It begain with the listless feeling brought on by a sunday afternoon. Riley Poole was lying on the expensive leather couch in his best friend's living
room. His sneakered feet were dangling off the armrest. He was reading a novel, completely engrossed, when Abigail entered the room. She took one
look at her friend, frowning. "Riley!" She admonished him, putting her hand on her hip. "Take your feet off the couch."
Riley looked up at her, guiltily sitting upright and brushing off the seat beside him. He always instantly complied when she took that tone with him. She
sounded like a mom scolding her kid. "That's better," She told him. Abigail sat beside him, picking up her magazine from the coffee table in front of her.
They both read their respective literature in silence for a few minutes, until Riley closed his book and glanced over at Abigail.
"I'm bored," He whined at her, sounding a few years younger then his real age.
Abigail rolled her eyes, and tried to ignore him. She determinedly stared at the article she was reading, as Riley continued talking. She stole a glance in
his direction, only to see him giving his best puppy dog eyes. She could see it in her peripheral vision. "Riley, i'm trying to read." Abigail snapped at him,
annoyed. Riley looked a little hurt. He quickly looked down at his lap, staring at his fidgety hands. "Sorry. Jeez, Abigail."
Abigail felt her heart tug a little, and she quickly tried to soften her tone. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." Abigail closed her magazine
and placed it back on the coffee table. She checked her watch.
"Ben's not going to be finished his seminar for a few hours. What say me and you do something fun?" Abigail asked, standing up. Riley squinted up at
her, a smile forming. "Really? Sure. What do you want to do? We could go to the mall, or catch a movie. Oh, hey the arcade is open! Or maybe -"
Abigail put her hand up to cut him off. "I was thinking a museum or something," She suggested, putting on her jacket. Riley shook his head, then
continued talking in his usual breakneck pace.
"Museums are kinda boring. Besides you said something fun. Hey Abigail, what's your favourite arcade game?"
Abigail considered the question for a minute, before realizing that she honestly had no idea, since she rarely set foot in an arcade. They got into her
car, and closed the doors.
"I don't even know. Let's go play some games, and i''ll give you my answer after we try some out." Abigail told him, as she buckled her seatbelt.
She had no inclination to go to the arcade, but she knew that it would make Riley happy. She still felt a little guilty for snapping at him earlier.
When they arrived at the mall, Riley put a twenty dollar bill in the change machine, and received a massive amount of quarters. Abigail and Riley spent
the better part of an hour at the arcade, dancing to a few songs of DDR, before trying out Skee Ball, Asteroid, and Air Hockey.
Abigail had her heart set on a Barn Owl stuffed animal in one of the claw games, which Riley won for her. It took him six quarters to win the Owl. Abigail
hugged the toy to her chest as she wandered the arcade, aware of the fact that she was by far the oldest customer. There were mostly small kids with
their parents, and a few teenagers hanging out with their friends.
Riley fit in easily to the younger crowd - with his blue hoody, jeans, and converse hightops. She watched him with amusement as he bit his lip in deep
concentration. He was playing an old school fighting game. "Come on," Riley murmured, pounding the buttons as fast as he could. He finally stepped
away from the game, and turned towards her, grinning. "High score," He said, gesturing at the game behind him.
Once they'd used all their quarters, they handed in the tickets they'd accumulated. "Two hundred," the clerk told them, pointing to the shelves below
the register. "Anything on these here shelves." Abigail took one look at the cheap toys and candy prizes, and shook her head a little. "Pick whatever
you want, Riley." She told him. She waited while he scrutinized the glass case of toys, before finally deciding on three lollipops and a Batman bouncy
ball. He handed her a blueberry lollipop, shoving the rest of the items deep into his jeans pocket.
Abigail led Riley to the bookstore, where they spent time checking out each section. Riley stayed in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section primarily, while
Abigail tended to wander down each aisle. She was an avid reader, and felt instantly at home in the large bookstore. She rarely left a bookstore without buying a book.
Riley enjoyed the trip to the bookstore as well, but after about twenty minutes, he was ready to go. He grew bored waiting for Abigail to decide which
book she was going to buy. Riley wandered down the aisles, until he spotted her in the Mystery section, reading the back of a novel.
"Abi, it's been an hour," Riley told her, crossing his arms. "Can we go now?" Abigail continued reading. "I'm not done yet." She told him,
continuing to read the book's summary.
"Okay...well. I'm bored...Um, I'm going to the flea market down the hall. Meet me there?" He asked, backing up. She threw him a half-wave, finally lifting
her eyes from the book. "I'll meet you there." Abigail told him.
Riley left the bookstore, and walked through the crowded mall to the Flea Market. He'd noticed a sign advertising the sale after they'd left the arcade
earlier. It was in an empty storefront that used to be a children's clothing store last year. Now, it was filled with all sorts of interesting items, set out on
foldable plastic tables. The table nearest the entrance window instantly caught his attention, as it had a large display of vintage gaming consoles,
boxes of comic books, and various electronics.