Chapter 147: Gameboy
"How long have you guys been doing this?" Myk asked. None of his training sessions could compare to this. Usually, he fights other knights or the orcs from the elite training again. However, this particular session not only included mages, but also required cooperation, tactics, and synergy. It was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and Myk had a blast.
"A few weeks," Zane replied as he removed his shirt and used the Water Condensing Spell to quench his thirst and cool off. He offered Myk his services, and the latter nodded.
"I’m glad you invited me. And, Khadijah, you don’t mind me taking my shirt off, right?"
"Don’t restrain yourself because of me."
"Alright." Myk also took off his shirt before cooling off with the water spell.
"Damn," Keesha said, loud enough for everyone to hear. But she couldn’t be blamed: Myk’s body was like a work of art. Even the weakest of the men—Tom Nguyen—had a toned body, not to mention Zane, who had a prison body even before the tower, or the other knights. However, none of them could compare to Myk’s physique. Standing at 6’5, with broad shoulders, well-defined pecs, a 6-pack, a V-line waist, and the Rune Diagram tattoo, Myk’s physique was truly aesthetically pleasing.
Evelyn wanted to die of embarrassment. Was this really the time for such an inappropriate comment? Meanwhile, Zane and the others pretended they didn’t hear anything. As usual, Zane grabbed a bag of dark chocolate to eat; he also handed Myk a bag of Acai and Blueberry Chocolate. Keesha—acting like a predator who’d caught fresh prey—came to take her share, showing no embarrassment.
"How did you two meet?" she asked, still catching glances at Myk’s body. Now that they were not in a hurry to train, she wasn’t interested in their friendship.
"Um, when I was 4, my mother married an American man, and we moved to the state," Myk explained while blushing. "The kids in the neighborhood or the school didn’t take kindly to my accent, clothes, or even my food, and excluded me. However, Zane and Ali welcomed me with open arms. And we’ve been friends since then."
"Ali?"
"My sister."
"Oh."
"I’m more curious what Zane was like as a child," Evelyn asked.
Myk swallowed a handful of chocolate, savoring the taste. "Hmm, let me think. He was smart, curious —maybe too curious. Oh, and he was kind of forgetful — still is. But back then, it reached the point that he couldn’t even remember how to tie his shoes until we were like 7."
"6."
"Really?" Evelyn looked at Zane.
"According to him, his mind had better things to remember," Myk said, chuckling. "He was also blunt, not hesitating to correct the teachers’ or the kid’s mistakes. They didn’t like that, and, well, he was beating a lot. Luckily for him, I was always tall for my age, so I saved him from a lot of pain."
"Lucky," Tom Nguyen commented, and Zane patted his shoulder.
"You couldn’t trust him with any electronics since he would take them apart: remotes, cellphones, computers, televisions —anything he could get his hands on was taken apart to study. Unfortunately, he rarely could put them back together intact."
"That’s not true. I had a 63% success rate."
"Why don’t you tell that to my Gameboy?" Myk countered. "I studied for months to raise my grade so Mama would buy it for me. And I told you to leave it alone. And what did you do?"
"You beat me up afterward, so we’re even."
"You bit my shoulder so hard I had to get more than 20 stitches; it even left a scar."
Zane shrugged. "What did you want me to do? I couldn’t fight you fairly; I had to improvise."
"You were in the wrong. Why couldn’t you accept your beating?"
"It’s been years; why are you still mad? Plus, didn’t Ma buy you another one?"
"Only because I refused to talk to you for a week and you were depressed."
"I wasn’t depressed, just felt bad. And why couldn’t you just accept my apology? It was quite sincere. I spent hours working on it."
"That Gameboy meant something to me; it was the first gift I ever received, and I worked so hard for it. Not to mention, I specifically warned you not to touch it. I’m sure Ali did, too. But what did you do?"
"I couldn’t help it, okay? I needed to —"
"Hey, guys," Evelyn said.
"Oh, sorry," Myk said.
Keesha waved her hand. "No, keep going. I want to know more. Middle? High School? College? You guys should have some interesting stories."
Zane stared at her.
