Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Like the Boys

Eddie's POV:

Ripley bought her tray to our table before going to let Robin know she would be sitting with us today so she wouldn't wonder where she was. I do my best to ignore the smug looks between Gareth and Jeff, but they are making it damn near impossible and I grit my teeth.

"Knock it off," I order finally and they look over at me with mock innocence.

"What are you talking about?" Jeff asks, batting his eyelashes. "We aren't doing anything."

I drag my hand over my face in frustration and I hear El giggle at their shenanigans.

"Just don't act weird when she comes back, alright?" I plead, dropping my hand to the table and they nod solemnly, a suspicious gleam still in their eyes.

I see Ripley heading back towards us and I straighten in my seat fidgeting slightly and Gareth snickers beside me. I pull my leg back and kick him hard in the shin. He yelps and hunches over the table groaning as Ripley gets to us. She looks down at him with concern, the smile on her face falling and I worry at my bottom lip slightly.

"Are you alright?" She asks him as he reaches down and rubs his leg.

"He just stubbed his toe on the leg of the table," I say nonchalantly, waving him off and he takes my cue. He nods and fakes a smile. Ripley hesitates for a moment longer before sinking into the seat on the other side of me. I make quick work introducing her to Mike, El, and Will on the other side of her. Dustin is helping the AV Club today and is eating lunch while they work so he isn't here. She already knows Jeff and Gareth and she smiles sweetly at them as she tries to keep up with the conversation and also eat her lunch.

The boys were debating about Mike's new Nintendo Entertainment System versus Will's new Atari 7800 and trying to decide which one is better. The conversation was getting really heated and I sat back and watched as Ripley's eyes darted back and forth between each of them. She at least seemed more engaged then El who was completely tuned out and writing in her notebook, her free hand still clasped in Mike's. Jeff seems to notice that Ripley is being attentive as well because he clears his throat and looks at her, a small smile on his lips.

"Which one do you think is better, Ripley?" He asks and I stiffen. I move to correct him, to say she probably doesn't know what we are talking about but her face lights up making me pause.

"Well the Atari 7800 has better sound and visual resolution and it's compatible with the Atari 7800 and Atari 2600 games meaning that there are more games to play on the console."

Will lets out a victorious hoot making Ripley pause and she raises her eyebrows at him. Jeff reaches over and smacks him on the back of the head, looking annoyed and I smile.

"She wasn't finished yet, idiot." Mike huffs and I laugh softly. Ripley looks over at me and I lean in, grinning up at her. I get the urge to touch her so I reach over and grab the end of her braid from where it rests against her chest. I play with the ends of her hair, running my finger over the strands and she watches me. I nod encouragingly for her to go on and she turns back to the table and continues.

"That being said there are only about 10 or 15 new Atari titles that have been released for the new console so even though it has the potential for better sound and visual effects only a handful of games will be compatible for the feature while the Atari 2600 games will still function on a lesser scale because of how they were originally programmed. The NES's biggest selling point is the scrolling playfield which the Atari also has but nowhere near as good. But with the Nintendo you also get good original games like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and 1942. Both consoles cater to two different gaming styles as well; arcade versus role playing games. I think they are both good at what they do, but in terms of who I think took the cake this year. It's the NES."