Chapter Text
Blowing on the dice before I roll them onto the table. My lucky d20 that I hope gives me a good outcome falls flat.
“Hah! You call that a lucky die?” Bill scoffs and holds up his die, “now, my die never fail me.”
It wasn’t pretty or clean seeing as the rest of the club brought their dice with them everywhere, just in case they ever needed to roll on something. Usually on who got to buy a certain figure or comic if it was the last one, especially if it was special edition.
“Screw you Bill! You've just infected them with your foulness. Let me reroll but step away so you aren't in my air,” I shout.
“Hey hey! No rerolls, you got…” Jerry looks at my die before wincing, “a two.”
“What no, I'm gonna die! That's so unfair, Bill must have tampered with it.”
Bill snickered before rolling his eyes, “you wish that's why your dice suck and you're about to die. You just suck, really who even plays a Bard anyways?”
My eyes narrowed onto him and I crossed my arms after snatching my die from the table, “just tell me what happens, dungeon master Jerry.”
Jerry nervously laughs before clearing his throat. Looking at his note for the game. Looking up from behind his dungeon master board before he starts to narrate.
“Your bard starts playing a tune on his lyre to make the beast drowsy but a string snaps and it aggravates the beast more. It growls at your bard’s meek form,” Jerry describes the scent of the beast's breath before telling Pete it's his turn to roll.
“Oh man… don't worry, I'll save…” he trails off seeing his die land, “a five that's no good! Don't blame me, it's Bill’s fault he's got uneven tables.”
“Your spell cast misses and ends up hitting a wall in the cave. Shaking the walls, causing spikes of rock to fall nearby. Blocking your way to enter the cave farther and nearly hitting Bill’s paladin and Josh’s barbarian,” Jerry said, placing fake rocks where on the map is unavailable now due to being blocked.
“Good going Pete, now we're screwed!”
“How ‘bout you fix it then moron? It's your turn isn't it,” Pete rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Fine then, watch the master. I'll show you it's not my table or my luck tampering with your rolls,” Bill says before tossing out his d20.
Everyone's gaze focuses on Bill's roll as it slowly stops. My eyes widened and I clicked my tongue aggravated. The die lands on a 18.
“Oh come on, you clearly have weighted dice or magnets. There's no way you're the only one getting good rolls consistently.”
“Or maybe you guys just suck,” he grabs his die and looks at Jerry before telling him to continue his narration.
“You swing your sword and hit the beast on its leg nearest to you. Slashing deep enough to cause injury and the beast collapsed turning his attention towards you now,” Jerry said before telling Josh it's his turn.
“Try not to get as bad of a roll as those two fags,” Bill chuckles proudly.
“Uncalled for man, at least kiss me on the mouth if you're gonna call me that. I prefer my degradation with a little treat.”
—
My eyes snapped open, with my alarm blaring, quickly hitting snooze before I whipped my covers off and looked down at my lap. Groaning pathetically and rubbing my thighs in annoyance.
“God, fuck,” I groaned, “why those geeks?”
—
I stroll into class, slouched over, yawning as I look for a place to sit. My eyes narrow onto the only seat left, Pete DiNunzio waves me over to their group, snickering as I get the stares of all the jocks. I rolled my eyes and dreadfully walked to the seat with the geek squad, plopping myself down and waiting for the bell to ring.
“So, normie brains, how’s it feel to have your reputation thoroughly destroyed with just one move?” Pete says, nudging Jerry who's snickering under his breath trying to hide that he thinks it’s funny.
“I’m just sitting here ‘cause I have to, if I don’t talk to you nothing changes,” I whispered back trying to make sure no one hears me.
“With me waving you over, I think the jocks are going to think you’re our newest member.”
“Well he isn’t a member and he won’t be,” Bill scoffs, “but it’d be funny to see the football team have a new target.”
Bill grins at the thought, probably imagining the football team giving me a wedgie instead of him and his club for once. He adjusts his glasses before clearing his throat. Folding his hands together as if he had manners.
“They wouldn’t do that, they have better things to do than give some nobody like myself a swirlie. Now shut up, I actually like to pay attention in class instead of daydreaming about boning elf bitches.”
