S1 Episode 3
Victoria's First Video Game Night
Welcome to Trainwrecks, a free-to-read fiction serial that follows a group of six Seattle-adjacent friends from the year 2004 to the year 2015. Join Luna Cruz, Sebastian Velasquez, Dimitri and Victoria Hale, Duke Kingston, and Jasmine Nolan as they stumble their way from adolescence to adulthood, falling in love, making mistakes, overcoming their pasts, and staying together through it all.
For series introduction, character profiles, relationship charts, Spotify playlists, and general orientation, check out the Table of Contents!
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Video game sessions were a time-honored tradition at the Cruz household, established when Luna’s parents first brought home a Super Nintendo, which their five-year-old daughter and seven-year-old foster son proceeded to become obsessed with. Dimitri, who’d been ten at the time, had taken it upon himself to remind them that he was the oldest and therefore better than them at everything. This had resulted in a lot of crying.
Victoria listened to his explanation with a growing sense of isolation. She would say it wasn’t her fault that she’d missed so much, but it was her mother’s postpartum depression that had led to her parents’ divorce, which wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been born. But if she hadn’t been born, she would have missed everything anyway. A real lose-lose situation.
Dimitri took his eyes off the road for a moment to shoot her a reassuring smile. In appearance, he more closely resembled their mother: thick brown hair, brown eyes, dark skin, predominantly Hawaiian and Japanese features. Victoria, with her green eyes and predominantly Indian features, took after their father. “Relax, Sis. Luna already loves you, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Her brows snapped downwards. “There is one thing…”
Duke Kingston. Her overblown emotional responses had always been a point of shame and embarrassment for her, and she would have felt quite sorry had he just apologized to her. But instead, he’d demanded an apology from her even though he’d been the one who started everything! She couldn’t believe his lack of manners, his totally uncivilized behavior! How could a girl as sweet as Luna be friends with a brute like him?
Dimitri snorted. “Don’t let Douche King intimidate you just because his parents are richer than God.”
“They’re what?”
“We’re here!” he announced as he pulled up to the mailbox of the Cruz family’s quaint two-story home. Victoria had yet to grow accustomed to the size of American houses. Despite having been reassured that Luna and Sebastian were strictly middle class, the width of the house, the size of the front lawn, and the enormous backyard made her feel as if she’d arrived at a castle. By contrast, the narrow and vertical townhouse she shared with her father was more familiar, resembling the one they’d lived in back in London.
They were greeted by Luna and Sebastian’s black labrador at the door. Victoria could not get over the fact that her brother simply let himself in as if he owned the place, but she supposed that was what a lifetime of friendship entitled one to. Dimitri led the way to the upstairs den. On the long sofa directly across from the television sat Luna and the loathsome Duke, already engaged in virtual warfare. Sebastian occupied one half of the neighboring loveseat.
The only new face was a breathtakingly beautiful Asian girl with long, straight black hair, dressed in military-print cargo pants and a zip-up jumper over a black crop top. Her brows were obscured by her fringe, but the cool smile she sent Victoria seemed friendly enough.
“Tor, you’ve met most of the gang.” Dimitri gestured at the Asian girl. “This is Jasmine, formerly known by every man in the greater Seattle area.”
Jasmine’s smile widened. “Every man except Dimitri. He’s still fuming about it.”
“You wish.” Dimitri flung himself on the loveseat beside Sebastian.
Jasmine patted the empty space between herself and Luna. “Come, sit.”
Victoria stepped over the video game controller cables and sat on the edge of the sofa. It was odd being among people who’d spent more time with her brother than she had. Thus far, since moving to the States, she’d learned that he was theatrical, vindictive, and annoying—a very different picture than the kind and understanding older brother she’d spoken to on occasional long distance phone calls.
Luna let out a cry of dismay as her video game character, a floating pink blob, went flying off the screen. “I almost had you!” she said to Duke.
“Keyword: almost.” He gave her short blonde hair an affectionate ruffle. “Nice try, though.” Then he glared at Victoria as if she were giving off an offensive stench. “Your Highness,” he said by way of greeting.
