It wasn’t until I saw Elizabeth coming out of Monte’s room that I let myself feel anything other than self-pity. Before that, I’d resigned myself to the shit life I knew I was meant for. Hello minimum wage. Goodbye self-respect. Long hours at a shit job, living in a trailer park, barely scraping by until I die. But the idea of someone like Elizabeth ending up with that worthless piece of shit Monte made me want to burn the world down. It lit a fire under my ass.

She deserves better. I’m not good enough to be her forever, but Montgomery isn’t even worthy of her right now. When I sobered up the next morning, I took my laptop to the library and used the free Wi-Fi to log into Rule Them All. My country was destroyed and I had a fair amount of hate mail, almost all it from Jackie. Nothing from Elizabeth. She didn’t care enough to tell me to go fuck myself.

I created a new account, CuratorofLostSouls. I told myself I only wanted to know she was doing okay, to keep her away from assholes who didn’t deserve her. But I don’t need to spend every waking hour playing to do that. My heart rate picks up each time I log on, waiting to see if Elizabeth is online. I close my eyes and picture those deep brown eyes of hers. I remember how soft her skin is. The shape of her lips. The taste of her. I’m desperate to touch her again, but I know I never will. I’ll settle for just hearing her sweet voice.

* * * *

“That fucking game is worse than the damn drinking,” Devin grunts at me after emerging from his bedroom.

Maybe he’s right. I was up all night again. I don’t give a shit about the game, but the hours of bullshit are worth it for the few minutes I get to see Elizabeth’s beautiful face in the group video chat. Most of the time it’s Jackie barking out orders, but when Elizabeth speaks, it’s like she’s sitting right beside me. She’s with me. I don’t talk to her. She’ll never see me. I just listen.

“Seriously, do we need to have a gamer intervention?” Devin calls from the kitchen, turning on the coffee pot. I haven’t told him the game is about Elizabeth.

“Nah. I’m caught up in some stuff right now. It won’t last much longer. “

Last night was huge. Elizabeth finally got her country back. Law of Superiority is far from gone, but they’re crippled for now. I’ve joined forces with Elizabeth’s league, The Federation, to help her get back what she lost because of me. What she really wants. The only thing I can give her.