Jerry looked over from his bag he was scrounging through for a pencil, his cheeks slightly flushed at the unfiltered words.
“Jerry is the fantasy junkie, not me, moron.”
“Well, more proof that I don’t know you well enough to be part of your group,” I rolled my eyes, “although if you’re not into fantasy than your probably the comic book freak everyone talks about, right, Billy?”
I snickered and then the bell rings before he could answer me. I could feel his glare on the back of my head which made me feel better. Class goes by without the group bothering me anymore, mostly chatting amongst themselves about their after school plans. Josh mentioned Toys ‘r Us and Bill mentioned Joe’s Comics. Sitting by them might actually be helpful so I know where to avoid going.
—
Home, now if only when we never moved to Eltingville. The summer before senior year of all things, the time was awful. That little club of theirs has been getting on my nerves since I got here. The worst part is living so close to both Bill and Josh so the group passes outside often.
Everywhere they frequent is somewhere I’d normally go but then I see those losers. Joe’s Comics to buy the latest issue of a comic, Bill’s already there searching the shelves for the most pristine one. Blockbuster to get a VHS of some extended edition for a horror movie to really sink into the couch and critique, Pete is already is in the aisle. Toy’s r’ Us to find action figures before kids get their grubby hands on them, then even worse Josh is there grabbing multiple so he can upsell or trade the extras. If you thought that I wouldn’t find a way to run into their fourth member you’d be wrong because his geek ass is somehow always buying something for their DnD campaign at the same time as me. I have no one to play with anymore so I don’t know why I’m still buying that stuff but it’s still frustrating. Even just going to get fast food they are there in a group. There’s no escaping them.
—
A few hours later as I finish my reading for my AP Literature course I hear some noise outside my window. That grating noise of the Eltingville Club returning from whatever endeavor they had just been on. Some insult towards Josh about him eating all the popcorn like he’s a Hungry Hungry Hippo.
“Hey! Honey, come take out the trash,” I hear my mom shout from downstairs.
“Yeah,” I pull on my shoes and grab the trash and head out the door.
Holding the bags then I notice the club is still outside. I look at myself and cringe. Flash T-shirt, Star Trek shorts, reading glasses, and my socks covered in D20s. I rush to the curb towards the trash bins, looking down and avoiding eye contact.
“Hey, what the hell?!” I hear Bill shout at me getting the other boys’ attention.
I stop in my tracks and look up at them hesitantly. Embarrassed to be seen like this by anyone. My lounge clothes aren’t meant to ever be seen by people my age let alone these guys. Yeah they share my interests but they are the worst type of guys. I step closer to my house again.
“No, no, no way! You?! This is hilarious,” Pete says surprised eyeing my outfit, “guess he isn’t a normie after all.”
“Wait I kind of recognize him like this,” Jerry says leaning a little closer, “you got those socks at the same place I get my DnD books, I saw you there the other day.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat, my eyes widening at his recognition. I shake my head in denial.
“No… no you didn’t, you must be mistaken. These clothes are… uhm not mine?”
“You sound a little unsure, that hesitation isn’t going to convince any of us,” Pete smirked, “especially with how well fitting those shorts are.”
“Flash, Star Trek, and DnD… that’s like over half of our clubs categories in one outfit.”
“I swear to god if you tell anyone about this I’ll hang you from your underpants on a flag pole, then let’s see whose outfit is embarrassing when everybody sees your Batman themed boxers.”
“Hey, no one said it was embarrassing,” Bill held his hands up in mock defense, smirking, a raised brow.
“Well it is embarrassing. I knew you four were out here too, I should have changed or waited…” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“You pay that much attention to us, huh? Come on there’s no way our voices are that recognizable,” Josh said, “and we weren’t even being loud.”
“Yeah, you were, Hungry Hungry Hippo.”
“Oooh he got you, Joshzilla,” Pete replied snickering with Jerry.
I rolled my eyes before turning towards my door and leaving the four without another word. Going to the kitchen and grabbing dinner and taking it to my room before taking off my glasses, groaning as I put away my reading and sitting down at my desk to eat.