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Sides

By Bradley Caffee

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One
Day Before Zero Hour
The football crashed into the locker and inch from Tyler’s head. The single picture hanging on his door crashed at his feet. Morgan’s face, her blonde hair glowing in sunlight, stared up at him from the floor. Tyler sighed and picked up the photo. Straightening, he turned, knowing exactly who he’d find standing behind him.
“Watch it, Jellybean! You almost found a new job as a tackle dummy at practice.” A smirking Gavin Brady appeared as the hallway crowd parted. Two of his football grunts flanked him on either side, laughing in that big guy, no brains sort of way.
‘Jellybean’ was the nickname bestowed on him in the second grade the day he told his teacher his last name—Simmons—was pronounced like “cinnamon.” She’d thought his explanation was ‘cute,’ after which she’d presented him with a jar of cinnamon jellybeans for his birthday.
Most of his classmates had grown out of using the childish nickname. Most didn’t include Gavin.
“You hear me, Jellybean?”
Tyler rolled his eyes, not wanting to give Gavin the pleasure of getting a rise out of him. Normally, he had no problem with crossing words with someone as witless as Gavin, but he couldn’t be distracted. Not today. Turning back to his locker, he replaced the magnetic picture of Morgan on the door, reminding himself that it was time to meet her for lunch.
Gavin definitely didn’t deserve his time if it meant being late to meet Morgan Daniels.
“So, you think Morgan’ll go to homecoming with me?” Gavin swept up the ball from the floor with the adeptness of one who’d grown up with a football in one hand. He leaned against Tyler’s locker, slamming it shut before Tyler could replace his science textbook. “I mean, she’d be crazy to be seen with you. M’I right?”
“Right that you’re a moron? Absolutely.”
“Oh no!” Gavin feigned shock. “Jellybean thinks I’m a moron.”
I don’t think. I know. The AP Biology class had done a major dissection last period, and the hallway reeked of formaldehyde. Tyler wrinkled his nose and imagined the odor was actually coming from Gavin. He let a small laugh escape his mouth as he pictured a frog-like Gavin pinned to a dissection board. Macabre. But hilarious.
“What? Something funny, Simmons?” Gavin shoved Tyler’s chest with the football. The two behemoths behind him folded their arms.
He shook his head, willing his scathing comeback to stay inside, and opted to simply bring his science textbook with him to lunch, making sure to brush past Gavin more roughly than was necessary.
“That’s right. Walk away, loser. We’ll see who shows up at homecoming with Morgan.” The meatheads laughed again, muttering something that sounded like ‘yeah, a loser.’
Tyler walked away, fighting the urge to walk too quickly.
The truth was, he hadn’t yet asked Morgan to homecoming, and now Gavin was on the hunt. Yes, she was his girlfriend, but he knew he still had to ask. Plus, he wanted it to be special. A big deal.
But she’d been distracted.
After all, Zero Hour was tomorrow.
¬¬¬¬________________
“Tyler, over here!” Morgan waved him to her table. He nodded upward and started with tango-like dance required to squeeze between the lunch tables. Morgan’s eyes sparkled in a way that always seemed to catch the light no matter the angle. Her cheerleading uniform looked perfect on her like she’d been destined to be captain of the team. The room buzzed with conversation about the pep rally scheduled for later that day, and the entire cheerleading squad was dressed out for the event. Seeing her sitting there, he couldn’t help but smile. She had that effect on him.
Of all the guys at school—including the “in” crowed—Morgan Daniels had chosen to date him, of all people. Not that he’d ever complain about it. Tyler was not unpopular, but he was not Gavin or part of his football crew. He was tall and plenty athletic. He wasn’t bad looking either if his aunt could be believed. Perhaps it was the way he’d caught her when she slipped on the stairs in the quad. In the end, it was a mystery why she picked him, but he was fine with that. He liked to think that Morgan was attracted to his detachment to the Pineville High social ladder, and she could be herself around him without having to perform.
