Page 22 of Rosie
Matt: Rookie. But promising.
Damir: Alright. See you both tomorrow for our practice.
Matt: They might have to work. But I’ll ask.
He hoped he wasn’t wrong about these guys.
Chapter 6
Pewpew!The sting of her lasers cut across the enemy ship as it flew overhead. R2-D2 beeped and booped. This was the best forty bucks she’d spent on herself in ages.
“General McGann” was already on the internet fighting other players and taking names. So far, her favorite ship on the light side was Luke Skywalker’sRed Five. On the dark side, it was a toss-up between Darth Vader and Captain Phasma.
Tonight, she had practice scheduled with the squadron she’d play with in the tournament. Matt had invited her to a Discord server, a site she’d never even heard of before, where they could talk and strategize prior to taking on opponents.
Matt’s texts had been limited to what she needed to know about the practice runs. This was the last one they had scheduled before the big day, and the only one she’d been able to make thanks to her work schedule. Rosie wondered if she’d even hear from him after this.
This was just a favor to Mia. But there was nothing wrong with enjoying herself.
At the appointed time, she logged into Discord and pulled her brand-new headset on.
“What’s up, Matt? You there?” Came a voice she didn’t recognize.
“I’m here, Keith. Damir?” Matt’s familiar voice came over her headset next.
“Present. Where’s our fourth man?”
Fourth man? Normally, Rosie would keep quiet, but she must have been possessed by the ghost of Carrie Fisher.
“I don’t know where you get your delusions, laser brain. Fourthwhat?”
A chorus of “Oh” and one “BURN!” came over her headset, and she swore she heard someone do a spit take.
“Matt, you dog!” Said Keith. “You never said she was a girl!”
“Gentlemen, meet Rosie.” She could hear the emphasis Matt placed on the first word of that sentence, like he was warning them. Rosie smiled to herself; her heart warmed by the protective gesture.
The other guys treated her no different, asking about which characters she flew best. They came up with a strategy and quickly flew into battle.
“I can’t shake Darth Maul!”
“I’m on it.” Matt’sMillennium Falconfired against theScimitarchasing Keith’sBlack One.
“Aw yeah, Vader down!”
A missile locked onto herRed Fiveand she rolled quickly to her left to throw it off. Then she was getting chased by Captain Phasma and Damir’s B-wing came to her rescue.
Round after round they went, switching between the light and dark side characters. Hours later, yawning on the other end of the line announced the boys were definitely done for the night. She should quit too, so she could get on a daylight schedule for the tournament.
“I think we better call it a night,” Damir yawned again. “I got work in the morning.”
“Me, too,” answered Matt. “I’ll see you there.”
The four of them said their goodbyes and logged out of the game. But she hadn’t realized she was still logged into the Discord when Keith’s voice spoke. “So, Rosie, what do you do?”
She jumped in her bed a little, startled. “I’m a nurse. What about you?”
“Well, I’m a server at the Orange Blossom, but I’m also an actor.”
