The rest of the weekend and the earlier weekdays that followed were slow and uneventful. Regina successfully avoided any and all contact with Robin, convinced he was probably aware that she knew about his infidelity due to his unrelenting calls and texts. She would often catch herself wondering if she was entitled to feel such a way towards him. They were never openly exclusive, after all, and she always knew Robin's intentions with her was mostly physical in nature, which she accepted willingly. Still, she couldn't help but feel angry and slightly hurt. Mostly because his decision to cheat left her unaccompanied and vulnerable to that perv who tried to take advantage of her, and would have succeeded, had Emma not intervened. Emma. Emma fucking Swan. Regina attempted to repress her from her thoughts, but soon found it to be a nearly impossible task. She spent many wasted minutes staring at Emma's name through her phone screen, tempted to send her a quick, meaningless text. A mere 'Hey' or 'Got your hideous, outdated leather jacket' or anything that would give the blonde access to her as well; give Emma some jurisdiction in this twisted gambit they were thrust into. But no message was ever composed or sent; no line of communication was ever opened all due to the simple fact that Regina refused to surrender into her wants so easily. She hated every time she was ever compared to her Mother by family members or strangers alike, yet this one characteristic even she could not deny was prevalent in both of them, the Mills women were incredibly, unyieldingly stubborn.
On Wednesday afternoon, Regina decided to ignore her Mother's 'Head Straight Home after School' policy and follow Kathryn, her oldest and dearest friend, to the Storybrooke Central Arcade located on the other side of town, frequented mostly by the Storybrooke High kids. She was hesitant at first, afraid she'd bump into Robin or the perv, but Kathryn was persistent. She used every card in the deck against Regina; ranging from the 'You can meet someone hotter!' and 'Do it, for me!' finally succeeding with 'IF you don't come, so help me, I will show everyone at school your 9th grade yearbook picture!' That did it.
"You wouldn't dare!" Regina gasped, legitimately shocked that Kathryn would even unbury such horrendous memory. The image suddenly materialized into her mind, reminding her of that unlucky, bow-like hairstyle and brace-covered, unruly teeth that made her look like she was the victim of bullying commercial.
"Oh, I so would! I saved a copy after you made your mom recall all the already printed books just so you could retake the picture. Yup." Kathryn answered smugly. "It's totally not above me, if it means helping you out!"
"Helping me out? You can't possibly be serious! You want to go to help yourself out!" Regina snapped back, a little irritated at Kathryn's boldness. "You're tired of your boy-toy and ready to go hunting for a new one. I know you, Kathryn. You go through guys like you do those overpriced thongs. Mostly because they're constantly being given away as gifts to whatever guy you're with that day."
"You ungrateful bitch!"
"You manipulative slut!"
Moment of silence while both women thought up another round of insults.
"Soooo…. please come? It will be fun, I promise!" Kathryn begged, argument already forgotten. "Pleaaaasseeeeeeeeee!"
"Fine!" Regina relented, somewhat curious to see where this would take her. "But only if you swear to torch that picture, you skank."
"Deal!"
After making amends, the two walked side-by-side under the grueling heat towards the Arcade. Regina and Kathryn both ditched their school uniforms in a gas station bathroom, switching to their 'after school' gear, which consisted of booty shorts and a top revealing far too much cleavage from both girls. Regina picked up this little habit from Kathryn, who was constantly trying to hook her up with one of her discarded fuck buddies. The promiscuous outfits were an absolute necessity in luring them in according to Kat, and even then, Regina still found herself empty handed and unfulfilled. Not a single one was ever man enough to claim her the way she so deeply desired. She was seriously considering surrendering all hope.
The Arcade was roughly a forty-minute walk. Although a quick trip by car, walking the distance was another, far more challenging matter. By the time the girls arrived, both had slowly transitioned from their 'sexy, come hither' look to 'fuck it, it's too hot for this shit' alternative. Eager for relief in the form of Air Conditioner and an ice, cold soda, they pulled the double doors open and staggered forward.
They were immediately greeted with the sounds of laughter and shouts, machine wirings and hums, and the sensational aroma of salted pretzels and popcorn, with a hint of peppermint floating in the air. Regina couldn't help but smile softly as her eyes carefully absorbed her surroundings. The place was massive. From the outside, it would be difficult to judge the length and size of the structure, seeing that it was an old, brick corner building, that was left abandoned by its previous owner after a fire. Although the outside facade still showed signs of the fire that scathed and blackened a significant portion of it, the interior was entirely new and modern. It extended over two floors, with every window tinted black to give the facility that extra gloominess regardless of the time of day. The girls slowly wandered about, allowing themselves to adjust to this new environment neglected from them for years now. The arcade was equipped with every imaginable form of entertainment possible. It was complete with the typical arcade machines, old and new alike, a bowling alley, laser tag, restaurant and bar - for the older crowd, and a karaoke section.
