The bus arrived not too long after, the familiar hissing of the engine as it stopped to the destination being heard clearly through Pat's music. He removed one earbud and got up, taking his bus card from his pocket and walking in the car.
As he arrived in front of the driver, the man got out his tracker scanner. Pat shook his head and showed him the card, and the driver made a confused expression. "You don't have a tracker, boy?" He asked in a rough, low and raspy voice. Pat pulled the collar of his jacket away from his neck, and showed his tracker to the bus driver. "It's old, doesn't have a bus chip in it." He said, then handing over his card. "This works fine though." The driver considered the card for a second. Pat looked out the front window, a bit dejected. He was getting used to those kinds of conversations. Every time he'd go somewhere that needed his tracker to be scanned, like schools, public buses and bars, he'd always have the same conversation with the scanner. "My scanner is old, but I have a card that works the same way!" He'd say that every time.
The bus driver took his card, and scanned it, making a surprised expression when the machine beeped to indicate it had worked. Pat smiled politely, and took his card back, making his way to the back of the bus. He found an empty seat and sat on it, plugging his other earbud in his ear again and focusing on his music.
The sky was getting dark, sun blocked by thick gray clouds, ready to burst into rain and pour all over the city. He sighed, tugging on his jacket's hood. He hoped that at least it would start raining after he got inside the arcade.
The bus stopped after a while, and Pat stood up and walked off, looking around to spot the lit up arcade sign. As soon as he got inside and the glass doors were closed behind him, rain immediately started pouring outside, suddenly, as if the sky had heard Pat's wish. The man chuckled and kept looking outside for a second longer, before he turned around and walked forward, head going left and right, trying to find his friends in the packed building.
A tap on his shoulder made him jump, and he turned on his heels, smiling as he saw Jane standing behind him. "Heeeyyy Patrick! Just in time huh?" She pointed to the door and laughed. "Okay, let's go, I have to present you to my other friends!"
She wrapped her hands around his arm and pulled him close, walking further into the arcade. They quickly arrived to a corner, where three people, two guys and a girl, were circling another girl, who was playing a game. Jane cleared her throat and they all turned around, except the girl in the middle, who kept playing.
"Hey guys, so this is Patrick, he's the new guy in my class!" Jane said happily, pushing Pat forward. As he looked at Jane's friends, he realized one of the girl's face, the one who was standing up, looked familiar, but Pat couldn't exactly pinpoint where he saw her before. He wasn't really the best with remembering faces.
The first guy shook Pat's hand. "I'm Chad, nice to meet you."
The second simply waved at him, smiling softly. "Hi Patrick, I'm Clark!"
The third one shot a slightly panicked and confused look at Jane, behind Pat, quickly so the man wouldn't notice, but he did, and that's when he remembered where he saw her before.
"It's… Allie, right?" Pat said softly, extending a hand to shake hers. She made a forced smile, and shook his hand. "Yes. Nice to meet you."
It's the girl who bullied Ludoviko earlier. Why was she friends with Jane?
Jane walked up to the girl who was sitting down playing, and tapped her shoulder. "This is Li Jing."
The girl lifted a hand to wave quickly, before focusing back on the game.
"So. What's happening here? What's she playing?" Pat asked, moving to her and tilting his head. Jane grabbed his arm, and chuckled. "Well, see for yourself."
Pat looked at the poster on the top of the machine. Ultimate Pop.
"Ooohh, is that new?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah, they installed it a few days ago." She motioned to the other machines around the place with her hand. "Li Jing here is trying to get the highscore in every single one of em."
Pat nodded. "So, we going to play or something?"
Jane smiled brightly. "Yup, we were just her waiting for you, so let's go!"
The group dispersed and wandered around the place. Pat took the opportunity to go talk to Chad and Clark, who seemed to be following each other everywhere, Pat had noticed. "Hey guys."
The two were playing pinball. Well, Chad was. Clark was simply providing moral support.
He spent some time watching the two play, switching places whenever one would lose or give up. It was pretty entertaining, although Pat felt a bit out of place in here.
"So, I noticed you seemed to know Allie." Clark asked, tearing his eyes away from the pinball machine, reluctantly, apparently, seeing as his eyes kept darting back to it. And to Chad.
"Well, yeah, sorta…"
He wasn't really sure if he should be telling them about his encounter with her, considering they were probably friends, and he didn't wanna start a fight, especially considering he was probably the one in the wrong.
"I saw her this morning when I was at the veterinarian. We chatted a bit." He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat in slight discomfort. "She's a very… energetic girl, huh?" He asked.
Clark laughed a bit. "Yeah, you could say that. But don't get fooled by that hyperactive attitude. She's a really compassionate girl inside."
That sentence made Pat freeze up. Compassionate? Is that what she was supposed to be?
"Yeah, as if someone who's supposedly compassionate would threaten an innocent guy for kicks."
That thought bothered Pat a bit, and he took a while to understand why it appeared. Innocent? For kicks?
That's not exactly what it was. Right? Or maybe…
"Aahhh shit, I'm done. Your turn, Clark!" Chad said, tapping Clark's back happily as they switched places.
Pat took this opportunity to slowly back away and leave them be, maybe to go to the bathroom, and think a bit about his own thoughts.
But he hadn't taken a single step in the room when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder and turn him around.
"Hey, fucker."
It was Allie.
Instantly, he felt his heartbeat pick up. He didn't wanna talk to her. She'd only try to pick a fight with him. He tried getting in the men's bathroom, but Allie pulled him out before he could open the door completely, and pinned him against the wall.
"I don't know if you noticed, but Jane thinks you're pretty cute. You know, she doesn't know everything about you, right? If I told her about your little friendship with Ludo, how do you think she'd react?"
