The air in Khamis's dorm was thick with the frantic energy of a live stream. Colored Lego bricks were scattered across the floor. Zaid and Khamis were standing on stools, they were locked in a race against the clock to build the tallest, most unstable-looking tower possible.
"Ten minutes, people! The pressure is on!" Khamis yelled into the camera, his voice a practiced pitch of hysterical excitement. Zaid, beside him, forced a grin, carefully placing a single blue brick on a teetering spire. His heart wasn't in it. It was just plastic on plastic.
The live chat scrolled rapidly on a secondary screen. A notification, highlighted in gold, popped up.
'Desert_Sun 92' gifted 200 Roses!
Message: "Forget the tower! Build me a castle!I want to see a big one!"
Khamis's eyes lit up with dollar s
