Chapter 87
After the trainwreck at the Allen household, Bobby and Joel walked a familiar path to the Spire from the non-meta side of Eden. Bobby was angry. he couldn’t explain why, but he was so fucking mad after what he saw. Bobby assumed Joel was this upper-class suburban kid who had rich white suburban kid problems, very different from what Bobby had gone through. But that vision was shattered once he got a peek through the window of how Joel’s parents had raised him. Bobby realized that his anger was really on behalf of Joel. Today, by tearing back the wall of identity that Joel wore, he finally saw his roommate as a 3d human being. And not just any human, but someone who had absorbed an immense amount of pain without turning into a bitter asshole. Joel was truly impressive.
“So you really think The Tycoon is manipulating my parents?” Joel asked.
“I dunno, man. But I wouldn’t put it past him. It’s either that or your parents are somehow profiting from your newfound fame.”
“Not sure which one is worse. At least if The Tycoon is involved, we could get something out of it.”
Bobby scoffed. “I wouldn’t be so sure. That dude is a selfish prick. I’m not sure anyone that gets into bed with him wakes up with anything other than fleas.” Bobby was always jaded towards humanity. He had seen so much darkness in his life. He wasn’t exactly Oliver Twist, but his life story wasn’t far off.
***
Bobby tossed the GameCube controller into his friend Jerod’s lap. “Best of seven?”
“You’re on!” Jerod relished these afterschool hangouts at Bobby’s little lounge in the apartment upstairs from the bar. His parents had forbidden him from visiting the dive, but he found excuses to bring Bobby some leftovers. It was his responsibility to make sure his orphaned buddy didn’t waste away. “Oh, I almost forgot. We were off from school today, but I was able to sneak a turkey sandwich out of the house for you.”
“What is it this time?” Bobby asked with a wry smile. “Study hall? Detention? Group Project?”
“Naw. I just told them I was practicing for soccer tryouts with Patrick.”
“Ah, yes. The school sports loophole. Classic.” Bobby booted up Smash Bros. Melee and scrolled through the massive grid of faces representing the incredible selection of characters from his favorite games until he clicked on Pikachu.
“Pikachu again?” Jerod lamented. “You always beat me with her!”
“Do I?” Bobby innocently joked while feigning cluelessness.
“Fuck it. Fine,” Jerod loved the lack of parental eavesdropping while hanging out with Bobby. It was one of the main reasons, other than looking after his best friend, that made the risks worth it. He virtually entered the games and selected his character: Kirby. “You know you are kind of like Ash. Journeying through life without adults, surrounded by your best friends, perfecting your favorite game to become the best ever. I’m jealous.”
“Yep. It’s pretty great.” Bobby popped a soda and sipped while the battle map loaded up. “Plus, Pikachu is my strongest companion.”
“Does this make me Brock?” Jerod wondered aloud.
“Naw. You are Misty. That's why you favor the sickeningly cute pink characters. I’m surprised you didn’t use Jigglypuff.”
“Ew. I’m not a girl,” Jerod retorted with disgust.
“Show me new evidence, and I’ll change my assessment.” Bobby’s black-painted fingernails moved in a blur as he nimbly used the controller to quickly destroy his bestie.
After they sparred, both verbally and digitally, for a few hours while eating sandwiches and sipping soda, Jerod exaggeratedly checked his watch, signaling his upcoming departure. “Looks like I gotta jet. My parents invited you over for dinner. I really think you should come.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Nope. I got my own traditions. I’m all good, dude.” Bobby didn’t have anything going on, and Jerod knew it. But he didn’t want to interrupt his friend’s night. He knew that he wasn’t actually invited. He knew that Jerod’s parents hated him. His buddy wasn’t barred from hanging out at the bar; he was barred from hanging out with Bobby. Period.
“Alright, man.” Jerod gave in. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in my room for most of the night. Just pebble the window as usual.”
“Thanks, Jer. But I’ll be fine. Go home and enjoy your feast.”
