Ally stood in her living room, hands on her hips, surveying the hulking Pac-Man machine like a general regarding her troops. She had enlisted the help of Matt's closest friends - Parker, Steven, and Luke - to pull off the birthday surprise she was certain would prove once and for all just how well she knew her boyfriend, and make up for their fight at her party.
"Did Matt even ask for this?" Parker questioned, skeptically pushing up his glasses as he eyed the dusty arcade game.
"No," Ally admitted, brushing a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "But as his girlfriend, I have to show how well I know him with a unique and personal gift." The boys exchanged glances before Steven spoke up.
"Getting this thing working again will be a lot of work, Ally. And there are so many things Matt asked for...maybe we should just stick to the list?"
"Matt loves video games and these old arcade machines," Ally insisted, her blue eyes flashing with determination. "Besides, he told me once that his favorite childhood memory was playing this game with his mom in the arcade in Niagara Falls."
Luke sighed, clearly touched by the sentiment. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Alright, I'm in." Steven nodded agreement, and after a moment's hesitation, Parker joined in as well, not wanting to be the odd one out.
-----
The next day at school, Rodney sat slumped over his desk, staring at the red 68 scrawled on his latest English essay. He'd never scored so low on anything in his life, and panic gnawed at his insides like a rabid squirrel.
"Rodney, it's just an essay," Derek said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Madison and I have done way worse."
"Exactly," Madison chimed in, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder. "You'll bounce back."
"Guys, I've never gotten lower than an 85 on anything," Rodney confessed, his voice barely a whisper. Their expressions of shock mirrored his own disbelief. "I spent hours researching this, I thought it was perfect."
"Alright," Derek said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's find out what happened."
As the trio delved into the mystery of Rodney's grade, Ally and her team of fixer-uppers labored over the Pac-Man machine, determined to bring it back to life in time for Matt's birthday.
Ally's hands were a blur of nimble fingers as she worked to reassemble the Pac-Man machine, her determination fueled by Matt's impending birthday surprise. Luke, Steven, and Parker hunched over the project with her, their brows furrowed in concentration and they looked up the tutorials online.
"Okay," Ally said, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "Let's take a break for a minute." She glanced around at her motley crew, seeing the fatigue etched into their faces. "So, I was wondering... What's the nicest thing you guys have ever done for a past girlfriend?"
Steven chuckled. "In grade eight, I volunteered to be Missy Dawson's model for an art class. Didn't realize I'd be modeling a dress she made, though." He grinned sheepishly. "But hey, I wore the crap out of it."
Laughter bubbled up from the group, breaking the tension. It was Parker's turn next. "Well, I've never actually dated anyone," he admitted, his voice tinged with embarrassment. "But the nicest thing I've ever done for someone I like was stepping aside so they could go after the person they really wanted to be with."
Luke snorted. "That's lame. How do you even know they wouldn't be happy with you?"
Parker's face flushed crimson. "I just... know," he mumbled, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Alright, Luke, what about you?" Ally asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Parker's discomfort.
"Uh, let's see..." Luke scratched his head, deep in thought. "I guess the nicest thing I've ever done for a girlfriend was buy her a lemonade."
YOU ARE READING
Bi the Way
Teen Fiction(Complete) (Bi the Book 1) Rodney was excited to start high school, he had a plan. He was going to ask his best friend to be his girlfriend, but then everything changed. Now he is moving from the big city to the small town of Strathroy, and new frie...
