Chapter 10: Not in My Class Description

Maggie’s stomach rumbled in protest, ever since the “incident” in the kitchen that morning, she hadn’t left her room. Maggie tried to focus on her gaming but for once in her life, gaming simply didn’t help her forget the world around her. Okay, Maggie, this is enough, she told herself. Cast Aura of Bravery and leave the freaking room, she scolded herself. She walked to the door with a deep breath then let it out slowly.

Tank isn’t going to be a zombie, and he isn’t going to want to eat your brains as soon as you leave the room, she told herself. Where did the whole zombie eats brains myth come from? She thought still not opening the door. I’ve never seen a movie, old or new, that mentioned zombies like to eat brains, she continued to think then sighed realized she was stalling…herself which was a whole new level of weird for her.

“Oh God Maggie, come on! It’s not like you’ve never been kissed before,” she spoke out loud. “And now I’m talking to myself! Oh God, I’m starting to go delusional!” Clenching her teeth with a pained expression, Maggie forced herself to open the door. It was all quiet and Maggie slowly left her room waiting for the rotten zombie face of Tank’s to pop up at any moment. He was actually sitting in the living room, looking over some papers.

Just when Maggie was about to turn to go to the kitchen to get something to satisfy her stomach he looked up and saw her. A smile spread on his face that made her stomach do a couple of flips.

“Hey Maggie, didn’t expect to see you anymore tonight,” he started getting up from the couch where he was sitting.

Maggie started to say she was just going to eat some dinner, but her words came out all jumbled up.

He shot her another bright smile. “I wanted to apologize for earlier; I shouldn’t have just kissed you like that. I’m sure that’s not exactly how you’d want your first kiss to be like,” he apologized.

Her first kiss? Maggie frowned, placing her hands on her hip glaring at him. First kiss? Could he get any more cliché? “That wasn’t my first kiss,” she snapped heatedly. Though it was one of the better ones she had. It was probably best to keep that bit of information to herself. “In fact it wasn’t even in my first fifteen kisses, Mister.”

His look of surprise made her even angrier. “Yeah, surprise! The loser gamer girl actually has been kissed and had a boyfriend before, but here is the biggest surprise yet, I’m not a virgin either.” Maggie clamped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t mean to blurt out all that.

Tank gave her a strange look, like a mix between surprise and something else, something else Maggie didn’t like at all. “Wow, now that was something I wasn’t expecting,” he said finally crossing that cocky smile still on his face. “But if all that is true then why did you run like that? Was it because it was the best kiss you’ve ever had and it overwhelmed you?” He was outright teasing her now.

“Not at all. I’ve had better, much better” she shot back then her eyes widened as she slapped her hand over her mouth yet again. What the hell was wrong with her mouth today? Maggie was goading him and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She was a total noob in all of this. This was like goading a mob ten levels higher than her. Maggie was going to be pwned badly. Very, very badly.

Tank looked shocked by her retort then started to laugh. “Really, then I must be getting rusty. Don’t worry I’ll do better next time,” he said taking a step towards her.

She jumped and squeaked. See now she provoked him into thinking he would actually get a next time not that she could figure out why he’d want to repeat that. “Don’t you dare,” she demanded taking two steps back. What was wrong with her? Maybe she was getting into the more advanced stages of the sickness? What else was there to explain this sudden taunting of hers?

Maggie knew the first rule about men like Tank was never insult their abilities to please women. It’ll only want to make them prove you wrong. “You need to see a doctor Tank,” she demanded, trying to get this conversation back under control.

He laughed with a confused expression on his face. “A doctor? Why would I need to see a doctor?” He asked the laughter still heavy in his voice.

“Duh! You’re obviously been bitten by something when we went outside and you’re suffering from delusions.”

Tank smiled ear to ear now. “Because I kissed you?”

Maggie nodded with slight hesitation.

“Why does that have to be a sign of delusion?” he asked again Maggie gave him a look of extreme disbelief. He was really that far gone that he didn’t even see how delusional he was? “Because, someone like you, doesn’t kiss someone like me,” she demanded. “It’s not in your class description or mine, does a paladin kiss a rogue? No because they’re natural opposites.”

At his confused look she took a breath and tried again. “Think of it this way. Does the lion drink with the gazelle at the lake? No, because it's not how their world works.”

He wore an impressed expression as he replied, “It sounds rational. It’s a load of crap, though. I’m not delusional and we aren’t animals, Maggie. I have a mind of my own and I use it to think and do what I want.”

Maggie gave him a hard look, he was worse than she thought; soon he’d go zombie on her and then the world would be over “Whatever but when you turn zombie and the world ends don’t blame me,” she demanded.

“When I turn zombie huh?” Tank asked rubbing his stubbled chin.

Maggie tried hard not to notice how attractive that gesture made him look. Snap out of it Maggie, she swore to herself. It’s just the delusions talking, keep your head clear.

