Disclaimer: League of Legends belongs to Riot

My head was filled with the names and faces of the people I met at the reunion.

I pulled out the notebook I kept for all League of Legends related things and started to write their names down. I had kept this notebook since I started playing League. It was filled with my notes and advice from Hurtle, Xpecial, and Aphromoo. I took advice from those three specifically because early on I had already decided that I was going to support Hurtle. After all, supporting him was the reason why I began playing the game in the first place – to help him get through his parents' divorce.

"Let's see…" I muttered while looking at my notebook. At the top of the page was the twins.

Abigail and Dustin Park, twins (15) – Altec and Pobelter's kids

Dimitri Bae (18) – Dade and Hai's kid

Ham Jang Ho (19) – Bjergsen and Lustboy's kid

Scarlett Nguyen (16) – KiWiKiD and imaqtpie's kid – divorced

Jason Santana (10) – imaqtpie and Lisha's kid

These were the people who I managed to acquaint myself with. After meeting Jang Ho, I wasn't feeling very sociable for some very obvious reasons.

Scarlett was currently visiting imaqtpie during her fall break and seemed to get along with her half-brother just fine. She was kind of crazy, but also very interesting. During the reunion, she told us a bunch of stories about her travels with KiWiKiD. Apparently he didn't take the divorce that well and went for some soul searching, but Scarlett didn't mind because this meant she got to travel a lot.

I think the most important lesson I learned from her was that the Pho here is garbage. Therefore I must travel to Vietnam and be "mind-blowned".

Her half-brother, Jason was a particularly shy child. He blushed every time someone addressed him. It was kind of adorable – especially when he hid behind his sister, Scarlett. It was especially interesting to see how different they were.

Reginald and Leena's only child was still in Los Angeles, managing the team while her parents were away. It was kind of like a family business. Sneaky showed up alone because his wife and their three kids opted to go visit Paris instead.

HotShotGG and Lily couldn't make it because of a wedding that Lily helped coordinate. Dyrus and Midi were at a family reunion in Hawaii (though I'm not sure if they would have flown out to Germany for the reunion anyways because it was technically only for those who lived in Europe).

Meteos and Balls were on their second honeymoon because their only child just started college and they were finally able to get some alone time. Locodoco was in Korea coaching a team that was trying to qualify for Worlds – I couldn't remember the name, but I'm sure it was named after some phone company and some color.

I tapped the bottom of my lip as I tried to remember who else was mentioned at the reunion.

There were way too many names, so I immediately dismissed trying to remember all of them. It wasn't like I was going to see any of them again or meet any of the mentioned ones.

Oh yeah! There was also something interesting that happened at the reunion. I remember catching quick glances between Uncle Turtle and his former support, LemonNation when they thought no one was watching. I grinned.

Who knows, I may be adding another uncle to my list sometime in the future.

"Keep going!" our Caitlyn typed as we ran out of our base, homeguards activated, to join Nocturne in his attempt to stop the enemy recalls. Hades had teleported top and was split pushing on Jax.

We just had a team fight at our mid inhibitor turret. The other team's mid laner and AD carry were dead along with our mid laner. There was 50 seconds on their death timers.

Our Nocturne chased after their Amumu down the middle lane. I released the spooky ghosts and caught Maokai heading into our blue side jungle. The second ghost returned to me.

Luckily I was Janna, so chasing them down wasn't a problem. Caitlyn ran to help Nocturne. Amumu had turned on him and they were now fighting.

"Go back!" our Talon typed. He pinged Hades. We had no sight of the other champions.

"No keep going!" Caitlyn typed. Amumu managed to escape by throwing his 'Bandage Toss' to his wraiths. Hades kept going and ignored the warning pings from Talon.

"Maokai is teleporting," Hades informed me as I rushed to find him. Hades was attacking their first nexus turret when the teleport started. I headed towards the direction where I last had vision on Maokai. I placed a ward in our blue bush and found him teleporting. I quickly pressed on 'Howling Gale' and released the whirlwind to stop his teleport.

"Good job," Hades said once the teleport stopped. He was on the second nexus turret. Our team finally killed Amumu and were on their way into the enemy's base.

