Sam

Standing before me are four boys I recognise from my school—Aaron and Oscar, both from my year, and Alex and Trevor, from Daniel's year.

"Samuel," Trevor croons, his hands in the pockets of his black sports pants, "What's your plans today, buddy?"

I shrug, feeling uncomfortable in their presence. They're not terrible guys, but they have completely different interests from me and only seem to hang around me when they want something.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. I spend most of my time with girls, and I just can't seem to relate to these boys on the same level.

"Bye, Sam!" A group of girls call out to me as they exit the school, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I look over the boy's shoulders and give them a smile and a small wave. The girls look at each other, giggle as if I'd done something hilarious, and rush off to the buses.

I shake my head, trying to stifle the smirk forming in the corners of my mouth. The girls at this school are a bit weird, but I can't say I don't like the attention.

I look back to the boys who interrupted my reading, and Trevor's blonde hair dances across his forehead as he shakes his head too.

"I just don't get it, man. Girls must be into the whole emo, bookworm thing or something," He complains.

I look down at my clothes, blue jeans and an orange hoodie, then back at Trevor and raise an eyebrow. Emo? Where's he getting that from? Do I act emo?

I don't tell Trevor that girls probably like me because I talk about something other than myself. I don't tell him that girls probably like me because I have other interests besides just trying to get laid constantly. I don't even tell him that they might like me because I'm actually a good-looking guy, and I especially don't tell him what I really think it is.

I'm the closest they can get to my brother Daniel since he's obsessed with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Cathy. I'm second best—a consolation prize.

Instead of telling him any of that, I just shrug and stare as I wait for them to elaborate on why they came over here.

Oscar clears his throat, looking uncomfortable. His eyes are shifting back and forth between Trevor and me under the mop of black curls on his head. I like Oscar the best of all of them. He never seems to have ulterior motives.

"So, are you doing anything this arvo?" Oscar asks finally, getting us back on the subject.

"We're probably just going to go to Rush," I tell him.

Trevor smiles, but it doesn't feel warm. It feels like a display.

"You lot are always holed up in there. Why don't you take the girls down to the beach with us? We're going surfing," Trevor offers.

Take the girls? I try to ignore the way he speaks about them as if I'm their shepherd or something.

I look over towards Alex, who is Noelle's brother, and wonder if he feels uncomfortable with the way Trevor's speaking about his sister like I am about how he speaks about mine. The sunshine is bouncing off of his black hair, almost blinding me. He's gripping the straps of his backpack tightly and looking down at his black shoes. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

My eyes roam over to Aaron. His long brown hair is tied up in a "man-bun" on top of his head. He looks bored. I suspect he's not particularly interested in trying to get girls to hang out. He seems pretty obsessed with his girlfriend, Hayley.

I don't think any of these boys are that invested in Trevor's mission, and it bothers me that they are following him around doing dumb stuff like this.

At least when I talk to Oscar, I get the feeling he genuinely wants to be my friend. Trevor seems only to want to be around me because he thinks it gives him more access to girls.

"Noelle is working, and Helen and Mouse would definitely complain about the cold," I tell him, shutting his idea down.

Trevor shifts on his feet, looking annoyed. He shifts the strap of his sports bag over his shoulder, then smiles again.

"No worries, I get it. I know what girls are like," He tells me. He definitely doesn't, "Bring them to my party next week, though; they'll love it. I'll even light my fire pit to keep them warm,"

I smile. For all the crap I can give him, I've got to give him one thing. He's persistent.

"I'll see what they feel like doing," I say, trying to clarify the girl's autonomy.

"Cool, cool. Alright, let's go, guys, we don't want to waste the daylight," Trevor commands his team, showing off his "alpha" abilities as if overcompensating for my rejection.

The boys all turn to leave, and I look down at my book again when I hear Alex's voice.

"Can you ask Noelle to bring some milk home after work?" He asks me.

I look up at him and give him a nod. He smiles at me and walks away, catching up with Trevor and his minions.

I look back down at my book and try to read the words on the page, but my mind keeps drifting off to Trevor and his party. I don't usually get overprotective with the girls. They are capable of making their own decisions, and they're smart enough to see through Trevor's sleazy intentions, but I feel dirty asking them if they even want to go. At the same time, we don't go out and do much besides going to Rush to hang out while Noelle works. Trevor being right about that sucks.

I put the book back in my bag, giving up on reading it for now. I look around me. The girls should be out soon.

I see the three of them walking up to my spot on the wall only a few minutes later. When they reach me, Noelle is tying her hair up in a bun.

"Right. I'm off to work. What are you guys doing?" She asks, placing her hands on her hips.

One by one, Helen, Mouse, and I all give Noelle a big, toothy grin. She rolls her eyes.

"Figures. I can give you ONE free game each. And don't talk to me a lot. Debbie is on, and she's more strict than David," Noelle tells us.

We all nod as she talks. We get it. We know the drill. Noelle has been working at Rush, the only gaming arcade in town, for about a year now, and since she started, it's always been our routine to hang out there while she works and keep her company.

____________________________________________

The four of us walk into the room together, our eyes adjusting to the dark room and the LED lights of the video games that surround us.

At the end of the room, ahead of the car racing games, shooting games, Just Dance, retro pinball machines, and even an air hockey table, a woman with short, red hair is waiting at the front counter - Debbie. No doubt, she's been expecting us.

Noelle rushes past her into the employee area. I walk over to the counter and fold my arms to lean on it, resting my chin as I smile up at Debbie.

"Your makeup looks extra beautiful today, Debbie," I say to her sweetly, looking into her blue eyes covered in a bright pink shadow.