"Don’t give me that look: those aren’t intrusive questions."
Myk looked at the two of them, wondering what that was about. Anyway, he continued: "By middle school, he had mellowed out. Ali and I forced him to learn social skills, and he could control all his ’quirks’. And once puberty hit, most people ignored his faults on account of his pretty face. Or they just chalked it up to his genius."
"You’re the last person to be talking about pretty privileges," Zane sneered. As someone who fit European standards of beauty, Myk knew best what it was like to walk through life with privileges. It didn’t help that he was naturally tall and athletic. Luckily, god chose to nerf him in the brain department.
"Control your jealousy," Myk countered. "Anyway, middle school life was fine. He was always studying or in some competition, so there isn’t much to talk about. As for high school? Well, he was an asshole."
"Hey, I have an image to protect here."
"Sorry, there is no way to sugarcoat it: you were an asshole. If Ali and I didn’t love you, we probably wouldn’t have been friends."
"That’s fair."
"Now things are getting interesting," Keesha said.
"Don’t say anything else."
"Don’t listen to him."
Myk made a cross over his mouth: his lips were sealed.
"Oh, come on," Keesha protested, but Myk kept his mouth shut.
"He seems like a cool dude," Devonte suddenly said. "How did he change so much from high school?"
"A woman, of course," Myk said, smiling. "Cindy —"
"Alright, that’s enough about me," Zane swiftly said.
"No," Keesha protested, but Myk kept quiet. "Booh." She threw a piece of chocolate at Zane.
"Really?"
"Why are you ruining the good part?"
"Why don’t you talk about yourself?"
"Where is the fun in that?" Keesha replied before throwing another piece. Zane caught it.
"Okay, from now on, no chocolate for you. And you can bring your own from now on."
"You’re a man; why are you being so petty?"
Zane ignored her and continued enjoying himself. After intense training, high-calorie foods like chocolate are a great way to give your body enough energy.
"You can have some of mine."
"What a gentleman," Keesha said, smiling.
Zane looked at Myk. "Traitor, you can start bringing your own too from now on."
"She’s right. Don’t be so petty."
"Oh, that reminds me: does anyone have any allergies or food restrictions?" Evelyn asked. She turned to Ahmed and Khadijah. "I’ll prepare some halal food for you guys, but does anyone else have any preferences?"
"I didn’t want to bother you, but since you’re asking, I’m a vegetarian," Khadijah said.
"No problem. Anyone else? Don’t hesitate to tell me."
"I’m good with anything," Keesha replied, and Zane and Devonte nodded in agreement.
"Shellfish allergy," Evans added.
Evelyn smiled. "You too, uh? Don’t worry, there won’t be an issue. What about you, Tom?"
"I’m lactose intolerant, and I would appreciate a soup dish."
"Anything specific? Nevermind. I’ll contact you, and we can talk about your preference. Oh, before I forget, Myk, I’m having a party next month. Are you interested in coming?"
Myk paused. "You guys are in the US, right?"
"Canada."
"Hmm."
"Are you worried about Aunt Rykov? Her situation should be stabilized by next month," Zane whispered to him.
"You’re right," Myk whispered back. "Hmm, thanks for the invite. I’ll be there."
"E-Eve, can I bring my girl — I mean, my fiancée?"
"Of course, but isn’t she pregnant?"
"It’s only three months," Devonte replied.
"Then, there shouldn’t be any issue with traveling," Evelyn said, nodding. "I have already prepared non-alcoholic beverages, and I can talk to you about her food preferences. I’ll also have doctors on standby in case of an emergency. No, I’ll hire healers and store potions — that should be safer."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
"Girl, why do you sound so good at this?"
Evelyn smiled proudly. "Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that Evelyn LeBlanc throws the best party."
"I’ll remember that for my birthday next year," Keesha said.
Zane suddenly thought of something. "You haven’t told us what kind of party it is? What’s the attire?"
"Oh, I’m glad you asked. First, I was planning a luxurious gala, but then I realized that if I did that, my parents would stay for the entire event. So now, I’m leaning toward an all-white party, with a DJ and a few live performances. I’m thinking of inviting..."