The enemy Braum managed to recall and was desperately trying to stop Hades by slowing him. However, Hades completely ignored him and was running around the nexus.

I was too distracted by the thumping noise and from watching Hades that I didn't notice that the enemy Maokai killed me in retribution. 'Whoops.' It was worth it though.

As the last sliver of health depleted, a series of "GG" appeared in chat. I watched the nexus blow up before Victory appeared on my screen.

"Good job Hades!" I grinned as I clicked on the Continue button. I impatiently waited for the animation to start.

Congratulations Summoner!

You have been promoted to Lulu's Spellslingers, Diamond Division V.

Best of luck in the Fields of Justice!

"DIAMOND!" I shouted aloud, jumping out of my seat.

I immediately sat back down quickly, almost missing my chair. I was embarrassed by my own reaction even though no one could see me. During my excitement, my headset fell off. I picked it up and managed to put it back on in time to hear Hades talk.

"Congrats," my duo partner said.

"Thanks for carrying," I smiled.

I took a screenshot of my promotion because that's what everyone did when they moved onto a new tier. It was a satisfying accomplishment. I was finally in diamond.

Yesterday, I tried to win the first game of my promotions by myself, but ended up losing a really bad game. It almost felt like no one on my team knew how to play. Okay, not almost. That's exactly how it felt.

Then Hades signed on and joined me for my next promotion game – we won. After that, he told me to wait for him before I tried to finish my promotions. He said my MMR was too high from duoing with him all the time. I almost forgot he was Diamond I.

"Who's elo boosting my best friend?" Hurtle messaged me.

"My new best friend," I typed back.

"Whoa whoa, slow down there. Let's not get too hasty with these decisions," Hurtle responded and I giggled.

"Something funny?" Hades asked, probably wondering why I was suddenly giggling.

"Just teasing Hurtle."

"Oh, he's on. What spot is he at now?"

"Second, he's almost there."

I hovered over Hurtle's name and saw that he had been in queue for the last 15 minutes. 'Geez, being in Challenger sucks.'

"Aphy? APHY? NOOOOO," Hurtle typed when I didn't respond. He could be so dramatic.

"Don't worry, you're the only bestie for me :p," I reassured him.

"Gross. That was super cheesy." I rolled my eyes at his response.

"Gouda cheese?"

"Cheese pizza with cheese sauce, cheesy crust and extra cheese on top." My face scrunched up in disgust. That was a lot of cheese.

"That's disgusting." No more cheese.

"You look really happy," Aphromoo commented as I entered the kitchen. I immediately went about my task of setting up the table.

"That's because I am happy," I answered, knowing that my vague answer would only pique my father's curiosity even more. Before he could ask me why, I strode out of the kitchen with the plates and cups. I walked back in to retrieve the utensils, but once again evaded my father who had then turned his attention to the stove.

Doublelift was sitting in the living room with his eyes fixated on the TV.

"Dinner is ready," Aphromoo called out from the kitchen. I helped him carry the dishes to the table before taking my seat. Doublelift finally arrived, leaving the TV on. Aphromoo proceeded to turn it off before taking his seat. He was strict with his rule of no TV during dinner. He said that dinner time was family time – more like awkward family time because Doublelift and I still weren't talking to each other.

"Thanks for the meal, Dad!" I said before helping myself to the asparagus.

"So as I was saying, why are you so happy?" Aphromoo asked now that we were gathered. He was trying to corner me.

"Is there something wrong with me being happy?" I asked my dad, continuing this game of cat and mouse.

"Wha- of course not! I'm just curious," Aphromoo retorted. I just shrugged and he frowned.

"It's not a boy is it?" I stepped on a trap. I'm sure I said no more cheese.

"DAD!" I groaned. I was not having this conversation.

"It is isn't it? Have I met him?" Aphromoo went on and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I just got into diamond." I decided to stop him before things got out of hand. I already lost anyways.

"That's my baby!" Aphromoo said excitedly. I glanced over at Doublelift who said nothing. I just imagined him as the high expectations Asian father. "Isn't that great?" Aphromoo directed to Doublelift.

"Yeah, congrats." Doublelift finally said.

"Thanks."

