The Crazy & Stupid

Chapter 4

*Flashback*

I am upset.

No, I am more angry than upset.

I hate Miranda Mage. She is so awful.

She invited all of my friends to her 12th Birthday party, and not me. She always made me feel like I was her friend.  I know that when she wanted me to see her pretty pink bag, her Aunt had got her from France, she was only showing off.
She was making me feel bad, but I didn't feel bad then. I felt happy for a moment that I could be one of her friends.
But when Sarah and Jane came up running during lunch with those pink envelopes, and I hadn't gotten mine all day or the next, I was certain she wasn't inviting me.

 I am sitting in the cafeteria strictly looking at my food, and trying my best to ignore my friends' conversation about the dress they would wear tonight. They had asked me earlier if I didn't want them to talk about it, they even initially said they wouldn't go, but I knew they really wanted to go and so I had said I didn't care.
But, I did.

Even in the class, I hear the same conversations from all direction. Tired, I reach home, my mom who clearly sees me upset, doesn't talk about it. She earlier had a conversation with Sarah's mother, who went on about how Sarah was so excited for the party and my mother had no clue.

"Dad called, he said we are going to Fun Palace, tonight." She says excited. "We don't have to go for me." I say understanding this was to cheer me up. "We obviously have to, you did so well in that Math test. We are going and no arguing." She says authoritatively, her hands on her hips and her eyes beaming with concern.

Maybe a few games at the arcade would be good. Besides, who needed a bunch of girls playing stupid games, and that princess shaped cake to be happy.

We are in the arcade, my dad has me and my sister play all the games we love. I am now waiting in queue to play the claw crane and win something for my parents for bringing me here.

 I hand the man  one coin, and move ahead. I want to pick up the golden bear, which is the prettiest one. I direct out the clench and move it down, the bear is buried over other soft toys I manage to slightly move them with the claws, I grab what I think is the ear of my bear and retract up but when it's about to be deposited in the outlet, I realize it's an orange duck and not the one I wanted and let it go and my turn is over.

I hand him over another coin, and realize it's the last one. I hadn't thought I would actually need turns to pull this one. I turn back and realize there is a queue of kids waiting for their turn, I couldn't go ask for another coin, we had to leave in some time.

I am more determined than ever, I had to get it this time. With concentration, I direct my claw and grab the bear by its ear and lift it in air and but turns out it held on to very less of the bear, and it falls down. I lift my arms in dismay, and give the man, the "I almost got it, give me another chance" look. But he only shrugs, "Give me a coin and do it." He says.

I sigh in disappointment, turn around and leave. I don't even go further away from the queue, when someone taps on my shoulder, "Hey!" he says. I turn around and find a boy slightly taller than me, with my golden bear in his hands. "Here, you can have it." He says extending his arm out to me.

I raise my brows in confusion, "You won it, you get to keep it." I say and turn again. "No, I saw back there it seemed like you really wanted it." He says standing right in front of me, he looks slightly plump, not enough to call him fat but he isn't very thin either. His eyes are brown, just like his hair which fall like a canopy over his forehead and brows.

"Look, I am not poor so you don't have to do this." I had seen this in movies, where the poor kid is helped by the rich kid. He frowns, "I don't think you are poor. Look I don't even want a golden bear, what would I even do with it? You can keep it or I will just give it away to someone else." He says in a matter of fact tone.

"Then why did you waste a coin on that?" I ask the obvious question. "Because, I had a bet with my friend that I would play every game in Fun Palace, and that was the last one left." He proudly flaunts. "You can have this as a gift from the champion." He says with what I assume is his smirk.

"But, I don't even know you." I argue. "God, why are you girls like this? If I had just given this to a boy he would say thanks mate and keep it." He says irritated. "Alright, thank you." I say and take it. "You did almost get it so you can also say you did win it." He says and I instantly feel happier. "What's your name champion?" I ask him.

"Alex." He says grinning. "Alison" I say smiling back.

It turned out he had only recently moved to my neigbourhood and was in my school but a year senior to me.

A part of me will always be grateful that Miranda hadn't invited me. Maybe, we would have met in school, or somewhere else, but I wouldn't have even one day less in my life that didn't have him in it.