FSE

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The arcade. Not any place special; just an old, out-of-the-way, quant little arcade. Rini loved it. It was one of those places that was so ugly, smelled so much of moldy carpet and stuffy air, had such gaudy colors and hulky, clunky game machines, that it had a bit of a charm to it.

Plus, this was the place she and Goren had met. Well, not really; they had seen each other at school before. They just hadn't met.

Rini actually liked videogames. She knew it was an astonishing concept for boys, that girls could enjoy them. Well, really, she didn't enjoy the games themselves. There wasn't much appeal to her to shooting aliens or racing cars, but she grew up with four brothers who did that day in and day out, and she appreciated how games brought people toge--okay sometimes she just had to blast an alien or two.

The arcade was actually quite popular, despite being small and kind of bland. It was nothing like Perry's Pizza-Arcade, where even adults regressed to acting like children, and it wasn't nearly as big. But it was popular and social. Or maybe it was that it was Spring Break. There seemed to be more people here than usual.

"Great. Too many little shits running around."

"Fenias," Rini scolded.

Goren rolled his eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry," Fen replied, voice laced in sarcasm, "Please don't tell mommy I said a bad word."

They had just gotten here and already his girlfriend and brother were at odds. Goren held Rini's hand and walked over to the coin-machine. Why couldn't they learn to leave each other the fuck alone. "What are you doing? Getting out makeup?" He asked, feeding the fives into the machine.

"I'm getting my money out," Rini said, digging in her purse for the bills.

"Keep it," Goren stated, his voice barely audible above the clanking of the coins.

"I can pay for myself," she protested, "This isn't the middle-ages."

"We're using my money first," he replied.

Rini flattened her ears. Sometimes Goren was so 'chivalrous' it got on her nerves a bit. "Are you gonna have enough to get that game you want in the summer?"

He shrugged, "Maybe."

And that's why. Rini dropped her shoulders in guilt. Sometimes he was so impossible. At school, there was no question he was a tough kid, and liked to play dirty. He was, after all, next to Richard in status. But outside of school he was completely the opposite. It was like he lived two lives: The Bully and The Knight.

Sometimes, though, the two lives intermingled, and that was when he acted like this. Maybe he was upset because she wanted to go to the arcade instead of lazing around at home, or maybe it was because Fenias was with them and the brothers were constantly challenging toward one another. Whatever the reason, she hoped his attitude would change soon.

It probably would. Games usually mellowed him out.

"That better be half," she threatened, when he gave her share of the coins.

"It is," he replied, "Fifteen bucks each."

"Thirty bucks?" She grumbled. "That's like two months' worth of allowance for you."

"More or less," he shrugged, taking her hand and leading her over to the air-hockey tables.

Fen, as he preferred to be called, was already playing a game. At sixteen, Fen already had a job, a license, and therefore he had income. Even still, he usually came to the arcade with lots of quarters, as somehow the coin machine was almost like a walk of shame to him.

Goren's brother was up against another boy his age, only a lot chubbier. Rini didn't know the kid, and didn't even know if Fen knew the kid, but the game was pretty heated. Boys could make any game a shout- and insult-fest. Goren hated when people cussed around her, that was the Knight in him, but really she didn't care. She grew up with four brothers, there wasn't much she hadn't heard.

Fen was undoubtedly good at air-hockey. The green puck went dizzy as it was smacked back and forth, losing teeth and brain-cells every two seconds. The thing flew with incredible speed, so much that if the boys stopped hitting it around it would probably keep going on its own for a few laps.

It was customary, to watch Fen. It made things easier later; sort of like paying tribute to a temperamental king to pacify him for a while. Watch him now, don't have to watch him later. It was entertaining, to say the least; he had tricks up his sleeves, each one of them abusing the very rules of the game. He would slam the mallet on the table, clipping the puck and causing it to flip into the air.

The chubby kid barely stood a chance, as every two or three moments the clatter-clack of the puck crashing into the goal made beads of sweat fall from his forehead. But all that served was to get in his eyes and make the points stack against him that many more.

The game ended with a thirteen point difference, and Fen scoffing at the lack of competition.

Peace-offering offered, Rini and Goren wondered off on their own to peruse the games, even though they knew what the arcade had to offer practically by heart.

If anyone from school caught Rini playing Mortal Kombat, and saw that she could actually hold her own fairly well, they would probably see her in a completely different light. It may not necessarily be a bad thing, but she just couldn't have that kind of image.

