“Why are you eating like that?” Lenny asked while wiping his hands, Greasefires food living up to his namesake.

“What do you mean?” Drew answered back while devouring his burger as though someone was about to take it away from him.

“Well, you're eating like you're angry. Was it about earlier? I’m really sorry, I’ll try to be more aware…” Lenny wasn't given the opportunity to finish as Drew raised a hand up to shut him up while the last of his milkshake disappeared down his gullet. With a contented burb, he finally responded.

“I’m just grumpy that for the 5th time in a row, my supposed friend was late. If it weren’t because I wouldn't stand a chance against them, I'd put them in a chokehold and give them a noogie until I felt satisfied.” Now attacking his fries that he had slathered in honey mustard, Drew explained the reason for his mood.

“Really? They must be a meta if they are able to beat you, the only people I’ve ever seen move like you do are those martial artists from movies.”

“Bah, I’m literal trash, even my girlfriend is a better fighter than me and that's not even her focus. I spent so many hours just learning when to dodge and when to strike. That's all you need to deal with these regular thugs. As for Eliot, yeah I've never asked him, but the guy is definitely a meta, plus just look at his father.”

“What about my pops?” Came a voice from right behind Drew almost startling him.

“Man, how do you keep doing that. I’m always paying attention to my surroundings, but I can’t ever catch you sneaking up on me.” Complaining with a mouth full of fries, Lenny watched as the ‘handsome?pretty?’ boy chuckled at Drew.

“Maybe its the me being a meta, you sure seem comfortable enough giving such bold claims to this guy? And to continue on, who is this dude?” Lenny felt his spine go stiff as Yue's eyes came to focus on him. Something was hidden there, but he could not make head or tails of it. Still, Drew’s friend was studying him like a lizard under a lamplight.

“Hey stop scaring Lenny with your glare, guys solid, saved my life today.” With an off-handed comment, Drew set Lenny up as the pillar of trustworthiness.

Unfortunately Drew too busy with his fries or just entirely uncaring, completely glazed over the part about almost dying.

Yue did not.

Lenny felt himself shrink back into his chair as Yue’s very existence seemed to solidify, all while Drew focused remained on his second serving of crazy fries.

“What did you do this time.” Eliot’s voice hadn’t changed tone, but Lenny, who could see his face knew that wasn’t the whole truth.

“Ah, you're going to get angry again? Surprised it matters that much to you when you can’t even make it to a simple little hang time.” Drews own anger had risen back up seeing Eliot try to reprimand him.

Hurt was seen crossing Yue's face for a brief second before their gaze turned to Lenny, who was starting to wonder exactly what sort of life Drew was part of.

“You, what did he do,” Yue asked Lenny directly.

“Hey, you can’t talk to him like that, he’s my new amigo.” Drew had turned around to look directly at Yue for the first time since the argument began.

‘For the love of all that his holy are you sure this is your friend and not nagging wife!’ Lenny absolutely wished that he was somewhere else at that moment.

The two stared at each other before Drew eventually sighed, and relented somewhat.

“As you can see Lenny, Eliot here is a weird one. Sometimes it's like he’s a different person day to day.”

Eli, who had taken control from Yue to prevent something they would regret, felt her eyebrows crunch up. How things had taken this sort of turn was beyond her, but she would get her answers.

“What happened.” There was a finality to their voice.

“Fine, if it’ll make you feel better, I fought and kicked ass.”

“Elaborate.”

“Really we’re fourteen can’t you talk more like our age!”

“Says the guy who likes to read a dictionary just to feel smarter when he insults others.”

“Gaaar, can't tell your secrets to no one I just hope your not the same Lenny! Trust is important!” Drew said as he vigorously tapped Lennys back.

“That's not a secret you told me! I’ve literally seen you giggle like a girl when you come up with something you consider witty!”

“But it is witty! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be busting a gut every time I verbally wreck shit on some schmuck. And I resent that you would phrase that in a manner that makes boys not allowed to giggle. That’s old-timer thinking, we’re a progressive society now!” A smirk was growing on Drews’s face.

Lenny watched on as the mood changed. Wasn’t this supposed to be a serious argument? How the hell had things degraded to making claims about whether or not a man should be allowed to giggle.

Eli stopped.

“You’re doing it again.” With an accusatory voice.

“What? Chatting with my friend, the same one who I only get to see once in a while? Who can’t seem to find hanging out with me important enough to actually make it on time? Oh, no what a horrible person I am.” Drew responded with a mocking tone.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You know what I mean. The whole sidetrack me a bit. Well, it won’t work today. I. Want. Answers.”