After dinner, I went back to my room. I had planned on studying until Hurtle messaged me to get onto League. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have declined.

It wasn't long until I heard a knock on my door followed by an "Aphy?"

"Hold on guys, muting," I said as I clicked on the small microphone button.

"Your parents call you Aphy?" I heard Adept say before I took off my headset.

I was talking to the boys while we waited for Cyan to finish dinner and join us. We were going to play some ranked 5s and hopefully climb the ladder. Our ranked team, Taegukgi, was currently at Diamond IV. Yeah… our ranked team got to diamond before I did. A few days ago Hurtle freaked out when he saw that I was in diamond, but then realized it was actually our team.

"Aphy? Can I come in?" I blinked as I recognized that voice. I turned my chair and stared at my door. It was Doublelift's voice. Confused, I left my seat and opened my door.

"Hey dad, what's up?" I asked him curiously. It was very unlike him to see me after dinner.

"Can we talk?" He looked a little nervous.

"Yeah sure, just give me a moment," I said before walking back to the computer.

"I'll be right back, need to talk to my dad," I typed in the lobby chat. Before I left my computer once more, Hurtle quickly messaged me privately.

"Which one?" he asked.

"Dlift."

"Good luck." I was going to need it. I had no clue what to expect.

I walked back to my dad who was seated on my bed. He had closed the door.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, taking a seat next to him. He didn't say anything for a few seconds as if he was contemplating his words.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing he blurted out.

Okay, someone pinch me.

'What's going on?' I wondered. Doublelift was apologizing to me – what?

"What for?" I asked. I genuinely didn't know what he was apologizing for. I knew of many things he could apologize for, but I didn't know the exact reason why he was here.

"For not being the father that you needed," he answered. Okay, I definitely wasn't expecting that one. It seemed like he had thought about this for a while. I could already tell that this was going to be a long conversation.

"Good thing I have two fathers," I joked, not knowing what to say to that. I could see the frown forming on his face and I immediately regret trying to make light of this matter. I pretty much confirmed that he wasn't a good father.

'Timing Stella, timing.' I told myself.

"You still don't forgive me for what happened in Korea," it was more of a statement than a question. I bit my lip and looked away. He should have already known what my answer was.

"Don't worry, I understand," Doublelift continued. I looked at him, a little surprised. Aphromoo forgave him months after the incident happened but I never did.

"I want to let you know that I regret it," he said, his eyes casted down. "I was stupid, and Zaqueri should have just left me for it." He was talking about Aphromoo. If I was my dad, I probably would have left.

"He didn't deserve it, nor did you," he muttered, looking at me once more.

"He forgave me though…" he held his gaze, "but you never looked at me the same way."

I couldn't deny it. After all, he was the reason why I never wanted to get involved with League of Legends and the professional scene. I didn't want to be famous. I didn't want to find some thread on reddit talking about my personal life or my private affairs. Yes, that's how I found out about it. Talk about embarrassing. Reddit detectives are the real deal.

It was worse when Aphromoo had to confront him about it. It could have easily been one of those, "Don't believe everything you see on the internet," kind of explanations, but Doublelift confessed with a guilty heart. Aphromoo wasn't happy with him. I never saw my parents fight so much. Doublelift had tried to justify it, but Aphromoo wasn't going to have any of that.

I woke up every day for two months to find Doublelift sprawled out on the couch. He wasn't allowed upstairs until Aphromoo forgave him.

Then there was school. I received a bunch of pity looks or taunts from some of my classmates. Like I've mentioned before, League is a big thing. So anyone who followed the scene pretty much knew. It got to the point where I didn't want to go to school anymore. I started skipping classes and got in trouble with my teachers.

Then Aphromoo thought it was time to move. He thought we all needed a fresh start.

We moved closer to Hurtle's place since our parents were good friends. We saw each other a lot as children. I transferred out of my private school into Hurtle's public school and he vowed to make sure that no one knew who my parents were. He was like my bodyguard. Eventually the reddit thread was taken down and it became a story of the past. We were still careful though.

"How could I?" I asked him. A bunch of feelings were starting to arise once more. I thought I had buried them deep within me, but I felt my armor cracking. I've kept these emotions in me for almost five years. I was only twelve when it happened.