Jade was her character of choice. Goren could play as most of the others, but she always stuck to the females. They picked the level with lava and spikes, and the announcer ordered them to fight!

Rini knew several combos. She was up against Goren playing as his best character: Johnny Cage. They bounced across the screen, half button-mashing, half strategically fighting. The battle ended after about a minute, with her the loser and Goren at a quarter health.

Round two. Fight!

Rini bit her tongue, wiggling the joystick and clacking the plastic buttons. Her hands were a little small, so it was quite a challenge to pull off all the quick combinations. She opted to do fewer moves and more mashing; she cornered Goren, gave him the smack-down. In about thirty seconds she won.

Round Three. Fight!

Immediately they both jumped inward, side-kicking each other. Jade got the hit, and Goren grumbled. They kicked back and forth, Goren backing up, but when he hit the wall he jumped and did an air-kick with the green after-images. He turned, and began wailing on his girlfriend's character.

He got her down to only a little smidge of health before his character stopped working. "Gah," he huffed, jabbing his finger on the button, pulling away just as he made contact with it. "Man..."

Rini mercilessly wailed on him, and when the announcer ordered her to Finish Him, she performed the fatality. This was why she didn't want her friends to know she was fairly good at Mortal Kombat, or many games for that matter. The gore didn't excite her, but she didn't actually get disgusted by it either.

"Nice match." Goren stated.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Next time I'll win for real."

"What does that mean?"

She stepped away from the console and made her way over to Hydro Thunder. There was someone already playing in one of the seats. She watched the kid for a bit.

He was fairly good, knew when to hit the throttle and actually slowed down to turn. He finished in first, and then saw that two other people wanted to play. He wordlessly dismissed himself from the seat, opting for another game.

There is a well known phenomenon that every brother's sister is better at racing games than they are. While the brother will try and explain all the reasons why that is not such a big deal, the simple fact of the matter is: it's true.

That is primarily why Rini likes racing games. At least then, Goren doesn't have to force losing. In fact, he enjoyed them just as much simply because they could challenge each other fairly.

He climbed into the seat to her right, and popped in the requisite number of coins. At his left beside his thigh was the throttle of the speedboat. Pushing it forward sped it up, pulling it back slowed it down. Just his luck, it was kinda sticky. Oh well.

Rini turned the wheel, picking an easy level. Then she picked her boat. She always picked the bright-orange and black one, because it was her favorite color. If anyone said her favorite was pink she would vehemently deny it. Her boyfriend picked a blue-and-black one that looked like something Batman might use to chase The Joker.

The timer counted to three, and they were off. Goren slammed his hand forward and released the throttle, taking both hands to his steering wheel. There was a sharp turn to the right, he took it without breaking, the speed-rush his favorite style of play.

The map was very much a challenge for that though; there were many sharp turns, most of them sudden, and every once in a while there were two right in a row. He slammed against the wall, slowed his boat down to turn it, and then ramped it up again. The finish line was right beyond this obstacle; he checked the standings. He was in fifth, she was in second.

He played much more smartly this lap, slowing down his turns when he knew there was going to be some sharp ones. He took every ramp he could see, hitting boosts and time-extensions. There was one ramp in particular that sent him flying into the air, only to have him land and immediately throw his wheel to the left. He'd anticipated this turn on the second lap and spun the wheel even before the ramp hit, slowing his speed down in the air and then speeding back up just as he hit the water.

Then came the tricky-turn; this time he was ready and negotiated it with only a nick on the second wall. The third lap started with him in third, and her in first.

Map learned, he began to coast it like it was second nature. Right turn after the line, hit the ramp, get the speed-boost under the bridge, bear left for the next ramp, use it on the straightaway, slalom to get the time-posts, hit the next ramp, sharp turn left.

He passed the second place boat at this point. The turn that followed put him in a tight-hallway that eased leftward. He slowed down, but then realized that Rini was only a bit in front of him, the wake of her boat peeking around the corner.

He pushed up on the throttle, adrenaline motivating him to take the risk. He hit the wall twice, but it didn't slow him down too much, and he expected the sharp left onto the ramp right after it.

Rini growled, her steering wheel shaking as she hit the water with a speed-boost, determined not to let Goren pass her up.

