Friday Night at the Arcade

The neon lights of Galaxy Zone reflected in Maya's phone screen as she checked her messages for the tenth time. Her friends were supposed to meet her here twenty minutes ago. Typical.

Maya slumped against the scuffed arcade cabinet, watching couples and friend groups navigate the maze of machines. She'd been SO excited for tonight — her first time going out with the popular crowd since starting at Northwood High. Now she looked like a total loser, standing alone by the zombie shooter game.

"You gonna play or just stare at it like it's your ex?"

Maya jumped. A guy with messy dark hair and an oversized hoodie leaned against the next cabinet, an arcade token spinning between his fingers. He had this annoyingly confident vibe that made him instantly interesting.

"Waiting for friends," Maya muttered, clutching her phone. "They're running late."

"Story of my life." He gestured to the machine. "I'm Liam, by the way. And you're about to get destroyed at Zombie Apocalypse."

"Maya," she said, matching his energy. "And I was literally state champion at my old arcade."

"Big talk. Let's see you back it up."

Three games later, Maya had crushed him every time. But instead of being annoyed, Liam laughed, actually impressed. They fell into this easy rhythm, moving from machine to machine. The awkwardness dissolved with every round of air hockey and racing game.

"Okay, you're actually insane," Liam said as they caught their breath by the photo booth. "What else are you hiding? Secret ninja training?"

"Just really good with video games," Maya said, feeling weirdly comfortable. "What about you? Why aren't you here with your crew?"

"My friends bailed. Supposedly 'emergency family dinner,' but I'm pretty sure they just didn't want to come out." He shrugged. "Their loss, honestly."

"Yeah," Maya said softly. Her phone buzzed again — another flaky excuse from her so-called friends. But for the first time all night, she didn't care.

They spent the next hour gaming like they'd known each other forever. The arcade felt different now — less like a place where she was waiting, more like somewhere she belonged.

"Last game," Liam said as closing time approached. "Skee-ball. Loser buys snacks from the vending machine."

"You're on."

Maya won by twelve points. As they walked to the vending machine in the empty hallway, she realized something: her phone hadn't left her pocket in forty minutes.

"Tonight was unexpectedly awesome," Maya said, breaking into a granola bar.

"The unexpected ones usually are," Liam said, grabbing a drink. "Same time next Friday?"

"Definitely." Maya smiled, already counting down the days.