Pipe Dreamers

3. Quality Time

Five days later, Marc spent time with Adam at his parents' house. They played some games that were available for Adam to play which is appropriate for his age. Mario Kart is one of his favorites. Especially when he's playing it on the Wii system, along with the other games.

"Thanks for coming to my party." Adam said gratefully. "That racing game you played, that was wicked."

Marc snickered. "It's very wicked. Before you were born, I was probably around the same age as you and started playing it." He says while playing as Bowser, using a speed booster.

"Can you teach me?"

"What?"

"How to play the game."

"Maybe one day." He suggested it to Adam. "Right now, we'll just chill with the games you've gotten for your birthday."

Adam pouts silently. "You're no fun."

"I resent that. " He chuckled.

"We can head to the arcade and play it, they took the machine from the gym."

Marc shakes his head, no.

Adam stomped his foot on the floor below him as he is upset and still playing the game. "Come on, it's not fair."

"Life isn't always fair, buddy."

"Please."

Marc laughs at the beg. "Adam, your sister would kill me if I do that."

"Which is why we won't tell her." The boy kept insisting, no matter how many times he'll repeat it. "Don't be boring, I got quarters."

All Marc could think about; what would Amanda say if she finds out that him and Adam went to the arcade without her permission? Will she get upset? Would she not allow Marc to never babysit him again? He hesitates for only a minute, until he accepts.

"Fine." He scoffed. "I'll take you to the arcade."

"Yay!!" Adam hops off the couch.

Marc and Adam walked down the sidewalk. First, they stopped by a gas station to get a hot dog before the arcade. It only costs four dollars for each of them. Marc used his money for it since he didn't want Adam too. This reminded him when Carol was little. She use to go to the same arcade as him and watched him play video games. She used to laugh every time he failed. It didn't stop him from enjoying the memories. Before then, Carol never stopped being giddy with the love she had as a child. Until everything changed. He saw the maturity hit in her. Seeing that she's no longer the joyous little girl she once was. Only, Carol became the woman who is now distressed and full-grown. He even taught her how to use a game controller around eleven years old. It made her more interested in video games like Marc.

Two hours later, Adam and Marc arrived at the arcade. First, they headed to a machine, it said Donkey Kong Jr. Adam inserted the quarters into the machine and began at the start of the game.

Around the two rounds Adam has passed, Marc keeps cheering him on, to pass through the third round. Before Adam could eat all the white circles, the blue ghost got him. Then on, he loses again.

He slams his fists to the controllers.

"Woah, woah, woah." Marc blocks Adam from damaging the machine. "It's just a game."

"Yeah, I almost had it."

"You wanna see me play?"

Adam crosses his arms. "Sure."

Spending two hours and thirty minutes, Marc's only been too focused on getting through round nine. Adam's face was lit up in amazement. There were moments his heart raced when he saw Marc almost losing to the pink ghost and getting trapped between voids.

It was now eight thirty. The time that was getting later for them having to be back before Amanda gets home. At the same time, the arcade was literally the home they're used to now. Kids around them were with their friends and parents. Most of them were leaving, but they stayed for a long time.They got some pepperoni pizza and some ice cream. Adam's favorite drink is an orange Fanta and Marc enjoys his original Pepsi.

There were about two boxes of pepperoni pizza they ate. Not to mention, they begin talking about how it reminds them of playing Five Nights At Freddy's. It brought them wanting to get pizza in the first place. Marc checked the clock. He was shocked it was past nine now.

Marc gathered his drink and pizza box. "Grab the other box, buddy. We have to go."

Adam listened and picked up his drink and the extra pizza box and headed out, alongside Marc. The sun has already set, which means Amanda would've been at the house any minute. Marc opened the door, not only did they come in calmly. Both of them saw Amanda, red as a tomato. The whole atmosphere in the house gotten so rocky that it was hard to not show enough tense. A grey transparent bag of groceries were on the kitchen table. What was only out of the bag was Lays potato chips, the party style kind and some twelve dozen of sodas of Adam's favorite.

"Sis," Adam stuttered. "I can explain."

Amanda interrupted. "So you're gonna tell me why you two were out so late without telling me where y'all were gonna go?"

"It's my fault, Mandy." Marc protests. "Adam wanted to go to the arcade, so I decided to take him."

"I don't wanna hear it." She looks back at her little brother. "We'll talk in the morning, just go to bed. "

"But---" Adam was interrupted once again.

"Now!"

He listens to his sister, he goes into his room without any talk back. As miserable he felt for being scolded. It made him feel like everything him and Marc did was his fault. All he wanted to do is have a friend to play games with. She looks back to Marc.

"I let you babysit him before I got home." Her words towards him were like a knife, stabbing him in the heart. "You didn't even ask me if he can go."

Marc raises his hands up in surrender. "Mandy, I'm sorry. I just wanted Adam to have fun, be a kid. "

Amanda calms down, revaluating her own vocabulary from cursing so much. "Just let me know for now. Don't keep things like this from me."

He nodded.