Goren felt the arteries in his neck pulse. He just barely nicked the inside of the next checkpoint, and revved the engine of his boat up to max as he took the large ramp. He would take it fast, determined to pass Rini up as soon as he landed.

But he passed her in the air, their boats almost colliding. She let out a growl of determination as she hit the water. He gripped his steering wheel, his hands sweaty but his focus sharp.

He forgot about the two-part turn. Still going at break-neck speed, he remembered just as his hands tilted to the right, and he reached for the throttle to yank it back as hard as he could.

"Ah! Goren!"

Rini felt her boyfriend's hand on her bare leg, his sweaty fingers raking her fur as he pulled it up her thigh, and finally stopping at the joining of her thigh and abdomen.

They glanced at each other for a second. His face was contorted in shock and horror, and hers in something of the same. But she recovered and, his hand still ruffling her skirt, passed the finish-line.

The announcer proclaimed that Rini placed first, and very quickly Goren lifted his hand like he suddenly felt his palm start to burn on the stove. As he did, Rini took her hands off the steering wheel and slapped him on the chest, while other boats slammed into his on the game.

"You pervy little jerk," she said with her slap, neither done with any amount of ferocity, more like with tolerance. "I'm so glad I wore skorts today," she pulled her skirt down, the dark ambiance of the arcade not showing anything to anyone, even though there wasn't much to see.

"I...I...s-sorry," Goren said, filled with shame. "I didn't mean it."

"Tsh, yeah right." She jabbed him in the side. "I'm sure you didn't. Your little trick didn't work, I still got first place."

"No really," he pressed, turning toward her. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "I was gonna let you win, ya know."

The plastic seat emphasized his fist as he slammed against it. "I didn't do it on purpose," he growled, which was a very threatening thing coming from a wolf, even for a pup.

"Goren it's fine," she grasped the fist and pulled it down to rest on her lap; he yanked it away. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm not a pervert," he stated, crossing his arms and staring at the screen, his placement in last and the time having run out.

"I never said you were," she replied, her tone a casual contrast to his terseness.

"Yes you did, you said 'pervy'," he retorted.

She shook her head. "That doesn't make you a pervert, jeez. You can put your hand on my leg if you want to." She tried to force his hand on her thigh again, toward her knee, but he pulled it away again.

She wasn't trying to encourage him to do things. But at the same time she wanted to be able to get close without him being so stingy. He was always like this, and that's why his Knight-personality was sometimes a little too much.

She knew where it came from though. His brother was the very definition of a pervert. And Fen didn't hide it just because Rini and Goren were little; he had no restraint at all. In fact, he openly told them that if they ever wanted, he could get them condoms.

For Christmas, he actually did.

And really, Rini was used to that kind of stuff. Again, four older brothers. Heck, Jason, the youngest one, kept taunting her that she was going to start her period soon. She was no alien to any of that, but it was getting to the point where Goren wouldn't touch her without being paranoid of her thinking he was trying to feel her up or something.

She rolled her eyes, and before he could react she placed her hand on his lap, in roughly the equivalent spot. "There, now I'm pervy too," she stated.

Goren sort of sighed in shame.

"C'mon, rematch." She said, gripping her steering wheel and twisting it about.

"Kay," he said, collecting himself. "But we're switching sides."

She nodded. "Okay." She wasn't about to press the issue any further.

Their coins perlunk'd into the machines and the next race was on in One... Two... Three... Go!

They raced less dramatically than before, except when they had to fight with the jittery steering wheel; more calm and collected, focus and on the track. Keep your eyes on the road. Uh...water.

Rini raced with her hand always on the throttle. But this time, whenever she was on a straightaway or flip-rolling through the air, she took her hand from the bar and rested her palm on Goren's knee.

It ended with her in first, and Goren in third.

"I tried to get that stupid pink dingy," Rini huffed, "I guess I messed up you getting second."

"It's okay," the wolf replied. "The computer cheats anyway."

"No, you just suck."

Both turned to the voice behind them. It was Fen. Neither was worried how long Fen had been standing there; if he had seen what happened earlier he would have made a comment on it by now.

"Fine," Goren challenged his brother, "Sit down and race."

"Psh, yeah right, racing is for pussies anyway. You wanna play a game, you play a man's game."

Goren got out of the seat. "Like what?"

As if Fen had planned this challenge out in advance, his thumb pointed at the Area 51 station.

Rini rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Fen. Even I could do better at that game."