"H-how?" I asked again, my voice croaked and I tried to clear it.

He didn't answer me. It was quiet for a few minutes. Both of us were trying to think.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me now," Doublelift broke the silence, "But I want to let you know that I'll try harder from now on," he declared.

"I don't want to force you to do something you're not ready for." I'm not sure if he was talking about forgiving him or becoming a pro.

"I realized that I was trying too hard to make sure you had a future laid out." I shifted my position so I was directly facing him. I guess I never considered him caring about my future. Any good traits of a parent I attributed to Aphromoo, and everything else to Doublelift.

I crossed my legs and sat there patiently, waiting for him to continue. I knew that after this, I would also have to apologize. I never bothered to ask him how he felt. All I cared was how I felt about the whole ordeal.

"When I was about your age – no a little older. I finished high school while working part time jobs and contributing to my family." This was all new to me. I don't think I've ever heard my father talk about his younger self. At least not when he was my age. The only stories I heard were the ones where he was on CLG with Aphromoo.

"My parents and I didn't get along. They hated the idea that I wanted to pursue gaming as a career. That's just not what you did back then. In an Asian household, I was expected to go to college and become a doctor or something. But that's not what I wanted, so I left the house when I was 18." I tried to imagine leaving home at 18. I never had a job before – any money I got was from allowance or gifts. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to live off of that.

"I resorted to couch surfing. You remember Uncle Travis – I stayed with him for about a year. He always believed in me," Doublelift smiled at his fond memory. A small smile also formed on my face. I remembered Travis, he was currently in the States, but he would visit whenever there was a tournament. I knew that he was really close to my father.

"But the whole point of me telling you this isn't so you feel bad for me, but to let you know that I want to be supportive of your dreams. I don't want to force you to do what we did just because I know the scene. I also don't want force you into the position where you feel like you need to leave home and we don't talk for two years because we couldn't compromise," my dad held my hand for the first time in years.

"And I don't want Zaqueri nagging me every night for being stupid again," he joked.

I burst out laughing, "Stupid," I muttered under my breath. I squeezed his hand to show him that it was okay.

"Thanks for telling me this dad," I said, scooching over and giving him a hug. He must've been shocked because it took him a moment before he returned it.

"I'm sorry too," I said, moving back to my original spot on the bed.

"For what?" Now it was his turn to ask.

"For not bothering to ask you for your side of the story," I said with a weak smile. I felt a little ashamed of myself.

"That's okay, I'm the one who screwed up."

"Yes you did…" I glared at him, but my facial expression softened, "but I didn't make the situation any better," I argued. I lost years with my father because I blindly despised him. I had ingrained in my head that he was a terrible person and that Aphromoo deserved better. Now I realized why Aphromoo forgave him, and just maybe I would be able to too. One day.

"You're right, you didn't," my father said with a smirk on his face.

"Please, maybe if you were less of a drama queen…"

"Hey! I resent that. I'm at least a king," my father refuted.

"Nah, you were definitely like a little girl," I teased my father.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes and pouted.

"Or a puppy."

"WHAT!"

"Just kidding dad."

"Go play your games, I'm sure your team is growing impatient," my father said, nodding his head towards my computer.

"Wait, how did you know I have a team," I asked him as I got off my bed. I walked over to my computer where there was a long chat awaiting me.

"Because I'm your father," he said opening my door.

"Stalker father," I muttered under my breath, loud enough for him to hear me, but there was a grin on my face that he couldn't see.

"Hey! What's with all these labels!" he complained.

"Nothing. Don't you have to report to Aphromoo?" I asked him, turning around so I faced him. "Or was he just listening at the door the whole time?"

My other father popped his head through my door, "Hey honey," he said innocently.

I rolled my eyes, "Hey dad."

"I was just passing by!" he tried to defend himself, holding his hands up in the air.

"Right. I'm going to go play a game right now," I told my parents and sat down.

"Good luck. We should play together some time," Doublelift offered. That'd be cool.

"I bet you're trash now," I retorted, putting my headset on.

"Hey! So much sass." I just giggled.

"Sorry guys, I'm back." I unmuted my mic and heard my door close.

11/18/14