You stood at one of the round tables at the back of Alex's Arcade. The loud music was muffled and only faint in this part of the building and the light was less neon-ish and more like regular lighting.
Toby and Jim stood next to you on either side, forming a triangle around the table's chapped edge.

All of your six eyes were focused on what was laying on the table. Even the lamp above you seemed to be anxiously waiting for someone to speak as it gave a small flicker, shortly darkening the space and then brightening it up again.

Three small heaps of tickets sat before Jim, Toby and you. You were currently sorting them into a neat, grid-like cluster to be able to count them faster.
Once you were done, there was one thing you could tell immediately and that was that Jim definitely went into third place for this competition.
His finished cluster was two lines smaller than both Toby's and yours.

The question was how you'd hold up against the chubbier boy, who loved to play videogames late into the night and definitely had more skill with them too.
You were feverishly counting your tickets but you kept getting thrown off and restarting.

Knowing that Thomas was hiding behind the corner not too far from Jim's back wasn't helping your nervousness right now either.

The blue-eyed boy glanced to you as he had just finished counting his smaller cluster.
"I got eighteen tickets in total," he announced, already sounding pretty disappointed. Seemed like he too had noticed the much higher amount of tickets his friends had.

Tobias spoke up next, puffing his chest proudly. He had a lot more confidence, which made you worry a little.
"Don't worry, Jimbo, I'll go easy on you," said the light brown-haired teen with a grin, "I have twenty-eight tickets!"
It looked like he was about to start a victory dance when he remembered that you still had to reveal your amount.
Halting with his hands already midair, Toby looked to you, an expression of anticipation on his round face.

You went through the tickets, your (e/c) eyes skipping from one spot to the next over and over until you had reached the last.

...
Did you count that right?

Deciding to play it safe, you ignored the impatient boys and counted again.

...
You did count right.

"I-.." you began, "..-have twenty-nine."

"What!? No waaaaaaay!" Toby threw his short arms up into the stuffy air, letting out a groan of defeat as he slumped back down, "you're way too lucky, (Y/n)!"

Rubbing the back of your head, you let out a small chuckle.
"I guess I am, yeah."
You quickly threw a short glance toward the corner, spotting Thomas' thumbs-up and smile before he went back into hiding. You really were lucky.

Without the tall boy's help, you wouldn't have been able to beat even Jim's eighteen tickets. You'd have to keep your promise and buy him ice cream later.

"I already know we're going to suffer, my dear friend Jim!" exclaimed Tobias and hung himself onto his thin buddy, faking a crying expression pretty well.
Jim only smiled at Toby's overdramatic reaction, shaking his head softly.
"Come on, Tobes, (Y/n)'s dares can't be that bad.." he told him but then quickly grew uncertain as he threw you a look, "..right?"

You couldn't help but smirk impishly in response.

"Oh god," was all Jim uttered while a horrified expression came over his face.
You could tell he was already imagining all sorts of embarrassing things that you might possibly dare him to do. He was also probably remembering your teasing from before, regarding his crush on Claire.

"Come on, let's get some fresh air before I dish out the dares," you told the two boys, grabbing your tickets with a victorious feeling and stuffing them into the pocket of your (c/o/c) hoodie. Maybe you'd exchange them for something one day or give them to Thomas as thanks. Not like you actually wanted any of those rather cheap plastic trophies they handed out here.
Right now you wanted to enjoy this glorious triumph.

The sun had lowered itself a little over the hours but since the season was beginning to change more toward spring everyday, it was still plenty warm and bright.
A lush breeze blew past your small group when you stepped outside, ruffling your hair a little. It felt nice and comforting compared to the rather thick air inside the arcade.

As you turned to face the two losers of the game, you didn't even try to hide the mischief glinting dangerously in your (e/c) eyes.
Toby grew fidgety, munching on his last spare taco to calm his nerves while you simply enjoyed the silence and how much it tormented the boys.
Jim threw you a slightly confused look, probably not getting why you weren't saying anything, and then rubbed his neck.

