Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Hey, you cheated!" Lacy pouts.

 I look at her in dismay. "How'd I cheat?" 

Lacy begins to reenact the scenario. "You see, while I put out scissors…” she makes her hand into a pair of scissors, "you hadn't made your play yet. You waited until after I put out scissors."

My eyes roll on their own, and I ask, "Why would I cheat at rock, paper, scissors, Lacy? We aren't even playing to win anything."

"I don't know, Brian, maybe that's just the type of person you are." 

Although I know she's just looking for a reaction out of me, my mouth opens before I have the chance to close it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You never let anyone have anything for themselves, it's like if you want it you're the only person who can have it." Her deep brown eyes, once round and playful, had now turned into narrow daggers. 

"Jeez, Lace, it's just a game-"

"—no it's more than that! It's a show of your character." 

Realizing there's no backing out of this, I decide to play along. "How so?" I probe.

"It's like how you went out of your way to make sure you got that job promotion even though you knew Brent wanted it so bad." 

"What, so l'm not supposed to want to make more money? To support us- to support you? Besides, Brent is my friend and he was happy to hear I got the promotion." 

She put her hands to her temples "It's not about you wanting to support us, it's about you seeing something someone else wants and deciding you want it more. Brent has a family of his own, he's raising three kids. You don't think he could've used that money more than us?"

I feel myself getting more and more irritated.

What does she know about money and business?

"It's not about who needed the money more, it's about who was more qualified. And considering I'm the one who graduated from Berkeley-"

"- God, you are so ridiculous." She started to walk away and I grabbed her arm. 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I still don't see your point." | try and talk in the softest voice as I possibly can, wanting nothing but to deescalate this situation.

"Brian," She says quietly as she pulls her arm out of my grasp. "Don't you remember how we met?" I look at her, confused by what her and I meeting has anything to do with the current conversation.

"Yeah, I saw you at the dining hall and decided you were the most beautiful girl in the whole world. So I went up to you and asked for your number." 

"That's not all of it." She continued, "When you asked me, I was already dating someone and I told you that.Then I saw that fire light in your eyes, the same flame I see every time you want something." I don't respond, and in a moment she moves on. "You called nearly every day. You'd send flowers to my dorm with personal notes attached. I could've called the police on you for harassment if I didn't enjoy it a little."

She laughs and I join her, and for a second I believe that this whole ordeal is over with. "But at the end of the day, I still had a boyfriend. Key word, had because about a month into the constant calls he broke up with me. I had a boyfriend and you still wanted me. In fact, I think it made you want me more, Brian."

"I really don't see how this has anything to do with anything." I say, still smiling a confused smile.

In a second, her slightly sunny disposition had been overtaken by storm clouds again. "You can't lose, Brian! At anything! For Christ's sake, you won't even let me win a game of rock, paper, scissors." 

She suddenly bursts into tears. I let her cry for a while, then speak again. "Why don't we just play another round? Best two out of three?"

She looks up at me, wiping tears away from her face. She closes her eyes and begins to nod.

"Alright." She says.