Welcome to the Game by Craig Henderson

Author:Craig Henderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2022-10-25T18:06:53+00:00

26

Melvin and Caitlyn

Melvin sat down on the bench beside Johnny Boy. He stayed upright, rather than sitting back. Hands drumming the tops of his knees, he looked around at Johnny Boy, smiled, then laughed. He made out he was laughing at Johnny Boy’s choice of meeting place, but Johnny Boy knew better. Lots of things made Melvin nervous, including changes in routine. Melvin liked routine. Needed it.

“How come you didn’t just come to the shop like normal, Mister Pace?”

Johnny Boy had known Melvin was an unstable quantity from the moment he met him when he was working at a small computer repair shop near Chandler Park. And just as quickly, Johnny Boy had worked out that this skinny nineteen-year-old in his massive combat pants and Star Wars T-shirt was an IT genius and a budding hacker. The fact that Melvin wasn’t especially cautious about who he enlightened as to his talents made Johnny Boy cautious, hence the alias.

“What’s wrong with a park bench on a nice day like this, Melvin?”

Melvin sniggered, then shook his lank black hair out of his face. “I guess.”

“How’s things?”

“Yeah, good man, real good. Looks like I’ve got an all-area pass to Comic-Con.”

“Wow, that’s great. How much did that set you back?”

“Nothing.” Melvin said it in a who’s-the-man kind of way. He didn’t really do the modesty thing. Johnny Boy knew what was expected of him and fell in with it. He didn’t have all day.

“You’re kidding me? A VIP pass to Comic-Con for free?”

“Uh-huh.” Putting his hands behind his head, Melvin sat back finally. He held the new pose for all of thirty seconds before needing to sit forward and tap his knees again. The fidgeting irritated Johnny Boy, but he kept a handle on that. Getting what he needed from Melvin was like getting what he needed from a puppy. Be sweet, be interested. Stroke the ego of a teenager who was different from other teenagers.

“So come on then, Melvin. Or are you going to keep me hanging here? How’d you pull a stunt like that?”

“My mom’s seeing a guy who makes all the Marvel figures, man. It’s a frigging dope job.”

“What? He designs them, or he actually makes them?”

“Makes them.”

“Every single one?”

Melvin laughed. “No, man! Jeez! Do you have any idea how many that would be?”

“Well, they’re goddamn popular, so it would be a lot.”

“Exactly.”

“Like a real lot!” Johnny Boy left it at that. Stopped himself from clarifying that the guy in question probably pressed a button on a mold machine. No point in taking the wind out of the kid’s sails. He suspected Melvin’s mom and her new guy would be counting the days until Melvin trotted off to Comic-Con for a week. Money well spent.

Johnny Boy took his jacket off and laid it on his lap. He rolled up his sleeves. It was too hot to be outside, but this meeting needed to take place away from prying eyes, both human and electronic.

“How’s the hacking? Any great successes?”

“My mom’s really come down on me for it.

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