Emily’s screen zoomed out of the car. This way she could see what’s in front of it better based on her perspective. It passed by the fifth car and released the gas. She swerved along the curve. Then, she picked up speed again, catching up to the 4th car.
Jae smiled to himself. Hot on the red Lamborghini’s tail, he waited for an opening. The little elf focused on overtaking her opponents that she wouldn’t notice his tactic. It didn’t matter where he was, what she needed to do was take over the front.
The first lap ended with Emily in 3rd place and Jae at 4th.
The Lamborghinis drove around the same track for the second time.
Emily patiently waited for the 2nd place to make a mistake. The black Porsche stayed a few meters ahead of her. Another curve appeared in sight. It changed directions, preparing for a wide arc. She grinned.
Her opportunity came.
The red Lamborghini headed for the other side. When the curve came, the convertible did a narrow swerve. It was tricky and a mistake was easy. The advantage was how short the distance would be compared to the outer rim.
Placing the steering wheel back in default position, Emily now held 2nd place.
The final soon arrived.
Only a white Ferrari stood in her way of victory.
Emily bowed her head a bit and focused on the screen with narrow eyes. She observed and calculated its every move. A part of her hoped that it would make the same move as the Porsche. Then, the trophy would be in the bag.
A squeal leaked out of her lips as she watched it unfold.
Not wasting the chance, she remade her trick and overtook 1st place.
She did the same thing again when another curve passed by, widening the gap between her and the Ferrari. She only needed to finish a long straight path before she crossed the finish line.
Emily checked the map and spotted all of her opponents’s positions. She frowned. A dot stayed close behind her. Did her trick not work? Had the program designed the Ferrari to do both types of turn?
Her foot already pressed on the pedal as much as possible. Her speed couldn’t increase any faster. Since the track only had a straight line ahead, she wouldn’t be able to shake the opponent off.
Jae smiled. The race almost came to a close. He stirred to the right, gradually increasing the pressure on the pedal. It didn’t take long for him to be in the same level as the red Lamborghini. The finish line was in sight.
Then, he suddenly tugged the steering wheel to the left.
His chrome blue Lamborghini hit the fiery rose.
“What?!” Emily gasped. Her head snapped towards his screen. She gaped, “Oh, you, bastard!”
She gritted her teeth and straightened her car to the lane. The blue Lamborghini crossed the finish line right in front of her who was inches behind. Emily slammed the steering wheel as a silver ‘2nd Place’ flashed on her screen.
Jae – 1
Emily – 0
“I know, I know” Jae sniffed, repeatedly pulling his shirt a bit with two hands, “I’m awesome.”
Emily scoffed, any sign of humor gone. If he wanted to play that way, oh, she’d play.
“Loser gets to pick the next game, right?” She sneered, swinging her legs in his direction.
“Absolutely, m’lady” he nodded.
They both stood up and Emily went on the hunt for the next game. She walked around the arcade in search of revenge. Jae followed behind her. He had a bounce in his steps. Smugness radiated off him.
Emily licked her lips and pointed to a rectangular table, “I choose that one then. Air Hockey.”
The table looked similar to a billiard’s shape but smaller in dimension. The middle had an arch made of metal poles. The top’s center had a digital scoreboard on both sides. Two paddles had been tied to the arch, long enough to reach the either end of the table. Each side had a narrow hole where the puck could go in.
Jae inserted the correct amount of tokens. Emily heard a rattle from under her end of the table. The puck slipped out of the compartment. The holes on the table emitted out soft air. When she placed the puck, it floated and moved slowly.
She held it in position as well as the paddle.
Emily gave no warning and slammed the paddle against the puck. It glided over the table in zigzag motion, hitting both sides on its way to the other end. It moved fast and became a blur. Jae tried to keep his eyes on it and pulled his paddle to the right.
He missed by an inch, the puck slipping inside the hole.
Then, the puck came out of his compartment.
The scoreboard blinked and gave Emily her point. She laughed arrogantly.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Emily was in her element. Her eye for detail gave her more focus. She wouldn’t need to follow the puck on its every movement. She can see at a macro level which helped locate it even from the corner of her eye. Oh, how she loved this skill.
Jae tried to catch her off guard as well. Using her laugh as a distraction, he placed the puck back into play. It zipped across the table and aimed for a straight path to her goal slot. She had her paddle to one side and left the other open.
It went straight in.
The sound of the puck clattering in the compartment snapped Emily awake. She checked the scoreboard. It hadn’t been her imagination. The big blonde oaf did slither through her defenses. As if a film moved in slow motion, she shifted her gaze towards Jae. Icy blue eyes crystallized at him.
“No more fooling around then” she taunted, setting the puck in place.
Hunched over the table, Emily shoved her paddle against the puck.
It went back and forth between the two end parts of the table. Both parties used all of their strengths. Sometimes the puck would hit the plaster next to the hole and rebound back to the other side. Since the players used maximum force, the momentum stayed rapid. If the paddle hit it after that, its speed would pick up again.
The game went longer than the race. That one had a fixed track and they raced against time. This game depended on the players’ ability to defend their slots. The length of it could be measured with three paddles. A player must predict which part the puck would target.
Emily hissed a breath. The puck narrowly missed the hole at Jae’s end. He had an advantage of one point. She needed to get her bearings back. The puck came back to her half of the table. It moved at an average speed. She didn’t wait for it anymore.
Aiming the paddle towards it, Emily pushed the paddle and hit the puck as it crossed the midline. The string pulled the paddle back, not letting it cross. She hopped on the table and reached for it. The puck went straight inside the slot and scored her a point.
The game ended if the puck no longer came out of the compartment. Either a player scored the maximum points it allowed or they ran out of time.
Jae lifted the puck out of the compartment and stared at the scoreboard. He twirled the disc between his fingers. He shook his head, smirking at the blonde girl’s scowl, “Now, now, is that the attitude of a deserving winner should have?”
“If you think that I’m about to let you win then, you’re fairly mistaken” Emily used a sickly sweet smile and fluttered her eyelashes, “I hope you’re not a sore loser.”
Jae snorted. He changed his strategy and slammed the puck with little force. It slid across the table as if it strolled in a park. It didn’t hit the sides until it reached three quarters of the table. Its speed slowed down once it did.
Emily crouched low and waited for the puck to reach the middle. Then, in one swift motion, she hit it in a straight line. The puck went flying back to Jae’s side of the table. It left a trail of blur. Then, he made a miscalculated move and the disc went inside his slot.
The scoreboard blinked continuously.
The puck also didn’t reappear.
The results were final.
The game had been decided.
The victory belonged to Emily.
Jae – 1
Emily – 1
She bounced on her heels, squealing in absolute joy. She placed the paddle on the table and pressed a hand to her chest. She closed her eyes. The sound of fake crying slipped out of her mouth. She wiped off imaginary tears.
Aimed at no one in particular, she gave a speech, “Oh, my goodness. This is… I don’t know what to say. I am honored to be the winner at such an elaborate game. I thank whatever force from above that helped me achieve this. I also thank my paddle for staying by my side.”
Emily cleared her throat and looked at the ceiling. She fanned her face with her hands. Then, as if she finally composed herself, her hands stopped. She lowered her gaze and smiled, “I will treasure this moment forever and dare I say it…
… Puck you, loser!”
