Arya never really knew how much he hated cold water until someone decided it would be fun to splash it on him while he was sleeping.

Yup. He hated it. And quite a bit.

With a sound that echoed that of a native indian warcry, Arya shot out of bed and immediately started gasping for air, trying to get his bearings. His vision bubbled...then cleared. Furiously wiping his eyes, he turned to face his assailant. The person finally came into focus...and Arya groaned.

Mickey smiled pleasantly down at him,”Hiya Arya, how ya doin’?”

Arya gritted his teeth.”Mick. Please kindly explain what in the sam hell you are doing...And please...be very thorough.”

Mickey gave a weak chuckle and slowly backed away.”Wow...uhhh...wasn’t expecting that reaction.”

Arya glared at him,”What reaction were you expecting?” he hissed.

“Something along the lines of ‘AUUUUUUUGH!’. Or something.” Mickey said impassively.”Oh, and you might wanna look at the time.”

Arya frustratedly threw his head to the side and stared at the time.

8:15.

Oh f-.

Arya bolted upright, grabbed his backpack, and sprinted out the door, almost pushing Mickey over. Mickey stalled for a moment, brushed his curly black hair out of his eyes, and followed suit.

As they both ran to school, Arya cursing fervently, Mickey asked a question.

“Hey Arya, you wanna know how I got it.?”

“No…*gasp*...Mick.” Arya choked out.

“But I’m sure you do!” Mickey pressed easily. Did this boy ever break a sweat?

Arya decided to humor him. He couldn’t talk, but he nodded in acceptance.

“So, anyway...Long story short, your mother let me in as she was leaving.”

Arya couldn’t control his words. “WA-it...My mom leaves...at seven!...You were there...for a WHOLE HOUR?” he managed to articulate.

Mickey shrugged.”Your house is pretty interesting!”

Arya glowered at him.”It’s like...two hundred...square feet!” He spat out wheezily.

Mickey looked him up and down.”Man, you need to run more. I don’t think I’ve seen any person alive today more close to the verge of death than you.”

Arya was about to respond with some witty comment about how Mickey was white enough to look like he died, but Mickey stopped him.

“Meet me during lunch in our usual spot. There’s a business opportunity you need to hear about.” And with that, he sped away.

Arya just about flung his arms up in exasperation, but pure exhaustion stopped him from doing so. He shut up and ran.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The school day passed in its usual mundane fashion. Class, followed by a break, followed by another class, each of which became progressively more boring. Arya was probably the one most affected by this. While everyone was learning the material in class, Arya had already finished it 2 to 3 months beforehand. Consequently, he began to be known as a know-it-all, a title he despised profusely. It wasn’t his fault that these people had no ambitions whatsoever! They intended to finish mandatory school, drop out of college, and that would be that. Arya hated this mentality.

Although, he couldn’t exactly blame them either. When the chances of you moving up the social and economic ladder are so slim, why even try?

Regardless, Arya was a bit more animated today than usual. Mickey’s mysterious proclamation and subsequent demeanor piqued his interest. Throughout the day, they would normally meet between classes. However, today Mickey seemed relatively withdrawn and secretive.

Well...as secretive as Mickey could be. He was as subtle as a sledgehammer. He could be seen in class kicking his feet or twiddling his thumbs, trying to hold in his hyperactivity.

“Mr. Eamonn,” A shrill voice resonated,”Are you enjoying my lesson?”

“Ye-Huh?” Arya said absentmindedly before shaking myself out of a daze.

“I said,” the old math teacher repeated carefully,”Are you enjoying my lesson?”

“I-uh...Yes?” he gave hesitantly.

“Then I’m sure you can recite the previous two minutes of our lecture, correct?” Ms. Acott said in a voice sweeter than honey and faker than counterfeit cash.

“Uhh...?” Arya remained motionless. “Not exactly?”

“Oh!” She covered her mouth in mock surprisement,”But I thought you loved my lecture? Could it be that you weren’t listening?”

“Maaybe?” Arya said tentatively. Crap, she definitely found out.

“Ah I see.” Ms. Acott said quietly, dropping the facade. “Well, since you don’t know what we talked about, meet me after class to...discuss it further.”

Arya nodded quickly.

“Good, now turn to page three hundred and ninety-four. We’ll resume our lesson, if you would like?” She hissed.