Kathryn hastily made her way to the bar, requesting two cold colas for the pair of them, handing one to Regina. Regina took a sip and unraveled at the soothing sensation as the icy beverage coursed down her parched throat. She felt a nudge from Kathryn at her side and twisted in the direction of her gaze. She watched as a group of cocky jocks approached the bar, poise and posture screaming masculinity and confidence, two traits that tugged fervently at Regina's core.
Regina caught the leader, or the alpha, or whatever you call the head bitch in charge in a group of males, eyeing her hungrily in his approach. Smirk forming at firm lips, eyes suddenly sparkling with desire, and almost just at sudden switching to awe and wonder. Regina braced herself, feeling quite exposed and unsure under his pinning gaze.
"I don't believe I've ever seen you here before." He questioned as he approached, tone soft and genuine. "I'm highly positive I'd remember ever bumping into someone that looks like you." His eyes dropped again, scanning her at much closer distance now.
"August." He extended a hand. Another nudge from Kathryn, harder this time.
"R-Regina." She rasped out, offering her hand in return, eyes fixed on his solid blue ones.
"It's indeed a pleasure to meet you, Regina." He took her slightly unsteady hand and kissed it softly, giving her a teasing wink as he made his way up again.
Hmmmm, where had she seen that before? She wondered.
"Would you ladies like to join us? We have a lane down at the alley, we could use a few more players." He addressed Regina and Kathryn but his stare remained on the brunette. Challenging and hungry.
"Absolutely! We'd love to!" Kathryn replied for the both of them, almost as soon as the invitation left those enticing lips.
They followed the jocks to Lane number ten, where the rest of their crew waited to get started. Regina felt inquiring looks fall upon her. She thought she heard whispering coming from behind her but was too anxious to turn. So she relinquished the reins over to Kathryn and let the outgoing blonde take the lead in this. She had absolutely no clue how to proceed.
She felt a light hand rest against her lower back. Low but not low enough to cause discomfort. She turned and saw it was August. He directed her to an empty chair and motioned her to sit.
"Ever bowled before?" He asked, amused at Regina's tense nature.
"Of course I have." Not so harsh, Regina, Jeez!
He chuckled, eyes darting to the screen as he typed in her name. "Fair enough." He finished. "Come on, let's go get you shoes and a ball to play with." Another cocky smirk.
He seemed incredibly willing to peruse around the alley, in search of a bowling ball worthy of Regina. Most were heavy and cumbersome. Regina had a hard time holding, let alone throwing one. August pulled through and found one small enough for her slim fingers to comfortably grasp.
"Perfect!" She squealed in delight, after trying many that felt awkward and bulky. He smiled kindly at her, making her slightly shake at the knees.
When they returned, shoes and ball in hand, she found Kathryn already immersed in conversation and unrestricted flirtation with half the team. She discovered they were Storybrooke's Football team during her quest with August to find the perfect bowling ball. She also uncovered that August was indeed the leader, or the captain, and that he was a Senior on a path to graduation and University, having received a full ride to the school of his choice. Willing to overlook his forward and possessive personality, Regina was genuinely interested in August, gawking in secret whenever he would pick up his bowling ball, watching the muscles tense and curl enticingly on strong arms.
"Your turn, gorgeous." He strutted back after earning a strike, running his thumb across Regina's bottom lip, igniting electrical currents to race all through her body.
She stood on shaky legs and made her way to the lane, holding firmly to her ball to avoid embarrassingly dropping it before due time. In the most sensual maneuver she could muster, she allowed the ball to slip from her fingers as she tossed it, bending forward slightly fully aware that she had the entire team's attention as her ass shot up in the air at her movement. The sensation quickly passed as her ball swerved right and dropped into the gutter, earning her laughter and booing from the watching crowd.
"Damn it!" She cursed, frustrated at her self-induced humiliation.
"Thought you said you've played before," August was behind her, she could feel the smirk in his tone, "or was that a lie to impress me?"
"It's been a while." She waited for her ball to resurface, and as she leaned forward to grab it, her eyes unwittingly landed on the pool table stationed at the far side of the arcade, directly across from where she stood. She watched momentarily paralyzed as a slender figure bent over at the waist, torso and chest pressed against the table as she strained to reach the white ball on the opposite side. Blonde hair carelessly parted to the right as the left side of her head were adorned in many small, half braids, leaving her face exposed and in perfect view for Regina. Emma smirked proudly upon sinking the eight ball, straightening her posture and high-fiving an attractive male. Similar to her taste in attire, he sported a dark zip up jacket and black jeans. Hair was short but dark and even in the distance, Regina could make out the light blue eyes, the trimmed facial hair and gentle mustache on his face.
