1-800-why-am-I-like-this

May 30th, 1981

Mary Jane was not very excited to go out.

    "But Pat! The arcade is for boys!" she argued. "Besides, I could just go to the mall with my friends and not bother you."

    "The arcade isn't for boys: Jinan and Melissa are going."

    "Jinan and Melissa are your friends," Mary Jane retorted, crossing her arms. "Your friends are weird!"

    "Mary Jane, it's not like there's anything else we can do. You're not going out with your friends again, and I'm not leaving you here, so you're coming with. Try to have fun, alright?"

    "Fine," Mary Jane sighed.

    "Grab a jacket," Patrick said.

    "I don't have one," Mary Jane uttered. "Come on, let's just go and get this over with."

    "Alright," Patrick said. "At least try and be nice to Jinan. This was her idea."

    "This was her idea? I'm sure as hell not being nice to her, then."

    Patrick rolled his eyes, pulling open the door and letting Mary Jane exit first. It was surprisingly cold out that night, at least for late May. The chill came mostly from the heavy breezes whipping through the air, whistling loudly in Patrick's ears. There was the wind, and then there were the tires running smoothly across the roads' asphalt, and finally there was the constant chatter of pedestrians. Patrick loved the sounds of the city, and even more so at night.

    The arcade was just blocks down, and they got there about ten minutes after they left Patrick's apartment.

    "Patrick!" Jinan exclaimed, perking up as soon as he entered. "Oh, and Mary Jane. Hello."

    Mary Jane rolled her eyes, sighing. "Hello, Jinan."

    "Someone's not all that excited," Jinan said, laughing. "You want a soda?"

    "Yes, please," Mary Jane uttered, flipping some of her blonde hair behind her shoulder and sitting down on the red leather barstool next to Jinan. She turned to the bartender. "I'll have a rootbeer float, please."

    "So, what's your favorite game?" Jinan asked.

    "I don't play video games," Mary Jane said. "They're for boys."

    Jinan shook her head, taking a long gulp of her Coca Cola. "Nah, I'd have to disagree with you there." She toyed a little with the end of her hijab, like she always did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. Patrick chuckled softly. Jinan was incredibly confident socially, but it came as no surprise that she was a little intimidated by teenagers, even if it was just Patrick's younger sister.

    Melissa, Tom, and Ronnie, returned from wherever they had been at that time, all smiling and shouting excitedly.

    "Guess who just got the high score on Donkey Kong!" Tom exclaimed.

    Patrick raised an eyebrow. "You?"

    Melissa rolled her eyes. "He may have gotten the high score on Donkey Kong, but I think he's just compensating for all the times I beat him at Pac-Man."

    "Yes, we all know, Melissa," Ronnie said. "We're all very aware that you're Pac-Man's god."

    Melissa nodded curtly. "Damn straight."

    "There's this weird new game, though," Tom said, pointing towards the entryway. "Called Polysicus or somethin'. No one's touched it all night."

    "You wouldn't dare play it," Melissa said. "You only play stuff you think you're gonna win."   

    "I'll prove you wrong," Tom retorted. "Up for a competition in Centipede?"