“So, you think you’re going?” Conrad nodded at the ticket in my hand. His midwestern flat affect took a turn for the country with you sounding more like ya when he was agitated. I’d never figured out exactly where he was from—some corn-fed rural state where they grew their guys naturally athletic and tall as water towers. Conrad always looked like he’d escaped some minor league baseball team to come slum with us nerds at the game store.

“Maybe. I said I’d think about it.” I didn’t owe him a peek at my inner turmoil, didn’t want him to know how rattled I was, and my tone came out way too snappish. Something about Conrad always made me feel even more out of my depth socially, and that uncertainty tended to come out as combative—little verbal swipes that accomplished nothing other than to ensure that we were always at odds.

“Chill, Alden.” Jasper was more Conrad’s friend than mine, and the long-suffering look they exchanged grated on my last nerve.

Whatever. I wasn’t in this to make friends. I was here for one reason, and one reason only—the high I got from winning. Sure, the satisfaction of deck building was nice, and the aesthetics of the game weren’t entirely lost on me, but nothing compared to the rush of victory. And right now, at this point in my life, I needed that rush in the worst way.

Payton would accuse me of being overly dramatic, so I’d never admit it aloud, but there were days when the game kept me going. Just knowing we’d had the filming today had been good. Getting to do this professionally? Being able to call this a career choice and not an expensive hobby? That might be worth whatever it would take to get that seat on the pro tour. I still wasn’t sold on Professor Tuttle’s plan, but that ticket was mine, and I wasn’t letting go.

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Book Club Treasure Hunt

Jasper and Milo spend much of Out of Character on a treasure hunt for rare cards…but did you notice the secret clues scattered throughout the book? They’ll help you find the answers to these questions.

1. Jasper and Milo used to be friends but had a falling out as kids. As they’re thrown together again, what instructions does Jasper give in his first text to Milo?

2. What does Milo get Jasper to drink at the bakery, and what do you think it means that he knows Jasper so well?

3. Where does Jasper find Milo after their big fight?

4. Milo uses his art to express himself even when the words won’t come. What does he draw after he returns from Philadelphia? (And what do you think it means?)

5. What unexpected couple does Milo see dancing that gives him courage?