Play vs Play

CHAPTER 1: PRESS START

"We can play again, ok?" he strained his voice trying to be louder than the screaming children and blaring machines around him.

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Kian felt a light tap on his shoulder. He removed his headset and looked behind him at a guy standing over him. The sun shone behind the guy but Kian knew who it was because of the curly hair and glasses. It was his course mate, Noel.

"Kris!" Noel exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing in here? You didn't attend class just now...AGAIN." Noel said.

Kian shushed him. "Dude, read the sign. No raising voices in the cyber café. And yea...but I noticed my ranking drop this morning. Needed to maintain my top 10."

"Attendance is literally 5% of your grade, it counts for something too, Kris."

"I'll make up for it in my finals," Kian puts on his headphones again. "It doesn't matter." 

Noel takes them off. "I know you want to go professional my guy, but...until then, you still have a life and studies to take care of, you know?"

Kian rubs his neck. "I have been, ok?"

"Come on man, you're smart but you can't keep doing this y'know?"

Kian shrugged. "Ok, then let me play one more game."

Noel sighs. "Let's go for lunch then."

"I'll...pick something up along the way." He says clicking on the start button to queue for a game.

"Why not eat together with me?"

"I'm busy as you can see." Kian motions at the monitor.

Noel moves the mouse and stops the queue. "We are going to eat together."

"What the hell dude!" Kian said, annoyed.

"Watch your voice man, you said no shouting in here."

"Yea but you stopped my queue! You know how I don't like meddl-"

"I belanja you."

Kian stopped complaining. "You for real ah, dude?"

"You don't want can also." Noel started walking towards the exit.

"W- Wait!" He shouted. A few people shushed him as he packed his things. He headed to the counter beside the exit. "Boss, cancel saya punya satu jam ya." The clerk nodded and Kian ran down the steps.

He comes out of a narrow stairway and out into the shade of the shop lot. The Malaysian heat was blazing hot and Kian immediately felt sweat forming on his back. He looked across the road to see Noel waiting for him.

"Faster lah!" Noel shouted.

Kian adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his coffeeshop chair. He started a game on his phone while he waited for Noel to finish his meal. Kian was always a fast eater helped by the fact that he always needed to be ready for a game. Most of his family were surprised at how he could take a whole plate of nasi kandar and leave it clean within five minutes.

"Yo, you're president of the gaming club, right?" Noel asked in between a spoonful of rice.

Kian looked up from his phone and then looked back at it. "Yea, why?"

"Are you going to attend the fundraiser meeting tomorrow?"

"What meeting?" Kian continued looking at his phone.

"Dude, you're the president of a club and you're asking a secretary?"

"Because I don't remember a meeting like that."