As the pieces of the game flew through the air around him, Jake couldn't help but wonder how it had all gone so wrong.
He had tried his best to lose. He took his time coming up with the worst possible move with every Tetrimino piece the die told him to place. He even tried giving Dakody advice on his cousin's turns. "Are you SURE you want to place that piece there?" Jake had warned him. "You can link up three of your pieces and score more points if you put it..."
"SHUT UP, DUMMY," Dakody answered. "I don't need help from a stupid loser like you. 'Cause that's what you're gonna do, you know. You're gonna LOSE, LOSER." And then he dropped his piece into the game tower with a defiant grin, nowhere near any of his own pieces, and without even trying to block Jake from linking up his own color. It was as if Dakody had some uncanny ability to find a way to lose, even when the game was being handed to him. It was like it was his superpower. Jake was almost jealous.
In the end, Jake had no choice but to win that round of Tetris Link. But he would feel no pride, no happiness from his victory. Instead, he braced himself for the feeling of small colored plastic game pieces bouncing off his forehead as Dakody angrily knocked the game into the air.
When it was all over, Jake stood in middle of the mess and sighed, watching Dakody stormed out of the room to tell on him for "being a cheating cheater." He thought maybe he'd offer his cousin a rematch on the car ride back to his house, with the included Tetris Link Travel Edition. Then he decided against it.
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