☾THE MECHANIC☽

14. Arcade

"I'm pretty sure I failed that midterm..." Taylor whines. The seven of you are slumped on the couches in Ashlyn's living room. The only ones that seem to be bothered by the midterms are Ashlyn, Taylor, Ben, and Tyler. Aiden's happily eating snacks beside Ashlyn while Logan is patting Ben's shoulder. You're sitting on the floor between Taylor's legs as she plays with your hair.

"It wasn't that bad..." You mumble. "That's because you're a nerd" You feel Tyler glaring at the back of your head. "A nerd that can beat your ass" You mumble. Taylor chuckles as Tyler nudges you with his foot.

"Oh yeah, my parents are coming back tomorrow" Aiden informs. "Really?" Taylor glances at the blonde. "Yeah, along with Ben's family. It'll be his little sister's birthday in a week, I think" Ben nods, confirming Aiden's words. "Oh, they're coming back? They never told me" Your attention is brought to Ashlyn's dad, who is carrying a basket of laundry. "You talk to them?" Ashlyn raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, a bit. Give them updates on how Aiden and Ben are doing" Mr. Banner answers, "Should we have a barbecue?".

"It'll be a rare chance for all of us parents to get together, y'know? We could have a big barbecue in the graveyard and celebrate Ben's little sister's birthday if they don't have any plans" Mr. Banner explains. "I think that's a lovely idea. My dad will be ecstatic to come over for one" You smile at Mike. "Yeah! We can ask our parents" Aiden's voice is full of excitement. "What about you, Taylor, and Tyler? Logan?" Mike eyes them. "I'm sure my grandparents would like to come. They're big fans of barbecues themselves" Logan smiles. "We'll ask," Tyler says. "Great!" Mike smiles. You can tell the man is excited.

Mike looks at his watch, "Oh, you kids should probably leave soon, it's already almost five". "Right," Ashlyn stands followed by the rest of you. "You sure you don't want me to take you?" Mike questions. "It's not too far of a walk... Plus, there's not enough seats in the jeep," Ashlyn says. You and Tyler glance at each other, both remembering last night. The two of you quickly glance away, you rub your arm as Tyler rubs his neck.

"Well actually, I made a small upgrade to the Jeep" Mike walks to the front door. The seven of you follow him outside. There are three seats in the back of the Jeep. You, Tyler, and Taylor squeeze in as the rest get in. "This is not ideal" Tyler mutters. "But at least it works" Mike chuckles. "Thank you, Mr. Banner," You smile, noticing the new parts attached to the seats.

It's a quiet trip over to the arcade well beside you, Aiden, Ashlyn, and Mike. Aiden is trying to make conversation with Ashlyn while Mike is talking to you. He never got to ask you when you started to learn self-defense and now's his chance.

"You kids have fun! Call if you need anything!" Mike calls out from the window. "We will!" Ashlyn glances back at him. "The arcade's fun and all but are you sure you'll be okay, Ashlyn?" Taylor eyes the freckled girl, "We're supposed to be celebrating and relieving some stress... I don't want you to be uncomfortable the whole time". Ashlyn places a pair of headphones over her ears, "Yeah, these are pretty great at noise canceling out noise. I should be fine". "Plus, I've never been to an arcade, so I'm kind of curious" She adds. "Me too" Logan chimes in. Seems like Ben hasn't either. "Well, what are we waiting for?" You smile, looking at the group over your shoulder.

You enter the arcade to see the place empty, a lot slower than you thought it would be. A bunch of games to choose from. "I bet I can beat you" You hear Aiden's voice a foot behind you. "How much?" Ashlyn grins. You notice a pink hue appear on Aiden's cheeks. "Oh, oh! I'm good at DDR too!" Taylor cheers. "I'll take you" You nudge her.

The four of you step onto your separate mats. You let Taylor pick the song. "You're overly confident," Tyler says from behind you. "Am I?" You grin, waiting for the game to start. "Yeah... My money's on Taylor," Tyler bets. "How much?" You question. "My tickets". "Deal. If I lose you can have mine," You say. Tyler watches as you get ready, he notices you're the only one not holding the bar. As the song begins, you and Taylor are tied. Tyler moves to where he can see better. That's when he notices your smile as the song speeds up. Your movements are loose and carefree but that's exactly what the song needs. "No!" Taylor shrieks as she steps on the wrong pad. "Tay!" Tyler throws his hands in the air. "It was an accident!" Taylor defends herself. You chuckle, "Let loose. Feel the music, Tay,".