on the next spring | ✓

6

Magic Island - TXT

"YOU DID NOT JUST BRING ME HERE!" 

"WELL, I DID, PIECE OF BRAT. NOW EAT THESE UP!" She handed me a bunch of coin-like stuff which I viewed as the most precious stuff in the earth right now. My eyes shone as I watched every equipment and booth before my eyes. 

Neverland Arcade, in which my dream lay and my heart belong too. 

"Tell me you had never gone to an archade without actually telling me you had never been to one." 

I glared at her, a little bitter. I took a deep breathe, reminding myself that she wasted her time to bring me here. I should at least be nice and bearable to return the favor. "Hey, at least I watched enough vlogs to know the basic picture of an archade. This is exactly what I imagined an archade is supposed to be like." My eyes couldn't stop running here and there, eager to start the game. 

"Hey. Little sprout." 

It's been a while since I heard that nickname. Was she in the position where she had the right to call me that, by the way? But I didn't whine as I always did. 

"What?" 

"When one win, they get a present." 

"What present?" I asked, intrigued. I didn't know she came prepared. I thought this was just gonna be a normal getaway from school.

She shrugged, fishing one token from her pocket and insert it in the basketball machine's token box. "Whatever the winner want. Deal?" As she took one ball from the net, she faced me while raising her left eyebrow. I paused and nodded twice. 

"Deal." 

I didn't know how I did it, but in a way, that day was the best form of me. I played the claw machine, ended up with two plushies - which I wouldn't be using anyways - and even participated in a shooting game and somehow won the first place. I scored 421 for basketball game and she lost by a point. 

By the end of the day, I won the game. I watched as she put her hands on her hip and kicked the claw machine aggressively. "I swear this little thecnology devices-" 

"I won, girlie." I chuckled, feeling powerful. The first ever experience in a game archade and that was the best experience I had gained so far. It was as if all of the burden on my shoulder were lifted off by an invisible hand, leaving me free and comfortable. Lingering feelings, hatred towards the whole world left me in a span of ten minutes, and I was able to enjoy the best two hours in my life. One would say that I was exaggerating things but when I said it felt like a dream, it did feel so. 

"What do you want?" She asked indifferently, probably still dumbfounded by the result. I tilted my head to the right, thinking hard. I didn't know. I was playing mindlessly without actually thinking of the prize I wanted. And by accident, I won. Or probably by a bit of my skills, but overall I didn't know what should I ask for. 

After ten minutes worth of deliberating with myself, I shrugged back at her. "I'll tell you when I have something I want from you." As I settled in, we both walked out of the archade, deciding on what to eat for lunch. Late lunch, to be precise.

It was at that moment when I realized the girl had unstable way of walking and she looked like she was about to fall down, and that her eyebrows creased as if she was in pain. I didn't know in what aspect but she scared me. A few steps after, she stopped walking and bend over, both hands on her kneecap. She was panting, looking for oxygen I supposed. 

I stood still, didn't know how to react over the girl's obvious pain. After about seven seconds, I walked over and crouched down in front of her, eyes catching her pale face. I did realize how she looked like she was not doing well throughout the day, but decided to slide the thought away as she was energetic and loud in the archade. I thought she was fine. I thought she was just not in her best condition in terms of inner health. 

Realizing I just crouched down doing nothing, and pretty much didn't help in anything, I finally opened my mouth. "Hey, you fine?" 

The girl made her gaze's way towards mine. She shook her head, getting up straight on her back. "I'm fine." She reassured, approaching a bench nearby and placed her backpack on it before opening the zip and started rummaging through the bag. I got up and observed as the girl took out a bottle of what seemed to be like a medicine and shove two pills in her mouth, swallowing them with the help of a gulp of water. 

"What was that for?" I didn't know why, but I was particularly curious that day. 

She tried to brush my curiousity away by shrugging and smiling weakly, unlike the bright energy she had been radiating that day. She placed her backpack on her shoulder and walked ahead of me towards the restaurant nearby.

Despite her indifferent tone and rather slow voice, I heard her answering my question without meeting my gaze, who was just behind her. "Just my anemic ass, bestie." 

I didn't reply, I didn't even acknowledge the answer. Something hit me a bit too hard at the moment. I didn't know she had anemia, I didn't know she needed a medication, even. I didn't even know if anything as excessive activities could affect her health. 

In the first place, did I even know her at all?