˚⋆❀ SCIENTIST
chapter 19 — the childhood arcade
"XOLO IM REALLY SCARED." KAMRI said as xolo drove the two of them to a secret place.
"don't be, you're gonna have a lot of fun." xolo said.
"you said don't dress up fancy, and don't bring any money. are you planning on killing me?"
"kam, come on. just be patient for like 10 more minutes. we're almost there."
kamri sighed, sinking into her seat as she anxiously waited to arrive at the place xolo was driving to.
grant never took her out on dates and here was xolo, who wasn't even her boyfriend and taking her on a date.
she was obsessed with xolo, but not in a weird way. but in the way that she immediately needed him to just ask her out before she went crazy.
"okay, we're here." xolo said, parking his car. kamri poked her head out the window, looking around.
"hey..i know this area." kamri said. "yes kam i know." xolo got out the car.
he came around, opening the door for kamri. "oo xolo's a gentleman." she said as she stepped out.
"i would hope so, my mom would murder me if i wasn't."
he held his arm around, and kamri linked their arms and they started walking.
"okay, i know i've been here. but i can't remember where the place was or when it was."
"you'll remember soon enough."
they started to get to a rustier, broken down looking side of the town, passing by pharmacy's and deli's.
a turn was made, and xolo saw kamri's eyes immediately light up.
"i used to live around here, this is the old arcade!" kamri said.
"yeah." xolo said, staring at her. she was in a happiness he hadn't seen since she pulled her bias in a kpop album two months ago, and he was glad he could bring that emotion back.
"so..are we here to just look at it. it closed down years ago." she said.
xolo looked to the side and then back at her, "not exactly."
what kamri didn't know was the owner was actually one of his childhood's friend's grandfather, and knew xolo pretty well.
he had gotten sick with leukemia a year before it closed down, and after he was cured xolo and his friend helped him bring the arcade back, only people who had lived here prior knowing about it, or kids of them.
they walked towards the door, xolo opening it for kamri.
she walked around, looking around the arcade and seeing things she remembered.
the cookoo clock she used to love, all the games she remembered playing, the photo book that she took so many childhood photos, and the booths she sat in to eat with her mom and dad.
"xolo, hijo?" the man said, and xolo went over to the counter, his arm still in kamri's.
"pete, it's great to see you." xolo said, hugging the man over the counter.
kamri continued to look around, seeing the food area, and the prizes behind pete that she would trade her tickets for.
"it feels like it's been forever since i've sen you." the wrinkled man said, a think mexican accent in his words
"well i'm finally back." xolo chuckled. "and who's this?" pete said.
"kamri, she lived around here. we're here together." xolo said.
"nice to meet you." she said holding out her hand for him to shake.
"i used to come here a lot. i really thought it closed down." kamri said.
pete chuckled, "thank xolo here. him and my grandson helped me bring the life back to this place.
kamri turned to xolo, "well you didn't tell me that." she smiled.
"you two have the place all to yourselves though, kids are in school so it's empty."
"thank you pete." xolo said. he then took our money, exchanged it for tokens and then said his goodbyes to pete before walking to the games.
"so how'd you help him?" kamri asked. "that's not important, let's play."
xolo walked over to an air hockey game, tapping it while raising his eyebrows.
"i'm actually really good at air hockey." kamri pointed to him.
"yeah but, i'm outstanding." xolo said. "okay xolo, we'll see about that."
xolo put the tokens in the slot, and the game started up. the duo stood on opposite sides of the game, leaning over and getting ready for it to start
the puck came out, and kamri placed it down and hit it to xolo's side.
it immediately went in, and kamri cheered. xolo shook his head, rolling up his sleeves, "seems like you are good."
they continued, xolo hitting the puck to kamri's side and she quickly blocked it.
"oh come on!" xolo exclaimed, when kamri got her 4th point of the game.
after 3 minutes the game ended, xolo sighing. "8 to 3. in your face maridueña." kamri said waving her finger in xolo's face.
xolo just laughed, letting kamri tease him only because it was her. "wait...did you just let me win?" kamri said.
"what no." xolo said, lying through his teeth. "liar! you did!" kamri said. "i'm sorry!"
"don't be chivalrous. it's disrespectful." kamri said taking out her tickets.
"so...being respectful is rude?" xolo said with a teasing smile on his face.
