Evelyn 18 - Friends

Evelyn peered out of her passenger window as Elijah turned into a strip mall parking lot. It was nothing special, save for the giant warehouse on the far end. It had a giant neon sign reading ‘Megacade’ flashing above its entrance. She laughed when she saw it.

"I’m guessing this is one of your guy’s top spots?" She teased, looking at Elijah. He laughed and nodded.

"Me and Ryan mostly, we got to pick this time around.”

Evelyn looked back out the window.

"This is so you," she said.

"Oh god, you’re not getting the ick, are you?"

Evelyn shook her head, meeting his eyes to reassure him.

"Not at all,” she said, “I love it."

Elijah pulled into a spot between potholes, and Evelyn began to get out of the car.

“Wait!” Elijah said.

“Are we doing this every time?” Evelyn said with a smile.

“If I can help it,” Elijah said. She watched him exit and open her door. She took his hand happily, and together, they walked towards the entrance.

The crowd here was discernibly different than what she had gotten used to. Vintage clothing, baggy jeans, cargo pants, and thrifted tees were the fashion default. Evelyn couldn’t help but blush when she inspected her own outfit. She wore high heels and a tight, plunging black designer dress. With real silver chains resting on her wrists and neck.

"I just wish you'd told me where we were going. I feel so overdressed," she whispered.

"But that would've ruined the surprise." Elijah kissed her cheek lightly. "Plus, you look great."

"For a club!" Evelyn said, "Not an arcade with your friends…"

"You want to head back and change?" Elijah offered.

"Oh, stop!"

"I'm serious!" Elijah said. Evelyn knew he meant it.

"It's fine, I'll live. I just hope they don't think I'm trashy or stuck up."

"Well, you're a little stuck up," Elijah teased. Evelyn pushed him lightly.

“Ok, let me remember now. It’s Juan, Ryan, Henry, and... oh shit, who was the last one?” Evelyn asked.

"Lucas," Elijah said, opening the front door for her.

“Lucas! Ok, got it.” She stepped inside and stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. She was genuinely surprised at the size of the place.

"Wow."

"Isn't it amazing?! It was an old warehouse that they converted into a giant arcade.”

“It’s huge!”

The arcade was a nerd’s fever dream. The black interior walls had been covered with hand-painted murals of video game characters Evelyn didn’t recognize. Arcade cabinets of all kinds lined the first floor. With small pockets of air hockey and pool tables breaking up different sections. Evelyn’s eyes trailed up the twin staircases to the second floor. Elijah followed her gaze.

“The upstairs is all the old retro stuff, and the downstairs is new indie stuff."

"Indie stuff?" Evelyn said, following Elijah as he walked to the front receiving desk.

"So there's this new trend of running games off PC cabinets. It's actually really cool because they can switch the games out every week. It also helps promote local indie developers.”

“Wow, very impressive,” Evelyn said as they walked up to a young, pale college girl running the front desk. She looked up from her phone, her eyes dead, and pushed her grandma-style glasses up her nose.

"Welcome to Megacade," she said dryly.

"Hey, Julie," Elijah said, pulling out a bright red card from his wallet and handing it to her.

“Hey, Elijah,” Julie said, taking the card and scanning it. She handed it back to him, then glanced over at Evelyn, looking her up and down.

“Are you dressed as a character or something?” She asked flatly.

“Uh, no,” Evelyn said.

"Ok. Well, it's a twenty-dollar entry.”

"Oh no, she's with me," Elijah said, holding out his card again. Julie shrugged and took it once more.

"Have fun," She said, handing it back.

"Thanks!" Elijah took Evelyn's hand and passed into the arcade.

"Wow, didn’t know I was dating a Megacade cardholder," Evelyn said.

"You get a discount if you're a member.” Elijah raised an eyebrow with an overexaggerated smolder. Evelyn smiled and shook her head.

"Ok, big dog, don’t let it go to your head…" She looked back at the front counter and saw Julie still looking at her. "I think she hates me.”

"Who, Julie?! No, she's always like that. Come on, the guys are waiting for us in the second-floor lounge."

"There's a lounge?" Evelyn said, following him up a set of neon glowing stairs.

