My Virtual Darcy 🏆 2021 Wattys Shortlister

16 - Future and Fate

"Ready to get your arse kicked, Matthew?" I gave my striker a few menacing shakes.

"It's my birthday. Aren't you supposed to be nice or something?" Matt rolled his eyes and put down the puck on the air hockey table.

My nose scrunched up as I pretended to reformulate my words. With a mocking pout, I replied, "Ready to get your ancient arse kicked, Mr. Peterson?"

The answer came under the form of grimaces, unintelligible mumbling, and blown raspberries.

Marla inserted some coins and stepped to my side to get a better view of the match. "Oy. It's my birthday too, and I wanna see Leah whoop your butt."

The machinery started with a soft hum, and air flew through the tiny holes punctuating the surface. Red LEDs blinked on the rail, and a neon lamp switched on above our heads, allowing us to play comfortably in the otherwise dim-lit arcade centre.

Matthew hunched over his paddle, his stare not leaving the puck that hovered before him. "Let's see whose birthday wish will be granted."

"Ready? Go." On Marla's injunction, her twin brother sent the puck in my direction with a powerful L drift, landing it into my goal before I could react.

"What's happening? I left you alone five minutes to get food, and when I come back, he has scored?" Idris strode back from the bar with four corn dogs on sticks. He handed a sausage to Marla, and threatened me with another one before setting it down on the railing.

I growled and threw a dirty look at my adversary. "It's on."

While I retrieved the puck, Matt pretended to blow on his nails, and polished them on his shirt, an unconcerned expression plastered on his smug face.

I huffed, and steered the conversation on a sensitive subject to try and destabilise him. "Hey, guys, have you decided what you would do after graduating?"

Bingo. Matthew winced, and my diamond shot resulted in a tie.

"Creative Writing is not my forte, so I'm pretty sure I'll switch to an English Master of Arts." I wiggled a teasing brow at my opponent's discomfiture. Behind me, a group of teenagers shouted at each other while competing in a retro race game.

"Yass. Welcome to the dark side, girl." Marla high-fived me, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Any chance to convince you to open a law firm with me? Peterson, Chey & Associates."

"Chey, Peterson & Associates," I corrected with a wink. "Thanks, but no. I'm still a Mad Men fan, and I still wanna pursue a career in advertising. But you could join my mom's firm: they're always looking for fresh blood."

"Working with Sniper Samphy?" Marla wrapped herself in her arms to contain a fake shudder.

I chuckled at my mother's nickname, earned in courtrooms for being able to spot the slightest weakness in her adversaries' argumentation.

Matt bit the tip of his corn dog with a pensive sigh. "I'll take a sabbatical year and travel the world."

Silence fell on our table at his statement, filled by the clangs and the beeps of the arcade center. Idris had told me that our friend was considering switching degrees, but I wasn't expecting him to drop such news.

"This is the first time you mention it." With her thumb, Marla wiped a ketchup stain on his chin. Her stare drilled into his as they shared a moment of wordless communication.

"I haven't figured out yet what I want to do with my life." A tender smile played on Matthew's lips. "You know I'm a follower. Even at birth, I waited for you to give me a signal before venturing outside. So, yeah, I chose the same Bachelor of Art as you because I honestly didn't care. But the university career fair triggered something. It made me relook at my future."