“Then. Stop. Being. Late. Every. Single. Time. FRIEND!”

‘And it all went downhill as quickly.’ Thought Lenny who could only compare his experience to that of being between two massive storms.

Eli’s flushed skin glowed from the blood rushing through her head, the anger ready to explode, but as suddenly as it had appeared, it melted away like winter snow on a rainy day.

“Drew...I’m sorry.” With a pitiful crestfallen face, Eli looked down to the ground. Face hidden, so to better hide the growing mist in her eyes.

Drew grabbed a wet wiped and cleaned away the grease on his left hand, before moving over to Eli, an arm draping over their shoulder.

“Look. I can understand if you’re busy but is it really so bad that you can’t be on time at least once? If you can’t tell me what’s wrong, can I really consider myself your best friend?”

Eli shook. So that’s the real reason for his anger. He didn’t think they trusted him.

‘We’ve been complete idiots….’ Eli said while feeling the same heavy guilt as Yue earlier.

Yue and Teva remained silent, both still reeling from the discovered truth.

Lenny, the outside observer to the play at hand just decided to focus on his food until things settled down.

“Tomorrow,” Eli said one word.

“Tomorrow what?” Drew, who had just removed himself from Eli’s shoulder, asked.

“I’ll explain everything. Everything. So can you please tell me what happened today?” Eli had made the decision, and she was sure that her two sisters were completely on board with her. They would reveal everything, regardless of whether or not it was the right time.

Drew was left speechless, at the unexpected promise. Would his inquires finally be answered?

“Well if your so serious I guess I have no choice but to do the same. Sigh. Look, I fought a senior of mine who was juiced out of his mind on F-tier Man-Beast pills. I was winning the fight but was caught unexpected and sent flying. Lenny my new amigo here distracted the guy long enough to give me the chance to set up a finisher. Broke some ribs and ripped some flesh, but was patched up by sidekick of the hero the showed up afterward.” Drew felt his breath grow heavier after the lengthy but quick explanation.

“Your and absolute moronic monkey.” The deadpan voice gave its honest opinion.

“Yeah, well this monkey won against the ape.” Signature grin back on his face Drew doubled downed.

Suddenly enveloped in a bear hug, Drew felt the grin grow soft.

“You could have died.” Eli reminded him.

“Oh, you old softy, your gonna give the thugs, and Lenny the wrong impression. You have to make sure to say no homo.” Drew, despite his words, returned the hug with a light tapping on Eli’s back.

“Weren’t you just going on about being progressive?” Eli laughed as they separated. A fuzzy warmth filling her mind as she relished the first hug they’ve had in a while.

“There’s being progressive, and respecting the classics.” Returned Drew who was rather happy about patching up the growing negative feelings he’d felt recently.

“You absolute moronic monkey. Though please, I really don’t want to attend my best friend’s funeral until we’re much older.”

Drew put his hands in his pockets but mumbled an ok. The best she was likely to get out of him, but it would be enough to keep him out of trouble for a while.

“So how about we go to the arcade for a bit. My treat for the both of you, especially you Lenny considering you had to watch everything. You do have some time left, right?” Drew asked eyeing Eli inquisitively.

Lenny himself had already nodded. Free time is a resource he had plenty of.

‘We’re going to be in so much trouble.’ Eli thought as she looked at the messages she was already getting on her phone.

‘But it will be worth it.’ Teva spoke the truth in their hearts.

‘It might be my turn, but we can all switch during the games with him! Let go!’ Revving to go and ignoring the future Yue made a surprising offer that the two girls appreciated.

Tomorrow they would tell him everything.

Because that's what best friends do.

--------------------------------

Drew woke up, his body screaming protest as he made the smallest of movements, his bound arms over his shoulder on fire from the extended time forced in that position.

‘What going on?’ He wondered his vision dark and preventing him from being able to see anything. The air thick with moisture and the stink of tobacco, and urine. Which didn’t help him all considering half the city probably smelled like this.

The last thing he could remember was having a ton of fun with Eli and Lenny at the arcade he frequented. It was located in one of the better sections of the Kinel. What most people called Hallowed Hights, due to the interesting highrise buildings that had opened architecture around the center of the buildings. Little Outdoor resting spots for the residents or workers of those buildings. The arcade itself being in one of them.

The memories were still fuzzy, but they were returning despite the horrible migraine that was eating away at him.

