Zeyon’s POV
Okay, so I don’t know how I got here.
Actually, I do. It started with Elisse’s big mouth and Allison’s shiny excited eyes and my very, very weak heart when she looked at me like that. Like… she was already imagining us all having fun, like a real group of weird friends from a slice-of-life anime or something.
“Downtown city. Tomorrow. Everyone’s free, right?” Elisse said, slamming her hand on the table like she’s declaring war, not a weekend plan.
“I have my shop,” I said, sipping my coffee like the most responsible adult in the room.
Elisse gave me this devil smile. “Jessa can take care of your shop tomorrow. Right, Jessa?”
Jessa’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
“How dare you,” she said slowly, in her overly dramatic way, then flicked her hair back like some telenovela villain. “But okay, only because I love torturing your dough.”
Leo laughed like he was watching a circus. “Man, she’s gonna burn all your bread, bro.”
But then I looked at Allison. She wasn’t saying anything, just looking at me. Like her eyes saying, “Come on, just once. Join us.” And just like that, I sighed.
“Fine. Just don’t sell the shop while I’m gone.”
---
And that’s how I ended up here, standing in front of this giant, glowing arcade place in downtown. The sun just fully woke up, and so did my regret.
Leo ran inside like a kid high on sugar.
“I CALLED DANCE MACHINE FIRST!” he screamed.
“Screw you!” Elisse chased after him, literally dragging Jessa by the wrist.
Jessa: “Woman, I’m wearing heels—”
Allison and I looked at each other and just started laughing.
The arcade was chaos. Lights blinking everywhere, kids yelling, machines screaming, coins clinking. Leo and Elisse were already on the dance machine, doing some kind of dance battle. It looked more like a possessed chicken fight. Elisse was winning. Obviously.
Jessa got herself a milk tea and refused to sweat. She found one of those coin-pusher machines and started gambling like she’s in Vegas.
“I can make these coins fall. Just wait,” she muttered.
I stood behind Allison while she played this basketball shooting game. And let me tell you, she sucked. Badly.
“WHY IS THIS BALL SO BOUNCY,” she yelled.
“It’s literally a ball, Allison.”
“DON’T TALK TO ME WHEN I’M MISSING!”
I laughed so hard, I choked on my soda.
Leo came back, drenched in sweat like he just ran a marathon. “Okay, okay. Now let’s go to the racing place!”
---
The sports racing arena was huge. Like, real-life Mario Kart kinda thing. Not bumper cars. REAL SPEED. Helmets. Loud noises. Dangerous energy.
Elisse looked at me. “If I die, tell my parents I fought bravely.”
Allison: “You won’t die unless you drive like Leo.”
Leo: “HEY!! I’M A LEGEND!”
Jessa: “You’re a LEGENDARY MESS.”
Somehow, we all ended up with helmets, getting in the small cars. I rode next to Allison. She looked nervous.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just don’t wanna die with my mouth open.”
I laughed. “Same.”
The guy yelled, “3! 2! 1! GO!” and the cars ROARED.
We zoomed. Like really, ZOOMED. Allison screamed the whole time, holding the wheel like her life depended on it. I wasn’t even trying to win. I was busy laughing at everyone. Leo hit the corner wall. Elisse passed him and flipped him off. Jessa didn’t even drive, she just rolled slowly, singing some old song like she’s in a road trip.
When it ended, we all got off dizzy, messy, screaming, sweating.
“BEST. RACE. EVER!” Elisse shouted.
Leo was still catching his breath.
Jessa looked at her reflection in her phone screen. “I hate sweat. I look like a damp chicken.”
Allison looked at me with the biggest smile. “I thought I was gonna die.”
“You drove like you were gonna kill us both,” I joked.
Then came the final part of the day: picnic.
We picked a park nearby, full of cherry trees and soft grass. Leo brought some sandwiches from my shop (Jessa didn’t burn it after all!) and drinks. We sat in a circle, laughing, talking, and just feeling… normal.
Elisse threw a piece of bread at Leo. “Stop talking about aliens.”
Leo: “I’m just saying, if one of us here is an alien, it’s definitely Jessa.”
Jessa gasped. “EXCUSE ME?! I AM A GODDESS.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Not from this planet.”
Everyone laughed. Allison laughed so hard she almost spilled her drink on my lap.
I looked at her. She looked so happy. Wind blowing her hair, sunlight touching her skin, laughter shining in her eyes.
My heart did a thing.
And in that moment, I didn’t regret leaving the shop today. I didn’t regret letting Elisse plan this chaos. I didn’t regret anything.
I just wanted to freeze this moment.
Because for once, everything felt right.
The laughter. The chaos. The people.
Her.
Yeah. I don’t know what this feeling is.
But I think I like it.
A lot.