"Wanna bet?" He replied, a grin creeping up his fat snout.

"Ladies don't 'bet', Fen." The rat admonished.

"Bitches only good for spreadin' legs," he retorted.

"Damn it Fen," Goren growled, "Shut your shit-face around her."

"Or what," he put his hands on his hips in the older-sibling way, "You gonna tell mommy?"

"If I win," Rini chimed, crossing her arms, her eyes half-lidded at Fen in nonchalance, "You're not allowed to say anything dirty for a whole two weeks. If you win," she raised her chin. "I'll spread my legs."

"What the fuck Naomi!" Goren shot with surprise, his choice of name holding a purpose.

But it was too late; she offered her hand and Fen shook it, sealing the deal.

Left only with disbelief, the wolf pup followed them with a sullen tail toward the station. He retrieved one of the many stools laid about for shorter or younger kids to get enough height. She thanked him, and he managed to ask: "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Just trust me, Gor," she said with a wink.

They deposited their coins, and shot the screen. Fen would pick the level, no doubt one he had mastered. Rini had played this game a few times, and games like it; she was not bad, but she wasn't particularly good either. The determining factor would be the score.

The level started with a helicopter crash and some guy telling them to follow him. The game immediately started with enemies popping up. Fen got first blood, but Rini wasn't going to let him cap all the mobs. They fought for points back and forth, Rini always two or three hits ahead of Fen.

They were allowed to continue, and both of them needed to eventually. Rini first, but her nimble fingers plucked the coins out of her purse held by Goren and slipped them into the glowing buttons faster than the game could count down to seven.

Goren kept watching the score, eyes glued on the flickering numbers. Rini was behind, but not by much. The problem was that Fen knew this game a lot better than she did, and that gap was increasing ever so slightly.

Rini stuck her tongue out in concentration, her red gun pointed straight ahead like she was her father on the force. The gun simulated kickback but just barely, and she compensated for the bad calibration of the sight. It was off to the right about an inch, but sometimes it would be spot-on.

The screen flashed and flickered often but she kept her eyes open and lidless. There was the problem of the room beyond, though. The station was more in the center of the arcade, and she could see people walking by out of the corner of her eye. It was serving as a distraction more than anything. She tried not to think about it as she lifted the gun up and squeezed the trigger to reload.

Fen stood like he was Ironman; feet flat, body sideways, blue gun pointed at the screen gripped in one hand. The other hand hung limp at his side, thumb sometimes going into the pocket. His back was to the little rat girl, partly to taunt her with the bikini-clad zebra riding a surfboard on his shirt.

Rini was beginning to catch up more and more. Her adrenaline was pumping, the level was almost over, she felt. Her hands begin to sweat. Not because she was afraid of losing, but because she just didn't want to lose. Fen always treated his younger brother--her boyfriend--badly, and she wouldn't put up with it if she could help it. Sure, she should probably let him defend himself, it was his lupine nature after all, but it would be doubly insulting to Fen if a little girl--

"What's wrong Ingrid?" Goren asked.

Rini stared as a short white rabbit-girl in a light-blue shirt walked briskly into the girl's restroom.

"Reload... Reload..." The game kept telling her.

"Emergency," she stated, holding the gun handle-out for Goren to retrieve, "Take over for me?"

"Hah, she's giving up." Fen stated triumphantly.

Goren took the gun. "Sure... but... ?" He watched as she stepped off the stool and half-skip, half-walked across the way to the restroom. He had to admit that even for a girl, she was using the bathroom at a really odd time. Nevertheless he stepped onto the stool, pointed the red revolver, and pulled the trigger.

Rini pulled open the squeaky-hinged door and stepped into the tile room. There were three sinks and five stalls, one of those stalls was of course the handicap. The stall closest to the door that was bordered by the wall was the only one with a closed door; no doubt the girl was in that one. Rini entered the stall next to the handicap.

She stared at the seat, and then looked away. As dirty and smelly and stinky as men could get, they were nowhere near the ugliness of a woman's public restroom. Instead, she looked to the reason why she was compelled to be here in the first place.

Before Halloween she had been invited to a birthday party. She didn't really want to go because she didn't care about the person whose birthday was to be celebrated, but Goren had to go because of Richard's decree, and she wasn't about to spend a night alone when she could be having some kind of fun.