"Did you already think of something?" he asked you, sounding very much reluctant.
"I believe I did," you responded and smiled a little.
It was kind of fun to be the one on top, knowing you could devastate your friends by, for example, making Jim wear a sparkly dress and answer with 'I'm a princess' whenever someone asks him about it.
You weren't going to do something so large but the possibility was fun to think about anyway.

Right now you were simply waiting for your short friend to finish his taco. He should at least enjoy that for now.

Once he was done and had thrown the wrapper into a trashcan, you spoke up.

"Toby," you said, staring at him intently and speaking without hesitation, "I dare you to only eat salads for a week."

Immediately, the chubby boy paled and gasped, a terror stricken expression imprinting on his face.
"You can't be serious! How am I supposed to survive that!? (Y/nnnnnn)!!!"
Dramatically, he dropped to his knees. You swore you could've seen a weeping soul escape his body.

The lanky boy next to you had to cover his mouth to not laugh at his poor buddy, who was cursing the gods -aka you- and mourning after that taco he had just eaten so hastily.
"Had I known you'd be my last," Toby whined, rubbing his tummy as if the already consumed meal could hear him, "I would've savoured every tiny bite of you!"

He kept on complaining loudly for a while but stopped when Jim turned to you, instead beginning to grumble quietly to himself.
"So, what do I have to do? Eat junk food for a week?" he suggested with a joking tune, not seeming very worried about what you'd dare him to do.
Your response did worry him a little though.

"I'm going to keep your dare for now, Jimbo," was what you told him, smiling casually for a moment before going back to the regular blank expression you always wore, "maybe there will be a great opportunity I wouldn't want to miss out on some time."

Jim gulped. That didn't sound too good. He'd have to keep his guard up for now.
But seeing how Toby's dare had been rather friendly, if not for Toby's taste buds then at least for his diet, you surely wouldn't dare him anything too outrageous like running around town butt-naked or something.

Looking up into the slowly darkening sky, you scratched your cheek and huffed.
"What do you say to getting back home? I still have that study session to do," you suggested, obviously leaving out that your 'study session' included the ancient language of trolls, Trollspeak.

Toby was still too busy lamenting his cruel fate to pay attention but Jim seemed to agree with you, following your steps toward where your bicycles were.
"Sounds good to me, yeah. Gotta make some dinner and prepare tomorrow's lunchboxes too... Hey, (Y/n)?" he said and then looked to you, an unsure but friendly expression on his pretty face, "would you like me to make you one too? The cafeteria's food isn't exactly.. 'good' and that's all you're eating every day."

You blinked at him and nearly stopped walking, surprised at the kind offer. Then again, you should probably start getting used to Jim's seemingly boundless generosity.
"I'd like that," you told him, hitting his shoulder playfully, "not like making Toby's new salad lunch will take very long."
A pained cry was heard from the short boy's direction but you just ignored it.

You unlocked your bicycles and -after snapping Toby out of his daze- began heading back toward your street.

As the wind brushed over your (s/c) skin and messed up your hair, you felt content and happy.
Even with the obstacles you had to face so far still in mind and possible future problems ghosting about, being around such good company made it all seem so much easier to overcome.

You weren't alone anymore.

It felt like life was finally getting to the good parts.

---

Thomas stood in front of Alex's Arcade, watching as his friends pedaled off without him.

It bothered him.

Not just that she decided to keep his help a secret but also that he was being left behind by everyone.

Did she not want him to be around her anymore?

After all, she had Jim and Toby now.
No need for the bothersome Thomas to stick around, right?

He shook his head.

No, she wasn't that kind of person. He just had a bad day, that's all. Tomorrow everything would be like always again.
He would be by (Y/n)'s side and that pesky tugging in his chest would be gone.

Giving a small sigh, the dark-skinned boy wandered off into town, heading for his own home on the other side of Arcadia Oaks.
He still had a sick little sister to take care of and homework to do. Maybe he'd do that and go to bed right after.

