Addicted
theme 52-video game
theme 208-obsessed-my theme
-theme from darkangelsnapelover's infinite theme list challenge. pm her if you're interested
-request from darkangelsnapelover and her boyfriend:
"Hey, my boyfriend and I came up with some great request ideas to tackle this weekend. Here's a list:
1. Buster gets addicted to a video game. He gets in trouble for playing the game at school."
Buster got a new handheld game for his birthday. He was 9; his mom thought he was ready. She bought two games to go with it. One was educational. The other was a sci-fi action game. He played it constantly that first weekend. He played so much he couldn't sleep. His brain still thought he was in the game.
It was summer so Buster showed the system to Arthur. They took turns playing. Buster played a lot on his own too. He played nearly every day. He dreamed of the game. He played the game even when he wasn't playing the game. Buster was obsessed. He couldn't put the game down. Bitzi didn't notice because she was at work. Arthur noticed, as did the others, but they thought Buster would stop when school started.
They were right...for the first day. Buster was in fourth grade now. He and Arthur shared a homeroom. Francine was there too. Everyone else was in other classes. They talked at recess. Buster talked like normal. No one noticed he was really thinking about his game, about playing his game constantly again. They didn't realize he hada problem.
The second day of school, Buster forgot to take his game out of his pocket. He put it in his locker. He didn't need it, he told himself. He could live without it. But by lunch, he thought of it constantly. What if whoever had the locker last year broke in? What if something dripped into his locker and ruined the system? He rescued the system and hid it in his pocket.
In class, he felt the weight of the game. He ran his fingers of his pocket. He could feel the buttons. He twitched. He wanted to play the game. At recess, he could resist no longer. He hid in a corner of the playground and played his game.
"Buster, what are you-?" Arthur asked. He stopped when he saw what Buster was doing. "If they catch you, they'll take the game. You should put it in your locker." "I can't, Arthur! What if someone takes it? What if something drips inside and ruins it? I have to have it on me." "Buster, calm down," Arthur whispered, hiding beside Buster. "I think you have a problem, buddy. You need to leave that at home and try not to play as much."
Buster snapped, "You try doing that! You're the one with a problem!" he screamed, running from his hiding spot and directly into their teacher. She told them both to go to Principal Haney's office. Buster felt bad. He immediately told them Arthur was trying to get him to put the game away. Arthur's story matched, so they let him off with a warning.
Buster wasn't so lucky. They confiscated the system. They called his mother. He was grounded because they wanted him to have detention. Buster was upset. He knew Bitzi wouldn't let him play the game anymore. He hated it.
The first day was hard for Buster. He twitched his fingers under his desk like he was playing the game. The teacher noticed and warned him to stop. Buster's ears hung low. He was ready for this to be over. He wanted his game back. He wanted to play it constantly again like he did that summer.
But after the third day without his system, Buster felt better. He'd stopped dreaming of the game. He stopped twitching his fingers under his desk. He spent more time with his friends too. He realized he missed them.
On the fifth day, Bitzi offered his system back because it was the weekend. Buster grabbed his helmet and shook his head. "I'm going to ride bikes, Mom. You play it."
Bitzi sighed. She watched Buster leave. She tried to work on some writing. But the system was nearby, so she turned it on. She put in the educational game and started to play.
Buster got home after dark. Bitzi was on the couch. Her eyes were bloodshot. The game was in her hand. Buster laughed as he went to take a bath. His mother was now addicted too.
-end