I soon come out of the restroom and see Sara was waiting with a bunch of shopping bags surrounding her along with a new purse.
“Wait how did you manage to pay for all this?” I asked.
“I took your cash to pay for all of this.” She said.
“WHA…….. please you have some money left over from all of this.” I asked with misery in my tone.
“I don’t know it’s much but this is what I was left with.” She said. She reaches out her arm towards mine as she hands over fifteen dollars and twenty cents. Depressed, I couldn’t believe that she spent most of my allowance and some extra cash from my mother almost down to nothing. Oh lord have mercy and shot me out of here.
“Hey, should be get something to eat.” Sara asked.
“Fine, let’s get ourselves some pizza.” I said with a depressing tone.
“Pizza?” she asked.
We went back to the entrance of the mall and stand in line in front of the Pizzeria. Took us a while but when we finally got to register, I ordered us a whole pepperoni pizza with two large drinks. I ordered two colas though I don’t know if she likes soda in the human world. Then again, she did drink my soda yesterday so she might like it. When we found ourselves a table to sit down, Sara put-downs all of her bags near the table. I can’t believe she could carry all of her shopping bags. What’s more, is that she’s wearing her new clothing and I could see her other clothes in the bags. A waiter then comes in with our pizza and our drinks and I was hungry as hell. I grabbed one slice and the pizza melts perfectly in my mouth as the cheese was so savory and the pepperoni was spicy as it lit my mouth on fire but in a good way. I looked over and see that Sara was a little confused about how to eat the pizza.
“You don’t like this?” I asked.
“No, I just never had this before. There are only a few human foods I have eaten.” She said.
“Well, it’s never too late to try right?” I implied.
Sara then grabbed one small slice and tries to takes a hole with her hands because the cheese was slipping off and then took a huge bite into it and her eyes widen as she loves the taste. She then takes the biggest slice on the whole pizza as she enjoys the taste of the pizza. I glanced over her shoulder and thought I saw a familiar face. But then I quietly hid as I know her all too well. Thankfully she didn’t see me but half of me thinks she did saw. But I pray that she didn’t see me. I grabbed another slice of pizza only for it to be taken away from me when I was about to take a bite. Sara had enjoyed the pizza a little too much. She then took a napkin and wipes her hands from the grease. She even both of our sodas. I couldn’t exactly tell if she was a glutton or she’s teasing me again.
“So where should we go next?” she asked.
“You still want to see the rest of the mall?” I asked.
“Fuck yeah! This place is awesome. Way better than the shopping centers back home. What’s with the place with the flashing lights?” She asks.
“Oh, that? That’s the arcade. You play all types of video games.” I said.
“Video wha-what?” she asked.
“Oh, right you guys don’t have video games in your world.” I said.
“Yeah, I have no idea what the hell those are. I think I might have seen some of those in the north but I don’t think they’re the same as what you have here.” She said.
“I wouldn’t know unless I saw it for myself. You still want to give it a look?” I asked.
“Sure thing.” She said.
After we finished and cleaned up our meal from the tables and tossed it in the trashed. I helped Sara with her bags and we made our way to the arcade. Like always, it’s always crowded with tons of nerd that love to play arcade games. I placed five dollars in the machine as it dispenses about twenty tokens. I grabbed them and made our way to an open racing game, I told her how to play and to control the steering wheel and how to speed up. I entered two tokens in each machine and the game began.
“CHOOSE YOU RIDE.” The game announcer spoke out.
(Author note: music starts here.)
I chose the signature car that’s on the console, a panda Trueno and Sara chose a grotto racer. I don’t know if she chose it because it looked cool or because it said it was the fastest car. Are choosing the cars I picked the race track at Kyoto pass. The track itself was a point to point style race. The first car that reaches the finish line wins. We both hit the start button on the console and the music from the game starts on the speakers above the seats. Sara looked tense as hell as she has never driven a car before. She grips the steering tightly as she opens her palms in and out as the character on screen was signaling us that it’s about to start. She seemed immersed in this as if it was real.
“READY! SET! GO!”
She and I both hit the gas pedal as both of our cars in the games speed out along with the computer cars as well. I was in 3rd place and Sara was 5th as we both try to make it into 1st. I shifted the gear from one to two then three within a flash as I make a drift along a huge curve in the race track as the second-place car was knocked off the road and Saul take 2nd place while Sara was still trying to catch up as she crashed into some of the cars and lands in 4th place. She remembered that she saw me shifted gear and she did the same and copied my movements and catches up in 3rd place. She sees the NoZ button and pushes as her car speed up in straight away and she catches up to me. I see another curve up ahead and shifted the gear to 2 and stepped on the gear and hand brake and turn the car to its right as it drifts along with the curve. Sara does the same as both drift in sync and even knock the car in 1st out of 1st place.
Now the race was neck and neck as Sara and I were gunning for first place and she wasn’t going to let up at all. But neither was I as when the straight away came I hit the NoZ button but so does she and cuts me off in 1st place.
“PLAYER TWO IS FIRST!” said the game.
I felt very competitive and hit the NoZ again as I catch up with Sara. Sara looked at me and gave me a competitive glare and speeds up as drifts again at the next curve. I saved mine as I know this curve well as I have raced it with my other friends as well. I drifted alongside here and waited. It was one of the longest drift in the course but I know it well along with my friends. Coming up to the end of the curve, Sara hit her final NoZ as I slip pass by between her and the track’s railing and hit my final NoZ as I enter 1st place. However, Sara wasn’t letting up as she again neck and neck as the game could barely tell who’s ahead. I could see the finish line dead ahead and Sara could see as well. I see my NoZ bar charging up again as well as Sara’s and we both hit the NoZ as both of our cars were neck and neck to and race towards the finish line. Our cars were closing into the finish as the game was switching back and forth of who’s in first until we crossed.
“PLAYER 2 WINS!!” announced by the game.
“FUCK YEAH!! WAHHOHOHOHO!!” Sara screamed in excitement.
I was a bit bummed out that she beat me but happy that she did win. I’m not sure if I let her win or she beat me by beginner’s luck. Whatever the case, she was having fun and so was I.
“Ready for another round?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s on!” I replied.
I applied two more tokens and we began to race again for a while. For all that’s worth, I’m glad to be myself again after so long of living in my depression. Was this she wanted? If it was, it worked and I’m glad it did.
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