Without him even noticing, his left hand reached up and grasped around his right elbow, causing a sudden sharp pain to jolt through his entire arm, up his shoulder and right into his brain.
Wincing, Thomas let go of his elbow, remembering that weird cat that had bitten him after school today.

He had forgotten about it while he was with (Y/n), probably too distracted by the games and the company to pay attention but now that he was by himself, the pain came back.

It had stopped bleeding rather quickly after he got bitten and the skin was already beginning to heal over. There was a bit of scab on the tiny holes, showing the mark of a set of fangs.
His skin also felt kind of cold around that spot, which was strange considering the heat in this country and the fact that it was only this one spot and nowhere else.

Giving a small sigh and banishing the injury from his thoughts as he wandered down the silent streets of the less busy parts of town, Thomas couldn't stop himself from thinking about his friend and how she kept on leaving him out of things instead.
Especially today seemed to be the national 'Let's ignore Thomas'-day. Not just with Jim and Toby but also earlier with Claire.

(Y/n) simply didn't talk much to him. It felt as if their friendship was completely one-sided.

Thomas' shoulders slumped.
Was that it? Did she never actually see him as a friend? Was that all just him being clingy?
She certainly looked a lot happier around Jim and Toby.
Hell, even Claire and they only spoke once so far!

It was unfair.

Why did things have to be like this? Couldn't she just be happy with him and only him?

As the tall boy wandered through the streets, he barely took notice of his surroundings, causing him to miss the dark shapes slipping from one shadow to the next, following him.

Their icy blue eyes trailed after the boy's every step, glued to his sluggish movements.

It was too easy.

He was the perfect prey.

---

Your bicycle rolled into the driveway of your house, coming to a squeaking halt before you put one foot to the ground and took a few deep breaths.
The last part of the way had been covered at top speed so you were pretty much out of spare oxygen.
Taking a moment to recover from the sudden sprint, you couldn't stop the gentle smile that showed on your usually frowning face.

It felt weird. So far only Kanjigar had managed to keep a smile on your face for longer than ten seconds and now here you were, unable to stop.

Opening up the garage and pushing the bike in to make sure the raccoons didn't ravage it, you then went up to your house's front door.
The habit of listening in before opening the door had disappeared after Bular's attack in your backyard.
Maybe it was because it made you mentally stronger or maybe it was the exact opposite. Maybe you didn't want to spent more time in the open than necessary.
You didn't know.

As you stuck in the key and twisted, your mind wandered off to its regular journeys, leaving you rather surprised when you almost ran into someone after opening the door.

You looked up, having been pulled back to reality before you even had the chance to start thinking of something different, and found yourself face to face with your father.

He didn't look angry or anything but there was something about his posture and the unexpected encounter that made you uncomfortable. Although he looked just as surprised.
"Uh, hi?" you said quietly, unsure of the mood the taller man was in.

"...Hello, (Y/n)," came his surprisingly normal answer.

Swallowing nervously, you watched your father move to the side so you could enter the house, which you did quickly.
He shut the door and turned to you halfway, his grey eyes staring at a distant spot on the floor.

"Sorry I haven't been home lately," he told you and you noticed just how incredibly tired he sounded and looked.
His usually neat suit was all lopsided and messy, a part of his shirt hung out from his pants and he wasn't even wearing shoes.
Despite his miserable state, you felt somewhat ticked off.

Who did he think he was to apologize for not being home? Sure, he was your father, but he hasn't really been acting like one these past ten years.

You straightened your posture, almost reaching up to his nose by now, and stared at him with the smile wiped from your face.
He didn't deserve to see you happy.

"Don't worry. I can live perfectly well on my own," your voice was a little sharp, coated with a thin layer of irony as you responded. You thought you saw the man flinch ever so slightly at your words and you couldn't help but feel some kind of twisted satisfaction.

Your father turned his head toward the door, avoiding eye contact in the tense atmosphere, shuffling over to the stack of shoes and grabbing the ones he used for work. He was silent until he finished putting them on.
"I have to leave for a new shift. Something big came in and they need me there. It might take a while to sort out so I'll be staying at the workers' dorm for the next few days."