"And a bar,” Elijah added.

“AND a bar?!” She said with sarcasm.

Elijah laughed and put on his best southern accent. “Only the best around here, partner.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes and reached for his hand. They walked past several groups of friends and couples, all dressed in the same casual, thrifted fashion. They stared at Evelyn as she passed, some with revulsion, others with judgment, and some with attraction. It had been a long time since she had felt this out of place.

The second floor was filled with rows of arcade machines, neon lights, and TVs showing live streams. Groups of friends played old consoles on projector screens in lounge areas. Others were sitting in booths, eating and talking. A group of children ran past them, exploring every free cabinet they could find.

Evelyn covered herself with crossed arms.

"There they are!" Elijah said.

The two walked into a bar area decorated like a cyberpunk tea house. At a far booth, Evelyn spotted Ryan standing alongside the rest of Elijah’s friends.

To her surprise, they were all incredibly tall, and anything but nerdy.

Ryan was the first to notice her. He rushed over with a big smile. Then, the rest of the group turned and stared with wide eyes.

There were three others. All of which were tall and handsome in their own right. Evelyn only had a moment to look at them before Ryan approached.

"Evelyn! You made it!" He said excitedly.

"Ryan! How have you been?" She asked. He opened his arms, and Evelyn hugged him. He pulled her close and squeezed. By instinct, Evelyn looked at Elijah, comforted to see him smiling.

"I've been good! I actually started up a new game you might like."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! Elijah had mentioned you really like Crusaders, right? Well, there's this new console game where–"

"Come on, guys, let's not keep the others waiting," Elijah interjected. Guiding them to the group.

"Oh, right," Ryan said, blushing as he walked closely by Evelyn's side. He continued to explain the game to her, but Evelyn didn't hear him. Her focus remained fixed on the group and the anxiety racing through her heart.

"Everyone," Elijah said. "This is Evelyn."

The group stared in silence for a moment, finally snapping out of it when Elijah cleared his throat.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Yo."

They said in unison. Elijah smiled and pointed to the first of his friends on the right.

"So, this is Juan," Elijah said.

Juan nodded. "Pleased to finally meet you. Elijah had been singing your praises for weeks!"

He was the tallest and most built of the group. A dark-skinned man with an impeccable smile and charisma. And judging by his clever mix of streetwear, Evelyn guessed he had to be an influencer of some kind.

"Same," Evelyn replied, offering her hand. He took it delicately, his eyes never leaving hers. The look was friendly, but not without passion. She had seen it many times before. Fortunately, it meant he was safe.

"Next, we have Henry," Elijah continued, motioning to the man standing next to Juan.

Henry was, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous men Evelyn had ever seen. He was tan, tall, and perfectly groomed. His square jaw was covered in a closely shaven beard, and his wavy brown hair, trimmed to a medium length, was perfectly swept back. Of all Elijah’s friends, he seemed the most out of place. Henry wore fine, baggy slacks, leather shoes, and a designer button-down shirt. It was the look of old money, though Evelyn doubted Henry actually came from it.

"A pleasure," he said, offering his hand. Evelyn took it cautiously, spotting the Rolex resting on his wrist as his hand enveloped hers. She looked up and caught the hunger resting in those chocolate brown eyes. She knew his type. If there was going to be trouble, it would likely come from him.

"Nice to meet you, Henry," She said, quickly looking at the last of Elijah’s friends.

"And finally," Elijah said. "We have Lucas."

Lucas shyly offered his hand with a curt smile.

"Hey," he said.

He was the shortest of the three, standing around Elijah's height. He was lean, wore wireframe glasses, dressed fashionably casual, and had a perfect mess of dirty-blonde hair. He caught her gaze only once, then quickly looked away. Evelyn smiled. She always did like the shy ones.

“Hey,” she said back playfully, glancing at the group. “It’s really nice finally getting to meet you all.”

"Yeah, yeah…" Ryan said, passing between them. "Come on, let's go sit down."

Juan laughed and followed behind him.

“Always business with you,” he said.

Evelyn promptly followed the group to the booth. They sat awkwardly for a moment. Juan checked his phone in silence. Lucas looked off into the distance. Ryan adjusted himself so his leg just barely touched Evelyn’s.