Honestly, Pat couldn't care less. He didn't really like Jane more than a friend, he could admit she was attractive, but he wasn't attracted to her. For one obvious reason. But he knew that if she learned about his opinions on Ludo, she'd probably get a bit more hostile towards him. Which was only natural. Ludo wasn't normal, and being friends with him wasn't either.
"Alright. What do you want?" Pat asked, trying his best to mask the fear in his voice.
"Back off. Stay away from her. Stop being friendly with her. You'll end up hurting her, and all of us. You freak."
Swallowing was suddenly becoming a difficult task, Pat realized. There was a glint in Allie's eyes that scared him. What would she do if he disobeyed?
"O-okay. I'll stop talking to her when we're alone, alright?"
Allie grunted, and let Pat go, giving him one last long stare, before leaving.
Pat sighed, and quickly went in the bathroom, to calm down.
When he came out, he stopped. Where should he go now? He told Allie he wouldn't talk to Jane, and he didn't wanna go back to Clark and Chad, as they seemed content with being alone together. And Allie herself was out of the question, for obvious reasons.
All there was left was Li Jing. And if that didn't work out, he'd just go back home. He wasn't really welcomed here, he was starting to realize this. Plus, he had to come back early, else his father would get mad.
He walked back to the spot he'd seen the girl in before, and saw her sitting backwards on the chair, on her tablet. Her eyes moved up as she saw him, and made a movement with her chin, to acknowledge his presence, so to speak. "You're not playing anymore?" He asked her. She shook her head, and closed her tablet, putting it in her purse, and adjusted her glasses atop her round face. "So, what's your secret, hm?" She asked, reaching into her purse and pulling out a crumpled up bag of chips, and started eating it. Pat frowned and blinked. "W-what??"
"You were transferred to the city recently, right? Can't just be for laughs and kicks, no?" Li Jing asked in between bites. Pat sighed, and opened his mouth, about to say something, when Jane, Chad and Clark walked up to them. "Oh, have you guys seen Allie?"
They both shrugged, and Jane sighed. "Oh well, I'll just wait here then." She sat on the floor next to Li Jing. A few seconds of silence passed, before Pat looked at his tablet's handle screen. It was getting a bit late, he realized. "Oh, I'll have to be going in about ten minutes, guys."
Jane stood up quickly, looking sad and a bit confused. "Awe, really? Why?"
"I have to go home before my dad does, else he'll get mad at me…"
He could very well tell them about this. It wasn't really that big of a deal, right?
"I uh, I disobeyed my mom, and uh… yeah." If this wasn't a big deal, then why was he feeling so anxious about it?
"Oh, what happened?" Jane asked.
Was it really a good idea?
"Uh, she wanted to give my Gemoid to breeders, and I said no…"
Silence.
It was okay, right? They were his friends, they wouldn't-
"Why did you say no??" Clark asked. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to make him a breeding Gemoid? You'd have him off your hands and all." Chad added, and Clark nodded.
"I… I don't know… I bet my mom thinks-" shut up, shut up, they'll judge you if you keep going. "-that I'm being immature or ignorant or something."
He forced a laugh. "Stupid, huh?"
"Well. She's right, no?"
Jane had said that. Jane was agreeing with his mother.
"W-what..?"
The sound of the arcade was getting hazy, all he could hear was his blood pumping in his head.
"Yeah, you shouldn't disobey your parents. Also, for that? Kinda makes you look like a tool, no offense." Chad added. Clark nodded.
What?
Li Jing stayed silent, but turned around, looking at him with a stern gaze.
Repressing the urge to either cry or punch something, Pat breathed in, and took his tablet out, looking at the time. "It's getting late. I should probably leave."
And, without even saying goodbye, he turned around, and walked away.
He didn't even want to know what they'd think. He didn't care. They didn't care either.
It was still raining, but Pat couldn't care less at the moment. What's a bit of rain, when all your friends are disagreeing with you on an issue that seems pretty important to you, one girl wants you and Ludo dead, and your dad is definitely mad at you?
As Pat boarded the bus once again, he felt his heart tighten. "No no. Don't cry. Not yet. Do it after you talk to Father." He thought to himself.
With all the strength he had left, he focused on his breathing, and, slowly, he felt some of the pressure on his heart disappear. But the dread and fear of what was to come, however, stayed for the entire ride home.
And then, when he opened the door...
"Oh, speak of the devil."
Pat didn't even want to look up. He didn't want to look at his father.
"At least you did something right today; you're home on time."
His voice was like a rumble. It was like tremors that preceded a volcanic eruption. He knew what was coming.
"I'm sor-"
"Don't you dare say sorry. You probably don't even care that you disobeyed us!"
That was true. Sort of. But Pat couldn't even believe it himself, so how could he possibly explain it to his parents?
"I thought I raised you better, and here you go, saying no. What, are you in some kind of late rebellious phase or something??"
Pat stayed silent. If that was the reason, it would explain a lot
Angry footsteps stormed towards him, and Pat felt a hand grab him by the chin. "At least look at me when I'm talking to you, Jesus!"
"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry."
"If we didn't love you so much, we would just take that dumb plant away! Do you want that!??”
Pat shook his head, terrified. He didn't really know what to say. He was just hoping this wouldn't escalate as much as… last time.
"Are you mute now?? Just say something to show you understand what I'm saying, Patrick."
"No. I won't disobey again. I'm sorry."
"You better not, else we'll actually take the damn thing away."
His father let go of him, and walked away.
"I'm sorry…" Pat muttered, voice shaky with emotion as he watched the man walk away in the kitchen.
As soon as he was out of sight, Pat walked up to his room, closed the door, and locked it.
Now, he could relax.
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