It was at Perry's Pizza-Arcade, a nice place to have a party for any means. She had some fun playing games with Bitty and Betty, who were more overt gamers than she was, and still trying to get Goren to admit he liked her.

In an attempt to show him just how compatible they were, as if they didn't already know after two years of friendship, she went with him into the party room to do something very devious. All the party paraphernalia had been set up: cake, presents, balloons, table-set.

They made sure to somehow touch everything. They used the plastic knives to cut some of the wrapping paper away from as many gifts as they could; not enough to open them but enough to ruin the experience of tearing into the fresh and delicately wrapped paper.

They cut off the bottoms of some balloons with a pair of scissors and watched as they farted air for a few seconds of flight around the room. One of them popped and they thought that was the end, but no one seemed to notice.

Then, they set their eyes on the cake. Licking their fingers, they went all about the frosted dessert and disturbed it like a bulldozer disturbs virgin snow. They scored the top with forks to ruin the message and picture, and all along the sides they carved the name of the boy that Richard wanted to be blamed for the heinous act.

It worked so perfectly.

The birthday girl flipped like a stack of pancakes and almost all-out attacked the framed boy. In the end they still celebrated in the party room, but you could tell that everyone was under an awkward fog, pretending like nothing had happened. It was so satisfying to see the birthday girl second-handedly opening gifts that were meant for her.

Rini's cheeks began to burn. Not with embarrassment or nervousness or anything like that. They just sort of...burned. She felt a bubbling in her gut, like she drank a glass of milk followed by a glass of orange juice. It was probably the atmosphere of the stall; mold spores invading her lungs.

She was just overcome by something. Like déjà vu but worse.

The stall door on the opposite side of the room clacked as it opened. The toilet remained unflushed. If Rini didn't hear the sink she was really going to feel sick.

Thankfully she did hear the sink. At least the girl had the decency to wash her hands. Rini opened her stall, pulling the door so she could see the girl.

She was a rabbit. Short. She wore a light-blue top that was styled after a sundress, and deep purple shorts. Her ears were long and bobbed as she hummed, concentrating on her task.

"Lyza?"

"Huh?" The girl turned. Behind her, a rat stood in the stall, staring at her. She stared for a moment, perplexed. "Uh...do I know you?"

The question was said with a lot of irritation. "Oh..." Rini said. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew."

The girl lifted an eyebrow. "Obviously not." She replied with more irritation.

Rini shrugged. "Sorry, it can happen."

The girl shut the sink off and went to the paper towels. "Well next time you think I'm someone you know," the paper crinkled as she dabbed at her paws, "Don't even bother walking up to me." She tossed the paper into the garbage as she walked out the door. "Weirdo."

Rini squinted her eye. What the heck was that about. She made an honest mistake. So what if she was wrong and got a little mixed up? That didn't mean the girl had to be such a gigantic jerk like that. It wasn't like she just called her a bitch or something.

With a sigh, Rini stepped out of the restroom and approached the boys, still playing their game.

"Welcome back," Fen said with a grin, still standing like a bad-ass, poppin' caps left'n'right.

"Thank you. So, who won?"

Goren donned a smug grin. "Who do you think?"

She smiled back. "Thanks."

"Don't thank him," Fen said, placing the gun back in the holster and stepping from the station. "You forfeited by leaving," he pointed at her. "And there aren't any rematches. You lose. So you gotta spread 'em."

Rini rolled her head. "Sheesh, fine, I'll spread 'em." She put her hands on her hips and placed one foot out, and then the other, like she was going to do windmill-stretches in P.E. She lifted her hands up in a shrug. "There, you happy?"

Fen squinted an eye. "What the--no, stupid, I mean--"

"Fen," Goren stated, holstering the gun, "She did what she said she would, not what you thought she would. Now shut your fucking face or else I'll come into your room with a monkey wrench and pull your teeth out while you're sleeping."

The older brother's eyes reddened. He was, for a moment, silent. Then he huffed, tilted his head, jerking it up real quick to pop his neck--his 'signature' move. "You're both fuckin' idiots. Besides, I don't care about your stupid girlfriend anyway, she don't even have titties yet."

"But I've got more balls than you do."

"Rebecca," Goren scolded, but the smile on his face betrayed his voice.

"You know what, you two are walking home. I'm going to a place that isn't infested with little shitlings like you."

With that, the older brother walked away, and out the door.

Rini and Goren shared a telepathic stare, and then she reached into her purse for her phone to call her mom.