arcade

iii

For two weeks, Vance Hopper stayed at the Whales' residence.

No one complained, especially not Vance. Mrs. Whales had offered the boy shelter after seeing his condition, and he was in no position to decline. Mr. Whales barely acknowledged the boy's increasing presence, too occupied with his work to notice that the boy never left. Or maybe he didn't care.

Vance had been banned from the convenience store, so the two now spent their Saturdays at the arcade. Vance complained that they didn't have an adequate pinball machine, but Holly reminded him why they were there in the first place.

There was only one arcade in the entire town. It was on the side of the road, next to a few shops, but overall in a quiet part of town. It was an average sized building with black floors and neon lights. Although Holly preferred the roller rink, she did enjoy a few games, such as dance dance revolution.

Vance's only issue with the place, besides the lack of a good pinball machine, was the amount of guys. Unlike the convenience store, there was hardly any girls, and none of Holly's friends appeared here. Vance was always on edge because he hardly knew any of these boys, and Holly tended to stray off while he played.

He decided that he would accompany Holly to all of the games she wanted to play, and she would accompany him to his games after. It was a fair deal in his mind. Holly didn't argue because she didn't care either way.

"Eat shit!" Vance yelled, finally beating his game. Holly was seated next to him as he battled aliens. She gave him a smile, but he could tell she wasn't completely paying attention. It didn't matter to him, he wasn't going to force her to like what he did.

"That game's easy. I beat it in two tries." A new voice spoke, causing the couple to turn towards the source. There stood a boy around their age. He was tall and bulky, with auburn hair and brown eyes.

"Was I talking to you, pepperoni face?" Vance asked with a scowl. He self-consciously scooted closer to Holly.

"Just letting you know, you're never beating my record. I have the highest this game has ever seen." The boy explained, smirking as Vance began fuming.

"Vance, don't." Holly whispered. She could tell that the ginger was getting on Vance's nerves. The last thing either of them needed was to get banned from another place, and get sent to the police again.

It took every ounce of power in Vance's body to obey his girlfriend. Holly was both relived and surprised that he listened. She linked her arm through his, rubbing it gently. He kissed her temple before returning to the boy.

"I don't give a fuck if you're the best at this. It's fucking pathetic that it's the only thing you're decent at and spend time on. Get a life, shit face." His words caused Holly to stifle a laugh. The boy became as red as his hair as he turned away, leaving the two.

"I'm so proud of you, babe! You let him go!" Holly exclaimed, smiling.

"Only for you, princess." Vance replied. Her smile made it worth it. He was so close to pounding the fuck out of the ginger's face, but he couldn't do that to Holly again. She didn't deserve a guy that didn't try, and hell, he was going to make sure he was the guy she would always choose.

~

When the couple returned home for lunch, Mrs. Whales had already made them sandwiches.

It was Vance's favorite. Peanut butter and banana. He devoured two of them before Holly could even finish one. As she ate, he continued chatting nonstop. He was only ever really this verbal around his girl.

"Let's go back to the arcade. I'm going to beat that motherfucker's record." Vance said matter-of-fact. Holly's mother answered for her.

"Actually, Holly can't today, sweetie. She has piano lessons today until 6. Her father hasn't been too happy after he found out she's been skipping." Mrs. Whales answered, sympathetically. Vance frowned at her words.

"Ugh, it's so boring, mom!" Holly whined as Vance wiped peanut butter from her mouth. "I don't even like piano."

"Honey, your father has paid a lot of money for you to learn, and you know you're supposed to play at his banquet." Her mother reprimanded. The brunette girl sighed, understanding there was no getting out of it.

"Sorry, Vance."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just meet you back here once you're back."

"You're going to go without me?" She asked, with wide eyes. Vance seldom ever went anywhere without Holly. Besides classes, he would always be at her side.

"Yeah, just while you're at your lessons. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes he's no longer the champion of the game." Vance smirked.

"Okay, Vance. Just be careful."

"I know, baby. I'm stronger than any of those douchebags at the arcade. I'll be fine, I promise I'll be home in time. I love you."

"I love you more, Vance."

~

Holly was barely listening to her instructor as she stared at the piano keys.

Her only thought was Vance. She didn't know why, but there was an uneasy feeling gnawing at her. She kept reminding herself that Vance was strong, and he could beat up anyone in his way.

Holly snapped out of her thoughts just in time to hear the instructor inform her on what to play. She began performing a classical piece by Beethoven, which was not her style at all. She didn't mind classical music, it just wasn't her favorite. Perhaps Vance was truly a bad influence, but she loved rock. He was the one who gave the girl her first Metallica cassette.

On the other side of town, Vance was just leaving the arcade with a triumphant smile. It took him a few tries, but he managed to surpass the boy's record, declaring Vance to the ultimate winner. He had entered his name as "Get Fucked," but he figured the ginger would connect the dots. Now, all he had to do was get back to Holly's house before she got back.

As he walked, he got the sense that someone was following him. His guard was up, and his fight or flight was kicking in. There was still a few blocks until he would reach Holly's, and there was no one in the streets to witness anything. He cursed himself for putting himself in this situation.

Soon, a black van rolled up behind him. Vance began running, but he couldn't outrun the motor vehicle. He was cornered between the fence and trees as the driver quickly exited the vehicle. It was a masked man with strange magician attire. He opened the back doors and grabbed Vance. The blonde boy began fighting for his life, clawing at the man, and laying any punch he could. As he lay his second punch, the man had sprayed something into his mouth, knocking him unconscious.

The last thing that Vance saw was black balloons as he was driven away.