“You are one of a kind Maggie,” Tank told her still smiling. “I’ll tell you what. I promise I’ll try not to kiss you again until you’re ready,” he told her the corners of his mouth upturned in a small smile.

“I’ll never be ready for that,” she told him determinedly, but he simply gave her a wink in reply. Once more her stomach did flips on itself and she couldn’t stop feeling flattered by his attention and apparent interest in her, however, misguided and delusional it may be. It didn’t really matter though because in two weeks this would all be over. She would testify against Chase.

He would go to jail then she’d go back to her life of gaming galore and no more embarrassing situations as she found herself in now. Tank would go back to his world of being the detective and do whatever it was that detectives do.

“I’m hungry, how about you?” Tank suddenly asked, surprising her by the sudden change in topic.

“Uhm…yeah,” she replied and followed him to the kitchen where there was pizza on the table. They sat down to eat and Tank started asking her about the game. He was asking about warrior tactics, what types of weapons he should use, and strategies for leveling, it was making her suspicious, but she answered them all. “Why?” she finally asked “Because I want to continue playing. It’s not bad and plus there isn’t much else to do here,” he replied with a look that almost seemed to dare her to say there was more that they could do but she bit the insides of her cheeks and simply nodded.

“You can play tomorrow, tonight I got a raid in an hour,” she explained.

“That’s cool, I’d like to watch if you don’t mind.”

Maggie shrugged but wondered why the hell he’d want to do that.

“I’ve been thinking of getting my own computer so we could maybe play together sometimes,” he suggested She made a snort laugh again. “Sorry but I don’t go to the noob areas anymore,” she told him arrogantly.

“Who would have thought that Maggie Kent could be cocky,” Tank teased. “I won’t be a noob forever you know,” He shot back with a sly smile.

Maggie felt her heart flutter. This almost felt like he was flirting with her.

After they finished eating, Tank sat and watched her raid. When it was over she made a startled squeak in protest as he practically pushed her aside. Maggie wasn’t sure how it happened, but LadyLove found out Tank had started playing and so graciously offered to help him level which he promptly agreed thus pushing her off of her computer to log on his account and play. Maggie was really starting to regret ever allowing him to start playing.

“Definitely should get your own computer and stop stealing mine,” she mumbled in complaint.

“Haven’t you ever heard sharing is caring,” Tank teased sounding like a bad children’s cartoon.

“Whatever,” she pouted sitting in the second chair crossing her arms and making him laugh even more. She watched him play keeping her pouty expression.

With LadyLove’s help, Tank had reached half way point to the level cap and since she was a pretty awesome warrior was he was giving him a lot of advice when she wasn’t flirting with him. Maggie wasn’t sure why it bothered her, LadyLove flirted with everyone and she wasn’t sure why when Tank flirted back it made her want to push him out of the chair and turn off her computer.

Feeling the urge to pull the plug on her computer grow after another innuendo from LadyLove, Maggie made a groan of frustration and got up from her chair.

“Something wrong?” Tank asked with a sly smile on his face as if he knew just how bothered she was, but she refused to actually acknowledge the stupid emotion.

“I’m stiff, too long in the chair,” she replied walking over to the center of the room so she could stretch a little, trying to ignore that he was watching her and the fact that she liked that she had his attention and not LadyLove.

“I’m going to get a drink or something,” she said with a bit of a harshness in her voice due to her anger at herself and left.

In the kitchen Maggie poured a glass of water, and held the cool glass in her hands. She was a recluse with haphephobic and social anxious tendencies and didn’t relate well with people, but she never acted like this before. Maggie was never jealous. Yes in high school she felt envy for the popular girls with their good looks, masses of friends, and their good looking boyfriends but she was never angry or bitter about it.

When she did have a boyfriend, she never felt jealous when she realized their brief relationship was over. Maggie felt rejected, angry, and once even betrayed, but not jealousy. Jealousy didn’t make any sense to her. It was a stupid emotion in her opinion. It was an emotion that belong with prehistory cave men, not for today where people chose of free will to be with someone or not.

If she didn’t feel absolutely confident that her boyfriend was free of temptation, then the relationship wasn’t meant to be, but right now that didn’t make her feel any better. She felt, angry, bitter and just plain awful and she wasn’t dating Tank or anything like that.

Maggie sighed as she walked into the living room and plopped on the couch. Now she was feeling jealous, craving Tank’s attention and she did not like it. It made her feel just like she did in high school, totally insecure, small, and insignificant. This was the worst disease she had ever been affected with ever and she desperately wanted the vaccination as soon as possible!

Maggie turned on the television and tried to find something that would make her forget everything. Finally after some major channel surfing she ended up watching some silly romcom. She wasn’t much for chick flicks. Maggie was a more of a thriller or adventure movies fan, but this one was kind of funny. Maggie smiled as she watched the movie feeling that warm and fuzzy feeling as she laid down on the couch feeling a little tired.