The Dangerous Game

Alex couldn't sleep. He kept looking at his laptop screen where his new profile glowed in the darkness. The handle "Emily_ArtGamer" seemed to taunt him.

"This is insane," he whispered to himself, looking over at Ethan's sleeping form. What was he thinking? This plan could blow up in his face.

The next morning, Ethan was already gone when Alex woke up. A sticky note on the fridge read: "Early study group. Back at 4."

Perfect. Alex had time to figure out his next move.

He opened his laptop and checked Emily's page. No messages yet. Of course not—he hadn't even filled out the description or sent Ethan a friend request.

Alex's phone buzzed with a text from Jasmine: "Did you do it??"

He quickly typed back: "Maybe. Come over. I need help."

Twenty minutes later, Jasmine burst into his room with two coffee cups and a playful grin.

"Show me everything!" she ordered, handing him a cup. "I can't believe you actually created a fake profile!"

"I haven't done anything yet," Alex groaned. "This is stupid, right? I should delete it."

Jasmine plopped down next to him on the bed. "No way! This is genius. Think about it—you can finally find out if he likes guys."

"By claiming to be a girl? How does that help?"

"You get him talking," Jasmine stated. "Get to know the real him. Then maybe you'll have the guts to be yourself around him."

Alex sipped his coffee doubtfully. "What if he finds out?"

"He won't," Jasmine promised him. "We'll be super careful."

For the next hour, they created Emily's profile. They chose a stock photo of a girl with short dark hair—"similar to your style but definitely not you," Jasmine noted—and filled in details that were close enough to Alex's real hobbies without being obvious.

"Favorite games?" Jasmine asked.

"Same as mine. He already knows I like RPGs."

"Major?"

"Art, but let's say photography instead of illustration."

By the time they finished, Emily felt almost real—a slightly different version of Alex himself.

"Now for the friend request," Jasmine said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Alex's finger hovered over the button. "I don't know..."

"Do it!" Jasmine nudged him.

Heart racing, Alex clicked. Friend request sent.

"Now we wait," Jasmine said, leaning back with a pleased smile.

They didn't have to wait long. Just twenty minutes later, a message popped up: "GamerEthan23 has accepted your friend request."

"He accepted!" Alex yelped.

Another notice followed immediately: "GamerEthan23 has sent you a message."

Alex and Jasmine stared at each other wide-eyed.

"Open it!" Jasmine squealed.

With shaky fingers, Alex clicked on the message.

GamerEthan23: Hey! Thanks for the friend request. I noticed you're into Dragon's Quest Legends too? "Answer him!" Jasmine urged.

Alex took a deep breath and typed:

Emily_ArtGamer: Yeah! Just started playing last week. That dragon in level 3 is killing me though!

The answer came instantly:

GamerEthan23: LOL I died like 20 times on that one. Want some tips?

"He's talking to you!" Jasmine bounced excitedly on the bed. "This is working!"

For the next half hour, Alex chatted with Ethan as Emily, talking game strategies and favorite characters. It was surprisingly easy—like their talks about games in the dorm, but without Alex stumbling over his words whenever Ethan smiled at him.

"I should go," Jasmine finally said, checking her watch. "Class in twenty. But this is gold, Alex. Pure gold."

After she left, Alex kept chatting with Ethan, losing track of time until a new message appeared:

GamerEthan23: Sorry, gotta run to class. Talk later?

Alex typed back quickly:

Emily_ArtGamer: Definitely! Good luck in class!

GamerEthan23: Thanks :) You made my morning more fun!

Alex closed his laptop, feeling both thrilled and guilty. This was going too well.

Later that afternoon, Ethan returned to the dorm exactly at 4 PM, as stated. He seemed happy, humming as he unpacked his backpack.

"Good day?" Alex asked, appearing to be focused on a sketch.

"Yeah, actually," Ethan responded. "Met someone cool online. A girl who's into the same games as me."

Alex's heart skipped. "Oh yeah? That's...cool."

"She's new to the platform," Ethan continued, not noticing Alex's uneasiness. "Seems really nice."

"Nice is good," Alex mumbled, feeling his face heat up.

That evening, they studied in silence—Alex trying to read while actually watching Ethan text on his phone, smiling occasionally at the screen.

Is he texting Emily? Alex wondered. But that was impossible—he hadn't messaged Ethan as Emily since that morning.

When Ethan went to take a shower, Alex checked Emily's page. No new posts. So who was Ethan texting?

The puzzle kept Alex awake long after Ethan had fallen asleep. At midnight, his interest got the better of him. He opened his laptop and sent a new message:

Emily_ArtGamer: Still up?

To his surprise, an answer came seconds later:

GamerEthan23: Yeah! Can't sleep. You?

Emily_ArtGamer: Same. Thinking too much.

GamerEthan23: About what?

Alex paused, then typed:

Emily_ArtGamer: Ever feel like you're hiding part of yourself from people?

There was a long pause before Ethan's reply:

GamerEthan23: All the time. It's easier to be myself online than with people I see every day.

Alex glanced at Ethan's bed. He looked to be sound asleep, yet here he was, responding to messages. He must have his phone under his covers.

Emily_ArtGamer: Why is that?

GamerEthan23: Expectations, I guess. People see me a certain way, and I don't want to fail them.

Alex's heart ached. He knew that feeling all too well.

Emily_ArtGamer: I get that. What do you hide?

Another long pause.

GamerEthan23: Can I trust you?

Alex's fingers froze over the keyboard. This was going too far, too fast. He was crossing a line. But something drove him to continue:

Emily_ArtGamer: Yes. I'm good at keeping secrets.

GamerEthan23: I've never told anyone this online, but... I'm not exactly who people think I am.

Alex held his breath.

GamerEthan23: Everyone sees me as this perfect, put-together guy. But there's more to me. Things I'm afraid to show.

Emily_ArtGamer: Like what?

GamerEthan23: For one thing, I'm not sure I even want to be a biology major. My parents picked it for me.

This was news to Alex. Ethan always seemed so serious to his studies.

Emily_ArtGamer: What would you study if you could choose?

GamerEthan23: Promise not to laugh?

Emily_ArtGamer: Promise.

GamerEthan23: Game idea. I've been making my own levels since I was twelve.

Alex nearly gasped out loud. How had he never known this?

Their conversation continued for hours, with Ethan revealing more and more about himself—his hopes, his fears, the pressure he felt from his family. All the while, Alex watched Ethan's still form in the other bed, amazed at this secret side of his roommate.

At 3 AM, Alex finally typed:

Emily_ArtGamer: We should sleep. Talk tomorrow?

GamerEthan23: Definitely. Thanks for listening. It's nice having someone who gets me.

Emily_ArtGamer: Anytime. Goodnight :)

GamerEthan23: Goodnight, Emily.

Alex closed his laptop, overwhelmed with conflicting feelings. He'd learned more about Ethan in one night as Emily than in weeks as himself. But as he drifted off to sleep, one troubling thought kept circling in his mind: If Ethan was in his bed, apparently asleep the whole time they were talking...

Who was actually behind GamerEthan23?