and indisputable win.

And Emma wasn’t even in the fucking Prize Pool.

Fuck!

“I don’t know,” Lily said with an excited bounce. “I think this is all exciting!”

“Grant and Colin. Grant and Colin. Grant and Colin,” Maggie chanted softly, fingers crossed. When she noticed everyone looking at her, she blushed. “What? They get competitive when you get them together.”

“Grant and Colin. Grant and Colin,” Sarah said, starting her own quiet chant.

With everyone's attention on me, I was still riding high off finally winning. I glanced down at my open hands. “This feeling. No man should ever wield such power. I can already feel it corrupting me.”

I got an angry kick to the back of the leg. Looking over my shoulder, I gave Emma a betrayed look. “Fucking nerd. Don’t make it weird.” No idea what she was talking about. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. I certainly was.

“Don’t take this moment away from me. After all my plotting and scheming, I can finally enact my ****!”

“What exactly are you getting **** for?” Ryan asked with an amused smile.

I shot my finger out at him. “Don’t play innocent with me! I know you’ve all been having relations with my girlfriend! Now it is finally time for you to pay the price for your transgressions!” I was glad everyone was enjoying the melodramatics. Probably the only reason I had the confidence to continue. The girls especially were having a blast. Well, besides Emma. I don’t think I’d ever seen her face so red. Wasn’t sure if it was anger or embarrassment though…

“Oh no,” Grant said. His deep voice was monotone, completely unfazed by the theatrics. “I am completely frozen in terror. How can I possibly beg for forgiveness?”

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head. “It is too late. I shall have my ****, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

Zach sighed. “Never going to let him win again…”

I chuckled. “I hereby declare the first pairing for the week!” That got everyone’s attention. “Grant and Colin!”

They waited for the lucky girl to be named.

And waited.

Oh, they were going to be waiting a long time if they thought I had another name to add to that.

“Second pair is—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up there, champ,” Colin interrupted. “I believe you forgot a name.”

“Damn right he did,” Sarah muttered.

I blinked innocently. “Did I?” I made a show of thinking. “Grant… Colin… No. No, I think that is everyone.”

“Uh, bro,” Grant said. “I don’t mind doubling up, but… not into guys. Especially not skinny ass whiners like Colin who can’t even please his girl in bed.”

“One time. You steal my girl one time and I never hear the end of it. Least I never had a girl refuse to have sex because my junk is too big.”

“Your mom never seems to mind.”

“Gentlemen, please,” I said, stepping in. “Save that sort of talk for the bedroom.” That got some snickers from the girls. Speaking of which…

“Second pair will be Lily and Sarah.”

“Hey!” I ignored the outrage from that end of the group as I continued to pair people up with the same sex. Ryan and Cameron. Maddie and Hailey. Zach and Justin.

The last pair?

Mike and Taylor, the shy redhead who rounded off the last of the girls. Pretty sure she was the only one of the girls he hadn’t slept with by now—which totally had nothing to do with why I paired the two together.

“Okay, I’m calling it. This here? Some bullshit,” Colin said as I announced the last group.

“I don’t know.” Mike was the only cheerful guy in the group. “I don’t think it’s all bad.”

“Favoritism, that’s what it is,” Justin rumbled, crossing his arms unhappily.

“I rewarded one of the faith. He was the only one who showed proper respect to one far above his station and therefore has been rewarded.”

“So, like, I get punishing the guys. Why us?” Lily asked, looking unhappy.

Before I could answer, Sarah grabbed her arm and pressed against her. “Is it really a punishment?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. You and Maddie might enjoy it, but I’m not into girls.”

“For real! Be serious and lay out the groups already,” Zach protested.

“I did,” I said, dropping the melodramatic tone I’d been using. “Ryan said I would have complete control over who was with who and you all agreed to it.” The entire time, Ryan was just watching everything with an amused smile.

“He’s right. We all agreed and we never said what the pairs needed to consist of.”

“It was implied!” Zach pressed.

“So glad I’m out this week,” I heard Callie mutter with a chuckle. Nina seemed to be of the same opinion.

“Relax, everyone,” Ryan said with a calming gesture. “We’re forgetting the most important reason why we do this: fun. Pairings are never set in stone. It was all just a way to spice things up. Sleep with your partner, don’t sleep with them. You know how things work.” As he finished, he smoothly slid up to Cameron and hooked his arm. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to go enjoy my prize,” he said as he pulled Cameron after him.

“Oh hell no!” the man said, struggling against Ryan’s grasp. He wasn’t letting go, pulling the smaller man after him. “No! Save me! Lily! Sarah! Anyone!”

Sarah made a praying motion, nodding her head solemnly. “Today, we remember Cameron’s ass. A fine piece of work forever lost to us.”

That got everyone laughing as Ryan finally released the man, who quickly rushed back to the group.

Ryan’s charisma had smoothed over the ruffles my mix-up of pairings had caused. I didn’t regret any of it. As he had said, it was all just a bit of fun. Everyone seemed to have gotten a kick out of it once Ryan reminded them not to take it so seriously.

As things got to normal and smaller clusters of conversation formed, I relinquished the power granted to me and turned my attention to a woman who didn’t know if she should be angry or amused.

“God, that was embarrassing,” she said as I moved toward her. “You are such a dork. I was cringing the entire—Hey!” she said as I casually hooked her arm and pulled her after me. “Isaac! What are you doing?”

“Claiming my prize.”

She blinked a few times and I felt her resistance to my grasp fading.

“Oh.” A pause. “I thought tomorrow—”

“I’m done waiting.” Stopping, I turned to face her. There were a few minutes of silence as I gauged her reaction. I saw all I needed to. She was tired of waiting too.

I gave her a goofy smile as I put on my best strong caveman voice I could—which I thought came out pretty damn good. “Woman beautiful. Take back to cave. Make mine.”

“Aaand, you ruined it.”