And he’d never ask her why she chose to date him. The less she questioned why, the better. Staying focused on being a good boyfriend and having a killer plan to ask her to homecoming was where he needed to keep his attention. For this lunch, he wanted to play it cool and not give away how much his brain was spinning with his big plan.
He set down his tray carrying a lukewarm slice pizza and sat opposite her. Two of her friends took up the other two seats, both cheerleaders. She scrunched her face when she examined his lunch.
“Really. How can you eat that stuff?”
“Like this.” He picked up the limp slice of pizza and took a bite, pretending to savor every moment.
“Gross.” She’d already unpacked her carefully prepared lunch in front of her. Apple, carrot sticks, and something that looked like quinoa. Not that he understood what quinoa was, but she’d made sure he could at least identify it since she ate it often.
“So, are you going to Gavin’s Zero Hour party?” the girl to Tyler’s right asked. He thought her name was Sarah, but he couldn’t be sure. Except for Morgan, the cheer squad all looked the same to him when they wore their uniforms to school.
“Ugh.” Morgan made a face.
Good. Tyler grinned.
“No, I’m going over to Tyler’s house to watch the event, but I’ll be sure to be on the Sides app the whole time if the team needs me.” She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. He raised his eyebrows and stared at her friends, goading them to question Morgan’s plans. They did.
“Tyler doesn’t even play Sides, I thought.” One of them—Rachel maybe?—said. “I mean, does he want to watch all of the Zero Hour broadcast if he’s not into it?”
True. Tyler was probably the one student at Pineville High that didn’t play Sides, the phone app that had taken the nation by storm. Zack Albright, the creator of Sides and founder of Everyman Graphics and Games, was only a few years older than any of them, but his app had made him a billionaire almost overnight. The concept was simple: choose a side—either predator or prey—to build and level up a character. Characters joined teams that battled online, predators using aggression and strength while prey used speed, agility, and other defensive characteristics. Other games like it had gone viral, but this was different.
The truth was, no one cared about the game. It wasn’t what had everyone talking.
What mattered was the clock.
Every user saw the same countdown clock in the corner of the game. Except no one knew what the months were counting down to, and Albright had successfully dodged the question in every interview over the six months since the app had been released in the United States. When a few celebrities started posting their theories on social media, interest in the game had exploded. Rumors of prize money or trips around the world with Zach Albright were rampant. But as of today, there were just hours left until what had been dubbed ‘Zero Hour’ when the clock would hit zero and the great secret would be revealed. Players had furiously leveled up their characters, many convinced some kind of reward or prize would be awarded when the clock hit zero.
School had even been called off. Tyler supposed it was because most of the teachers were probably playing it as well, and no one could be counted on coming to class the day of Zero Hour.
Everyone, that is, except him. Tyler’s father had forbidden the obsession with the game, and he and Carley, his kid sister, were likely the only two people in the U.S. under twenty years old not playing. Perhaps even fifty and under. No one wanted to miss out on the Zero Hour buzz. The truth was, he wasn’t interested and didn’t understand the hype. Zero Hour felt like a huge publicity stunt, but the nation had taken the bite, hook and all. He couldn’t wait to laugh when all Zero Hour ended up being was the announcement of Sides 2.0 or some other cash grab opportunity for the game makers. Video games were not Tyler’s thing. They felt juvenile to him. He’d much rather be jamming on his guitar or mountain biking in the woods behind his home. He’d resisted playing for so long, it was a matter of social pride at this point. His father’s prohibition simply kept him from having to explain himself.
“You mean Tyler doesn’t play...yet.” Morgan flashed a mischievous smile. “I’m certain that will change when he sees what he missed out on.”
Tyler dropped his gaze with a sly grin spreading across his face. He could feel the doubt and judgment coming from Morgan’s teammates. It frankly cracked him up that everyone cared so much about a game.