Debbie rolls her eyes and pushes me off the counter with her cold hands.

"You should know by now that your charms do not work on me, Sam. The same price as usual," She says to me with a smirk.

I laugh at her, reaching into my jeans pockets for my wallet. I take out a ten-dollar note and hand it to her. The old shop till squeaks as it opens, and Debbie puts the note inside. Then she reaches under the counter and hands me a paper bag with small red tokens inside.

As I stand back and wait for Mouse and my sister to get their tokens, Noelle comes out of the back room in her uniform. A black polo shirt with the word Rush embroidered in purple on the breast pocket and black pants. She flashes me a smile and begins organising the ticket prizes.

I make my way to some of the car games and win a few races. I don't bother with the machines that give tickets. It takes so long to get enough tickets for a decent prize. Besides, I like the adrenaline of the races.

After I've used all my tokens, I take out my book again and read it in the driver's seat. I get through nearly two chapters when Mouse slumps down next to me. Her sigh tells me she's frustrated, but she doesn't try to get my attention. She's letting me read.

I replace my bookmark and turn to Mouse. Her cheeks are flushed. The red in her cheeks contrasts with her dark curly hair, and it is kind of pretty. She's biting her lip slightly, unsure whether to say anything.

"What is it, Mouse?" I ask her.

She breathes deeply, looking down at her fingers and picking at the skin on them.

"You can tell me," I coax her, making my voice softer to try and comfort her.

Mouse sighs and pulls her phone out of the pocket of her red corduroy jacket. She types quickly on her phone, and soon my phone dings with a text.

Lloyd Stone is going to be performing in Sydney, and dad isn't letting me go. I even asked Simon to come with me so dad would say yes, but he won't :(

Lloyd is Mouse's favourite singer, and she's absolutely obsessed. I don't mind his music, but I don't go out of my way to put it on. I know how much this would mean to her, though. Simon is Mouse's older brother. He's 23 and pretty nice most of the time, but he would probably hate a Lloyd Stone concert.

"Would your dad let you go if I came?" I ask her. I know her dad isn't saying no to be mean; he just worries about her a lot.

Mouse whips her head around, her eyes are wide, and she pushes her head forward slightly as if to say, "Really?".

"Of course, I'll be there. I think it's huge that you're willing to be in a stadium full of people. I bet the others would come too; we could make a big day of it," I tell her, already planning everything out in my mind.

Mouse's face is glowing now. The smile she's giving me tells me that she's thankful. I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself as she rests her head on my shoulder. I reach for my book again when Helen appears in front of me with a determined look on her face. I bring my hands back to my lap.

"It's time," She announces with a triumphant smile.

I roll my eyes but smile. Mouse lifts her head, looking amused. We already know what this is about.

"You beat me the last three times; I don't know why you insist on doing this every time," I complain, despite knowing my complaints are entirely fruitless.

"It's about honour. It's about recognition. It's about... Bragging rights," Helen says, holding her fist to her chest and looking off to the distance as though she's giving a meaningful, history-changing speech.

I sigh in defeat, knowing I won't win this, and rise to my feet. Mouse gets up, too, following us.

"Let's do this then," I respond, accepting Helen's challenge as if I had any choice in the matter.

I follow Helen across the arcade, weaving through the different machines, to find Noelle leaning on the Just Dance machine, her special staff key in hand, ready to give us our free game.

Noelle stands up and stretches as we reach her, then places her hands on her hips and gives us a serious look.

"Alright. I want a clean game, okay? No stepping outside the boundaries, no pushing, no shoving, no tickling, no hands in faces, and no lollygagging - whatever that means. Understood?" Noelle lectures us while trying to keep a straight face.

Helen and I share a look of understanding and then turn back to Noelle, giving her an affirmative nod.

"Good," Noelle responds before turning around and placing the key in the machine.

Helen and I take our places on the platform, and Helen chooses the settings, the dance, and the song. I start stretching my arms and legs, but really I have no idea if what I am doing is actually warm-up stretches. Whatever, it feels right.

Once the music starts going, I follow the arrows on the screen. I am putting my feet down on each arrow on the platform, trying my best to keep up with the timing. I'm not terrible at this, I've even beaten Helen once or twice before, but it's not a passion of mine the way it is for Helen.

We've been competing on Just Dance since we were about 8, well before Noelle even started working here. Helen insists we keep doing it, but I've kind of outgrown it now. It makes her happy, though, and I often find it hard to say no to her seriously.

As the music gets faster, more steps show up on the screen, and the arrows rapidly change, I begin to find it harder to keep up the pace. My breathing gets heavier, and sweat starts rolling down my back. I can't wait for this to end.

Finally, the music starts, and Helen's score is much higher than mine. I bend forward, leaning my hands on my legs for support as I catch up on my breath. Helen is jumping around with joy, seemingly unaffected by the movement. I guess her soccer playing has helped with her stamina. My laying in my bed reading, however, has not.

When I've gathered myself, I stand up and face Helen.

"Ha! I win again!" She boasts. Her face is red from the exertion, and she is grinning wildly.

"Not fair, you're older than me. You've had more time to practice," I complain, grasping at what dignity straws I can.

"Yeah, true. It's a little-known fact that I actually spent the first ten months of my life practising Just Dance just so that I could beat my future little brother one day," She laughs, ruffling my hair.

I push her off and laugh, too, along with Mouse and Noelle. As much as I'm not a fan of physical activity, I did have some fun.

"You ready to go home?" Helen asks me as the laughter dies down.

I hadn't realised the time, but after I check, I tell her I am and go back to where we were sitting to retrieve my bag while she says goodbye to the others. When she's ready, I say bye to them too, and we walk outside.