The Bubblegum Motto ✓

-8-

I had no idea where Nixon wanted to take me, but he told me it was going to be fun. It wasn't until the door open and I got a glimpse inside the place that I knew it was definitely not going to be fun. I walked in first, but I immediately saw the rolling skating rink, my eyes bugging out before turning the other way.

Nixon, of course, didn't let me leave. His fingers curled around my arm, pulling me back before looking at me in the eyes.

"One sport is enough for the day." I wrinkled my nose. The only sport I've ever considered even slightly interested in was running, but that was only because I was forced into marathons. I didn't praise myself for being a really clumsy person, but sports just didn't interest me as much as other activities, such as manning Aquasky.

A smile formed on Nixon's face, and he shook his head. "We aren't roller skating."

I reveled in standing in between the beating heat from outside—though it had already died down from high noon—in contrast to the heavy air conditioning filling the room inside. I cocked an eyebrow at Nixon's comment, my eyes widening as I pointed out to him what the obvious was: the roller skating rink.

"It's like a hidden place," he grinned, suddenly overtaken by a look of giddiness. Nixon then pulled me inside, letting the door shut behind us before leading me to the right, exposing an entire area that was nearly invisible from the outside. "The same company had stores in the east coast, and I loved the arcade area. My father brought me to roller skate, but roller skating never had the same appeal as surfing, so I never really took on the sport. I was, however, extremely interested in arcade games. I like things slightly more old-fashioned, so I wasn't into computer games but rather arcades. I was elated to find a replica of the place here, and in university, a few of my buddies would come with me to the arcade here every Friday night. Other days were dedicated to surfing, though."

I looked up to see a faint glow on Nixon's face, his eyes lighting up slightly and his lips curled into one of his more relaxed smiles. He seemed to be far in thought, reveling in university nostalgias.

"I came here so often that they gave me discount on coins," he chuckled, walking up to a counter to exchange money for tokens. I immediately stepped in front of him, insisting that I pay.

"You pay for everything," I said flatly, staring into the eyes.

"But I have the discount," he retaliated, his voice light.

"You can talk to them, and I'll come up with the cash."

"Come on, Kaia—"

"I'm serious. I know paying is a very Nixon-like thing to do, but I can pay too, you know?"

He sighed gingerly before muttering a reluctant "fine." He then stepped closer to the counter, his expression morphing back into a smile as he greeted the person at the counter.

The girl at the counter looked like a university student. She had bright green eyes, flowy red hair, and oily chestnut skin. When she greeted Nixon back, a smile adorned her pretty features before her eyes flashed to me. "Who did you bring this time, Nix?" she asked lightheartedly, shooting me a friendly smile.

"Oh, this is Kaia."

"Pretty name," she commented, and it reminded me of the boy back at the surfing shack. She then named the price, and I handed the bills, getting a pile of tokens in return.

Nixon massaged his shoulder, holding his hand out for some tokens. "Not to brag, but I'm like a god at arcade games," he smirked, some coins sitting in his palm as he walked over to the claw machine.

I jogged a little to catch up with him, seeing that he had chosen a penguin claw machine. "Arrogance doesn't look good on you, buddy." I slapped him in the arm just as he inserted three tokens for the game.