The Lost and Found

His Sprained Ankles

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Finn Parker

"No! You don't just randomly hit it when you see it coming!"

"When should I then?"

"When it's near this little thing then go, you hit it." he pointed to a rectangular box on the screen. Then a red ball sliding down the line was just a few seconds away from the 'thing'. "Now!" he screamed, gaining weird looks from people nearby.

I hit the what's supposed to be a low tom drum with the machine's drumstick. It got a 'good' feedback for the first time in the three games I have attempted to nail that night. I was pretty good at Tap Tap, I mean, I always play it on my phone. It's basically the same. I just get all panicky and nervous when I see it coming. Guess it was just different with drums.

I checked the time on my phone. It was seventeen minutes past twelve and people were still active, wide and awake and the dance floor was still on full blast. I had caught Ethan and Kim dancing, well, grinding, together a few times that I actually felt the need to throw up the ice cream I ate today.

Since I had been forced by my pushy best friend, here I was, in the mini arcade with Jack who still seemed to be bothered by the fact that I haven't played that drum game in my life. He agreed to go with me when in first I thought he'd turn me down and I'll happily skip my way to our room and watch Spongebob.

But then I remembered Mark and his girl so never mind.

We walked away from the drum machine when two nine-year-old boys took over it and began punching each other, arguing about who should go first. I found it amusing but Jack got bored and walked away to a basketball game.

"Wow, thanks for telling me you were leaving. I appreciate it." I told him sarcastically as he dropped a coin into the coin hole.

"Yeah. Whatever."

I narrowed my eyes at him and put my own coin. My game started three seconds late than his and he was already scoring fifty shots within the first twenty seconds.

I wasn't pretty much a basketball player, let alone a sporty person but I guess I could say that I did well. I scored a hundred sixty shots within the sixty seconds of the game while he got two hundred and fifty, owning the high score.

By the time we finished playing, I headed to the snack shack while he sat down on the bench by the restroom beside a couple making out, nearing second-base. I shuddered and turned to face the old woman behind the counter and ordered a soda while Jack just sat there, playing Flappy Bird on his phone.

I wish I had his carefreeness.

I handed her a ten dollar bill. "Is that all, munchkin?" the old lady asked with a smile.

"Hey," I called out. "Do you want something?"

"Root beer. Extra ice." he said, never taking his eyes from his phone.

I turned to the lady. "Root beer. Extra ice." I said.

"Just a second, darling." she said as she bent down to open the cooler. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

After she handed me the change, she leaned closer and gestured me to do the same.

Was she a zombie?

I leaned the slightest bit and noticed how good she smelled. Like strawberry soda and a flower garden.

"Is he your boyfriend?" she asked.

I nearly choked on my own tongue.

"I, he's um-"

"Because if he is then damn girl, you can do better." she said, glancing at Mark, who was completely oblivious to the fact that he was our current topic.