-1-

                                    

                                          
Chapter One
                          
    "Suck that, you stupid fucking dragon!" I shouted at my screen, rocking backwards and forwards in my chair as I watched purple and white rays erupt on the computer monitor. Out of pure anger and irritation from the speed run I just had, I flipped both my middle fingers up and started fiercely pointing them at the—now—dead mob. 
                          
    As the portal home started to form where I was standing, the end credits came into view. At that, I leaned back in my chair. Not realizing the amount of force that was appropriate, I felt the wheels start to leave the wooden floor. I tried to grip at the desk, but it happened so fast and the chair toppled to the ground with me in it. 
                          
    I sat on the floor for a solid ten seconds with my hands covering my face in embarrassment. When I stood back up, I adjusted the seat and repositioned my headset back onto my head. My cheeks were tinted pink, but luckily my face cam was not on. 
                          
    "For the sake of the stream, I'll inform you guys that I totally just ate shit. And by that, I mean I fell off my chair. Again."
                          
    I saw the chat pour in with laughing emojis. Then, a twenty dollar donation came through, being read by the automated voice. 
                          
        user1: it wouldn't be a CalPal stream without the classic chair tip 
                          
    I threw my head back and laughed. My eyes locked back onto the screen. I saw my Minecraft player standing under a half broken tree from the beginning of the stream. 
                          
    "Alright, well, that was the most rubbish speed run ever," I sighed. I aimlessly started chopping the rest of the tree down while I let some more donations come through. The timer in the corner of my screen showed 22m 03s 873ms. 
                          
        user2: you placed third!!
                          
    As soon as the donation voice read that out, my eyes bulged. I haven't looked at the speed run website in awhile to see the rankings. Last I knew, I placed twelfth with close to twenty-seven minutes. I've been progressively getting better and this stream apparently proves that. 
                          
    "Are you serious? No way I jumped like nine places."
                          
    I closed out of Minecraft and went into my browser. I typed an 's' and  was the first website to be suggested. I clicked enter and navigated the website until I reached the category of Minecraft that I've been competing in. Sure enough, current third place was 22m 17s and a couple hundred milliseconds. 
                          
    "Oh my god!" I screamed, "I apologize headphone users," I muttered a second later. 
                          
    My smile shone brightly on my face as I stared at the numbers on the chart. My username—CalPal—was currently shining in a red, orange, and yellow gradient in twelfth place with an American flag next to it. Soon after the stream, the time I submit will be reviewed and I'll have a brick next to my name. 
                          
    "You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, staring at the user that'd soon be above me. Their user was "DreamWasTaken" and their time was 22m 03s 866ms. That was just seven milliseconds shorter than my time, "I seriously got third place by only seven milliseconds? Do you know how short of a time that is? That is so fucking frustrating!" 
                          
    I slammed my fist on my desk and the sound echoed into the stream. My keyboard lifted into the air slightly from the impact and dropped back on the wood. 
                          
    "Who is this Dream bitch? I have a few choice words," I seethed, taking my anger on the game out on whoever had the silver ingot next to their name. He was the only player to use version 1.15.2 like me. Everyone else used 1.14.4.