Arcade | s.m (✔️)

Twenty-Three

It was around midnight when I heard the scratching in my closet.

I had went to the carnival about two weeks ago, and the freak show from there was still freshly burned into my mind, so I had a lot of ideas as to what was on the other side of my closet.

Harper had thought it would be a good idea if we did a late night run, so at nine I left my house with hopes that I would actually exercise, and at ten I came back, tired from all the walking and occasional running we had done, then instantly put my phone in its charger before flopping down on my bed and shutting my eyes.

I'm pretty sure I slept for those two hours good hours, but as soon as that time was up my eyes opened, and I'm not sure what the cause of it was.

Now I'm sitting on my bed, my eyes watching the closet as it produces slow scratching sounds. For the dumbest reason, I think a raccoon has somehow snuck into my room and accidentally gotten itself stuck in my closet, before I remember that I hadn't seen a raccoon in this town once since I got here, so that wasn't it.

"Mom?" I whisper, hoping that she was just scratching the paint in the room next to mine and I was imagining it coming from my closet, even though we had finished all the paint jobs weeks ago.

Instantly I reach for my phone and turn the flashlight on, then having an even scarier thought go through my mind and going on my phone keypad, 911 on speed dial.

What if they're here?

But they weren't, and I tried my best to reassure myself. Still, my finger hovered the call button and my heart pounded rapidly.

I pulled my bedside drawer open, and grabbed the pistol-shaped BB-gun out of it. Apparently my mom couldn't trust me with a real gun in such emergencies that I would need one, so I was stuck with the closest thing to it.

Still, the gun in my hand looks insanely real, and if I saw someone holding it I wouldn't take my chances.

"If someone's in there, I have a gun. It's  loaded and I really don't mind some blind shooting through the door right now." I say, my voice sounding brave despite the fact that I wanted to hide in a corner.

The scratching stops, but only for about five seconds before a slow knocking begins. My heart drops to my stomach, because now I knew that on the other side of my closest was a 'who', and not a 'what'.

I begin to walk closer to the closet, and hold the BB-gun outwards. Knowing that blind shooting won't do any good, I reach for the door handle, doing a silent prayer before yanking it open, and cursing myself for not turning the lights on first.

It was pitch black in my closet, and I whisper a quick "what the fuck" before clicking my safety back on and sighing.

I was going to have to write Shawn an apology letter about that whole 'ghosts aren't real' thing.

As I back away from the door, I feel a cold hand grasp my ankle, and I scream loudly, stomping on the hand with my other foot as I hear my mom's footsteps rushing over to my room.

"Fuck!" My attacker and I yell at the same time, and just as I begin to recognize the voice, my mom flips the lights on, allowing me to get a good clear look at who had caused me not to be able to sleep for the rest of the night.

Cole.

"You piece of garbage!" I scream as he holds his damaged wrist, and I think about all the things I could say if my mom wasn't in the room at the moment.

"Nice way to greet your brother after two months."

"You were trying to scare me!"

"No, I was trying to visit you, but you wouldn't open the door!"

"How'd you even get-" I pause, then turn to look at my mother, who had a smile on her face.

"Mom, how could you?"

"I'm sorry, honey. He said he wouldn't do anything to scare you." She says, but if Cole had said that then she obviously didn't check for the crossed fingers behind his back.

"When did you even get back?" I ask, more curious on how long he's been hiding rather than how long he's been here.

"Around eleven. I was stuffed between your clothes for like 10 minutes before you finally woke up. I'm still sweating from how hot and stuffy that was." Cole tells me, and I roll my eyes before sitting back on my bed.

"Well, you've better get used to the heat, because it's going to be a lot hotter where you're going when you die after what you just did to me." I tell him, and my mom scolds me as Cole flicks me off while she's not looking.

I was definitely going to have to get him back. 

"Well, I hope you're happy, because now you're stuck with me all night." I say, sighing as if I was devastated by the outcome.

"Yeah, no. I'm catching some sleep, since I've been driving all day. Thanks for the slumber party invite though, we'll have to make sure to raincheck on that one." Cole gets up from the floor, rubbing his wrist as Mom says goodnight, then heading back go bed.

"Here's the problem, though. You just gave me enough nightmare fuel to last a month. So as disappointing as this is about to sound, you're stuck with me for the night."

"Well then, I guess we should get ice cream to celebrate me being back home. I know Eva is on night shift right now."

"Eva? Wh- ohh. I see, Cole. I see everything here."

Cole rolls his eyes at me, but doesn't deny anything as he begins to walk out of my room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I know how you get when you realize you're still single." Cole jokes, and I can't help but laugh.

Jokes on him.

Just as Cole leaves to go to the car, my phone buzzes, and I see that coincidentally, it was a text from Shawn.

Connor wants to get midnight ice cream. Think you can come?

This was definitely going to be good.

A/N
so u guys know how usually after I finish a story I start a new one?
ok well I've already sorted out how arcade is gonna end and I have the plot and everything all set out for the next book I'll start working on and u guys will #not be disappointed (hopefully) :)))))

Update: HFJDJDJFJV JUST FINISHED CHAPTER ONE ON THE NEW STORY AND IM SO EXCITED FOR U GUYS TO READ IT AHH