Arya remained silent, and passed the rest of class with attentiveness.

The ring of the bell signaled the end of the period and while the rest of the class sprinted to the door, Arya lazily packed his books up into his backpack and sat down. Once everyone had cleared out of the room, he shuffled towards the teacher’s desk and waited anxiously while she slowly graded papers.

“Ms. Acott?” Arya mumbled. The teacher grunted softly in acknowledgement.”I have to be somewhere for lunch, I’ll have the lesson memori-”

The teacher cut him off.”That’s the thing Arya, I know you already do. Frankly, I’m surprised you even show up for class at all, considering how much you already know.” She smirked while still grading papers.

He didn’t expect that. He always thought that she despised him and thought of him as a lazy student.

“Uh...So...Can I-” he tried.

“That being said-!” she interrupted loudly,”You cannot space out while I’m teaching. Regardless of how much you know, it’s horribly rude.”

“Sorry about that, it’s just that I-”

“I don’t care, Arya. When you’re in my class, you pay attention to me, are we clear on that?” She vocalized half-threateningly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She smiled.”Then go. I have papers to finish.”

Arya just stood there.”Wait, no punishment. Nothing?”

She surveyed him incredulously. “Do you want a punishment? Because, if so, the gym lock-HEY!” She called after him as Arya turned and sprinted out of the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Whya late?” asked Mickey as he sat down.

“Probably because his teacher just had to congratulate him for getting another perfect score.” mocked Eli.

“Shut up, both of you.” Arya muttered. “She held me back because I wasn’t paying attention in class.”

“I know right.” Mickey said sarcastically.”The windows just got cleaned. Such fun.”

Arya glared at him. “Anyways, what’s this about a ‘business opportunity’?” he switched subjects.

Mickey scanned the cafeteria before leaning in, pulling the other two with him.

“I got myself a Collector.” He grinned.

Both Eli and Arya looked at each other, confused on what Mickey was talking about.

“What’s a Collector?” Eli queried.

Mickey took on this look of superiority. “Well, now. You guys don’t know what a Collector is? Man, I don’t know if I can bring you two.”

“You need us, don’t you?” Arya interjected. “Probably want us to do the dirty work while you sit back and take a portion of our earnings.”

Mickey sighed.”Man, why’d you gotta be so inteligente? Of course, you know me. My siblings depend on me waaaay too much for me to be risking my neck for this type of stuff.”

“Hold on, hold on.” Eli hissed.”It’s dangerous? I’m out, man. I can’t be doing this type of stuff, my mom’ll kill me!”

“Yeah, I’m with Eli.” Arya agreed.”If it’s dangerous, I can’t have any part in it.”

“Don’t worry!” Mickey reassured them both.”It’s completely safe. All you are doing is just scavenging The Barrens for useful items. It ain’t that hard!”

“Mick, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to be outside The Border unless you’re a trained professional.” Arya challenged.

Mickey just grinned.

“-which is why?” Arya realized.”You’re gonna do it illegally.”

“Bingo.” Mickey clapped his hands. He then looked at the expressions on their faces and he exhaled.”Come on guys! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“Yeah,” Eli smirked.”Cause we’re gonna get locked up after this.”

“No!” Mickey objected.”Listen, this job… could change our lives!”

“How much does it pay?” Arya asked curiously.

Mickey gave them a knowing look.

“5 G’s”.

They all went silent.

“What, as in…five grand?” Eli asked innocently.

“No,” Mickey said derisively.”5 gorillas. Yes, of course five thousand dollars!”

Arya’s mind buzzed in excitement. Five thousand bucks! That could do a lot for his family. It could pay off their electricity bill, water bill, and feed them for half a year! He could take his mom to a chiropractor, maybe relieve some of her anguish!

On the other hand, this seemed way too good to be true.

“Mick, this seems kinda sketchy to me.” Arya voiced. “I mean, him hiring randos from the slums for five grand? That seems extremely dangerous.”

“He told me it was to keep it off the table. Hire a professional and those kinds of things can be tracked. Who’s gonna know about us, though?” Mick responded.

Admittedly, it was a decent excuse. But how legitimate was it?

“No, Mick. I can’t do it.” Eli finally spoke firmly. I can’t risk it.”

