"Look," Derek said, pointing his fry at me. "You’re a DIK now. Act like it. We didn’t get this far to start playing it safe."
The v0.9.1 update had brought a new edge to the air. The stakes felt higher, the laughs a little more desperate, and the tension—especially with the girls—was thick enough to cut with a knife. I thought back to the library earlier that day. The way the light caught the dust motes while I pretended to study, my heart hammering every time a familiar scent wafted past. "Look," Derek said, pointing his fry at me
It wasn't just the rivalry. It was the choices. Every hallway conversation, every party, every late-night study session felt like a minefield. One wrong word to Maya, one over-eager move with Josy, and the delicate house of cards I’d built since freshman year would come crashing down. We didn’t get this far to start playing it safe
I slumped into a booth, the vinyl sticking to my jeans. Across from me, Derek was already halfway through a burger, looking remarkably unbothered for a guy whose frat was currently one bad prank away from social exile. The way the light caught the dust motes