Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Extra C and the Arcade (2)
The small group of six sat together in the back of the arcade, along with the old lady Emily called Mrs. Benson.
Eric and Emily sat close to Mrs. Benson; Lia and Anna brought snacks and tea from her kitchen; Sebastian sat on a chair. I watched the entire scene from a distance, my hands crossed as I leaned on a wall.
This was annoying. I felt sad for Mrs. Benson, sure, but I also knew there was only so much one could do to help a person. It would be best if we could wrap things up here.
"You must have been very scared," Eric said to Mrs. Benson, and the old lady wiped her tears and nodded while holding Eric’s hands.
"They were more violent than ever today..." Mrs. Benson said.
Just then, Lia and Anna entered the room with trays in their hands. They placed the tea and some snacks for everyone on the table, and Anna personally offered a cup to the old lady.
"I can understand... it must have been very rough. Please, take some tea."
"Oh, I’m sorry you have to do this for an old lady like me—"
"Not at all. Emily, tell her."
"Yes, Anna is right. Don’t worry and just relax, Mrs. Benson."
Lia, on the other hand, grabbed two cups and brought them over to me. In a low voice, she said.
"That was very quick-witted of you; great work."
I nodded and took a cup from her. Lia seemed to be waiting for a response; when she didn’t get one, she stood next to me and sipped her tea.
It was quick-witted, sure, but it was not going to solve anything.
"This much should be enough to write a story," Lia said. "Quite the experience."
"You think?" I asked.
"Nah."
"Right."
"These are all very nosy people. Everyone will want to help the lady."
I looked ahead again, and sure enough, Sebastian had stood up and posed the question on everyone’s mind.
"Who were those men and what did they want, Mrs. Benson? You have to tell us if we are to help you a little."
"Oh..." Mrs. Benson covered her mouth and lowered her gaze a little. "That is... those people are apparently from a new arcade business around here. They want me to sell this place to them so they can repurpose it into a different business."
My ears perked up at those words.
An arcade company?
"That... are they not offering you good money?" Sebastian asked.
The lady shook her head. "That’s not it. I think it is more than what a dusty place like this deserves. It’s just that... this place meant too much to my husband to just sell it. Moreover, the arcades that they run are very different from a place children like you could enjoy."
"Ah..." Eric said. "Like one of those shady adult businesses?"
The others also nodded while my eyes narrowed. I glanced to my side; Lia was staring at me.
Suspicious. Everyone here was suspicious.
Ding. A notification rang on my phone.
"Alright," dusting her hands, Emily stood upright and placed her hands on her waist. "I think, Mrs. Benson, you should rest for today. Tomorrow we will all pit our heads together and think about this."
I looked at my phone. It was a message from Anna, an invitation to a group on the messenger app. When I joined, it added me to a group titled English Group Project (Arcade Days!)
What the hell?
There was a message from Emily, pinned to the top of the chat.
[Emily: Guys. We’ll need to look into this. I’ve known Mrs. Benson for a long time; there’s more to this story. I’ll tell all of you outside]
[Eric121: Yes, great. I don’t want to just sit here after seeing all this.]
[Emily: Sorry for dragging you into this @~]
The ~ was my username. It seemed I was tagged in the group.
[: No worries. Happy to help.]
[Lialicious: Lol.]
[Sebastian: Yes, we are all in this together, guys. Fun story for English.]
[Anna: Bet!]
Hah...
I guess I was involved in something annoying.
After talking a little more and saying our goodbyes, we stepped out of the store.
Before anyone could say anything, I raised my hand and pointed behind me.
"I am sorry, but I need to rush now. Keep me updated on everything; I’ll be on chat," I said, pointing at my phone.
"Oh, sure. Don’t worry at all, and sorry about this again."
I shook my head.
"You were very smart with things, Abel," Eric said.
"If not for him, we would have been in trouble."
"Yeah, this hothead Sebastian would have gotten us in a pinch."
I smiled and lightly nodded at them.
"Alright then," I said and stepped away.
It was a sticky situation at the end of the day.