'What kind of job has a goddamn workers' dorm?' was what you wanted to ask. But that would mean showing interest in his life and you weren't going to do that on your own accord.
So instead you went with a curt nod and hum.

You stood by the wall in silence and watched as your father continued preparing to leave. You hadn't seen it before but there was a suitcase by the stairs. It was pretty large and also looked quite packed. He might be gone for several weeks this time.

Not that you expected anything different of him. That had always been what he was good at. Avoiding his family.

"See you later, (Y/n). Take care."

As if he actually means that.
His meaninglessly soft behavior pissed you off even more.

"Bye," you said with such an icy tone that it even shocked yourself. Watching him open the door and slip out like a dog that had been beaten by its owner, you kept standing motionlessly by the wall.

You didn't understand this man. And you didn't want to.

Once the door shut close, you let your stiff posture slack and slump against the wall behind you.

This dickhead could stay away for all eternity as far as you were concerned.

Giving off a grumble and pushing yourself off of the wall again, you let out a low curse. He really did ruin everything, didn't he? Even your good mood.

Moving into the kitchen, you stared at the fridge for a while only to decide that you weren't hungry anymore either. You could just go up in your room and workout to vent some of this pinching anger in your stomach.

Deciding to do just that, you stomped up the stairs, making sure to be as loud as possible even though there was no one to hear it.

As you stormed into your room, you practically kicked open the door and then forcefully threw it shut again. For some reason you really wanted to punch something so you turned, balled a fist and slammed it against the wood, making it vibrate from the energy you sent through it.

If this door had feelings, it would be wailing in agony right about now.

Letting out a sigh, you pulled back your hand and rubbed over the now sore knuckles once, then moved to throw yourself onto your bed.
Before you could do that however, you noticed something on your desk and halted.
You hadn't left anything there.

Did your father enter your room and leave his trash laying about? Scowling, you moved over and snatched up what appeared to be a folded piece of paper.
You were tempted to rip it apart and throw it in the trash but you were also curious to see what it was.

Unfolding it and reading the first few sentences, you grew confused.
This was the letter from Nestor's Mechanics you had gotten from Barbara at the hospital way back when your bike was trashed by Bular.

Why did your father put that on your desk? To mock you? To remind you that you were still dependant on him as long as you weren't a legal adult?

The answer to that question was soon clear when you unfolded the rest of the letter and spotted a signature at the bottom where there had been an empty field for the past months.

You felt your mind grow silent, the angry voice in your head stopping its constant complaints as you understood the reason.

Your father had finally signed the letter that would allow the mechanics to start working on your bike and he put it here so you would find it.

Why he didn't just bring it to the mechanics himself was a mystery to you but that was besides the point.

Suddenly feeling a lot less aggressive, you slumped and dropped the letter onto the desk again.

At least he hadn't forgotten about your life completely yet.
Such a bittersweet knowledge.

You sighed and went over to your bed. It was still bright out so Kanjigar wouldn't appear for another few hours.
Time to calm down and take a nap. Workout could wait.
You certainly didn't want to meet with the blue troll when you were still pissed off or feeling gloomy.

Who knew how he'd react to that.

Ok, now you were kinda curious though.
What if he gave the infamous dad-hugs? Alone the thought warmed your chest considerably.
He had cradled you in his arms before but you were a little bit dazed from getting a gumm-gumm fist slammed into your face back then so you barely remembered that.

Was it bad that you wanted him to hold you again?
It wasn't the first time you imagined what it would feel like.
At first, it had given you mixed feelings when the thought drifted into your head but after a while it had become something warm and comfortable to think about.
He was strong in a gentle way and for some reason, you never once thought that his ore-like skin would be harmful to your much softer one.
Being near the stony trollhunter meant being near safety. It meant feeling at ease and letting your guard down. Something you hadn't been able to do for a very long time without having to worry about the consequences.

You suddenly halted your train of thought when you realized something.

