Warmup Ends in 59 Seconds
Sun shining, bird chirping, and Vi is walking to the Last Drop with some extra pep in her steps.
Vi has always been a morning person, although initially it wasn’t by choice. She used to wake up early everyday to prepare Jinx breakfast and lunch before driving her to school in Vander’s beat-up pickup truck. Vander helped whenever he could, but working at the Last Drop from dusk till dawn meant that those days are few and far between.
But of course Vi didn’t mind any of that—growing up in the Lanes, no one has only themselves in mind. There is always someone to look out for, and someone who looks out for you. Vi took on that responsibility early when their parents died, and even after Vander came into their life, she couldn’t let that part of herself go.
She walks around the corner to get on the main street, and the Last Drop comes into view. The main street looks pristine in the early morning, littered with a few students on their way to class or filtering in and out of a coffee shop. A few years ago they converted the street from a road to a pedestrian zone (something about drunk college students and moving cars do not make a good combination), and unfortunately that has only encouraged the drinking. Early morning is extremely deceptive, but Vi knows that, come sundown, the scenery changes in spectacular fashions in the blink of an eye.
Vi muses about how the Last Drop used to play a big part in the…recreational drinking scene on the main street. But now it has bowed out of the center of the stage—the only remnant of those wild days is the neon logo with a beer mug on it. Vander decided to keep the logo because Jinx drew it when she was just seven.
With a twist of her key, Vi waltzes through the front door and throws her backpack behind the front desk. 9 AM. On the dot. A switch is flipped, and the LAN cafe roars into life, the low hum of electricity filling the air. She bends over the desk and reaches for her clipboard, ready to take a look at the list of reservations for this morning.
Clang.
A credit card slipped out of her clipboard and drops onto the desk. Vi picks it up—judging by the sticky note attached to it, this belongs to a customer. Clearly someone forgot to check out when leaving last night. Happens all the time. The sticky note on there says:
No. 51, 4:23 PM.
51…51…that’s the computer by the back wall, towards the corner. Vi gives herself a little mental high-five for remembering the location of each PC by just their number (which is a lot harder than it sounds). Now the tricky part is figuring out who the customer was and when they left. Vi walks over to the PC room and leans against the wall on her shoulder, eyes squinting at No. 51 towards the back. She tries to visualize the customer sitting there yesterday.
It all came back to her in an instant. Too quick, in fact—almost as if Vi was thinking about the blue-haired girl well after bedtime.
Don’t worry about it, Cupcake.
Vi winces and lets out an audible groan at the thought of those words. She fears that last night’s “fumble” is going to become one of those core memories that haunts her in the middle of the night for the rest of her life. Perhaps in the distant past she has said more embarrassing things, but surely she has never made a fool of herself in front of someone that attractive.
Although…Vi’s eyebrow raises without her noticing…if the girl left her credit card behind, it means that she will eventually come back for it. A second chance. Vi usually doesn’t get those.
————
Vi’s leg is bouncing impatiently, her arms crossed in front of her, and her eyes dart to the front door at the faintest sign of a customer. It’s noon already. No sign of the girl. Vi has never learned patience, in game or in real life.
Come on. Come on.
The front door swings open, and like clockwork Vi’s head shoots up for what seems like the hundredth time. She lets out a disappointing sigh when Vander squeezes through.
“Wow what’s wrong girl? What’s with the sigh?” Vander chuckles as he glances into the PC room—business is booming. “I thought you’d be happy to see me here to relieve you of your duty.”
“Hey dad.” Vi greets back reluctantly—this is her cue to leave. Vander takes over the shift at 12, and she already promised Jinx to meet her on campus for lunch. She packs up her stuff, taking a suspiciously long time that did not slip Vander’s notice, before looking at the front door one last time.
The front door looks…like a front door. Still. No movement.
Admitting defeat, she lays down the credit card that she has been fingering unconsciously. “Someone left their card behind yesterday. No. 51. I already closed her session since I know she left at 1 AM—can you keep an eye out for her if she comes back for it?” Vander lets out an affirmative hum and slumps into the chair behind the desk.
Vi pulls open the front door, perhaps a little too aggressively (the door had it coming.) She turns around to wave her old man goodbye as she crosses the threshold. She catches Vander’s eyes widen: “Look out—”
Thud.
Vi’s forehead hurts like hell. She stumbles backward, almost losing her balance before someone catches her arm and pulls her back on her feet. She opens her eyes, blinking into a concerned blue gaze:
“Are you alright?”
————
Caitlyn doesn’t realize how much her jaw hurts until she said those words. The woman walked right into her and Caitlyn ate a mouthful of pink hair.
“I’m fine I’m fine.” The shorter woman stutters. “And you?”
Caitlyn licks the inside of her teeth and makes sure that she isn’t missing one. “I’ll be fine.” She squeezes out a tight smile, trying to move her jaw as little as possible.
“CREDIT CARD!!”
The woman’s yell catches Caitlyn off guard. If her head wasn’t spinning from the collision earlier, it is starting to spin now.
“How did you…? Yes I’m here for my credit card.” Caitlyn explains with confusion. “I think I accidentally left it here yesterday.”
“You two alright?” Vander walks over and inquires with a concerned look. Both women nod, and Vander’s eyes slowly scan them from top to bottom with a curious look, before resting on Caitlyn’s hand, which is still clutching Vi’s forearm.
