Glancing at the minimap in the bottom corner of the screen, the situation couldn't be described as anything but dire. All of our barracks were reduced to ruins, and 'Mega-Creeps' were streaming into the base. It had been 20 minutes of what could only be described as trench warfare, during which we had dug in around our ancient, repelling attack after attack from our opponents. This analogy seemed even more fitting when you considered the tremendous number of mines Jade had placed around the base with her Techies play.

I looked down at two unfamiliar shoes running on a green surface that resembled a carpet made from artificial grass. My hands were gripping an L-shaped piece of sports equipment, and looking to my right, I could see a white ball making its way to my exact position. I crossed over a curved white line on the ground while stopping the plastic ball in its tracks using my stick. A high-pitched voice yelled out behind me, but due to my concentration on the physical activity, I was unable to make out the words.

Fear can be such an incredibly basic sensation. Your body and brain detect danger, making you change your current actions into doing something to steer away from whatever it is that is causing the fear. It can make you run away from a dog that is behaving in an aggressive manner. It can make you run away from a bully who wants to ruin your day. It can even make you run away from your own mother and her judgmental gaze. All of this seems easy enough. But what if you’re afraid of something closer to home? What If you’re afraid of something you can’t run away from?

“Trying to be impulsive for once?” I jested back at Riley while rubbing the palms of my hands on my jeans in an attempt to distract myself from the pain.

“While I admire the gumption, this isn’t quite what I expected from your glorious return” Riley looked at me while shaking her head. “When I said you needed to break out of your shell, I didn’t expect you to take it so literally.”

For a short moment I felt proud of myself for standing up to Riley. What was I even thinking going along with this stupid scheme of her, and why had it taken me this long to even see what was happening. I got up, walked over to one of the food stands at the side of the court and ordered myself a drink. It was only when I received my drink however, that reality suddenly dawned on me.

“Hey now, it’s all right buddy.” Riley said as I was smudging my face into her chest. As I pulled back from the embrace I looked up into Riley’s comforting blue eyes and steady myself once again.

“I’m starting to feel that this might be a little more than a poorly planned ruse to participate in a dota tournament. Just know that I will always be there for you, my little friend. Jason or Emily, whatever floats your boat”

She ended her uplifting words with a little wink. But honestly, I had no idea how to respond.

There is one thing Jason love’s more than anything in the world, esports. In fact, he wants to become the best Dota 2 player in the world. That’s why he recently joined a competitive team, only to find out later. That he joined an all girls team. And while pretending to be “Emily” online is one thing, offline this might prove to be a lot more difficult.

There is one thing Jason love’s more than anything in the world, esports. In fact, he wants to become the best Dota 2 player in the world. That’s why he recently joined a competitive team, only to find out later. That he joined an all girls team. And while pretending to be “Emily” online is one thing, offline this might prove to be a lot more difficult.