The Death's Game

45. Game of Complications

"How she's holding on?" Ryder stood next to Percy, glancing at Millie, who sat in a chair in silence and stared at the red light on the door, wondering if this was the last time she would see Trevor. That thought frightened her, and everyone in the room sensed her anxiety, combined with despair and anger.
"Not too good." Percy felt pain in her heart, seeing her friend in such a state. If she could, she would have taken all that pain away, or at least helped her bear it. "Ever been through a breakup?" she asked casually, although she was really curious about Ryder and his ex-relationships.
"It's complicated."
Percy laughed at this standard line.
Everything's complicated.
"No, seriously," he added, seeing her getting more amused by his words.
"How complicated?"
"Can you call it a breakup if you never were with someone?"
"Not officially, huh?"
He smiled weakly. "I wouldn't be sure if that was even not officially."
Percy tilted her head. "Meaning?"
"I kind of broke the girl's heart. I was in a different not-relationship-complicated-end-of-the-affair-but-not-exactly thing."
Percy opened her mouth wider. That was both specifics, and lacking concrete. "So basically, you were still tangled in an old romance, the new girl fell for you, and she found out about the other girl, and everyone were heartbroken."
Ryder sighed, "kind of."
"How tragic," commented Percy, thinking that she never would've liked to be in that kind of situation. To fell for a boy, who still dated the ex.
Then again, she kind of fell a bit for Blake, who wasn't completely over his dead girlfriend. But that's totally different situation, she presumed.
"How it ended? Unless your death ended it?"
He thought for a while, as if he was submerged in the memories. "It's also complicated. Besides for the old romance, the girl couldn't also forgive me a few more things."
Percy nodded. "No happy ending then."
Ryder shook his head. "No."
"And the other girl? The old one?"
Ryder looked at Percy with a very strange gleam in his eye. He gazed at her for a long moment, as if seeing her for the first time. She enjoyed it and after a moment she lowered her gaze, feeling herself blush.
"A little too late I understood that I never loved another one. Not like the one whom I met recently. Funny," he chuckled. "You think you know already everything about the world, about people, about pretty much all the stuff, and then someone shows you that you didn't knew a thing about a feeling called love."
And even if you think you already know what love is, everything can crumble, Percy thought, looking at silent Millie.
On the other side of the room was Mint, who looked through the keys.
"Complicated matter."
"Too complicated," Ryder agreed. "And you? Have you even been through a breakup?"
She felt stupid to admit, but managed to say, "I wasn't in any relationship."
She was already attending university, but somehow, no love came into her life. On the other side, she felt more than weird, because she could promise, she was in love. Then again, she couldn't remember in who and why it didn't work. A blank page in her memory.
Just another one thing she couldn't remember for some reason.
Maybe she found love when she played last time The Game? If she did play...
Ryder could see that something was wrong, so he jokingly asked, "let me guess, it's complicated?"
It made her laugh, because it really was complicated. How was she supposed to explain her memory holes? Nobody else seemed to experience it.
She closed her eyes, trying to remember anything at all about her love interests, about her love life, but everything she felt was deep despair, and everything that was coming to her mind was only a one place. A bridge in her hometown. That was all she could recall.
A bridge could mean so many things. Was it a place where she broke up with someone who wasn't even her boyfriend? Or maybe it was a place where she said someone, I love you? Or maybe it was just a bridge without further meaning and her mind was playing tricks on her.
"When we succeed in winning the game, will you try to win the girl back?" she asked, not even sure why.
Ryder didn't specify when everything went to hell. Maybe it was already a bunch of years after this drama. Maybe he didn't even love the girl anymore.
"You can't win back someone, who simply doesn't want to come back."
Percy delicately pocked him. "That one you can't know until you try. Sometimes, honesty is the best option. At least to leave both of you in peace and not with unspoken things."
There wasn't much place to sit, so Ryder leaned against the wall, from which there were no keys hanging.
"And you? Would you forgive someone, who made a mistake and got intimate with the girl from his past, all awhile you being in love with him?"
"I-"
"And with the same someone, who took something really important from you. And the same someone, who had a completely different look on the universe. And the same someone, who, after you would tell him to go to hell, would actually do it, and didn't come back anytime soon?"
Even though she wanted to give Ryder some hope, it would be a lie, if she smoothly answered, yes. Nevertheless, she didn't know the whole context of the story. Whatever happened in his life, seemed like am unhappy story full of unspoken words, fights, and mistakes.
"I don't know," she replied, truth to herself. "Everybody deserves a second chance. That's what this game is all about, isn't it? We all deserve a second chance, and we all can get it, thanks to teamwork, honesty and faith."
Ryder was truly surprised by Percy's beliefs. "You were attacked by one of the players, and another one openly said to hate you, yet you still believe we all can work together?"
He was talking about Angelica and Mint.
"If you don't believe in it, why do you trust me?"
He raised his finger. "Wait a minute, I trust you, yes, but not the others."
"So, what. I don't trust everybody either, like Veronica, Kyle and Mint. That doesn't mean I don't believe in cooperation and mutual help." She shrugged.
They had no chance by themselves, and The Game already proved that. She wouldn't come back from the Underwater Kingdom without Ryder's help, and Kyle wouldn't manage to find his way back without her, and then without all the other players. Not to mention, that the first level was about the cooperation. They got all the gems thanks to working together.
"You should add Blake to your list."
Percy turned her head toward him, startled. "Why?"
"Not good vibes."
She brushed it off with the comment, "you don't know him."
"And how well do you know him?" he asked, as if he knew that they weren't ever friends. Even though he couldn't know that, because all five of them got in the game as a pack of friends. Yet, he doubted in her knowing her own friends.
"Well enough."
Ryder didn't comment on that, but he smirked. "The only person you could really trust is-"
"You?" Percy teased him.
"Millie," he finished.
Percy looked at her friend, thinking that, after all, there was one more person Ryder was trusting. She didn't know how Millie was doing it, but people were falling for her good charm.
"Besides, she will need you now more than ever," he added.
She also leaned against the wall, getting tired of waiting. It was taking Trevor and Mark a long time to complete their task. Percy could see Millie's growing anxiety, which slowly began to affect her as well. She didn't even say goodbye to Trevor. He was also her friend, even though he had really hurt Millie.
"I just hope we all manage to live through it."
"If not you, then who?" Ryder joked again, making her smile.
Suddenly, the light above the door changed from red to green. Millie got from her seat, like she was expecting Trevor to come back. It was now clear that the players didn't come back to this room, but she still hoped to see him again.
Mint also turned toward the door and sighed, as if to say, finally! She glanced at Ryder and her face twisted in a grimace of disgust and displeasure at the sight of Percy standing beside. Percy had no idea why Mint despised her so. Nevertheless, she didn't like Mint either, and hadn't from the beginning.
"I guess, it's my turn. Good luck." Ryder knocked her gently on the necklace she was wearing. The one she got from him in the previous level.
She knew what he wanted to communicate through this. She smiled even wider and replied, "I know."
"Let's go!" Mint cried out protractedly.
And just a minute later, they both were gone, leaving Percy and Millie waiting for their turn.