Skaters 101 (but without the skating)

extra 6: a game

(this was supposed to be a scary game ish thing, where our characters play a game which ends up threatening their lives somehow...and also leave some clues as to their real life in the real world, and warning them to go back. we wanted to try some horror. but we couldnt)

It was early morning once again in the streets of Strey Park. The sluggish lamp post slouching over the street and the empty void of cars road that sank silently into the peaceful night. A dark haired man sits on the empty bench outside the now closed corner bakery, wrapped up warmly in a bright blue windbreaker that shields him from the wind. He watches, as the glowing light from the lazy lamps soak into the gravel road, moulding into all the jagged edges nicely. Every now and then, he stiffens when a passing car whizzes by, disrupting the falling light and causing it to reflect off the shiny varnish along the sleek car's metal framework, into the dark night air where it cuts through it sharply like a knife. It was unpleasant and disturbing. Soon after though, he would settle down again into the scene; the lamp, the road, and him.

"It'll be Christmas soon." He muses softly to himself, "Shall we play Secret Santa?"

~

"No, I would not like to."

"Are you sure Maia-noona?" Pateick whinges beside the other, "It's going to be super chin-cha fun, I promise!"

"I said no, and that is it." Maia firmly replies, giving Patrick a small push. Her eyes flickered down to the screen of her handphone. "Now stop saying that weird word, chin-cha or whatever."

Patrick trails off, sulkily mumbling the word under his breath before brightening up when he spots another subject of his pestering.

"Yuzuru!"

"Hey Patrick!" The japanese raises his hand in greeting with a small smile. "What is it?"

"Anni-ong!" Patrick chirps as he takes the seat next to Yuzuru. "I was wondering if you would chin-cha want to join this online forum with me? It is really, chin-cha fun!"

"Jinja fun?" confused, Yuzuru's brows furrow slightly as he struggles to fantom what the other was trying to say. "I don't follow."

"Follow? It means really." Patrick leans in close and hisses. "Anyway, do you want to play this game?" It was a 180 degree mood change, Patrick turning back into his usual sunny self again.

Slightly shaken from the outburst, Yuzuru pushes the Canadian away from him. "Sure, I guess"

.

"The broiled fish and spaghetti must have vinegar and Shaoxing cooking wine! Don't forget to marinade the fish before putting it in the soup, and add a bit of Sugar!"

"Sugar?" Yuzuru repeats, "But we don't have any sugar!"

"Well, use dates then!" Satoko replies, trapping the hilt of the broad meat cleaver on her chopping board. With one hefty blow, she splits the fish into two. Yuzuru shudders.

"But I don't have dates either." He mumbles, and Satoko sighs.

"Look, go and find that lazy roommate of yours and get him to buy some sugar. You only need it at the end of the recipe anyway." Turning to him with a tired smile, she continued. "Now run along. I will bring you the fish after I've deboned it."

For a moment, she would have looked the picture of a caring older sister- if it were not for the cleaver in her hand that she was shoo-ing him away with.

.

Yuzuru collapsed on the armchair in the living room in front of the TV, letting his head rest against the seat back. He lifts a limp hand, bringing the glowing phone screen near to his face.

After quickly texting a message to Shoma requesting for him to take a trip to the market, he exits the 'Messenger' app, scrolling through his phone for something to do.

Oh yeah, there was that app that Patrick convinced him to download. His finger hovers over the thumbnail of the app, wondering whether or not to invest his time in this seemingly meaningless game.

Ding!

Patrick

Remember to play the game!

Yuzuru shudders for the second time that day.

.

"How was the game, Yuzuru?"

"It seems normal." Yuzuru begins carefully, straying away from the content of the game. "I like how the graphics are. Really realistic." He puts on a smile that he hopes will convince his friend. Somehow, the storyline seemed more appropriately Patrick, following the structure of a typical dating simulator. (Not that he had played many.) Yuzuru preferred action, games that with backstories that ran under a minute, over sob story sagas that lasted for multiple occasions of late night binging. Not that the story was boring, Yuzuru had to admit. Seeing Patrick's eager expression for more praise of his beloved game, he decides to bring up this point. "I did enjoy the set-up for the main character. It was..." He falters, searching for a word that would fit, but resorts to the earlier suggestion. "Realistic."

Clapping his hands, Patrick visibly lights up at his choice of vocabulary and Yuzuru silently lets out a sigh of relief. "I knew you would enjoy it!" He exclaims, satisfied at Yuzuru's response.

Patrick skips away merrily, saying something about having to convince Maia and Alex about something, but Yuzuru was not listening anymore. A headache had suddenly wormed its way in, and Yuzuru sits down abruptly back at his desk. Perhaps he really wasn't cut out to play such thought-provoking choice based games, he muses. Oh well. It wasn't as if he had felt a sense of attachment to the main character anyway, so much so that he just had to learn the eventual fate of the character he was playing. He subconsciously draws his phone out of his pocket, contemplating to delete the game. After all, he had done what Patrick asked of him.

As his finger hovers over the floating icon, hesitation comes in the form of text again from Patrick.

Why don't we play together tonight?

Yuzuru sighs. It looked as if there was no escaping, at least not now. He tries to stay positive. What harm was there in continuing the game for another night.

Patrick chirps, and Yuzuru can't help but just feel so annoyed. Firstly, it was early in the morning and Patrick's screeching was jarring to the ear. Secondly, he had been pegging away at the homework issued to him by Mrs. Ito when the Canadian had interrupted him to talk about some stupid game. On top of that, he had chosen to perch his equally stupid bum right smack on the paper Yuzuru had still been penning down his thoughts on.

Reining in his irritation, Yuzuru forces an amused smile, his right eyebrow twitching. "Hello Patrick." He says stiffly, "I haven't played the game yet."

"Not yet?" Patrick repeats, a crease beginning to form behind his eyebrows. "You better play it today!" His face twists into a sinister sneer, as he leans closer to Yuzuru. "It's really fun, I promise." The grin carved across his face was eerie, almost creepy.

That was when the howling began. "My toeoooOOOOOOOO!" Given that there was no one else in the class besides them, both of them were startled. Patrick looked slightly perturbed but still did not back down.

"Hey Yuzuru! I heard that Satoko intentionally dropped a pot of stew on Javiers foot in the canteen!" Out of nowhere, Shoma makes an announcement. From the corner of his eye, Yuzuru can make out his short figure by the classroom door.

As if something clicked in him, Patrick jumps off Yuzuru's desk, deserting the classroom for the canteen.

Blinking, Yuzuru catches his breath again. "What was that?" He muttered to himself, filing this encounter with Patrick away for further investigation. He glanced up to meet the gaze of Shoma who greeted him with a short nod before disappearing down the corridor again.