And Henry stared, trying his best to capture Evelyn’s gaze.

"So, Juan," Elijah said, not seeming to notice the group's tension. "Were you able to get on that balloon dating show?"

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, I did!"

"No fucking way, really?" Lucas said, turning his attention to Juan.

"Right?! I was thinking the same fucking thing. They had people lined up out the door. It took me about an hour to get in. I thought there was no way in hell I was going to get the part, but they said I was the right fit.”

Lucas chuckled. “So you got the role because you’re tall and hot. Got it.”

Juan let out a vibrant, warm laugh.

“Probably,” he said.

"Wait, wait," Henry said, breaking his gaze from Evelyn. "What is this now? You mean like an actual dating show?"

"It’s online, but yeah! Their videos usually get around four million hits. I think it'll help my brand."

Henry chuckled. "I'm sure."

"Think you're going to find love?" Lucas asked. Juan shrugged and stretched, putting his hands behind his head.

"You mean between everyone trying to become a celebrity? Maybe. You never know," He spoke with such a clean, tempered edge. It broke the tension with ease, and the group relaxed almost instantly.

"So are you the one who's popping a balloon, or are you the one actually being judged by the lineup?" Elijah asked.

"Both, I guess. They take the 'most likable' people and use them a couple of times. So I'll be doing three lineups where I hold a balloon, then like… I think two where I'm the one being judged? I don't know. I have to bring a few outfits."

"Lucky…" Ryan mumbled.

"You could do it too, bro!" Juan said.

"Yeah, right. If I went on there, you know it’d be an instant pop across the board," Ryan said.

"Nah, you just need more confidence, my man," Juan said.

"I agree," Evelyn interjected. The group went silent and stared at her as if she were some great prophet. She smiled at Ryan. "I don’t think you give yourself enough credit."

Ryan blushed and promptly stood. "I'm going to go get a drink. You guys want something?"

"Whiskey," Henry said. He stared at Evelyn as he pulled out a black card and handed it to Ryan. "I got this one. You guys want anything?"

Henry spoke almost robotically. There was something overly kind and fake about it. It brushed Evelyn the wrong way.

"Well, shit, if you're paying! Get me uhhhh… fuck, what's it called… a rusty nail," Juan said.

"I'll have an IPA, whatever brand, doesn't matter," Lucas said.

"Jesus ok slow down,” Ryan said, clearly flustered. Then, he looked at Evelyn and pretended he was fine. “Right, so, a rusty nail, an IPA... Elijah, you want anything?"

"Hm?” Elijah looked up from his phone, “Oh! I'll have an old-fashioned.”

Henry kept his eyes on Evelyn.

"And what about you?" He asked.

Evelyn looked at Elijah to see if he was picking up on his friend’s energy. But, like always, he seemed blissfully ignorant. She returned her attention to Henry and sniffed.

"Don't worry about me, I'll maybe get something later," she said.

"You sure? I really don't mind," Henry said.

Evelyn smiled. "I'm sure."

Elijah looked at her, but didn't question it. She loved that about him. Henry shrugged.

"Alright, suit yourself," he said, nodding at Ryan. The group fell silent once more as Ryan went to grab their drinks.

"So, Evelyn," Henry said. "What do you do for work?"

The group looked at Evelyn intently. Elijah stared with piqued interest. They hadn’t really talked about how she would answer a question like this, and she wasn’t sure what the right answer was.

"I'm a bartender," she said flatly. Elijah's eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps he wanted her to tell the truth? Evelyn wasn’t sure. She shrugged lightly at him with a bashful smile.

"What?" She said. "I know you're not proud of it, but it’s what I do."

She regretted the words, especially when she saw the light in Elijah's eyes dim. She didn't know why she said that. Not once had Elijah ever made her feel bad about her job.

But, not missing a beat, Elijah smiled and replied.

"You're wrong, I am very proud of what you do," he turned to his friends. "She's really good at it, too."

Evelyn smiled apologetically, and Elijah answered with a comforting nod.

"Bartending can be nice. Which ones do you work at?" Henry asked, eyes still fixed on her as if they were the only two at the table.

