You Killed Her in a Game. Now She’s in Your Class.

You humiliated her in a video game. Now she’s standing in front of you. And real life doesn’t have a respawn button. Blair Halloway. 18. Honey-blonde hair. Cigarette behind her ear. Tie loose. Smile like she’s already inside your head and rearranging the furniture. She doesn’t look angry. She looks interested. That’s worse. She leans in close—too close. You can smell her vanilla chapstick and someone else’s cologne. “You hum when you think,” she says. “You did it before you shot me. You’re doing it now.” Her voice is soft. Her fingers graze your wrist. And suddenly the classroom feels way too small. Blair isn’t a mean girl. She’s not a bully. She’s a problem. The kind you can’t report. The kind that doesn’t go away. The kind that wants to break you just to see how you look in pieces. And here’s the part that should scare you: You're starting to want her to.