He was staring. Staring like his life depended on it. Something in his mind is telling him that if he kept his eye off of it for even just one second, the whole thing would end up burnt. Making popcorn was never a hard task for Isaac, but the pleasure of not having any disgusting pitch-black pieces of corn had eluded him enough times to earn a vigilant eye.
2-3 seconds between each pop, perfect time to take it out, a mantra he bounced in his head long enough for the helpful tip from his mom to become ingrained within his brain.
Another grueling 30 seconds later, the desired gap between the pops occurs. Opening up the microwaves while the few remaining kernels continue to pop, Isaac catches a whiff of the bag. Immediately, a sense of fear overtakes him. The dreaded smell he is all too familiar with.
Aw geez, not again. This'll be like, the fourth time. Last time, the whole complex complained about the smell. Another accident like this, My parents are gonna start thinking I got an ape brain. Hell, I'll start thinking the same.
With a bit of hesitation, Isaac snatches the bag out of the microwave to open its contents. Fortunately, the smell was just a deception. The popcorn cooked just fine. Isaac lets out an audible 'phew' and rewards himself with a giant bowl of buttery goodness and a lower heart rate.
Sometimes I wonder how they let me walk outta that school with a diploma.
Sitting down in front of the TV (A bit further than normal, his mom had already given him the lecture that he'll go blind if he's too close), Isaac flipped the channel straight to Cartoon Network to watch the late night broadcast of Adult Swim shows. Seeing as he is, as he referred to himself once, "a grown ass man", he can watch the "mature” stuff now without beratement.
Everything is in place. Recently stocked pantry and fridge, parents are out on date night, and no annoyingly loud parties from the neighbors. That final event being more of an occurrence than one might think.
Something isn't right, though. While mindlessly staring at the TV, something in the back of his head nags at him, and keeping him from truly enjoying himself. The worst part; he knows exactly what it is, he just hoped he suppressed it enough. Seems like that didn't work out.
What are you doing lazing around? You need to put yourself to use.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Plenty of guys your age are already halfway to their associate's degree!
You should've had this figured out by the time you graduated.
There's only so much time in the world, when are you going to actually do something with your life?
These thoughts invade his mind almost constantly. Isaac buries his head in his hands. "Just one night.", the teen spoke out loud. "Could I just get one night without it being ruined? Is that too much to ask?". He raises his head and attempts to collect his thoughts. Whatever. I guess it wouldn't be popping up in my head if it wasn't an issue I needed to deal with. Maybe I should just get a job. I'd be helping out Mom and Dad, at least. They'd probably be all over it. Mostly just for the fact that I'd step outside the apartments for more than hitting the arcade.
Instead of paying any attention to the television in front of him, he lets his thoughts drown him with stress. This will lead to about 4 more hours of moping and probably another sleepless night thinking of jobs he knows he'd never qualify for...
BANG!
Isaac jolts at the sudden noise, interrupting his thoughts. Something very loud just happened. It was quick. The sound entered and exited Isaac's ears in a second. Outside in the alleyway. That's the source.
Just looking from the window facing the alley, nothing was in plain sight that wasn't already there before. Maybe it's right below? I could head down there myself. What are the chances it's something or someone that's completely dangerous? Very high. This is New York. But whatever happened, it didn't sound pretty. If someone is down there, they might be really hurt. i can't just ignore them. He takes a minute to contemplate his next action. Needlessly risk his life, or leave a possibly injured person to die in the cold, harsh streets? After weighing out his choices, the answer becomes obvious to him.
Screw it, at least it's better than being alone with my thoughts.
Braving the journey, the somewhat of an adult makes his way down the fire escape. While this is extremely terrifying, it is also a bit exhilarating for the teen. He hadn't been this excited since his local arcade got a Mortal Kombat 3 cabinet. Before jumping down to the ground, Isaac's previous thought is proven correct. right below the ladder of the fire escape, a man lies on the floor with a decent sized helmet with a visor on. not too far from the stranger, was a very sleek cherry red motorcycle, albeit damaged. He let out some pained groans and wasn't showing any sign of getting up.
What to do, what to do...
Isaac could go back, pretend he never saw this guy. He's considering it. This stranger could stab him as soon as he gets close. But, he didn't look too harmful, and he can't just leave the poor guy here if he is just a regular guy. The good Samaritan in him couldn't do that, a trait he picked up from his mother. Helping people feels essential to him. This might be the chance be useful, at least once.
Alright. Let's do this. Can't wait to explain this to my parents...