"That day. I didn't understand yet. Or maybe I just didn't want to. You call us cursed, but look at yourselves. Greed. It's not in our blood. It's in yours."
The only noise in the room was the frantic clicking and tapping of keys. Gavin sat hunched in his chair, his eyes locked on the screen. Hours had passed, but he didn't care. He'd lost track of time, lost track of himself. Escaping into the world of games was easier than dealing with the reality waiting outside his door.
The holidays were supposed to be a break, but for Gavin, they only made everything worse. It was monday, and midnight had long passed.
"Let's see..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking to the clock on the wall.
7:25 AM. Time to get ready for school.
"Fuck... I'm not gonna end on a streak. Just one more match."
He clicked the rematch button without hesitation, ignoring the nagging voice in his head that told him to stop. The screen loaded quickly, and soon he was back in the game. It was a familiar routine. A comforting distraction from everything else.
As the next round started, Gavin's character was selected to plant the bomb. The game's "diffuse" mode had him on a mission, but there was something off about this round. His attention was split, part of him was focused on the game, and part of him was already thinking about school, dreading the moment he'd have to leave the safety of his room. The pressure of the impending Monday was unbearable.
The global chat filled the screen with messages, but one in particular caught Gavin's attention. It was from the enemy team, praising one of their players.
"king_Victor19," the message read. "Well played."
"What's so special about that moron anyways?" Gavin muttered under his breath, his fingers still moving automatically.
The enemy team was doing well. His own team? Not so much. Gavin didn't care about them, they were just pixels and voices in the background. All that mattered right now was winning this match. He needed something to feel good about.
The round began. Gavin moved quickly, dodging the enemy's fire and planting the bomb at the A site after his teammate was taken down. There was only one minute left, but he had to hold the position.
The chat popped up again, and a new message filled the screen.
"Xr8crew: kingvictor19 you suck so bad, loser all you do is hide."
Gavin almost chuckled. The irony was thick, but he didn't care enough to respond. His hands were steady, his focus sharper than ever.
Despite the taunts, the enemy team was far from defeated. In fact, they were even more aggressive now, mocking Gavin's team as they tried to hold their ground.
The bomb was planted, and the countdown had begun. Gavin watched, heart pounding as the timer ticked down.
40 seconds. Then 30. The seconds dragged on, stretching in his mind as he waited for kingvictor19 to make his move. He couldn't afford to slip now.
With each passing second, Gavin found himself hoping, praying that the bomb would explode quicker. He wanted to win so badly, to get the satisfaction of his team cheering him on, the way the enemy had done for kingvictor19.
"30 seconds left," the timer flashed across the screen. Gavin's breath quickened.
"Kingvictor19: knock knock."
Gavin blinked, confused. Was that... a joke? It didn't make sense, but he couldn't help the curiosity that flickered through him. He typed a response, trying to push back the anxiety that gnawed at him.
"Gav_15: who's there?"
The seconds crawled by. His grip on the mouse tightened, his eyes glued to the screen. He was so close now. His team was counting on him.
"10 seconds left," the timer flashed.
He waited, his heartbeat thundering in his chest. His eyes scanned the screen, waiting for kingvictor19 to make a move.
Then the final message appeared, just as the clock hit 5 seconds:
"Kingvictor19: look behind you, loser."
A chill ran through Gavin's spine. He hesitated. Confusion took over as he spun around to check behind him, just for a split second. His character was left vulnerable for that moment, and in that instant, he saw the dreaded words flash across his screen: "You lost."
Everything seemed to freeze. The bomb went off, but it wasn't his victory. It was a loss.
The enemy team erupted in cheers, taunting him. His team blamed him.
His stomach dropped. How could he lose? How? It didn't make sense. He didn't even look at the replay. He couldn't bear to see the moment again, to watch himself lose so pitifully.
The sound of his alarm blared suddenly, cutting through the fog of his thoughts.
"Fuck..." he groaned, slumping back in his chair. "I don't wanna go. I'll just skip today."
He felt sick at the thought of school. Seeing his classmates, their fake smiles, their normal lives, it all felt like too much. What did he even have left to go back to?
His mind raced, a blur of frustrations. He wrote some angry slurs in the global chat, muttering insults toward kingvictor19. It felt hollow, but it was all he could do. Finally, he shut the game down and collapsed back onto his bed.
His phone buzzed. Social media. Scrolling through the posts, he found no escape. Same old, same old. The emptiness spread. He didn't belong there, in the world outside the screen.
The buzz of his phone was interrupted by a knock at the door. Gavin froze. Who the hell could that be at this hour?
"Hello? Is anyone there?" The voice was faint, but clear.
Gavin's brow furrowed in confusion. It wasn't the usual time for the landlord, and he hadn't been expecting anyone.
Maybe it was about the rent. But why now?
He got up, the dread sinking deeper. His legs were stiff from sitting too long, and he struggled to balance himself as he walked to the door.
He opened it, and there stood a tall young man. He was holding a lunchbox, his eyes cast downward in awkwardness. His clothes were neat but nothing flashy, just a simple silver cross necklace hanging from his neck.
"Hi, you're Gavin, right?" the man said quietly, almost to himself.
