3 days later at the Arcade with Oliver and Mikayla
"so you do like me, usually people just see me as an object or a bank account" says Mikayla, really starting to let herself feel the love for Oliver
"yes, though what I'm about to say may make you question that, it doesn't change how I feel about you, Siena said that you'd pay my parents back as well as pay for all of my sister's medication so my parents don't have to but only if she lives with us, the problem is she's not comfortable around me for more than a few hours at a time, she wouldn't be comfortable living with us, she has a girlfriend that our parents don't know about and she'd like to keep it that way" says Oliver
"I see Siena's been doing some research on me, I honestly can't tell if she knows it's creepy and does it anyway or if she genuinely doesn't know that keeping tabs on me like that is creepy, yes morally I would offer to help your sister, I'd offer to help your parents too by giving them double what my parents stole from them if they trusted me but they don't, Siena told me this morning how much my parents stole, I wrote a check for double that but I'm pretty sure they'd rip it up or something, on your sister, yes I'd prefer she lives with us so I can make sure she keeps to the medication schedule but her living with us isn't mandatory, just the best option, especially if she wants to keep her girlfriend a secret, I'm good at keeping secrets" says Mikayla
"she's my twin sister, we were separated at birth by a doctor who said my parents could never take care of twins, which was wrong by the way, they were more than capable, four years ago her adoptive parents passed away and my parents petitioned a judge to be her parents again, after hearing what led to my sister being put up for adoption, the judge was furious and granted them parental rights, they've gained her trust but she just doesn't trust me, no matter what I do, she doesn't trust me" says Oliver
"give Alexandria a call, I need to talk to her" says Mikayla as Alexandria out from around the corner
"I'm right here dumb dumb, are you that oblivious to your surroundings" says Alexandria as Mikayla turns around
"you should know better than to sneak up on me Lexi, now why don't you trust your brother " says Mikayla quite angrily
"I…. I don't know, my girlfriend does but I can't seem to, it's not that I don't want to, my brain just won't let me, the last time I tried I blacked out, it doesn't help that I'm not on my meds right now, though when I was on all of them I was almost too trusting, no I definitely was, a few years ago a guy at the mall in Anaheim told me outright that he was a rapist and I still let him buy me food, my adoptive parents were furious, I was grounded for two months and even after the grounding I was never allowed to go to the mall alone" says Alexandria
"where's Sasha" asks Mikayla
"probably in the Arcade somewhere, they got a new pinball machine last week and she's been determined to keep the high score" says Alexandria
"so staying at Oliver's apartment, yes or no, I'll pay for all your meds and get an updated list after they find out why one of the meds makes you too trusting, I know a doctor that will consult a few times for free" says Mikayla
"only if you're there all the time" says Alexandria
"I'll probably be there quite a lot but my apartment lease doesn't expire for a month and a half, part of my lease agreement is that I stay there for more than four days a week, if I break the lease early I pay a five thousand dollar fee as well as a cleaning fee or at least a thousand, ideally wed move to the house I bought from Hannah's dad when they moved to the ranch but that would mean breaking both apartment leases and that's expensive, as it stands that's just the place I record my new music if all goes well we can stop any renewal of the leases and move into that house by September" says Mikayla
"Whoa whoa wait you mean THE Hannah Montana house, the one with the secret closet that is actually her closet" asks Alexandria
"How did you know about that closet, I only stumbled upon it last month" says Mikayla
"she mentioned it in a cryptic post on her social media account, apparently only true fans understood its meaning, I happen to be one of her biggest fans, the post said 'Oh Lola, how I miss you, gone are the days when we could hide in my secret closet, we could have kissed for hours had you seen the truth about how I feel, one day I hope we can pull back the blind and be together more than just in my head, it was quite cute actually, though the meaning flew right over Lola's head, she replied to the post saying 'I see my name but I have no idea what you're saying', to be fair Hannah wrote it in Norwegian and Finnish and at best Lola only knows French and a little bit of Spanish, anyway I have to go find Sasha, it's time to go to Oliver's for a few days" says Alexandria
"here's the keys, Mikayla and I won't be home for an hour, we planned a Pier date but we have to eat first" says Oliver
