Winona shook her head wearily. "The Used Gaming Mafia...I thought Chet was joking when he talked about them."

"What did he say?" Trudy asked, stealing a pastry from the bin.

"Oh..." The goth bemoaned. "He said stuff like, the Used Gaming Mafia is after me again. I think they're gonna break my knee caps with a pixelated hammer from Mega Bash Sisters."

"And you didn't like, take it seriously?" Mina questioned.

Winona sighed and held her pastel goth face in her hands. "Would you?"

"Well..." Mina muttered.

"Umm..." Trudy answered.

"If it was Chet saying it, I would!" HC proclaimed with a finger raised.

Winona shot a dagger like glare at her from her eyes.

"I mean I'd get him a head shrinker!" HC murmured, her eyes shifting back and forth.

Mina leaned against the counter exasperated. "I had no idea that there is an organization that takes games so seriously. I thought they were all...you know... fun and games!"

Winona mashed a crumb on the floor with her leather boots. "I did too. What a fool I was. Now my sweet Chet's in a multiplayer gauntlet without a joystick."

Mina could not believe her eyes, but suddenly, Winona started to whimper and sob...Yet, no tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked as she watched Winona's peculiar fit. "It's okay to let the tears flow."

Winona cocked her head to the side, a look of forlorn in her eyes but no moisture. "I'm a goth," she said. "My tear ducts withered up a long time ago. I'm surprised I can even feel this form of emotion when tattoo and piercing needles don't even phase me."

Mina placed a consoling hand on her friends shoulder. "I know exactly that feeling. That feeling of someone you love disappearing. I know Trudy and I haven't been talking to you lately because of Chet...but I've just been going through my own motions. Ever since HE left."

Winona Sumac watched real tears flow down her friend's eyes. "I'm sorry Winony!" Mina sobbed. "We should have seen he was making you happy."

Winona's lips trembled. "I'm just happy you see that now. Even if he's a bigger handful than a handheld!"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Trudy made some obnoxiously loud gulping sounds and gave a tremendous wail. "I love crying in a public place too!"

Without warning, she grabbed both Winona and Mina and squeezed them together. "C'mon!" she cried. "Let's put aside our differences and find this wayward boyfriend!"

"Ack Trudy!" Mina gasped. "You're cracking my skeleton!"

Winona grinned a rare gothic smile as Trudy squeezed her tight.

"Winony? Are you okay?" Mina demanded. "Did Trudy crack your spinal cord and you're delirious?"

Winona answered honestly. "Those are the words I've been wanting to hear you say for a long time! Thanks for helping me with these ...grave matters!"

Mina had a feeling that she'd be feeling a lot less estranged from her friend from that point onward.

***

The trio of girls left Le Coffee Shoppe in Winona's jet black Siouxsiac Goth Prix. Cruising further downtown, they passed sketchy looking dilapidated buildings with cracked windows. One such boarded up building resembled a former place of merriment. It was lined with dimmed but colorful bulbs and had faded pictures of familiar video game characters like the living semi circle Pic Man and Ponic the Porcupine. The burnt out neon sign read 'Two Bit Arcade.'

"Geez," Mina muttered. "Retro is clearly not in these days. My dad used to tell me this place was truly beepin' and waka-wakaing back in the day."

Passing by that sad sight, they came across a store that looked super shady. It was a three story pawn shop with blackened windows and a buzzing neon sign that read, "Games Over Here" but the neon had faded on the "Here" part

Mina tapped her chin. "Games Over... that sounds a bit ominous. Do you think this is the place?"

Winona put the car into neutral. "If there are rare games, than Chet was here!"

She switched the car off and the trio left. Everyone was silent aside from Trudy munching on her stolen croissant. Mina took a deep breath and together they entered.

Games Over Here was filled with ancient arcade machines making zaps and beeps as they played their intros over and over. All kinds of merchandise hung from the wall, like Wintendo Wisdom Magazines and bright green light guns.

"Oh my lawd!" Mina exclaimed, the lights of the arcade machines reflecting in her eyes. "This one was my favorite as a kid!"

She dashed over to an arcade machine with a demo of the original 8-bit Eagle Attorney. The pixelated faces of the noble Eagle and sassy Hawksworth shouting exclamation bubbles of "Correction! It filled her heart with a sense of nostalgia that no modern gaming console ever could. She even remembered the day she returned from the arcade and told her parents what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"Pardon me Pisano," a squeaky, high pitched Italian voice asked. "Whatcha lookin' atta?"

Mina turned her face and beheld a man much smaller than even she was. He was a short, stocky Italian man with a big nose, a white golfers cap and tan overalls pulled up over his stodgy body. A dark brown mustache extended in both directions from below his nose.

"You look strangely familiar..." Mina said, scratching her head. "I feel I've seen you before..."

The short Italian man chuckled to himself as Mina called out to Trudy. "Hey Trudy Is this your hairy Italian uncle who runs the pizza place downtown?"

Trudy peered out from behind her croissant. "Mina. He's Greek, not Italian!"

"Whaaaa?!" the man exclaimed very offended. "How can you-a be so insensitive to my obvious heritage!"

The man stomped over to the wall of magazine and made a strange noise with his mouth when he jumped. "Wha-hah!"

He seized a magazine that featured him iconic mug on it. He dashed over to Mina and held up the magazine. Mina's eyes widened in disbelief. "Hold my E-Phone, guys, we just might have found a secret celebrity in Business Park!"

In primary colors, the lettering on the magazine read, "Lou Farabutto, the father of games!"