"Apocalypse of The Damned!" John shouted at the top of his lungs as the two boys flung themselves into the blue and red bean bag chairs. Situated in front of the old TV, they waited for the game to load.
When it did, Alexander loaded their saved game. "Level Nine!" he exclaimed seeing their progress for the first time in a week.
"The Cafetorium!" the two boys said at the same time as it loaded the level.
"Find the bad guy push 'em aside!" They recited their attack plan out loud to each other, eyes alight as they spawned in. "Then move on forward with your friend at your side!"
The pixelated characters moved on the screen, attacking lime colored zombies.
"It's a two player game so when they make an attack, you know you got a brother gonna have your back!" they pounded their fists together as a zombie corpse fell dead on the screen. As their eyes stayed glued to the screen, a wave of zombie caught the teenagers off guard.
"And if you stay on track and- AH! Remain on course! And if they give you a smack you- GAH! USE YOUR FORCE!"
When the zombie overload died down, the gameplan went back into motion. "And if you leave a brother behind it's lame, 'cause it's an effed up world but it's a two player game, hey!"
The game slowed down a bit so John, the curly haired kid in a red hoodie, decided to try and make conversation. "Dude you are cooler than a vintage cassette!"
Alex looked at him like he was crazy but showed no intent of making him stop.
"It's just that no one else but me thinks that yet!" John continued with a smile plastered on his face. "You're just a nothing in this high school team, but it's no big 'cause you and I are a team!"
The freckled boy paused the game for a moment.
"Yeah, we like out of print games, retro skates, got a Pac-Man tattoo!" they held up their arms to the light and exposed a neat little Pac-Man drawing inked into the skin. "Nobody here appreciates, but soon we'll be together where they do."
John jumped from his chair. "'Cause guys like us are cool in college, cool in college, this I know! Guys like us are cool in college! Rule in college, listen bro: High school is hell, but we navigate it well! It's what we do-"
"-we make it a two player game!" they said in unison before returning to the game. Plan thrown out the window, they tried to fight the next wave of zombies.
"Zombie!"
"Watch out!"
"AGH!"
"WHAT?!"
"AWE!"
The screen went black and red letters blinked "Game Over"
Alexander set his controller down, stretching in his seat. "As users we have fought together for years. Both Nintendo zombies and our popular peers. But now we're stuck on a level and I wanna move on!"
"Just wait! Two years we're upon you'll realize-"
"Guys like us are cool in college, cool in college, won't be lame!"
Alex smiled. "Dude I know, I get it-"
"Guys like us are cool in college-"
"But we're not in college-" Alex tried to point out.
John rolled his eyes. "All the same. High school is whack, but we have each other's back. It's what we do-"
"We make it a two player game!"
"Zombie!"
"Watch out!"
"Alexander?" Alex's mom.
"Blood!"
"Alex?"
"CLAWS!"
"ALEXANDER HAMILTON!"
"Pause."
After a brief chat with his mom, Alex slumped down in his chair and turned to John.
"You know that you are my favorite person. That doesn't mean that we can't still dream." he said solemnly, a hand resting gently on John's knee.
John fumbled with Alex's hoodie string, which was slung across the back of the blue bean bag. "I-is it really true?" Alex looked confused. A small breath and he regained confidence. "I'm your favowite pewson?" he mocked Alex. The kid's face went red and John laughed.
Alex softened his face into a smiled again. "Yeah we're never not gonna be a team. High school is shit. And you gotta help me conquer it. It's just what we do-"
"Is we make it a two player game!" they replayed the level, more focused than last time.
"Find the bad guy push 'em aside." they slowed down a bit to let the zombies get in close.
"Then move on forward with your friend at your side." the pixelated game crackled as the blue and red characters moved.
"It's a two player game so when they make an attack-" a zombie slapped John's red character across the face.
"You know you got a brother gonna have your back." Alex punched the zombie away.
"And we stay on track and AH! Remain on course. And if they give you a smack you GAH! USE YOUR FORCE! And if you leave a brother behind it's lame. 'Cause it's an effed up world but it's a two player game!"
Victory music played and they smiled. "Two player game." Alex finally managed to say through the victory.
"Two player game." John repeated and nodded.
Staring each other in the eyes, the looks they flashed were a secret message only the two of them could decipher.
"He-ey-ey!"
Should I do more Be More Chill / Hamilton one-shots? Let me know.