"Sasha doesn't trust your neighbors, she thinks one is a registered sex offender, if you're not home she won't go to the apartment if your not there" says Alexandria
"you're talking about Jorge, yes he is a sex offender, though not to girls, hes very protective of girls, his victims were all boys who were physically abusive to girls, however that said I have spoken to him and made it quite clear that he wouldn't be allowed anywhere near my apartment or the two apartments in any direction of my apartment because the kids AND my sister are terrified of him, he totally understood, he usually takes the elevator, now he takes the stairs to the main floor, may I ask why Sasha has a reason to fear him" says Oliver
"she said she encountered him in the elevator three times last month but shed never had to interact with him before or after that, she finds it suspicious" says Alexandria
"ahh last month, yes there was a crack in the foundation near the stairs, it had to be repaired before anyone could use them again because it was a massive structural issue that could have ended in several apartments being damaged, including Jorge's, he informed the apartment super that kids were scared of him because of his record and that he HAD to take the stairs so they could feel safe, the super told him no, absolutely not, that he had to take the elevator" says Oliver
"so you guarantee that he won't touch Sashy" asks Alexandria
"yes, you have to understand he's a good man, sure he broke laws but he was trying to set boys straight, last year, before you and Sasha started coming over his apartment neighbor was a woman, she was disabled, a man broke into her apartment and had started ripping her clothes off, the walls are very thin, he heard it and broke in and got him out of there, twisting his arms behind his back quite painfully and had me call the cops and explain the situation, even though he ended up spending a week in jail for breaking the parole deal he made, the day after she asked me where he was, I told her he got arrested for being aggressive and nearly killing him, she asked me to drive her to the police station so she could explain what happened, they're dating now and his protective nature now surrounds her and her kids even though one of them is a boy, he honestly doesn't enjoy talking to people, if he said anything to Sasha it's because she said something to her first, he's not exactly good with his words" says Oliver
"ok then I'll go get Sasha and ask for special time, she can't resist that, see you at home Oliver" says Alexandria running off to go get Sasha
"sounds like she's coming around" says Mikayla
"maybe she is, I can't tell, she's autistic, sometimes she's faked trust, especially in public or around famous people" says Oliver
"she's not faking her trust issues Oliver, she's genuinely trying to trust your guarantee, you obviously don't know how I know her and Sasha do you" says Mikayla as Lexi and Sasha pass them to Sasha's car
"didn't I say their names" asks Oliver
"you call your sister Alexandria, she prefers to be called Lexi, she says Alexandria is too long of a name, her doctor in San Francisco, when she lived there with her adoptive parents put her in contact with me, there are things Lexi doesn't trust people with but she tells me, her being gay is but one example, her trust issues stem from a teacher she had, he was quite rude to her but everyone said he was an amazing teacher, she put up with his sexist comments about her purpose until one day while on her period, a bad day, she asked to use the bathroom, he said no and she ended up completely soaking her period pad with more than just the usual liquid, getting some on her chair as a result, he went nuts, said she was useless, he slapped her and then picked her up by her pants and threw her out the open classroom window, the classroom was on the second floor, she only survived the fall because the ninth graders were learning about fire safety and had a bed handy and it was almost in the right place, only her left arm and leg hit the ground, the rest hit the mattresses, that's the only reason she got to meet Sasha in the first place, it was take your kid to work day and her mother was the doctor overseeing Lexi's care, Sasha immediately felt a connection to Lexi and never left her side through the entire thing, as Lexi got discharged a week later, Sasha asked her out, they've been together ever since, the call right after Lexi and Sasha got together, Lexi's energy, her happiness, it skyrocketed, I'm basing that off of two calls, five days apart, the first one was while she was waiting for the ambulance, she was so depressed, she said she felt like dying no matter if she survives or not, all because of how that teacher treated her, the day she was being released from the hospital, she was so happy, I could tell right away that she'd fallen in love, her words just sounded cuter, she sounded happier" says Mikayla
