Chapter 158: Accident
"Dude, wake up."
The words sliced through the silence of the early morning like a paper-thin command from the heavens—or more accurately, from a very annoyed David.
Thud!
A dull thump echoed right after, as David’s foot met the side of the bed, making it shudder just enough to cause a chain reaction. Mohamed, his Middle Eastern friend and the proud owner of the now-violated mattress, groaned like a ghost being exorcised mid-sleep.
David stood there with his arms folded, watching as Mohamed, rather than rising to the occasion, flopped over dramatically and rolled right off the bed like a sack of potatoes—landing flat on the floor in the parlor with a blissful sigh. He was still, his body occasionally twitching, a faint smile playing on his lips like he was having the time of his life... in a dream.
David’s expression? Disbelief. His friend looked like he was halfway to paradise, sprawled out, arms open, legs slightly bent, as if he had just flopped into a five-star spa, not a tiled floor.
The night before had been nothing short of legendary. A full-blown gaming marathon. What started as a quick invite had spiraled into digital madness. David had only meant to chill and game with Mohamed—but then Zoey, his online friend, had joined them, and from that moment, it was pure chaos.
They’d played for hours. Screaming, laughing, trash-talking. At one point, Mohamed had screamed so loud Zoey threatened to mute him. David had been eating chips, half-listening, and ended up snorting crumbs from laughing too hard when Mohamed got eliminated in a game in the dumbest way possible. The squad had spent the night rotating between intense gameplay and devouring unhealthy amounts of food. At one point, someone had the brilliant idea to make cereal at 2 a.m.—with juice, not milk. It was surreal. It was madness. It was friendship.
But now... the sun was up. And with daylight came responsibility.
David had training.
Mohamed had work.