Lunch came, and it was more of the same.
Jay stood in line at the cafeteria, staring at the plastic trays stacked on the counter.
The smell of cheap pizza and overcooked vegetables made his stomach turn. He didn't want to eat, but he needed something to fill the emptiness that gnawed at him.
"Hey, Jay, I saved you a seat!"
It wasn't a friendly offer. It was sarcasm. It was Adam, again, standing with his group of friends, pointing at the seat beside him.
They had all gathered around, each of them smiling in a way that made Jay feel like he was nothing more than a punching bag to be entertained by.
Jay didn't respond, didn't even look at them. Instead, he grabbed his tray and headed for the far corner of the cafeteria, away from the laughter, away from their eyes.
But even here, in his corner, it wasn't safe.
The sounds of mocking voices and laughter followed him. Adam and his friends took turns glancing at him from across the room, their laughter filling the space with a toxic buzz.
Jay picked at his food, swallowing bites that felt like bricks in his throat.
...
By the time the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Jay was drained. His body felt like lead, every movement a struggle.
He pushed through the doors of the school, trying to ignore the voices in his head that echoed the insults. "You're worthless."
"You're nothing."
"No one cares about you."
He didn't want to go home. He didn't want to go anywhere. But home was the only place left.
When he finally stepped into his small, dimly lit apartment, the familiar hum of his laptop greeted him, the one thing that could make him feel like he mattered—if only for a little while.
He logged into Valorant, his fingers still trembling from the exhaustion of the day. But as the screen flickered to life, something caught his attention.
A chat notification popped up: "Wanna go sucker? I would kick your ass anyday!" by [Alexio#455].
He stared at the words. It was just another random challenger.
They all looked the same—too cocky, too sure of themselves.
"Maybe he is from yesterday's match," Jay sighed. "This is why I never play ranked."
The name didn't ring a bell, but that didn't matter. Jay had played hundreds of matches by now. He clicked "Accept," the familiar rush of adrenaline starting to course through him.
"I bet you suck at this game," [Alexio #455] typed in the chat. "I'll show you how it's really done."
A quiet laugh bubbled up in Jay's throat.
"Come on man. I know I am not special or anything, but I am not a newbie either! Haha."
The irony was almost too much to handle. He wasn't some noob. He wasn't even close. But he didn't have the energy to explain.
Instead, he focused on the match, picking Phoenix without thinking too much. He was comfortable with the agent.
"So, phoenix huh? not a bad choice for a dork!" a chat came popped up from [Alexio#455].
"Alight then. He is just askin for it now," Jay smiled and took the challenge seriously.
The match began.
But from the first round, the challenger Alexio's playstyle was unlike anyone Jay had faced before. Smooth, efficient, and deliberate.
The way he moved was almost like a dance, a carefully timed rhythm that Jay struggled to follow at first.
"What the hell?" Jay said to himself. He felt as if he had become a beginner all over again.
"Is this your first time playing, or are you just this bad?" Alexio's message flashed in the chat as Jay pushed toward A site.
The words were taunting, but Jay didn't respond. He couldn't afford to be distracted.
Alexio immediately took the upper hand, securing key areas with his Sage.
He placed walls and slowed Jay's advance, controlling the pace of the game like a veteran. Jay was getting caught in Alexio's rhythm, his movements too predictable, his decisions too slow.
Alexio wasn't just playing; he was dismantling Jay, one round at a time.
The score was 3-1, Alexio's favor.
Jay was on the back foot, but he wasn't about to roll over.
"Come on, man," Alexio typed, "this is embarrassing. Do you even know how to aim?"
Jay clenched his jaw. No, he didn't know how to aim? He didn't know how to play? He was playing like he had something to prove. And he wasn't going to let some cocky player talk down to him.
The next round, Jay adjusted his strategy.
Instead of charging in like he normally did, he took his time, checking every corner, slowing his pace to match Alexio's style.