Caitlyn jolts at the gaze and quickly lets go of the woman’s arm. Her incredibly muscular forearm. She takes back her credit card from Vander’s outreaching hand and murmurs out a thank you to him and the woman in front.
“Are you here to play a little more today?” The woman asks Caitlyn, who shakes her head in response. “No I’m heading back to the University actually. Got a busy afternoon ahead.”
“Oh I’m heading to the University too! The other woman beams. “Do you mind if we walk together?”
Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat.
“Of course not.”
“See you later then Vi!” The large man waves them off, shooting the woman next to her—Vi—a wink that Caitlyn missed.
The door shuts behind them, and the pair turns onto the street, walking in silence. Caitlyn steals a glance or two at the woman walking next to her, only noticing now that her name is tattooed on her left cheek. They stops in front of a red light, and Caitlyn is the first one to break the silence:
“My name is Caitlyn, by the way.” She pauses before continuing, “seems only fair that you know mine since I heard the man call you Vi.”
“Nice to meet you Caitlyn…but I also knew your name already.” Vi confesses sheepishly but rushes to explain herself when she sees Caitlyn’s expression: “it was written on your credit card! I…I’m not a stalker or anything.”
Caitlyn lets out a laugh as she sees Vi stammering to explain herself. There is a certain awkwardness to the pink-haired girl’s demeanor that she finds very charming. “Don’t worry. I didn’t think you are one.” The light turns green and they start walking again. “What are you planning to do on campus?” Caitlyn inquires.
“Meeting my sister for lunch! She is a mechanical engineering student at the University. Super smart and also super busy, but we always try to find time once a week to get lunch.” Vi beams when talking about her sister, her voice filled with pride. “And you? Got an afternoon class?”
“Not quite. I’m meeting up with some teammates actually.” Caitlyn senses the curiosity in Vi’s gaze and goes on to explain, “I’m in an Esports team. Just joined, actually. And we have a tournament coming up in a month’s time.”
“No way! That’s cool as fuck—pardon my language.” Vi exclaims. “What game do y’all play?”
“Counter-Strike. Ever heard of it?”
“Ever heard of it?! I live and breathe it, Cupcake. And as a matter of fact I’m pretty good at it too.”
Caitlyn squints at Vi with a suspicious look, trying to ignore the strange feeling that’s stirring in her stomach when Vi calls her a nickname that makes no sense. She asks with a curious tone: “just…how good are you?”
“I used to play professionally…well at least I tried to. But then, you know, life happened.” Vi’s smile stiffens a little and Caitlyn knows better than to ask exactly what happened. However, that’s not the most important thing now because Caitlyn can’t believe her luck.
“Do you want to come play with us?” Caitlyn blurts out with excitement. “We are looking for a fifth player to play the tournament—the Zaun Invitational. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Actually that’s what our meeting later is for—to discuss options for our fifth player.” Caitlyn senses some hesitancy from Vi as her steps seem to become a little sluggish, but Caitlyn is too excited to stop herself: “I mean you don’t have to give me an answer or commit to anything just yet. After all we have never played with each other before. Maybe it won’t work out, but it’s not everyday where you run into an ex-pro that’s available so you can’t blame me for getting excited.”
Caitlyn exhales audibly, catching some breath after her recruitment speech. She can see the gear in Vi’s head turning as she thinks about her offer. “I don’t know…” Vi mutters. “Going back into the competitive scene is a big commitment, with all the practices and scrims. I mean, how do you even find time for this when you’re going to Uni?”
“Trust me, if it were up to me, I would NOT be doing a PhD program but instead no-life CS. I have my priorities right.” Vi chuckles at the Caitlyn’s self-deprecating dig, which gives the latter a little more hope. “So what do you say? Do you want to come meet the team with me?”
“Not now. Got a lunch with my sister, remember?” Vi answers with a hint of regret. “But I’ll think about it. I promise.” Caitlyn’s face lights up and Vi continues: “can I have your number? So that I can text you when I make up my mind?”
“Oh don’t worry about that! We are planning our practices at the Last Drop so you’ll be seeing me a lot more often for the next month.” Vi lets out a little laugh: “thank you in advance for your patronage then. Anyway this is where I leave you.” They stop in front of a bagel shop. “Thank you for walking with me Caitlyn. Talk to you soon?”
“I’ll see you around Vi.”
Caitlyn turns around and walks towards the library, a smile lingering on her face. She pulls out her phone and starts typing furiously.
Me [12:13 PM]:
Not trying to get your hopes up but I think I found us a fifth.
Maddie [12:13 PM]:
NO SHOT who is it?
Me [12:14 PM]:
An ex-pro I met at the LAN cafe.
She hasn’t committed to anything yet, but she seems excited.
Maddie [12:14 PM]:
What is she like?
Caitlyn searches for word to describe Vi that’s flattering enough to do her justice. Handsome? True, but hardly relevant to playing CS. Awkwardly cute? Also true, but also not relevant to playing CS. Doubt starts creeping up and Caitlyn wonders whether she was too hasty to ask Vi to join her team without even playing a game with her. Is there a chance that her judgment was impaired by Vi’s…appearance?
Her thumb hovering over the phone screen, Caitlyn is not sure what to type. Her mind wonders back to Vi, and Caitlyn suddenly stops in her track, standing dead still in the middle of the road:
Did Vi just ask her for her phone number?