HUH FREAKYY
Adrian's POV
We reached at The Game Zone.
The Game Zone was glowing like a riot of colors — flickering lights, loud arcade sounds, and people shouting over each other in excitement.
Mike was already hyped up the moment we stepped in. "Bro! Basketball first!" he yelled, dragging me toward the corner of the hall.
I rolled my eyes but followed.
Mike said , "Just wait and watch how I win "
I said with a smirk " lets see"
He grabbed one side of the machine, I took the other — and as soon as the buzzer went off, the game started.
The sound of balls hitting the rim echoed all around.
Mike scored like a maniac, but I wasn't far behind.
When the timer hit zero, our scores blinked — Me: 58. Mike: 57.
I smirked, "Told you, don't challenge me" then I laughed a little.
Mike groaned, throwing the ball aside. "Bro, that last one was pure luck!"
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, enjoying the annoyed look on his face.
Meanwhile, Elena and Jaiz — were near the dance game.
The huge screen flashed with arrows and beats, and they were laughing uncontrollably, trying to match the steps.
For someone who claimed to hate attention, Elena was surprisingly into it — smiling, spinning, missing steps but still refusing to give up.
Her laughter echoed through the noise — weirdly, it stood out.
After that, Mike dragged Elena toward the motorbike racing game.
I watched as they both put on helmets and started the virtual race.
Elena actually looked competitive — leaning left and right like it was a real track.
Mike, being his usual loud self, kept yelling, "Noooo, you cut me off again!"
When the final score appeared, Elena was the winner.
She pumped her fist in the air. "Yes!"
Mike looked betrayed. "You hacked it. Admit it."
She laughed. "Skill issue."
Even I had to hold back a grin.
Next, all four of us went for a match of table tennis.
Mike and I on one side, Elena and Jaiz on the other.
At first, it was all light and fun — until Elena's serve nearly took my head off.
"Trying to kill me or what?" I said.
She stuck her tongue out. "Maybe."
Tss! Freak
That small grin on her face said she was enjoying this a little too much.
After a few intense rounds, Mike called time-out, panting. "I'm done. I need food or oxygen."
Elena and Jaiz burst out laughing.
Then, while we were walking toward the snack corner, Elena suddenly stopped.
I found her standing in front of one of those claw vending machines, eyes locked on something inside — a small Cinnamoroll plush.
For the next hour — yes, a full hour — she kept trying.
Coins after coins. Win after loss.
Every time the claw dropped the wrong plush, she frowned like the world had betrayed her.
" Elena, enough already," Mike groaned. "Its been almost an hour"
"Yeah, it's getting late!" Jaiz added, half yawning.
She didn't even look at them. "I'm not leaving without my Cinnamoroll."
I leaned against the nearby machine, arms crossed, watching her try again. Her stubbornness was... ridiculous.
After lots of her failed attempt, I sighed, walked up to the machine, and took her last coin.
She looked up at me, a little confused.
I stand beside her and inserted a coin from my pocket.
A second later, the claw caught Cinnamoroll cleanly and dropped it straight into the prize box.
Just like that.
One try.
She blinked, speechless.
I picked up the plush and handed it to her.
"Guess it just needed a little less panic," I said casually.
She looked from the doll to me.
"Or maybe you just got lucky," she muttered.
I smirked. "Maybe."
And for some reason, the way she tried not to smile — that tiny flicker at the corner of her lips — stayed in my mind longer than it should've.
After that whole claw machine thing, she still stood there holding that Cinnamoroll plush like it was some rare treasure.
Mike whistled, "Finallyyy! You got your precious Cinnamoroll. Now can we please eat? I'm starving!"
Jaiz laughed, "Yeah, it's already getting late."
Elena said "Fine, fine. Let's go before you two die of hunger." and we all walked toward the food court.
The neon lights above flickered softly, and the smell of pizza and fries filled the air.
Mike and Jaiz went straight to order, arguing over toppings like always, while I sat at a corner table.
Elena slid into the seat across from me, still clutching that plush.
For a few minutes, neither of us said anything.
She was playing with that stupid plush , I was scrolling my phone and was pretending not to notice that she kept glancing up now and then.
Then suddenly from the corner of my eyes I noticed that she was looking at me .
I raised an eyebrow and said "what?"
Then she quickly turned away
Pretending to check her phone .
Anyways ...
The others joined soon with trays full of food.
Between Mike's loud jokes and Jaiz's teasing, the table felt alive again.
Even Elena laughed a few times — the kind of soft laugh you could miss if you weren't paying attention.
I wasn't sure why I was paying attention.
When dinner was over, we all walked out together.
The parking lot was quiet — city lights glowing in the distance, the night air cool.
Mike unlocked his car and waved. "We'll meet tomorrow, bro. Don't forget to send me those game clips!"
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered.
Elena stood there, awkwardly clutching her bag and that plush again and said to Mike "Wait, I'm supposed to go with you guys, right?"
Mike turned to her "Uh… you were. But there's no space now — my boxes are still in the backseat."
She frowned, clearly not thrilled about it.
"Seriously? Then how am I supposed to—",she muttered under her breath.
Then I said "She can come with me."
Then Mike said "Perfect! Problem solved. See you at school tomorrow!"
Then they were gone — driving off with loud music .
She sighed, looking at me and then said . "You didn't have to—"
Ahh she is really stubborn...
I opened the passenger door for her. "Just get in. It's late."
She shot me a look — half irritated, half reluctant — but still she nodded and sat down.
The drive started in silence.
Streetlights flashed across the windshield, her reflection faintly visible in the glass.
She looked tired, but calm — maybe a little lost in her thoughts.
It was really being too awkward
I tried to start a conversation and said "You really weren't going to give up on that doll, huh?"
She smiled faintly. "Nope. Not when it's Cinnamoroll."
Hahhh this girl
"You're stubborn." I said.
"Maybe,But it was worth it." She said.
Then again an awkward silence started .
Again I wanted to break the silent and was about to say something but ,
she spoke suddenly,
"So… do you always hang out at Game Zone?"
"No. Only the ones who fall right in front of me."I said
She laughed softly. "Wow. Lucky me then."
I shrugged lightly. "Or unlucky, depending on how you see it."
After a few seconds she spoke again.
"You didn't reply to my text."
Oh no I needed to reply that back then.I really forgot about that but wait why I need tp reply...
"I saw it."I said.
"I know you did. That's why I said you didn't reply." She said
I sighed, and said "I didn't think it needed one."
She frowned a little. "A simple 'you're welcome' wouldn't have killed you."
I chuckled and said "noted."
The car fell silent again.
Then I just focused on my driving.
We reached her house soon after.
The driver was already waiting at the gate, but she didn't step out immediately.
Instead, she turned to me and said quietly,
"Thanks for the ride", she said softly, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Then she got out of the car and started walking toward the door.
I kept watching her until she went inside — but just as she reached the door handle, she paused and turned to me and said loudly
"Um… and for the doll too. I probably would've broken the machine if you didn't help."
I chuckled . Then she again said
"Goodnight… grumpy."
I replied "Goodnight....Elena"
Then she smiled a little and went inside.
Wait whatt ?? did she called me grumpy ???
Hah freaky...
Anyways then I started my car and drove off toward my home...