"have you actually met her in person before, she's not exactly easy to get along with" says Oliver
"no, I've never met her in person before now but even I know you misunderstand her, you don't treat or respect her like your sister, you treat her like an annoying guest" says Mikayla
"she doesn't care about me in the slightest Kayla, why would I give her free trust , she hasn't earned my full trust" says Oliver
"with Lexi you get back what you give, she's used to people treating her like trash, as a result she won't show her caring side if others don't show that they care about her safety, that now former teacher doing what he did throwing her out that second-story window because HE was ignorant about the urgency her bathroom break required, it completely broke down any trust anyone had built up with her and it made it harder for her to trust anyone, especially men" says Mikayla
"but she trusts mom and dad" says Oliver
"no not entirely, it's not a firm trust, it's a 'let's see how much you tolerate me before you throw me out a window' kind of trust, she doesn't trust anyone fully except for Sasha" says Mikayla as their food arrives
"ok I need to know more about what happened, surely Sasha couldn't just walk away from her job or school or whatever obligations she already had at the time" says Oliver
"She didn't, she explained to the sschool what happened, luckily it was the same local school board that ran both schools, the school was happy to hear just how much Sasha was helping because she's also autistic, her autistic classmates didn't even talk to her even though she would help the teacher structure lessons so that the autistic kids in her class, herself included would have an easier time understanding the lessons, the school was so excited that she was willing to help a stranger through a hard time, it was a breaktthrough for them, they've been trying to get her to open up for years, she still had homework to do and lessons to read but they allowed her to stay with Lexi until she was better and believe me they were just as enthusiastic when she told them she's dating Lexi now" says Mikayla
"Did that teacher get punished for his actions" asks Oliver quickly working on his meal
"oh that's another story entirely, he tried to justify his actions but the school board wasn't having it, they were quite pissed, he'd threatened that kind of action to unruly students before but he promised it was just talking to keep the unruly students in line, Lexi's medical bill was final at sixty grand, something her adoptive parents couldn't even begin to think about being able to pay, the school board stepped in and sued the teacher for sixty grand AND lost income on Lexi's part" says Mikayla
"wait Lexi has a job, I had no idea, did the school board win" asks Oliver
"Lexi is an Arcade game tester, both pinball and regular arcade games, she had just started when the incident happened, she'd worked for three days before being thrown out that window, as for the lcourt case yes they won, by a landslide even, Lexi was awarded a hundred and twenty grand, half went to the medical bill, she split the rest with Sasha" says Mikayla
"wait but she said Sasha was in the Arcade, she never said anything about her playing also" says Oliver
"Sasha probably was playing on an Arcade machine, Lexi was probably working or enjoying a day off in the back room playing on one of her personal machines" says Mikayla
"whoa wait she owns a few Arcade machines, why not bring them home" says Oliver
"they're too big, there's six in total, five Arcade machines and a pinball table, they're simply too big, the pinball table is a limited edition, only ten were made and the company worked with her to design them, it's actually very popular, any Arcade that has one is making a killing, mainly because she designed an amazing skill shot and a timed bumper as part of it, it's such a hard skill shot that one in forty players can even make it once, even fewer can make the shot several times a game, Sasha is among the top skilled players the world over" says Mikayla, finishing her meal
"wait but her dating Lexi, isn't that an issue" asks Oliver
"She created the design on day one, the company only recently started selling them and Lexi gets to decide if more are made not the company, Lexi made the algorithm that stands as the bumper timer for the skill shot, though even she doesn't really remember the algorithm information or how to beat it, she told me about it the day she created it, two months later I asked her if the company accepted it into the design and if it was possible for her to tell me the algorithm, her response was, they accepted it yes but it's a very complicated math problem and I can't even always follow it, certainly not when I'm not able to take my meds, it was a two hour hyper focus math problem I created to figure out how traffic lights work, it would take me three weeks to understand it now', I actually asked Sasha if she knew how it worked, she said that Lexi wouldn't tell her, the only thing she knew was that Lexi had a hand in everything, the entire pinball table was designed by Lexi, that's all Sasha needed to know to beat it again and again, I've tried and failed a dozen or more times to beat it, getting to the skill shot is the easy part, actually completing the skill shot is the hard part" says Mikayla