It was a gamble, but it worked. For the first time, Jay caught Alexio off-guard, landing a clean headshot with Phoenix's Vandal.
"Finallyyy," Alexio's message appeared, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You're not completely uselesss, after all huh..."
Jay smirked. He wasn't out yet.
For the next few rounds, Jay began to use his Curveball with more precision, flashing Alexio out of common angles. He started to dictate the pace, pushing Alexio into tight situations.
But Alexio's counterplay was almost too perfect. Every time Jay tried to get aggressive, Alexio was already there with a Slow Orb or a perfectly timed Healing Orb.
"Not bad, noobie!" Alexio typed, almost impressed. "But you're still way out of my league. I'm going to take this game without even trying."
Jay could feel the pressure mounting. With each round, Alexio seemed to be one step ahead. But Jay kept going.
He wasn't going to quit, not now. This wasn't just about the game; it was about something deeper. About proving to himself, to everyone who ever doubted him, that he wasn't just some worthless kid.
The rounds ticked by, Alexio pulling ahead each time, his play increasingly ruthless. Jay was fighting to keep up. The score was 7-4. Jay was exhausted.
His hands were slick with sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't afford to make another mistake.
Then came the final push. Jay had no more flashes, no more healing. Phoenix's Hot Hands was on cool down. One wrong move, and it was over. Alexio knew it.
"Weren't you good at this game?" Alexio mocked, his words dancing on the screen. "Guess that's what happens when you play above your level. You crash and burn."
Jay didn't respond. He couldn't. All he could do was think. He had to adjust. He had to surprise Alexio. If he played the same way, he'd lose for sure.
Then Jay saw it. Alexio had been holding the high ground, the same angle every round. His crosshair placement was always just a bit off-center, but he had been fast enough that Jay never caught it. This time, Jay wasn't going to make the same mistake.
He dashed out of cover and threw Curveball into the choke point. As the flash went off, he slid into position, just as Alexio moved to hold the angle. In that split second, Jay flicked his Vandal, landing a clean headshot.
Alexio's voice cracked through the voice chat:
"Wha—?! How did you—?"
Jay didn't answer. He was already moving, playing it cool. Alexio had rushed into B site, confident that Jay was going to take too long to rotate. But Jay had learned—he was no longer predictable.
The final round came down to the wire. Alexio was aggressive now, pushing Jay into a corner. He was playing like he had nothing left to lose, and Jay could feel it.
One mistake, and it was game over.
Jay crouched behind the crates, listening for the faintest sound. He heard Alexio's footsteps, the clink-clink of his movement, and waited. The seconds felt like hours.
Then Alexio stepped into the open, his crosshair perfectly placed. He fired first. But Jay was faster. He flicked with precision, Hot Hands healing just enough to keep him alive. With a final burst of adrenaline, he landed the shot that made Alexio's health bar drop to zero.
Victory flashed on the screen.
"Holy—" Alexio typed, stunned. "I thought you were a total noob. Not bad [Shuujin#097]!"
Jay didn't know it completely, but his in game handle [Shuujin#097] was popular among players in the high ranking, even though Jay had never played any ranked match after he reached silver because he had to work part time and study for school.
He thought, just training himself with bots and playing unrated all night would be good enough, as there would be nothing to lose.
Jay's game sense and mechanics was so good, that the Valorent's match maker would only match Jay to the mid tier to almost high rank players, even in unranked ques.
Jay sat back in his chair, his hands still shaking, but now with a feeling of triumph.
For once, he didn't need to answer. He didn't need to explain. He let the silence hang there for a moment before typing back.
"You should've taken me more seriously," Jay wrote.
Alexio didn't respond. He couldn't. And in that moment, Jay felt a sense of accomplishment that was almost foreign to him.
Here, in Valorant, in the world he had made his own, he was no longer the one being bullied. No longer the punching bag. No longer the kid everyone overlooked.
However. suddenly a single chat popped up from Alexio#455.
"Now that I've seen what you've got, how about you join our team? Jayson Myres?"