"Surprise." He responded, a satisfied grin growing on his face.
I pulled my sketchbook out of my bag and began outlining a picture of the streets. My knees kept squirming around in the seat. I tried seeming focused in what I was drawing so I could avoid eye contact with him.
"Are you okay?"
I turned over and glanced at his worried look he gave me. He lifted his hand off of the clutch and rubbed my thigh.
"No, please don't do that." I shoved his hand off of me. The shove was more stern than I intended to be. I instantly felt bad when he turned his eyes back to the road, the concern in his face turning to disappointment.
I turned the radio up almost as loud as it could go and continued drawing.
"You'll think the place were going to is really cool. I thought it was one of the best places to take you."
I nodded and pursed my lips into a fake grin. I don't know what was up with me, I was just super uncomfortable.
After 10 minutes, we pulled up into this old run down building. It had a light up sign that read "Ripley's Arcade" in tall blue and purple letters. It had two windows, one foggy and one cracked. Inside the place was illuminating with multicolored lights that changed color and went off every time you blinked.
"Where'd you find this place?" I dropped my pencil and book and got out of his car, practically running to the entrance.
He licked his lips and grinned.
"I was online looking at cool places around the area when my dad mentioned that he used to go here all the time when he was our age."
His parents knew about this?
The sick feeling of embarrassment returned to my stomach. We walked in to face the lights of machines with cool graphics on them. They were old school arcade games, pinball and air hockey being lined up in the corner of the place. The machines rang and dinged like casino games. The sounds of others laughing and talking were muffled and echoing off the walls.
Inside of the Arcade everything seemed so full of color and life, same with everyone in it. Outside the windows you could see the dark streets, empty and deserted. This place was lovely for being put in a ghost town.
Garrett took my hand and led me to pinball. I raised one eyebrow and crossed my arms.
"Pinball? Really kid?"
He was taken back by my lack of impressment. He parted his lips and let out a confident laugh, leaning an elbow against the machine and mimicking my raised eyebrow.
"Well, what were you thinking then?"
I tilted my head back to the air hockey machine.
"Ohh, so you think you're better than I am at air hockey?"
"Of course I am, princess."
His fingers gripped a wrinkled 1 dollar bill from his jean pocket. He trailed behind me to the machine, kneeling down and sliding the dollar in before rushing over to his side.
He took the puck out of his side and hit it over to me. I hit it back and instantly it went into his side. The machine lit up and erupted the sounds of a fake crowd cheering for my side.
"That was lucky."
"Sure." I responded, grinning up at him for a moment. While I was distracted he hit the puck into my side. I slouched in playful anger.
"Damn you."
I eventually beat him 7-4, but he was still trying to shake off the fact that I won.
