Page 3 of Finding Ash
Okay, that makes sense why the other guys were so stressed out. Did that make Remy like a boss or something?
We played a couple more rounds, and with each one, I got a little better. Well, at least I didn’t drive backwards again, though I kept flying off over the edge and into oblivion. I lost track of time and easily saw how addictive video games could be when someone knocked on the door. Remy paused the game and answered it, and there was Nate. Shoot.
“Everything okay, Ash? You’ve been gone a while.”
I bolted up and handed the controller to Remy. “Does he ever smile?” He whispered.
“He is smiling.”
“Oh, dang. Sorry, Nate, I was showing him how to play Mario Kart, and we lost track of time. It’s totally my fault.” Wow, that was super sweet, but I was just as much, if not more, at fault.
“Sorry, Nate. But I gave out all the towels.”
“That’s fine, Ash. You’re allowed a break. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Why don’t you both follow me back and we’ll whip up a few burgers? Sound good?”
I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my new friend and was thrilled when he replied. “I could eat.”
Chapter Two
Remy
“Dang.” The moan that escaped was salaciously orgasmic. That first bite got me every time I had one of Nate’s burgers. “These are seriously the best burgers I’ve ever had.” I nearly mentioned how the meat just melts in your mouth, but this was one of those know your audience moments. Nate, Kit, and Ash were still very new to me. But dayum, this was onekiller burger.
“Thank you, appreciate that.” I think I saw Nate smile that time, albeit briefly. It’s so hard to spot on bearded dudes.
“I know you work for Queen Gaming, but what exactly is it you do for them?” Kit asked. “Sorry, I’m a bit uneducated in the field of video games.”
I smiled at Ash, recalling similar words he’d said to me.
“I write code.” When my reply was met with blank stares from Ash and Kit, I figured I’d better elaborate. “Basically, I take the creators’, the ones who come up with the concept for the games, ideas and bring their vision to life by writing the code for it. Every time a character moves or a bird flies by, that’s code.”
“Wow, I’m impressed.” Okay, I saw teeth that time, so Nate did have the ability to smile. “It’s been years since I’ve played anything more than a phone app game. In college we did have tournaments though. Generally, they were tied in with drinking games, some of which the memories are a bit hazy for, but that’s genius level right there. What got you started in that field?”
I laughed when the memory hit me. “My mom used to get so mad at me. When a new game came out that I had to have. I’d bug her until she picked it up on her payday, which was Fridays. By Sunday I’d not only beaten it, but I’d also emailed the company that made it a list ofall the glitches I’d found. I’d done that enough times that Eddy, the owner of Queen Games, reached out and offered me an internship and paid for my schooling to become a programmer for him. It was a win-win in my book. Now I play video games full-time and get paid for it.” I really loved my job, and Eddy was great to work for. I owed the guy a ton because without him, I’d never have realized this vision or really which direction my life should take. Not to mention been able to pay for college or any vocational school.
Before I could get any questions of my own out, the rest of my team rolled in looking like they’d been dragged through the bowels of hell.
“Do you guys ever shower?” Ripe didn’t even cover the unpleasant aroma wafting off them. If their hair standing on end was any indication of stress, I was about to get an earful of complaints.
“Screw you, baby genius. We’re in glitch hell.” Jake plopped down beside me and stole a fry.
I grabbed my fork and wielded it as a weapon. “Dude, order your own.” He’d be pulling back a nub if he touched my food again. “What’re you stuck on?” I knew that program inside and out. How they hosed up the graphics was beyond me.
“You guys want to order any food?” Nate asked them, and they each picked burgers and fries with sodas. “Give me a few and I’ll have it out.” Nate, Kit, and Ash stepped away. Guess we’re all going back to work now. So much for a relaxing evening getting to know folks around town. I’d pretty much been holed up since my team had arrived in Foggy, aside from random meetings Eddy had called.
“Wait, isn’t that the same issue you said you already fixed?” Luke at least had the decency to admit when he was wrong, but dang, I thought they’d moved past it already. What the hell had they been doing all this time?
“Yeah, shit dude. I thought it was fixed. Why didn’t you say something before you lost countless hours on it, Jake?”
I shook my head. Common sense wasn’t always common.
Matty laughed. “That explains so much. Now guess what,” Jake and Luke shrugged. “While the rest of us get some much-needed shut-eye, you get to fix your fuckup.” Of course, Nate chose that moment to deliver our burgers and thankfully said nothing about the curse words. But I got it, those three had been working countless hours and getting nowhere because one of the team had failed the others.
They were all haggard as hell and sleep would do them and their bad attitudes some good.
“Dude, if you get stuck, text me and I’ll jump in.” Doing it without being asked risked my place within the team. I’d already been the butt of many of theirDaddy’s favoritejokes, but I worked hard to earn my place in this company. Besides, as the outsider looking in, meaning not the programmer who wrote that particular strand of code, it was easier to spot the mistakes than it was as the creator.
“Might take you up on that,” Luke mumbled around a mouthful of food. Did my face give away the disgust? It must have because the smartass winked at me. “Got something on my face?”
