Cry at the End

Carlos fires up Madden online for a game against his supposed friend StevStar66. The dude is a game manager: runs the ball, milks the clock, and plays the percentages. God forbid StevStar66 ever has to throw the ball.

That may work against every other noob on these internet streets, but not Carlos......

He's comfortably ahead when he hears crying coming from his daughter's room.

Strange. He continues to play. But Carlos can’t ignore the crying, so he pauses the game. Hopefully, this doesn't take too long.

"Honey, everything okay?" he knocks on the door and asks.
"GO AWAY DAD!"

Okay great talk to you later bye!
That’s what Carlos should have said. Instead, he enters the room.

"Whose house do you think this is young lady...why are you crying?"
"Just leave me alone please, Dad, please."
"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. What's wrong?"
"It's boy stuff, you wouldn't get it."

"I was a boy once."

"You wouldn't get it."
"Honey, I'm your father, there is nothing in this world I don't get."

"Dad?"
"Yes...out with it."
"Am I pretty?"
Oh. Something Carlos doesn’t get. "Yeah, maybe this is a conversation you should have with your mom."
"I knew it! I'm ugly!"
Yep must be okay see you later!
That’s what Carlos should have said. Instead, he sits down next to his daughter.

"Okay, that's enough of that, no child of mine is going to be ugly. You're a very pretty girl."
"No I'm not, Dylan doesn't think so."
"Who is this Dylan?"
"This boy I like."
"You're liking boys now?"
"I'm 14! I'm allowed to like boys, Mom said so!"
"That’s because she’s a whore.” Again, what Carlos should have said. But instead…

"Is Dylan even that hot?” he says in his best teenage girl voice. 
"He's so hot! Maybe the hottest guy in school!"
"I bet he's dumb."
"Who cares? He's hot and I love him!"
"Great...so what happened?"
"Nothing. He's dating Tara now. She's hot, she's tall, she's blonde. My life sucks."

"Okay, so we've already established that Dylan is stupid. By definition, stupid people make bad decisions. Next question."
"Why doesn't he like me, Dad? It's because I'm not as pretty as Tara right?"
"Awww honey, you're a beautiful girl. It's his loss."
"Yeah, right!"
"It IS right, and stop wasting your tears on someone who doesn't like you back."

"But he could. He could like me, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Then how do I get him to do that."

You skin him down to the bone till he has no self-esteem left, and then he'll love you.
What Carlos should have said. But instead…

"I think relationships are better when you don't have to do that. It's just easier when both people already like each other."
"Great! I'm never going to be with him."

"Just be his friend."
"What?"

"Just be his friend. You're a kid, you're supposed to have friends, right? It's not like Tara is going to care. Find some common ground, be his friend, give him a chance to know you, know your personality."

"That's horrible advice."
"Life is long honey, so play the long game. Get in his life, get to know him. Give him the chance to know you. Find common ground. Once you're in his life the possibility will always be there and one day, he will realize what he has in you. Then he will be yours."

"The long game?"
"The long game. You don't want to win every battle; you want to win the war. You don't cry in the middle, you cry at the end."

"So, be his friend?"
"Be his friend and talk to your mother about this kind of stuff from now on."

She seems in slightly better spirits, so Carlos decides to leave her to it. He starts to walk out of the room.

"Dad?"
"Yeah."
"How did you get mom?"

Honey, she got me.
“I guess I got lucky.”

Carlos strolls back to his living room. The match against StevStar66 has long ended, but he did leave a message:

'Sorry for your loss.'

What a fucking troll.