1 Prelude

Beau Riley

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There he goes.

Sage Johnson...

God, he was gorgeous.

So beautiful and breathtaking.

Is he even human?

I took a peek behind the book I was reading as I watched his appearance intently. I mean, look at him.

His clean and silky golden brown hair was swept back in a smooth style that showcased his handsome face in full view. His attractive green eyes were certainly a feast for the eyes. His nose, too. It was very tall and sharp—probably the most perfect nose in the whole world. His thin yet pinkish lips were pulled up in what seemed like a smirk or a charming smile as he conversed with his friends.

Lastly, his asset always had me swooning. His body was filled with lean muscles, and paired with his tall height, his body ratio was deemed a perfect body type. Not too muscular and not too skinny. He was something in between. He was never too much and never too little. He was just so perfect.

All in all, he was that cool guy that every man would be jealous of.

But I'm different. I wasn't jealous of him. I simply liked his existence. He's my happy crush, as others call it. 

Every time I see him at school, it always turns out to be a good day for me. As such, I considered him my daily motivation for going to class. Just a glimpse of him, and I would already be satisfied with it.

For example, right now.

When I noticed that he was about to turn his head in my direction, I hastily shifted my gaze back to the book so as not to get caught staring at him. He would probably think I'm a creepy gay gawking at him if he did catch me.

I'm also embarrassed to show myself to him. Looking at myself, I was just the average type of guy. Someone you would probably forget once you're done looking at me.

My common dark brown hair, together with my barely visible hazel brown eyes hiding behind my thick-framed glasses, wasn't really something that I was proud of. Although the only thing I could be confident with was how creamy and smooth my skin was, people would always comment on how I was too pale and too soft to the touch. 'Very unmanly', they say.

My body structure was also nothing compared to Sage's perfect one. As a high school student, I was very slender. Almost like a girl. If one were to measure my waist, it would probably be around 28 inches. I don't know. I never tried measuring it, actually.

Hence, I always wore baggy and long-sleeved clothing so as to avoid dirty jokes from my male classmates. I've seen how they always teased and talked dirty to one of my openly gay classmates. He was always made fun of. I don't dare to explore what it feels like to be humiliated by others.

Thankfully, my height was average. So there wasn't that much being picked on. I'm still a dork through and through, though.

When I spared Sage a quick glance, he was already gone. Probably on one of the shelves to find his book. The usual one with a black leather jacket cover and golden lettering. I don't know the exact title since I never dared to go so close to the things he usually touched.

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but if I left even a single handprint on his things, I felt like it was a huge crime to do so.

I raised the left sleeve of my hoodie to check on my silver wristwatch. "Ten thirty," I whispered with a pout. It was time to go to class.

Despite being disappointed that I couldn't spend more time in the library, I pushed myself to be satisfied that I'd already seen Sage for today. Thus, I quietly went out of the library without bumping into anyone along the way.

If someone told me that on this very same day, Sage Johnson would suddenly talk to me, then I'd probably feed them the plastic wrapper of my favorite snacks until they choked to death.

Alas, the world has never failed to surprise me.

The very same day, after all of my classes were done and I was about to go back home for a peaceful dinner and nap, I found myself stuck in the midst of a crowd.

Ah, no. It was because I actively engaged myself within the crowd. I mean, how could I not? There was an online gaming championship match! It was a very good opportunity for me to mingle and watch with people who have the same interests as me.

Like I said, it was an e-sports game that the school held every quarter of the month to motivate e-gamers in their line of interest. People like me also found this event entertaining, as always.

The sad news is that I couldn't see the players clearly. My eyes were slightly blurred as I tried to squint them to see them from afar. It was my classmate's fault for stepping over my glasses a while ago.

Although I'm not really a pro in the game they were playing, I had to say I wasn't that bad of a player as well. At home, I'm a champ. But at school, it's a different story. I could only spectate them and never had the guts to join events like these for the past four years.

However, to my utter shock, the crowd suddenly parted as a student holding a microphone came forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Congratulations! You're the chosen one today!"

My jaw dropped open at his statement. "Huh?"

He smiled again before pushing me towards the stage, where a group of players were sitting behind the computers. My lips automatically quivered as soon as I realized what was happening.

"Team Midnight Lions chose you to join them as the last random player in the final match to compete with the other team. Say hi to them!"

I slowly walked forward before giving them an awkward wave.

They all smiled at me. They were nice. I guess.

"You're our wild card now. Hopefully, you're a pro," the guy closest to me whispered with a wink.

I only quirked my lips up for a small smile and did not respond anymore. He seemed to sense my dread, so he generously stopped talking to me for awhile.

Then I pulled out a chair for me before settling in front of the PC. I took a deep breath first before carefully typing on the keyboard to encode my username.

[Byu]

"All the players are now ready. Let's start the game in 3, 2, 1!"

The speakers boomed with loud and exciting music as everyone cheered for the team they were rooting for.

The loud noise only seemed to heighten all of my nervousness. My palms were sweating, and my legs were still shaking below the table.

Nevertheless, I gathered enough courage to ask the staff for any prescription eyeglasses that would fit my needs. Thankfully, they succeeded in getting me one.

I wiped the lens with a clean tissue first before putting it on. It was slightly uncomfortable for me since I wasn't used to the rimless glasses they gave me, but I'd make do with it.

Heaving a deep breath, I wore the glasses and looked at my teammates with a small nod. "I'm ready."

It was the game that served as a prelude to what would happen between me and my campus crush, Sage Johnson.