"Sherry and Merrigold, but I hop around," Evelyn said quickly. Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Merrigold… isn't that a bottle service place?" His question was far from innocent. Not missing a beat, Evelyn nodded casually.

"It is," she said with a smile. The group looked at Elijah in surprise. Once again, he didn't hesitate.

"She is amazing at it, too. You have no idea how talented she is." Elijah's confidence brought a wave of relief to the table. Ryan returned, picking up on the group's enthusiasm.

"What'd I miss?" He asked, handing out the drinks. Henry took his along with his card.

"Evelyn was just telling us about her bottle service job," he said.

"Wait,” Ryan looked at Evelyn in surprise. “You’re an actual bottle girl?”

Evelyn nodded with a bashful smile.

"And Marigold's like, top tier, right?” Juan added. “I've only been to their restaurant side, but it was out of this world."

"It is," Evelyn confirmed, giving Elijah a wink.

"Nice! So you must be making fucking bank then, huh?" Juan said.

"I do alright," Evelyn said. Flipping her hair playfully.

The group laughed as Ryan sat down with a colorful blue drink. A plastic shark rested on top of it. Ryan picked it up and dropped it into the water, which immediately began turning red.

"Man, I bet the dudes you serve must feel so lucky," he said. The group stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Ryan!" Juan shouted.

Ryan immediately blushed.

"What?! What did I do?"

Elijah buried his face in his hands and laughed softly.

"God man, we can't take you anywhere,” he said.

"Oh, stop! He’s just being sweet!" Evelyn said.

"Suuuure he is," Juan said. Ryan shrank into his chair, face crimson as he sipped his drink.

"Guys, stop it! He meant well, you're making him feel bad," Evelyn said.

"Nah, we're just playing. Speaking of," Juan said, turning to look out at the arcade. "I think it’s time we get out there."

"Agreed," Elijah said, standing from the booth and offering Evelyn his hand. She happily took it and stood beside him. The rest of the group followed, making their way through the upper floor and heading to an area labeled ‘Classic Alleyway.’

The group talked amongst themselves as Elijah stopped at a solid metal machine.

"We have to get tokens," He said.

"Ohhh, this is like a classic arcade then, huh?"

"Yeah, it’s a really nice touch." He put a few bills in a small slot, and the machine spit out a pile of coins. Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out a decorative bag with a pixel character on its front.

"Oh my god, you have a token bag," Evelyn said. Elijah glanced at her.

"You jealous?"

Evelyn wrapped her arm around his.

"Very," she said, kissing him on the cheek. Elijah took a handful of tokens, then gave the bag to her.

"It's yours."

"Oh my god, really?!" Evelyn said excitedly.

"Only for today!" Elijah said.

"Aw, well ok." She took the pouch gratefully, and they made their way into the arcade.

It didn't take long for the group to begin spreading out, shifting between playing together and separately. It was refreshing. Evelyn couldn't remember the last time she had been out to a place like this. She stopped at a machine she remembered from long ago. An old game where you jumped from cube to cube down an isometric pyramid. She watched the cute character jump on screen, laughing to herself. Then she pulled a coin from the pouch and pushed it into the console.

The game started, and Evelyn died almost instantly, her quirky character getting hit by a pursuing sentient triangle.

"Shit…"

As she put in another coin, Henry came and stood by her side.

"You like this one?" He asked.

"I do," Evelyn said, keeping her eyes fixed on the game.

"You're not bad at it," He said.

"Thanks," Evelyn replied, before falling off the edge of the pyramid. "Shit…"

Henry laughed, taking a swig of his drink as Evelyn put in another token.

"So," Henry said. "How did you and Elijah actually meet?"

"Didn't he tell you?"

"He said it was on a dating app."

"There you go."

The little creature hopped from cube to cube.

"And you two… are official?"

Evelyn glanced over at him.

"I guess it depends on what you mean by official."

Henry shrugged. "You know, you guys are just seeing each other. That it’s not something… casual."

The pixel creature was caught by a monster and died. Evelyn turned from the console and looked at Henry with an indifferent expression.

"And what if it was?" She asked.

"It'd be interesting to talk about, that's for sure."