"i'm this context...yes." kamri raised her head high. "whatever you say kami." xolo said, using the nickname only he called her.
"well, don't let me beat you in racing, cause then i might have to kill you." kamri said as she sat on the purple motorcycle.
xolo gasped as he sat on the red one. "you would kill me?"
"i would kill anyone, no matter how hot they are."
"calling me hot?"
"uh, i feel like i've expressed this before."
"okay norman, feeling real bold today i see."
xolo put the tokens in the slot, and the game started. they chose the map, as well as their character.
"can we do the beach one please." kamri said to xolo.
"oh come on, the rainforest chase is the best one."
"okay..." kamri said, shrugging. it then showed beach was chosen and she turned to xolo smiling."
the duo started to race, them both yelling our protests and cheer's occasionally.
"i think you hit something." kamri laughed.
she was so honest when she said she hasn't laughed as hard as she was since high school, she's always been sad, angry, something.
kamri called it the old kam, the dead kam. but someway, somehow, xolo was able to bring her back to life, and use an important place of her childhood.
when kamri wasn't singing or in her school's drama club she was at this arcade, every weekend. she would remember begging her parents to take her and her siblings, and they always caved.
"yeah! woo!" xolo yelled out when he won. "in your face!"
kamri sat on her motorcycle, her arms crossed. "whatever."
xolo and kamri went on to play more games, even buying more tokens so they could keep on playing.
they were both having so much fun, and immediately forgot about any other worries thy had.
after they were done basically playing all the games in the arcade, they walked up to the counter with a large arm full of tickets.
"we..went overboard pete." xolo said as he dropped them on the counter.
pete chuckled, beginning to feed the tickets into the reader. "as long as you had fun."
"okay..400 tickets." he said, and then moved back so xolo and kam would see the prizes.
"kam you can pick. i don't mind."
"hmm...can i have the large winnie the pooh please?" kamri said.
"of course." pete said, then handed it to the girl as he smiled.
"thank you." kamri said hugging the teddy bear. "you guys should leave soon, school will be out soon and kids will be filing in."
kamri sighed, "let's go to the photobooth then xolo! last thing!"
"okay, whatever you want." xolo said as he let kamri drag him away, pete winking at him.
xolo payed for it, 2 dollars. "4 photos! that's great."
kam smiled as the countdown started, her hands under her chin.
xolo stared at her, forgetting the booth was taking a photo.
kamri turned to him, the two of them making eye contact.
snap!
another photo was taken, and kamri threw her arms around xolo's neck, bringing them closer.
this drove xolo crazy, and he was about to go insane. he wasn't able to hold himself back anymore, if he did he would probably explode.
"fuck."
snap!
he grabbed her chin, moving her face from the camera and bringing it to face him.
xolo leaned in, planting a kiss on kamri's lips. she immediately kissed back, her hands playing with the ends of his hair.
snap!
"shit kam." xolo muttered against her lips, moving his hands to the skin that was revealed by her crop top, rubbing his hands up and down.
fireworks were going off in kamri's stomach, happiness overflowing her brain.
they had kissed, fucking finally
xolo and kam pulled apart, xolo's cheeks a bright red.
"hey xolito i think you're a little red." kamri said, smiling widely.
"so are yours." he said, and kam's hands quickly went to cover her cheeks.
xolo put his number into whatever had popped up on the screen, kamri still thinking about that happened.
"wanna go and get burgers now?" xolo said. "of course.."
"oh and..you're a great kisser." xolo said, making kam blush more.
they both got out of the photo booth, getting the photo from behind.
"really? cause i thought-"
"well you thought wrong, cause that was the best kiss i've ever had." xolo said, pecking kamri's lips once more.
xolo lifted the photo up, laughing as him and kam looked at it.
the first one was xolo looking at kamri as she posed, the next them making eye contact, the third of kamri's arm around xolo as she smiled, and the last one was them kissing.
"gosh..we got our first kiss on camera. my gosh." kamri laughed.
xolo's phone pinged, and he looked at the video from an unknown number.
he clicked it, and saw it was the recording from their photo.
"and a video." he said showing it to kam. they started to laugh, then walking to the counter to say bye to pete once more then leaving.
nayah speaks !!
shut up they're so cute
and getting a photo and video of ur first kiss with ur crush is so cute