Victoria’s nostrils flared. “Cretin.”
Jasmine looked between the two of them. “Wow, the rumors were true, huh?” She settled back against the sofa with a lazy, catlike smile. “Victoria, has anyone told you that you’re really pretty?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “M-Me?”
“Don’t lie to her, Nolan,” Duke said.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Kingston.”
Luna, who had tossed the video game controller in her brother’s direction, jumped into the conversation. “Don’t mind them. Their families have this whole bowling rivalry thing going on.”
“Oh really?”
“It’s true. Every Thursday, I have to put up with Duke and his parents thinking they’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to the Renton bowling scene,” Jasmine said.
Sebastian gave Victoria a conspiratorial look. “I know it’s hard to believe, but yes, Renton does have a bowling scene.”
“If you don’t want to put up with us, you could bowl somewhere else.”
“You guys live in Bellevue. Go bowl over there.”
Luna leaned close to whisper in Victoria’s ear. “This happens every week. You’ll get used to it.”
Victoria let out a short laugh because she didn’t know how to respond. The implication that there would be other weeks, that the invitation to be part of their world was a permanent one, filled her chest with warmth. She wasn’t used to being wanted around. Rejection had been a part of her life from the very beginning, and she’d come to expect it.
She watched the video gaming ritual attentively. Luna, Sebastian, Dimitri, and Duke took turns beating the crap out of each other’s characters and hurling insults back and forth. Jasmine occasionally took sides to instigate and seemed to enjoy the chaos it caused. Judging by the number of wins, Dimitri was the best player of the bunch, with Duke a close second, and Sebastian and Luna tied for third. They took a break only when Luna and Sebastian’s mother arrived with pizzas.
“Victoria, I’m so happy you could make it,” she said as she set the boxes down on the table. “Now that you’ve been here for a while, how are you finding it?”
“Different,” Victoria replied. According to her father, Mrs. Cruz was her mother’s best friend and should be treated with the utmost respect. She’d been present at the hospital the day Victoria came into the world and had done her share of looking after her when her mother’s illness turned to neglect. “The food is delicious.”
“What did you eat before? Beans on toast?” Duke asked.
Victoria’s temper flared. “Perhaps you should try another culture’s food before you deride it!”
“Yeah!” Luna cried in her defense.
“British people have culture?” Dimitri mused with no apparent regard for the fact that he was British as well.
“If you like beans,” Mrs. Cruz cut in, “we should make you some Puerto Rican food sometime. Dimitri can bring you over. He practically lives here.”
Dimitri batted his eyelashes at her. “I love you, Auntie Whitney!”
She shook her head and warned everyone not to fight before heading back downstairs. Victoria wanted to wait until the others had taken their pizza slices before grabbing one herself, but Luna took the biggest slice and handed it to her first, then carried on talking to Duke as if she’d done nothing special. Victoria stared at the slice, shiny with grease, then jumped a bit when a hand touched her shoulder. Jasmine.
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” she whispered. “Before you came along, I was the newest addition to the group. They can be a bit much, but they’re a nice bunch. Even Duke.”
Victoria nodded, grateful that someone else understood what she was going through. It wasn’t easy being the new person: at a school, to a country, in a group of friends. But even with Duke’s occasional snide comment in her direction, it didn’t take long for her to feel welcome in that upstairs den—like she’d been meant to be there from the start.
Author’s Note: The game being played in this chapter is Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Did you know Trainwrecks has an official Tumblr account? Have a question for Luna, Victoria, Sebastian, Duke, Dimitri, or Jasmine? Click on the blue “ask me anything” button to, well, ask them anything! Just not about things they don’t know—it is 2004, after all.
Enjoyed the chapter? Tell us what you think!
Yes, everybody's all together!! Duke and Victoria hating each other's guts is great, but I gotta be honest, the back-and-forth between Jasmine and Dmitri is SENDING me. 😆 I look forward to the follow-up chat session.