You weren't feeling mad anymore at all.
In fact, you were almost back to being quite as content as you were before that surprise meeting with your father.

Covering your face, you also took notice of the warmth on your (s/c) skin but decided to ignore it. You were probably still a bit heated up from pedaling down the street at top speed and your anger. Yeah, that had to be it.

What else could it possibly be?

Turning onto your side, you stared out the window and watched the soft pastel colored sky above the dark treetops. You probably had about three hours left before Kanjigar would appear in your backyard today.
For a while, you simply laid there, relaxing and sorting through your messy brain to organize yourself again.

It took a bit of time but in the end, you decided to stick to your original plan and do a workout. Perhaps, if you still had time, you'd read through the notebook full of Trollspeak again.

With a small sigh, you slipped off of your bed to get changed into something more suitable for exercise.
The usual routine with a few extra steps sounded pretty good right now.

Getting out a mat so you wouldn't need to harm your bones on the relatively hard floor, you put on your workout playlist and began to stretch and warmup.
Alone that felt pretty nice. It had been a few months since you last got to actually attend your Teakwondo lessons after all.
Hopefully you'd soon be able to use your motorcycle again to drive to the city where your club was.

For now, you'd have to make do with regular workouts though.
And you did just that for the next hour.

The strain on your muscles was a welcome distraction and the burning quite rewarding. You took a quick shower afterwards to then settle back onto your bed with the small notebook in hand.

You had a towel still draped over your wet hair as you opened the pages and began reading the words. Some of them were written by Kanjigar, which was why the letters were extremely large and wonky at some parts, but you didn't mind that. In fact, it had been rather endearing to watch him struggle to hold a pen between his abnormally large fingers.

The memory drew a chuckle from your lips before you realized it. He could be so clumsy with things he wasn't used to and while that was understandable, he always seemed very embarrassed about it. Probably because he viewed himself as the more experienced one and yet couldn't handle a simple writing tool.

Focusing back onto the words, you delved deep into the ancient language.
You couldn't help but immerse yourself in the structure of it. Spanish was already fun enough to do in school but now you got to learn such a secret and old language that probably no other human knew. You were the only one getting that privilege as far as you knew. Frankly, you didn't know very much in total about other human and troll interactions but you'd like to believe that you were a special case.

It was a calming thought. That you were special in a good way.

The next two hours went by in a flash and when the sunlight began to dim down so much that you couldn't read the words before you anymore was when you lifted your head and saw the first stars shine outside your window already.
You put your notebook into your pocket, only to notice something in it. Pulling it out, your eyes spotted the Romeo and Juliet flyer Claire had given you this morning. You had totally forgot about that.

Deciding to think about it later, the flyer was put onto your desk, next to the mechanic's letter, and you left your room to go wait at the porch in your backyard for Kanjigar.

You didn't know it yet but today would be the last lesson the trollhunter was able to teach you.

-----
-----

((Yooo! Finally! It took me soooo long to get back my motivation to continue after I lost everything but here we are! I'm sorry for the long wait and I hope everyone of you is doing great ^^ I already wrote a few chapters ahead to create a cushion for myself in case something comes up again ÛwÛ

As you might've noticed, I changed the language from 'Troll' to 'Trollspeak' because I read it in one of the books a while ago and couldn't live with my mistake -v -;; What I also changed is the book's title from 'second chances' to 'first meetings' because I figured it made more sense and also allows for me to name the second book -which will probably come eventually- 'second chances'.

Things are finally getting into motion and we all know what's gonna come next for our poor Kanjigar.
Hopefully you will all like the way I planned how things are gonna go down. I am very excited to keep writing, I can tell you that much.
So much plot *cough* emotional trauma *cough cough* coming up~ I can't wait!

Also!! A huge 'Thank you' to everyone still reading! We've almost hit 400 votes and I'm very very happy about that. I never thought my very first story would get so much attention ^^;; Reading all your nice and encouraging comments helped me keep going as well. So to you, the person reading this:

Thank you so much!! You are appreciated! 💕))

-Jade