Mickey nodded and looked at Arya expectantly.

“I’m sorry Mick. I can’t risk it either. My mom has a stable enough income to get by with me. Without me, she won’t survive.” Arya refused.

Mickey looked downcast. “Alright, I understand.” he said dejectedly. “It’s too much of a gamble and not worth it at all.” He rose from his seat. “Just call me if either of you change your minds, all right?” he pleaded.

Both of the two nodded in agreement. Mickey hesitated, as if he wanted to argue further, but changed his mind and quickly left.

The two were left to finish their lunches in silence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mickey didn’t speak to either of them for the rest of the day. Every time Eli or Arya would try and catch his eye, he would look away, suddenly interested in whatever tedious task he was doing.

Arya didn’t know exactly what to say to Mickey. He felt awful rejecting him, but it was just too unsafe for both him and Eli. Arya didn’t regret it at all, but this feeling as if someone had punched him in the gut stayed with him for the rest of the day.

As Arya was walking home that evening, he absentmindedly wandered through the streets, gazing in pure agony at the various sweet shops and confectionaries. They all looked sooo good. Little kids, dressed in much nicer clothing than him, darted in and out of those shops, mouths stuffed to the brim with sugary candy. It made Arya a little resentful. Why couldn’t he have been born into a situation like this?

When he finally got home, Arya slowly tugged the door open and lumbered inside. Instantly, he sensed something was wrong.

The air had a certain melancholiness to it, almost as if the happiness had been sucked right out of it. It was also deadly quiet. The silence in the house was deafening. It screamed to Arya that something was wrong.

Then, he heard a faint sobbing noise.

Fearing the worst, Arya slowly crept towards the noise. “Mom?” He cautiously called out. The noise stopped and quickly turned into shuffling and creaking.

He upped his pace and reached the dining room, where he found his mom frantically rearranging her hair and wiping her face. The chairs had obviously been thrown about the place, as some of them were lying face down on the floor. Splintered wood scattered the ground.

“Mom?” Arya asked warily. “Are you alright?”

She seemed agitated and disturbed. She looked up at him and he could see her face clearly now. She had been crying heavily.

“Y-yeah…”She stuttered nasally.”N-no…I’m f-fine.”

Arya sat down in the chair next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Mom, tell me. You’re scaring me.” he pleaded.

She looked him in the eyes, and the tears started to flow again.

“I’ve been laid off.” She whispered.

Arya stared at her. His mind tried to process what she just said. When it did, he took his hand off his mom’s shoulder and held his head in agitation. His eyes began to wet. His hands began to shake. His breath became more laboured.

The two of them always had a feeling this would happen eventually. No matter how good you were at your job, there was always someone willing to work for less than you, and that was especially true in the slums. However, regardless how much preparation he had, it still felt like a crushing blow. Like they were never going to come back from this.

“Okay…”Arya began,”It’s fine. I’ll do something about this. You freshen up. We’ll get through this.” He wrapped his mom up into a hug, desperate to try and take on some of the anguish she was feeling.

She squeezed him lightly in return.”Alright, baby.” With that, she staggered upwards and stumbled to the kitchen sink to wash her face.

Arya watched her go...and made up his mind.

Going to their room, he took his mom’s work phone. Using it, he dialed a number.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer. He tried again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Nada.

He scowled and dropped his phone on the bed. Arya’s mom staggered in and practically passed out onto the bed. Arya shifted her body a bit and covered her with a blanket.

He gave one last look at her. She seemed so emotionally drained and Arya couldn’t bear to see his mom mentally suffer like this. He knew she deserved better.

He carefully tip-toed outside the room, closed it, and grabbed his backpack. Opening it, he pulled out a small pad and pen. He sat down and began to write.

Dear mom,

Every day, I see you struggle to keep our family alive. Ever since dad died, you haven’t been the same. You’ve been more...distant, is the best way I could put it. Still, you've held strong for me. For us. Now I must return the favor. I know this is selfish of me, but I have a way to save our family. I’ll be back soon. Keep yourself safe. And please...be careful. Count the stars for me while I’m gone.

Your Pride and Joy,

Arya

With that, he laid it on the dining-table and silently inched out of the house. When he had the door safely closed behind, he turned and ran in the direction of Mickey’s house.