“Besides,” she continued, “I wouldn’t be caught dead at Gavin’s house.”
“What about coming to my house? You change your mind and want to trade up for a real man, Morgan?” Gavin appeared from behind Tyler and forced his way on the end of the bench next to Morgan.
Tyler stopped chewing and stared at him through slitted eyes. Instinctively, he leaned closer to Morgan, who thankfully wrinkled her nose at Gavin’s approach.
“No thanks, Gavin. I won’t be there.” Morgan said, moving away from Gavin. Tyler swallowed hard as Gavin moved closer to close the gap she’d made.
“Hear that, Gavin?” Tyler said, allowing the sarcasm to drip from his words. “Sounds like your Sides team will be minus one for your party. Just exactly what does that say about you as their fearless leader?”
Gavin frowned and turned to Morgan. “Such a shame. I mean, the entire team will be there except you. We’re the most powerful Sides team at Pineville High, so that has to count for something. You sure you don’t want to be there when we find out what Zero Hour is all about?” He turned to Tyler. “No offense, Jellybean, but you don’t play and are—you know—lame.”
“No, really. I’m going to be with Tyler.” She smiled at Tyler. He wanted to both smile back and glare at Gavin to rub it in. What resulted was an awkward attempt to do both.
“Gavin, face it. I’m way more interesting than you.” Tyler quietly congratulated himself for recovering when Gavin scowled. He took another bite.
“Well, when you change your mind, Morgan, we can discuss homecoming when you show up to my party.” Gavin stood to leave.
Tyler imagined shoving the remainder of his pizza in Gavin’s smug face. He couldn’t believe he’d basically told Morgan he was asking her to homecoming with Tyler sitting right there. Sarah and Rachel began to furiously whisper.
“Yeah. We’ll talk if I show up.” Morgan shook her head as Gavin winked and walked away.
Tyler turned toward Gavin’s retreating back. “Hear that? She said ‘if.’” He motioned to Morgan with a thumb.
“So?” Sarah and Rachel asked in unison. “Are you going to homecoming with Gavin?”
“Eww. No way.” She waved them off and turned to Tyler. “I’m assuming I have other plans.” She paused and stared at him.
He swallowed his bite of pizza too early and grimaced as the nearly whole food choked him on the way down. He took a drink of his soda to recover.
“Yeah, about that. I wanted it to be a surprise.” He was lying, but how could he not?
“I knew it!” She grinned. “You’ve got something up your sleeve for tomorrow, don’t you?”
Tomorrow? He nodded without thinking. Tomorrow was not the plan. The last thing he wanted to was to mix up his homecoming plans with Zero Hour. But now he was stuck.
“No, don’t say anymore. I want the full surprise.” She straightened up and gazed at her friends, who seemed deflated. “Come on, Gavin is not all that. He’s so full of himself.”
“By the way, how can you play on his team in Sides?” he said, quickly changing the subject and nodding in the direction Gavin had left. “I mean, it’s Gavin. You honestly want to spend all your time online with that creep?”
“I know it’s weird, but we are the best team in the area.” She leaned forward to get the table’s attention. “Another couple weeks, and Gavin thinks we’ll be nationally ranked. We’d hoped to get there before Zero Hour, but Christine stupidly decided to play solo and lost all her ranking. Gavin was so mad, he kicked her off the team without talking to her about it.”
“Sorry. I still don’t get what’s so exciting about it.” Tyler shook his head. Rachel’s jaw dropped as if in awe that Tyler was so disconnected from the Sides game.
“You will tomorrow. You’ll see.” Morgan smiled again.
Yeah. He could not believe this girl was into him. Whatever the hype was about Sides, he was at least glad she wanted to share it with him.
But before that, he’d have to adjust his plan to ask her to homecoming in less than a day if he was going to deliver on what he’d just promised. Now that Gavin was on the prowl, his homecoming designs had their own ticking clock. And this clock was one he cared about.

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