King of the World

Meanwhile: Part Two

Amber ran into the hotel room like she was on fire. “Turn on the TV!” Amber shouted. “Channel 5, now!”

“Jesus! Amber, don’t you knock?” Ben asked, annoyed. 

Emily hurried and turned on the TV. At first, nothing happened, then the screen changed and displayed five participants of King of the World. The first person, none of them, knew but then…”Jasper!” Emily shouted. “He’s okay!”

“Wait, he got in? Seriously?” Ben asked, moving over to the TV. 

“That’s what you’re concerned about? ****!” Amber shouted. “How did he get there?”

“Did they take him? No, they wouldn’t do that, right?” Emily asked. “This’s great! I can call Jason, and he can make sure.” Emily grabbed her phone and dialed Jason’s number. After a few rings, he picked up. “Hello?” Jason asked. “Em?”

“Hey, are you at the King of the World competition right now?” 

“Yeah, this is kind of a bad time. Are you okay? You sound weird.”

“We’ve been looking for Jasper. He’s been missing for a couple of days, but we see he’s there with you. Have you seen him?”

Jason was quiet for a second, then spoke, “Oh yeah, I think I did. He’s number 99, I think. He’s doing good. Oh, hold on.” Jason moved the phone away from his face. “Hey, come over here! Yeah, you!” Jason’s voice sounded muffled, but then he moved it back towards his face. “Hey, sorry I got to go. Talk to you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too. Can you look out for him?” Emily asked.

“Em, you know I can’t play favorites here. I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything. I-I got to go,” Jason disconnected. 

Relieved, Emily sat on the bed and took a deep breath. “He’s fine.”

Amber was scrolling through her phone. “He’s better than fine. He’s actually a top player. Look! This is footage of the first game. He was the first to finish. I knew he was a good investment! I mean a smart guy.”

“You bet on him?” Ben asked.

“I did. I know he can do it, and I’m never wrong. The results don’t lie. I’m just glad he’s not…well, you know. He’s okay, and that’s all that matters,” Amber said. “I’m gonna text, Ronda. She has to be worried.”

“We haven’t heard from her. Em’s tried to call her a couple of times,” Ben said, taking a drink of beer. 

“Can you try and act like you’re happy he’s okay? I know you two don’t get along, but ****,” Amber said. 

“I am happy,” Ben said as monotone as he could. 

“He said Jasper’s number 99. Can you favorite him?” Emily asked.

“Already done. I’m following him along with my other top pick. Number 233. OOOh, what if they make it to the end? I wonder who would win. I’m so excited!” Amber said, smiling.