The Game Developers Son

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Damien's POV

As the bus approached the leisure centre where the ice-skating rink was located, I reached towards the small, square, red button that was on a nearby pole and pressed it, indicating for the bus to stop. I slipped my rucksack back onto my shoulder, lifted up Connor's rucksack, and waited for the bus to draw to a halt. It was already dark out, so it was hard to see where the exact location of where the bus stop was, yet I had travelled on this bus so many times I knew when the bus stopped anyways. I've been travelling on this bus ever since I could remember. The bus always slowed down nearby a slightly broken lamppost that shone green instead of the usual orange. The moment the bus passed said lamppost, I grabbed Connor's wrist, stood up, and started to walk down the isle. As soon as we got to the main doors of the bus, the large, green vehicle slowed to a complete stop. I thanked the driver before stepping onto the concrete, helping Connor get off next to me, waiting for the bus to drive off so that we could cross the street. The leisure centre was extremely large. It held four gyms, two baseball courts, one football court, and, of course, the ice skating rink. As I walked, I quickly noticed that I had a slight excited spring in my step. I was actually excited to go ice-skating. It was the only time where I could actually spend time with my family without being interrupted by the neighbours, work, or just regular things such as the internet. Connor was also in the hospital a lot, due to his wide array of conditions, which meant that I was left at home with either one of my parents. When I was home with one parent, they were either doing work or stressing out over Connor's health so much that we never talked. Now, for the next two hours, we would be able to talk. We would be able to talk about anything that comes to mind.

Me and Connor walked through the automatic doors, a blast of hot air hitting us as we did so. I quickly said our names to the receptionist, who let us through the next series of doors by pressing a button that was right next to her. I didn't really see the need to have a button like that. I mean, who the heck was going to try and rob a leisure centre? Sure, the equipment here is expensive, but it's not like you can run out while dragging a running machine behind you and be fast enough to escape the police. Even if somebody wanted to steal some ice skates to use the blade as a weapon, the blade itself was mainly protected by plastic, meaning that if you threw it at somebody, they didn't really get that badly injured. They might have to wear a band-aid for a few days at worst, but that was it. Still...I guess it was there now. They couldn't really remove it, even if they wanted to. And there was, most likely, a reason behind having the button there in the first place. I sighed underneath my breath and started to navigate my way through the gaping hallways to the 'ice kingdom' as it was called. It was right at the back of the centre, hiding behind one of the main cafe's here, which also made it kinda hard to see. It only made the flow of people that would come here go even lower. Even in the peak season for ice-skating, at the busiest of times, the most people that were on the ice only hit twenty-or-so. It was amazing!

I mentioned our names to the ice rink receptionist, who told us how long we had on the ice before saying that we could walk through. Surprisingly, there was no button to let us through these doors, even though this was probably considered the most dangerous sport here! Not just because of the 'blades' that could, apparently, cut your throat and slice off your fingers, but falling down on the ice hurt like hell. I remember, when I was Connor's age, I slipped and fell onto the ice here, and I had a horrific bruise on my butt for the next four months. In those four months, it was obviously painful to sit down, so I always preferred to stand during that time. From all of the standing that I did, I think I literally lost around fourteen pounds. Then again it could've just been me losing all of my 'puppy fat' that I had when I was a kid. Damn...I really was a chubby child. I smirked at the floor. Despite that one incident, I had so many good times at this place. I was taught how to skate here when I was just two, I once had a birthday here with my closest friend, Hunter, and I even had my first slushie here. It was amazing. I loved this place with a burning passion. As me and Connor walked down the small hallway that connected the reception area to the main rink, I couldn't help but look out of the long, glass window that gave a fairly good view into the rink. There was another family there-Hunter's family. Wait! Hunter was here? A shock-wave of joy pulsated through me, causing me to break into a sprint. Connor stumbled a few paces behind me. I reached the end of the hallway, pulled open the door, and walked into the main area.