Eliot had left first. Two hours after their arrival. A sad look on the boy's face after he was forced to take a call from someone who would not stop blowing up his phone.

With a sorry, and a reaffirmation of meeting at Greasefires again the following day to tell him everything Drew had sent his friend off, leaving just him and Lenny, who was surprisingly good at arcade games.

The two shared a competitive spark, unlike Eliot who, while could compete with relative ease due to very impressive reaction times which was as useful to the games themselves, leading to mechanical skill vs experience when the three faced off.

Once Eliot had left, Lenny had also opened up much more, giving more insight into the life of Leonard Oscart.

A very fancy name, that was even more pretentious than Drews own.

Lenny was the single child of a somewhat broken home. His father had been a thug, while his mother a graduate that had fallen in love with the wrong man.

Said man had immediately wiped his hands of Lenny’s mom and him the moment she showed signs of pregnancy, leading to the well-learned mother to fend for herself and her son.

Now normally such an individual wouldn’t struggle to find work, but the scumbag of a father had recorded some of the pairs more sensual moments and posted it to the internet.

With her face in full view in more than one video, she didn’t last long at the first job she had gotten as co-workers of her started asking for favors or they’d report her indecency to the supervisors and managers.

Lenny’s mom had responded with violence and soon quit her job. The woman, headstrong, and having learned a lesson from her previous lover, had promised never to take shit from a man again.

But now with a baby a few months old and growing bills, she did the unthinkable and embraced the love that her videos had garnished.

She became a very successful cam girl who squeezed all the idiots and desperate men of their cash. Some might insult her for using her body in such ways, but the truth of the matter was that if she really was some random bimbo, she wouldn't still have as large of a following as she had, and all without doing anything with another man.

Drew, upon learning this felt horrible for the mother-son pair and was surprised that Lenny was willing to share so much.

“I’d rather have others know from my mouth than try to hide it in their eyes. It’s why I don’t really have friends either…. They just want to get close to chase their delusions.” He’d explained a somber look on his face.

“Welp, that’s really something else. But what makes you think I’m any different?” Drew had asked.

“Because you don’t seem like the type of person who would spend their money in such a manner. I bet your room is filled with nothing but game systems and replica’s of obscure characters.”

‘Is this guy a mentalist!’ Drew had thought, impressed at how well Lenny had read him.

The rest of the time at the arcade had continued in much the same manner, neither allowing what had been talked about affect their games.

Sadly for Lenny, Drew was a frequent and skilled player of the arcade, more often than not winning three-fifths of their matches.

Finally forced to admit defeat, Lenny had bid Drew farewell, having said his mother was texting him to come home.

So with the time being around 6:30 pm, Drew had started making his way home, prepared for the firework earful he was about to receive from Lia, making Eliots look like a firecracker in comparison.

From the moment he exited the Kinal district though he could recall no more.

Feet barely touching the ground, he practically hung from a pipe above him. He did his best to keep his actions to the minimum, but his bones, and muscles were protesting. His body was even more susceptible to such tactics.

The minutes ticked by as he tried to think what could have gotten him, he’d made a lot of regular folk quite mad over the last two years but none of them should have been skilled enough to sneak up on him like that. He wasn’t kidding about Eliot likely being a meta because only a master of stealth could sneak up on him without powers, and he very much doubted such a person would be found in what was equate to Dawn City Slums.

Eventually exhausting all options, he was left with one singular group that had a legitimate motive for capturing him, as well as a known meta in their group.

The Banditos.

‘Fuck, I really mess up this time, didn’t I.’ Drew couldn’t help but chuckle pitifully despite the pain it caused.

“Oi boss the little fuckers awake and laughing? Want us to rough him up a bit more?” The voice of some random thug entered Drews’s ears.

“No you idiot, you’ve had your fun. Now make sure the camera and gear are ready. The professionals are coming and I can’t wait to record this shit.” The raspy voice of youth responded back.

“But he’s laughing!”

“Let the shitstain laugh, well see if he still finds this funny when the Pale Men show up.”

‘Oh so it’s like that. They hired the Pale Men to make an example of me.’ Thoughts turning solemn Drew understood that this was likely going ruin any chance of him reaching 30. Not because they would kill him.

No, the Pale Men never killed the physical.

Flay the body, shatter the mind, rend the soul. Leave behind nothing but the husk of what once was.

The motto for one of the Five most dangerous groups in Dawn City.

Yet Drew couldn’t stop laughing. The grin on his face growing further, and creeping out the thug who watched.

He would make them work for it.