A rough smack to her backside made her jolt back to place, causing her to curse and spin around. "Sorry, couldn't help it." August stood, towering over her, not in the slightest apologetic.
She grabbed her ball and, slightly flustered and unfocused, tossed the ball without much preparation, not caring where it landed. Walking back to her seat, her eyes once again found the object that had undoubtedly stolen all her attention. She watched as a smaller, dark haired woman sashayed her way to Emma, wearing a short, flowy skirt and halter top, carrying two drinks in hand. Emma took one of the drinks and, after taking a long sip, leaned down to kiss the flirty brunette possessively on the lips, her free hand traveling south and squeezing her plump backside once it reached its destination.
Regina felt her body temperature soar. She clenched her jaw and felt her nostrils flare at the unexpected anger she felt. She stood, unsure why, and was ready to stomp her way over to Emma when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her backwards, spinning her around to come crashing against August's toned body.
"You know, I've met plenty of hot girls before, but none quite like you." He stated, lips impossibly close to hers now, she could smell the beer in his breath. She stretched out her arms a bit, gently pushing them farther apart - seriously, what was up with guys nowadays and their inability to keep their hands to themselves! - when he pulled her arms away and stepped closer, head dodging low to capture Regina's lips in his.
"Regina! Get the FUCK away from her!" A low growl came from behind, causing Regina and August to part, and look in its direction. The rest of the team along with Kathryn, whom had perched herself on one of the player's lap and was making out with him intensely, all looked up as well.
"Get your hands OFF of her right fucking NOW!" Robin roared, face twisted in rage, eyes glazing over as anger consumed him. He wasn't alone. He had four friends with him, none of which Regina recognized. One tried holding him back, trying to calm him, he knew they were clearly outnumbered, but Robin moved closer, eyes locked on August, fingers curving into fists as he approached.
Regina mechanically positioned herself in between the two men, pressing her backside to August's front, one arm reaching back to hold August in place, the other coming up to thwart Robin from getting closer.
"Robin, no, stop. You've no right to act like this! Just leave!" Regina urged, holding Robin at bay with her hand splayed across his chest, feeling it rise rapidly under her palm.
Kathryn slowly made her way to Regina's side, tugging at Regina's arm, trying to remove her from whatever could unfold between the two. She didn't budge.
"What a small world, eh Robin?" August greeted. Voice surprisingly calm and controlled. "So this is the girl you were speaking of the other day. The one you intended on deflowering. Interesting." Although she couldn't see his face, Regina felt August tense slightly behind her, she heard the amusement in his tone. He leaned forward, absorbing Regina's smaller frame into his, slipping an arm protectively around her waist. "Seems like she's made her decision, pal. Don't worry, I'll make sure to fulfill that promise you were too incompetent to keep."
All hell broke loose. Regina was tossed aside by August as Robin swung his fist, aiming for August's left cheekbone, causing her to land roughly against Kathryn who still stood beside her. Agile and alert, August ducked in time and launched forward, knocking Robin back and down. All eyes were on the struggling pair now, as they wrestled for dominance on the floor. Regina, held back in place by Kathryn, watched the fight indifferently. Cheers and shouts of encouragement were being dished out by the watching, ever growing crowd. She flinched as August landed a heavy fist into Robin's jaw, pushing his head forward to hit the floor underneath.
She looked away, and in that moment her eyes locked with a pair of worried, jade ones from across the room. Emma stared back in such intensity and longing that Regina was momentarily transported away from the chaos unfolding about her. She focused on every detail of that stern, pale face. How the lips were tight in concern, the eyes wide and anxious, and her body positioned in a way that was ready to pounce at any moment. Regina wanted to run to her. To caress the worry from her face with her fingertips and tongue. To soothe the stress that was clearly enveloping her. Then Regina watched as the woman she had kissed earlier moved closer to the blonde and slipped her hand around her arm, clinging to her.
She was drawn back by Kathryn yanking hard at her arm. "The sheriff is here! We have to go or they'll narc to your mom!" She moved towards the door, Regina being pulled along by her firm grip. Regina turned to look at the mess of torn clothes that scattered about the two guys, still wrestling on the ground. August appeared to have the upper hand, effectively pinning down Robin underneath him. But none of it mattered to Regina. She didn't care who came out victorious. She didn't care if either guy was forever sent away or thrown in jail. All she cared about were the pair of green eyes that followed after her in her hasty exit. She suppressed the urge to look in its direction, to part ways in such yearning was torture, but she knew she couldn't yield to the gravitational pull that was Emma Swan.
So she diverted her glazed, chocolate orbs to the floor and walked, following Kathryn's steps until they were outside, in the warm night. Even if all she wanted at that moment, all her 5 foot 5 inches' self craved, was to drown into those magnetic, chartreuse eyes.