"Yeah... how do you know my name?" Gavin's voice was thick with suspicion. His eyes quickly scanned the hallway, looking for any clues as to why this stranger would be knocking at his door so early in the morning.
The man smiled awkwardly, adjusting the lunchbox in his hands. "Uh, I'm Jay, from apartment 1018. I, uh... I brought you this." He held out the lunchbox, its contents visible, a homemade meal of sandwiches with chicken and veggies.
Gavin's stomach churned at the offer. "I don't want it," he muttered quickly, shutting the door before the man could say anything else.
But then came another voice, louder this time. A voice that made Gavin's heart skip a beat.
"Hold it right there, Gavin!"
The door flung open again, and the property owner stood there, glaring at Gavin.
"You rascal! Why haven't you opened the door when I knocked?! And Jay! What are you doing here?" The landlord's words were sharp, laced with irritation.
Jay stood there, dumbfounded. "Well, um... I only came to bring him this."
The landlord snatched the lunchbox from Jay's hands and shoved it toward Gavin, who was still standing in shock.
"Go to work or something, Jay! Me and Gavin gotta talk!" The landlord's voice was thick with anger.
Gavin's face flushed. He wished he could just disappear. The embarrassment was overwhelming.
Jay's smile faded as the door was shut in his face.
"Well... that was... something," Jay muttered to himself, turning away.
Gavin stood there, still frozen. The landlord wasted no time.
"You know why I'm here, right?" His tone was cocky, like he had been rehearsing this moment.
"No... not really..." Gavin muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Your parents, you fool!" the landlord bellowed, sitting down without waiting for an invitation. "Where are they? I haven't heard a word from them in a month! And more importantly they havent paid rent!"
Gavin's breath caught in his throat. His parents. The answer the landlord wanted was something Gavin could never tell. It was darker than he could ever explain.
"Sir, I promise you'll get your money, but... I've gotta go to school now," Gavin said quickly, grabbing his bag and the lunchbox in one swift motion.
He didn't even wait for a response before running toward the elevator.
The minutes ticked by in silence as Gavin stood at the elevator. He clenched the lunchbox tighter, unsure of what to do with it. Everything about this morning felt off. The sudden encounter with Jay, the awkward conversation with the property owner, it was all a blur, but Gavin couldn't shake the tightness in his chest. He wasn't used to being seen. He wasn't used to... being talked to.
"Fuck it, I don't need this."
He shoved the lunchbox into his bag, avoiding the guilt that crept in. Jay had been kind, but it felt foreign. He wasn't used to kindness, especially not from someone like Jay. Who is he to think I need help?
The elevator doors closed behind him with a soft ding, the sound far too quiet for how loud his thoughts were. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the ground floor.
"God, this is a nightmare," he muttered under his breath.
As the elevator descended, Gavin stared at his reflection in the mirrored walls. His eyes were tired, his hair a mess. He could feel his exhaustion weighing him down. Maybe he should just skip today, forget the world for a while. What's the point of going back to school, anyway? His stomach churned at the thought of sitting in class, surrounded by people he didn't care about, trying to pretend everything was normal.
But as much as he wanted to leave it all behind, he knew he couldn't. It wasn't that simple. The rent, his parents, the pressure... it all hung over him. He had responsibilities, even if it didn't feel like it.
The elevator came to a stop. The doors opened.
As Gavin stepped out of the elevator, still shaken from his encounter with the landlord, he barely had time to register his surroundings before something, no, someone collided with him. The impact sent him stumbling back a step, dropping the lunchbox Jay had given him.
"Oh, crap, sorry," the familiar voice muttered.
Jay.
The taller guy looked equally startled, blinking down at Gavin as if he hadn't expected to bump into him at all. He had been walking briskly toward the apartment, seemingly lost in thought, and now stood awkwardly in front of him, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You alright?" Jay asked.
"Yeah," Gavin mumbled, picking up the lunchbox off the ground. "You should watch where you're going."
Jay let out a small, nervous laugh. "Yeah, my bad. Guess I was in a hurry." He paused, his eyes flickering. "Did you eat yet?"
Gavin hesitated, shifting on his feet. He wasn't used to this, small talk, concern, or even being noticed. "Uh, not yet."
Jay nodded, as if considering something, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well, I hope you like it. I figured... you know, maybe you don't get a lot of home-cooked meals."
He wasn't sure how to respond to that. It wasn't pity in Jay's voice, but something about his words still made him uncomfortable, like he had been seen too clearly.
"...Thanks," he said, barely above a whisper.
Jay's expression softened, and for a moment, Gavin thought he might say something else, but instead, Jay just gave him a small smile. "No problem."
An awkward silence settled between them, and Gavin cleared his throat. "I, uh... I gotta go. School."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound too excited about it."
Gavin scoffed. "Yeah, well, not much of a choice now, right?" His grip on the lunchbox tightened. If he had just ignored the door, stayed in bed, or even turned off his alarm, he could have skipped school in peace. But now, thanks to the landlord barging in, he was stuck with no excuse to stay home.
Jay chuckled, stepping aside to let him pass. "Guess not. Take care, man."
Gavin muttered a quick "yeah" before heading down the hallway, the weight of the morning pressing down on him.
As he made his way toward the exit , he sighed.
He should have never opened the door.