Oriol stared at the screen for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh.
Ren slumped against the machine. "Nooo... my thousand tickets."
Eduardo crossed his arms. "I don't think you'll get that close again. This is a good time to give up."
Christina glanced at everyone's hands. "By the way... how many tickets do we have?"
Daniel started counting the ones he had. "Uhm... I've got 154."
Everyone said how many tickets they had earned. After adding them all together, they had barely reached 531 tickets.
Oriol rested his hands under his chin. "Only that many? I could've sworn I won like two thousand by myself."
Daniel looked up. "Oriol... you won the least. You spent the whole time eating."
Oriol calmly pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket. "...Details."
Daniel stared at him in disbelief. "Again?"
Christina burst out laughing. "Where do you keep getting all that food from?"
The six of them walked over to the prize counter.
Behind the glass there was everything imaginable: candy, keychains, figures, giant plushies, and even a game console that cost a ridiculous amount of tickets.
Oriol immediately pointed at the console. "We only need... about another hundred and twenty thousand."
Daniel shook his head. "It'd be cheaper if we all pitched in and bought one ourselves. Besides, we can always go to Lalo's place to play."
Christina looked directly at Eduardo. "Next time we go out, can we go to your place?"
Eduardo shrugged. "I don't mind, but we'd have to ask my roommate first. If he's okay with it."
While everyone kept talking, Hannah slowly walked in front of the display case, carefully examining every prize. After a few seconds she pointed at a small Chicken keychain. "I want that one."
The clerk smiled and picked it up, but before she could deduct the tickets Hannah stopped her. "No... that one instead."
She pointed at a green guitar pick. The clerk handed it to her and deducted 500 tickets from the group's card. Hannah held the pick with both hands and smiled brightly. "It was worth it."
Christina walked over, grabbed Hannah by the shoulders and gently shook her.
"What do you mean it was worth it?! Hannah, those were everyone's tickets!"
While being shaken, Hannah answered between little jolts.
"But... it was... for Ren..."
Christina stopped shaking her, took the pick from Hannah's hands, and handed it to Ren.
"Here. She's right... I think this suits you."
Ren looked at it and smiled as well. "Thanks."
Hannah smiled innocently. "Besides... it's the same color as my eyes, so you'll think of me every time you use it."
Christina spun toward her immediately. "Hannaaaah!"
Hannah let out a tiny squeak. "Eeep!" Then she quickly hid behind Luz.
While Christina chased Hannah for a few steps and Luz laughed without making the slightest effort to help, Eduardo stretched until his back cracked.
"Well..." He looked around at the group. "...I'm hungry."
Daniel nodded immediately. "I second that."
Luz slipped the arcade card into her pocket. "It's getting late. Is everyone okay with burgers?"
The guys all nodded at the same time, and together they left the arcade to grab dinner elsewhere in the mall. After leaving the arcade, the group followed Luz down one of the mall's hallways. She didn't even bother looking at the signs before pointing toward a restaurant at the end.
"Here it is."
Oriol looked at the huge sign, featuring a burger overflowing with melted cheese wrapped around the final letter, and smiled.
"So this was your plan all along."
Luz crossed her arms.
"The DrunkeR BurgueR." "It's my uncle's restaurant. I can personally confirm the burgers are amazing... and I get us a discount."
Eduardo gave a thumbsup without slowing down.
"You had me the moment you said amazing, but the discount makes it even better. By the way, if anybody orders a salad, they're getting smacked."
Daniel laughed. "What, you don't eat vegetables?"
Eduardo looked at him as if he'd just heard the greatest insult of the day. "Of course I do... my burger comes with lettuce."
Oriol couldn't hold back his laughter.
Eduardo pointed at him with a grin. "And don't laugh. You spent more money on chips than arcade credits."
Oriol casually pulled another bag of chips out of his backpack as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Christina looked at him. "...When did you even buy all that?"
It didn't take long for them to find a table big enough for everyone. As soon as they sat down, Hannah grabbed a menu with both hands and carefully examined every page.
Ren looked at Luz and asked directly, "What do you recommend?"
Luz thought for a moment.
"Honestly, it depends on what you like. My favorite is the Stoutzilla. Double beef patties, two strips of bacon on top, fried onion rings underneath, and BBQ sauce... But if you want something simpler, the Drunk Lager is the classic one, the Vienna comes with Swiss cheese instead of cheddar, and the Red Ale has chorizo and pepperoni with pizza sauce."
Ren rubbed the side of his head. "That sounds complicated."
Oriol waved over the waiter.
The waiter arrived with a notepad in hand. "Good evening. Ready to order?"
Oriol set his menu down. "Alright... classics first."
He looked at Christina. "You're definitely getting the Lager." Then at Daniel. "Vienna. I know you." Finally he pointed at Eduardo. "Stoutzilla for the Carnivore."
The orders ended up like this.
Christina ordered a Borracha Lager (lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheddar cheese).
Daniel ordered a Vienna (classic burger with Swiss cheese instead of cheddar and onion rings on the side).
Ren and Eduardo both ordered a Stoutzilla (double beef, bacon, and onion rings).
Oriol ordered a Triple Bock (triple beef with lots of cheese).
Luz ordered an Amber (bacon and caramelized onions).
Once the waiter finished writing everything down, he collected the menus and disappeared toward the kitchen.
For a few moments, nobody talked very much. After so many games, the fatigue from the afternoon was finally catching up with them, but the silence felt comfortable... just before someone inevitably reached for their phone.
Daniel was the first to break it. "Ren... how the hell do you learn so fast?"
Ren blinked. "Huh?"
Daniel rested both elbows on the table. "Watching you play... it felt like you were learning way too quickly. We've been friends our whole lives, and I've never seen you pick things up like that."
Ren thought for a few seconds before answering. "I don't think I learn that fast."
Oriol raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
He lifted his plush shark and changed his voice. "Sharky says otherwise."
Ren shook his head. "I just try to find the pattern."
Luz smiled, resting her chin on one hand. "That explains it... but even then, it was still a little abnormal. I don't mean that in a bad way. You have a gift... make the most of it."
Ren nodded. "Yeah."
Christina watched him for a few seconds before smiling. "But you're also practicing all the time now, aren't you?"
Ren fell silent for a moment. "Lately... I've really wanted to improve. I feel like it's something I need to do... even though this change only started about a week ago."
Oriol picked up a ketchup packet and idly played with it between his fingers. "This all started after Requena's rehearsal, right? And then you told us to start calling you Tempo."
Ren chuckled quietly. "...Yeah. I just thought it'd make a good name."
Luz looked at him and leaned back in her chair. "It is a good name. If you ever end up on stage someday... it'd make a great stage name."
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Two hours later, backstage at the bar...
Ren stood there holding a guitar, his nerves tightening around his throat. "Remind me again... how did I end up here?"
Luz rested a hand on his shoulder. The earrings in her ears shimmered beneath the stage lights. "Relax... you're going to do great... Tempo."
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Author Notes.
THANKS for the 180 collections!
Hope you enjoy the chapter and the fic