The two boys made their way downstairs. The shuttered bar was really coming along. Bobby had been living in the abandoned building for a few years now, and no one had seemed to notice or care. In that time he had been able to fix up the apartment upstairs to make it liveable and had even started rehabbing the bar itself. It was his dream to find out how to buy it and get it up and running. Bobby was lucky that he was, in fact, quite brilliant. He was even more lucky that no one, thus far, had figured out how truly gifted he.. This allowed him to forge an identity and a fake guardian, and he was pretty sure he could figure out how to manufacture a deed and liquor license if he couldn’t get enough money to reopen the place legitimately.
“Soon, we will be able to chill down here!” Jerod mused happily.
“Dude, I seriously can’t wait.” Bobby chuckled. “Now get your ass home to your fam.”
“Come over if you need anything, bro.”
“Will do.”
The two hugged, and Bobby closed the door behind Jerod as he left. Once his friend was gone, the skinny, lanky, goth boy waited for a few minutes and then threw on a jacket and headed outside. He hopped on the beat-up bike that he had resurrected from the nearby junkyard and started to peddle through his neighborhood. He passed a small homeless encampment, wondering if that’s where he would be if not for the bar. No. He was too resourceful, and he knew it. He burned through an abandoned lot, zigzagging around pillars and rusty scaffolding, and ducked his head as he coasted down a sandy hill and through a hole in a chain link fence. He rode through a mall parking lot, uncharacteristically empty due to the holiday hours of the stores. Once he had made it past the mall, he was in the home stretch. The streets got cleaner, lined with beautiful trees and flowers. The houses grew bigger and farther apart. Where the buildings were attached to one another in his area, here there were side yards, and backyards, and front yards, and driveways. Smoke poured out of the chimneys, not because it was particularly cold but because children were soon going to be hanging stockings, and the fire created the necessary ambiance for Christmas Eve in Austin.
When Bobby finally arrived at his destination, he found a familiar spot to settle, walking his bike up the driveway and tucking in between a fuchsia hedge and the brick wall that surrounded the idyllic house. He thanked the landscapers for providing a comfortable hideaway that was hidden from both the residents of the home as well as the passersby. Sitting on a small trunk of the massive tree that provided welcome shade in the hot Texas Summers, Bobby pulled the remnants of the turkey sandwich that Jerod had brought by his place earlier. Thank the gods for Jerod. If it wasn’t for the generosity of his loyal best friend, he would have had to resort to dumpster diving for food long ago.
The house glowed under the twinkle lights that rimmed the windows and roofline. As he peered through the dining room window, Bobby could almost feel the warmth emanating from the scene. Jerod, his parents, and his sister sat around the table wearing paper hats eating a holiday feast. They smiled and laughed, enjoying the holiday spirit, while Bobby imagined the inside jokes that could only be cultivated through a lifetime of closeness and love. He finished his sandwich and repositioned himself to gaze into the window on the left. Inside was a well-decorated room with a fireplace on which sat a collection of Nutcrackers that acted as hooks for five festive stockings: One for Mom, Dad, Jerod, Sissy, and one for their golden retriever Buffy. But nothing filled Bobby with the Holiday Spirit more than the tree, beautifully decorated and sparkling with lights of all the colors of the rainbow.
When the family started getting cookies out for Santa, Bobby decided it was time to go. One day, he would have what Jerod had. One day, he would be worthy of such joy. But until then, he needed to focus on tomorrow. He needed to get the funds to rehab the bar and get it up and running.
***
Once they had arrived back in their room, Joel pulled the small device from his pocket and clicked it twice. “Good thing I used the clicker to disable the cameras. The Show will probably be pissed that the cameras went down unexpectedly during a drama-filled scene, but once my dad erupted in the backyard, I realized I wouldn’t want the whole world seeing my family dysfunction.”
“Yeah, that was probably a good call, but we need to be careful about using that thing. The more we use it out in public, the more likely it becomes that we will get caught.” Bobby realized that his anger had been muted. His memory journey into the past highlighted just how far he had come. “Hey, wanna play some Smash Bros? I’m in the mood for a little mindless fun.”
“Sure, dude.” Joel happily agreed. “Let me change into some sweats and get comfy. You pop the popcorn.”
“Great fucking plan!” Before he left the room to prepare the snacks, Bobby walked over to Joel and gave him a hug. “I’m glad we met, dude.”
“Me too, buddy,” Joel squeezed his friend back.