"can we play it on our date, maybe if I play it I can understand my sister more" says Oliver
"I did rent out the part of the Arcade it's in but I wasn't able to get that specific pinball machine rented for the hour, it's too popular for the Arcade owners to rent it out to one person for an hour, they said they'd lose seven hundred dollars just from that pinball table alone, though there is a prize for high scores" says Mikayla
"has Sasha ever had a top score" asks Oliver as they pay their bill and head to the Arcade
"a few times, though she never takes it, she always asks the Arcade to double it, as in take her prize money and add it to the next persons prize her and this dude Zani are in a competition to see who tapes the money, the prize pot is up to a grand, so far neither have accepted it" says Mikayla as they enter the Arcade
"ahh Mika, glad you're here, I was beginning to think you were going to rent that corner and no show" says Rico
"hey I may not get along with you but you've really cleaned up the Arcade in recent years but I'm taken now so stop hitting on me please" says Mikayla
"Oliver is one lucky guy Mikayla, don't mess it up, he's a good friend of mine, now if you don't mind asking Sasha to take the pot next time she wins, it's getting ridiculous, the pot just reached two grand, the cops just left, they assume I'm breaking some gambling law" says Rico
"she's very competitive Rico, she won't just take the pot if the competition says the first person to take it loses, unless both parties know you were visited by cops because of their competition and Zani folds, Sasha won't take it even though she needs the money" says Oliver
"I thought they were living at your place, she is dating your sister and your parents aren't exactly gay friendly" says Rico
"part time, basically only when they want to be alone and away from parental control, aside from wearing the bare minimum I give them free rein of my apartment most of the time, she thinks she owes me rent, her Arcade skills are definitely good enough to make her some good cash" says Oliver
"does she know how to repair them, my repair guy just quit, apparently the last breakdown was too difficult for him, I'd pay her good money" says Rico, obviously desperate to get his Arcade in full working order
"yes she can repair them, even the old stuff, though she won't work for you directly, you have a creepy mode and she won't work for people she thinks will hit on her" says Mikayla
"Lexi wants the old stuff working again so she can fill out the retro corner with original equipment instead of the modern recreation versions" says Rico
"wait she works with you, since when" asks Oliver, suddenly suspicious
"don't get your underwear all knotted Oliver, she works for the companies that make the Arcade stuff, the cabinets and the pinball tables, this is just her place of operations, she doesn't work FOR me, she works with me to adjust misbehaving systems on behalf the creators but she only goes so far, if it's more than a simple repair she won't do anything, not even if there's a manual on how to do it, I have seven systems down with complicated issues, they were also very popular, people come by all the time asking for information on when they'll be back up, I can ask the company if they'll hire Sasha as the on location repair tech, she'd get to negotiate the wage, I'm just the person paying, if she's good enough I'll pay whatever she asks for so long as the company agrees to hire her" says Rico
"I thought you owned this place" asks Oliver
"I own the physical building and some of the older systems but all the new ones are leased to me, as the onsite tester Lexi gets a say in which stay or go even if I double my lease price offer for them, if Lexi says they go they go" says Rico
"has that already happened" asks Mikayla as the three of them head to the corner she rented for the hour
"they were replaced at my cost after I caught a few people literally beating two of the new arcades up because they were losing, Lexi cared about the condition of them, she negotiated with the companies, they wanted me to lose them outright because I couldn't control the patrons, she negotiated a ten grand per machine trade for similar systems with a metal case instead of the normal arcade case that can be damaged easily, I wasn't happy about the additional cost but paid the price because I didn't want to lose more machines than the ones that are currently nonfunctional and need repairs, anyway enjoy your hour, you're free to refill your pop