"Oh, I'm sure," Evelyn said, walking past him. "We aren't, by the way."

"Official?" Henry asked.

"Casual," Evelyn corrected.

"Hmmm."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Hey, I didn't mean–"

"It's fine," Evelyn said, scanning to see where Elijah had gone.

"You do seem awfully familiar, though," Henry said. Evelyn froze and turned to him. He smiled. "Maybe that's why I'm asking."

She stared, safe in her shell, examining Henry through a filtered lens as he finished his drink. Her eyes moved past him when she saw Elijah walking out of a row of consoles with Ryan.

"Nice talking to you," she said, making her way over to Elijah.

"Likewise, can’t wait to get to know you more,” Henry said, watching her walk away.

Evelyn made her way to Elijah and wrapped her arm around his.

"Hey!" She said softly. "What are you two doing?"

"We just finished a round of Dig Dug!" Ryan said.

"He won," Elijah added. "You having fun?"

"So much," Evelyn answered, relieved to see that Henry had moved on. "You want to play something together?"

"Absolutely!" Elijah said excitedly. Evelyn looked at Ryan.

"Sorry, I have to steal him for a little bit," she said.

"Oh, no worries. M-maybe you and I could play something later?" He asked.

"Of course!" Evelyn said.

Ryan smiled brightly. "Ok! Great, I'll uh… maybe we could… well… I was thinking, since you liked Crusaders so much, there's actually an indie game on the first floor that is really close to it. But, it's really cool because you have infinite lives and… well…"

He tapered off, eyeing Elijah and Evelyn a moment. Eyes dropping to their interlocking fingers.

"I'll uh… well I'll meet you later." He said. Turning and walking away abruptly.

"Ok!" Evelyn called out to him. She looked at Elijah. "He's so sweet."

"Oh, very. To you at least."

Evelyn squeezed his hand, guiding Elijah over to a group of racing games. "He has a pretty big crush."

"Yes, he does. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

Evelyn, still inside a shell, spoke into Elijah's ear.

"Well, maybe we'll have to make him a little happier at some point."

Elijah turned to her in surprise as she smiled devilishly.

It was an apology, an invitation, a test. It was all of it and none of it. It was wild whiplash as she navigated a world she had forgotten the language of.

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Why don't we focus on racing for now?" he said.

"Fair enough," Evelyn said shyly.

She followed Elijah into the racing cabin, watching as he placed several tokens into the machine. The game kicked to life, and the two were thrust into a pair of jeeps trying to outrun a horde of zombies. Evelyn screamed as the first wave of zombies began to chase them. Elijah groaned when they died for the first time. Evelyn shouted once they finally beat the first race circuit. Then, as they found their rhythm, she spoke.

“Your friends are nice," she said, sliding past a crowd of zombies.

“They really seem to like you,” Elijah said.

“I noticed," She said. The two went silent for a moment. "Do they always get that excited?”

“Just around you.” He said. "But you'd better focus, I'm about to beat you!"

Evelyn laughed as they turned a corner. Elijah was ahead, just about to cross the finish line. Evelyn leaned over to him.

"I wonder how excited they’d be if I got really friendly.”

Elijah glanced at her in shock. His car spun, crashing off the side of a bridge. Evelyn zoomed past him as zombies pulled his character out of the wreck and began to eat him.

“Shit!" Elijah said.

"Ha!" She turned to him as her car passed the finish line. "Looks like I win!"

Elijah rolled his eyes. "That was cheating."

"Was it?"

Elijah laughed and shook his head. "Wanna play again?"

"Sure!"

He went for the token pouch between them, but stopped as his phone went off.

"Oh shit, hang on." He pulled it out and checked it. Reeling his head back in surprise.

"Oh," he said.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked.

"It's from Ivan… he sent a video."

Evelyn stared in horror. She tried to speak. She tried to tell him that what he was about to see didn't mean anything.

But the video was already playing.

After a few seconds of watching it, Elijah looked up at her, eyes unreadable.

"Elijah…" Evelyn said. Elijah cleared his throat.

"I uh… I have to go get some air," He said. Stepping up from the cabinet and walking off quickly.

Evelyn sat, staring at the empty chair as her own car crashed on screen.

--

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