Chapter Text
Will has been writing his letter to Mike for the last 10 minutes. Maria had arrived and Jane had asked if he wanted to hangout as well, but he figured she should have alone time together. She hasn't been this excited with someone since Max. He could hear them laughing from his room as he struggled to find the words to answer all of Mike's questions. As the girls laughter fills the house, he makes his way towards their backyard longing for some fresh air. The light hits his eyes as he takes in the sun.
He thinks back to his hometown, to how he would often find himself at the arcade with his friends. He finds himself heading inside and sees his mother and older brother talking in the living room. His mom turned to him as he entered the room.
"Hey mom, is it okay if I go to the arcade?" he asked hopefully. She thought about it for a minute before turning to Jonathan.
"If you dont mind taking him, he can go." Jonathan nodded as he stood up.
"Sure. I wanted to take a drive anyways." Will smiled, yelling a quick 'thank you' as he ran to his room, searching for any loose quarters. He had managed to find five dollars worth before Jonathan knocked on his door. "You ready to go?" Will gathered his money, stuffing them in his pockets and hurried to put his shoes on as the two left the house.
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The drive over was quiet without Jane there to start the conversations. Jonathan broke the silence, however, looking at him through his rear veiw mirror. "I trust you can handle being at the arcade yourself, right?" He waited for Will to nod before continuing. "Im gonna meet Argyle at the diner nearby, so if you need anything, I won't be too far away. I'll give you about," he cut himself off, glancing down at his wrist, "two hours so we can get home before dark."
"Okay. Thanks Jonathan." Will said absent mindfuly as he continued to look out the window.
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Pulling into the parking lot infront of the building, Jonathan gave an encouraging smile at Will as he left the car. Will took a deep breath before entering the building. He'd been here a couple times already, but he wasn't quite used to it yet. Stepping inside he scans the lines of arcade games searching for a familiar game. He finally finds one rushing over and inserting a coin.
After around 30 minutes of playing, he runs out of money. Slightly annoyed, he huffed quietly before hearing a familiar voice from behind him. "Out of tokens?"
"Uhm, yeah.." He said slowly before turning to face the voice. Chance stood beside him, leaning on a random arcade game.
"Here, take one of mine," Chance said, extending a hand toward him.
"Oh— that's okay. You can keep them," he replied back, not wanting to burden him.
"I insist." Chance said as he inserted the token. Will gave him a curious look before thanking him. He began playing the game, hyperaware of Chance leaning over him to watch.
"Didn't feel like hanging out with my lame cousin, huh?" Chance remarked as he watched.
"No— not at all! I just wanted to give Jane and her some time to hang out," Will said quickly, realizing it may have hurt her feelings that he left when she came over to see both of them. "By the time I get home, she'll have already left.. can you tell her I'm sorry?"
"Of course." He awkwardly looks at the screen before commenting, "soo.. what brings you to the arcade?" His confident facade gone, replaced by something different. Just as Will opens his mouth to respond, Chance let's out an embarrassed cough. "Well, obviously to play games. I meant to ask what brought you to.. California? I heard from Maria that you moved here pretty recently."
"Oh. Can't tell you, government." Chance laughs, assuming he's joking.
"Ok then. Don't tell me." Paying closer attention to the game Will's playing, he smiled softly. "So, do you like Karate Champ?"
As the death animation plays, Will sighs. "No, but my best friend from home is really good at it, I want to be able to beat him when I see him again." Will turned to look at him, "do you like this game?" Chance nodded and Will stepped away from the game. "Why dont you teach me how to play?" The question seemed to surprise the other boy, but his shocked expression was quickly replaced with a confident grin.
"Obviously. I'm definitely better than your friend." He waits for Will to step aside before he takes control of the sticks. "I'm a natural." Will watched him play in amazement— he wasn't kidding when he said he was good. Chance told him little tips and tricks as he easily crushed each opponent.
"Maybe next time Maria comes over, you can too?" Will asked nervously hoping he wasn't overstepping. His worries were washed away when he saw the smile on Chance's face.
"Sure." He pauses, looking towards the arcade. "I'll bring my Atari, then we can play again?" At Will's presumed hesitance, he added, "what? Afraid you'll lose?"
Will laughed awkwardly, unsure if he was joking about the last part. He glanced at his watch, noticing that Jonathan should be coming to pick him up soon. "I'll look forward to it. Thanks again for paying for me, I'll see you another time." Chance waved goodbye as Will left the arcade.
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At the dinner table, Jane and Will catch up as their mother and older brother cooks. Will finished talking about his day, curious as what she had gotten up to while he was gone.
"So first I showed her my room and even though it is not fully decorated, she said it was pretty. And you were right Will! She said my outfit was super stylish! She painted my nails," she holds her hands out, showing off the bright purple nail polish. "And I painted hers too— although I did it way messier.."
"I think it's pretty. Maybe you can do mine?"
Jane's eyes widen at his question. "Can I really?"
Will nodded, thinking back to the letter he had received from Lucas. Maybe it was time for a new him— one that wasn't afraid to express himself. No Lonnie to hurt him, no bullies to insult him, a fresh, new start. "It'll be good practice for you."
Joyce overhearing their conversation looks slightly worried, afraid of what others may do. Jonathan noticing her concerned expression gave her a nudge, whispering in her direction, "I hear California is nicer. Hippies, you know?" Joyce didn't seem totally convinced, but she tried her best to not let her worry show.
Jane eagerly grabs at the plates that Jonathan sets on the table before smiling towards Will. "Tomorrow then, you're going to be so sparkly."
Will let out a laugh as he began eating. "I dont recall agreeing to sparkles."
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Jane slowly brushed her hair infront of her mirror, pleased at how long it was getting. She can't wait until the phone is setup, she wants to tell Max all about every little thing that's happened in her few weeks in Lenora. She thinks to herself, contemplating writing a letter to Max, or to the whole party. She decides on both, grabbing her purple colored pencil and lined paper. She begins writing Max's name at the top of the paper unsure if she should write about her day or just answer her questions. She settles on answering her questions, wanting to save all of the fun stuff for their calls.
She'll wait until tomorrow to write the group letter with Will.