Note: So, for the longest time I've been dealing with the worst case of writer's block I've ever had and I'd been planning on writing a story like this ever since I first played Watch Dogs in 2014. It's taken me quite a while to find the time, inspiration and motivation to write and things are finally starting to come together. I hope you guys enjoy it! Reviews are much appreciated!
CHAPTER 1: [27]
"Give me another hour or two," Zane thought, refusing to open his eyes and give into the sunlight pressuring him to wake up earlier than he wanted to. He turned onto his stomach and buried his head under a pillow with the rest of his body under a blanket. It never failed; he could never get enough sleep and today was no different.
He could feel himself slowly drifting back to sleep. Almost there.. almost there..
PING!
He groaned as the loud notification from his phone made all of the calm settling in his body disperse like a flock of birds being disturbed by a little kid charging through them.
Grabbing his phone, he swiped down on the screen to see his notifications.
"Happy birthday, Zane!"
He smiled, unable to be irritated at that. "Glad I'm not totally forgotten."
Today's Zane's 27th birthday and while a lot of people his age would be going out and partying to celebrate, he'll be staying in, thankful to be where he's at in his life. It wasn't perfect or anything - far from it - but it was a hell of a lot better than it has been for quite a while.
Zane's a very timid person. It was very difficult for him to go out, be social and make friends. He also suffers from a debilitating anxiety problem, from which that probably stems. Because of this, there's a lot of things that he has yet to experience. Things that most people take for granted. To him, it was embarrassing as fuck and he doesn't go around advertising it. Instead, he tries his best to hide it.
Recently, things were beginning to look up for the newly 27-year-old. He finally mustered up the courage to talk to a doctor and he's been a great help. He was now on some anti-anxiety meds that are slowly but surely making some improvement take effect. Aside from that, he recently met a great guy named David. He's gorgeous, has a lot of the same interests as Zane and is far more mature and understanding than most guys he'd met before. It was a breath of fresh air.
It was about 8 PM when a knock was heard at the door.
"Coming!" Zane hopped to his feet and headed for the door, opening it to reveal an attractive man standing on the other side.
"Happy birthday, babe!" David says, extending his arms and giving his boyfriend a big hug and a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thanks so much!" Zane clutched onto his boyfriend and returned the kiss, holding onto him for a moment before breaking away.
This was the first birthday in a long while where he actually had plans to do something other than sit at home and play video games. He grinned from ear to ear looking up into his boyfriend's eyes.
David was pretty spectacular in Zane's opinion. His short, dark hair was nearly pitch black in color and it only made his aqua blue eyes stand out more. His skin was very light peach, making him look rather pale in comparison to Zane who was more naturally tan. He stood quite tall and dwarfed Zane when the two were standing next to each other.
Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, he was very mature and charismatic. Zane remembered when he first came across David on a dating app he downloaded for his phone. He'd stare at the handsome man's picture, knowing he'd just be another guy he could simply look at but never have for himself.
His finger would hesitantly hover over the SEND button several times whenever he worked up the nerve to so much as type out a 'Hey, how are you doing tonight?'
"No way he'd ever respond to me." Zane retracted his finger and sighed. "Not a chance in hell." He set his phone down on his desk and walked away. The screen remained on and lit up the dark room, the message still waiting to be sent.
Zane couldn't resist the temptation of spontaneity and charged back into his room, grabbed his phone and tapped SEND before his better judgement took over. He immediately vacated the room, too nervous of the outcome. When he eventually returned a few minutes later, a drink in his hand, he was ecstatic to see David had responded.
It was made better by the fact that it wasn't a "not interested" or a simple, half-assed one word reply. Instead, it was enthusiastic and showed true interest. The two chatted well into the early hours of the morning, before both finally succumbed to exhaustion and adult responsibilities of having to get up early for work the next day.
"So are you ready to go, birthday boy?"
"Yeah, just lemme grab my jacket." Zane glanced around the living room until he spotted his coat laying across the arm of the couch and quickly threw it on. "Let's go!"
A few pangs of nervousness bounced around in Zane's stomach as they approached the establishment. The place looked like it was pretty packed. He pursed his lips but continued walking. He glanced up at his boyfriend as they walked side by side; the sight of him was enough to remedy the tension building inside of him.
David felt Zane's eyes on him and met his gaze. "What's up? Everything okay?" He smiled warmly and pulled Zane close.
Zane chuckled, "Yeah, it's all good."
Despite it looking like a full house from far away, the couple managed to find a good table relatively easily. A waiter promptly welcomed them to the restaurant and handed them their menus.
Zane took in a deep breath as he felt himself loosen up.
"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, David, it really means a lot."
"Well, of course! I wanna make you feel special on your special day."
Zane beamed before returning to the menu to figure out what he wanted. Even though David insisted he could get whatever he wanted, he'd feel rather rude for ordering something overly expensive.
David was planning on taking Zane out to dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Though, he originally wanted to take him out to the club afterwards, but Zane knew he couldn't handle that kind of social situation. It was enough just to go out to dinner.
He already made so many sacrifices to his social life on Zane's behalf and he didn't want to keep disappointing him, plus he wanted to do something special for his birthday for once. This one was worth celebrating.
After finishing their meals, the two conversed over what fun things they could do next and how they would spend the upcoming holidays. This made Zane realize how much different his life would be now with all the changes going on in his life. He no longer lived with his parents, was working on getting on the right track and had a boyfriend. The prospect excited him and also wonder how everything it would all pan out.
The polite cashier wished them a good evening after the bill was paid and the couple headed out into the brisk fall air of Chicago and made their way back to Zane's apartment.
David began saying something, but Zane's attention was abruptly stolen by a news report being broadcast on a large screen mounted in the wall of a building they were passing. He slowly stopped walking and became totally fixated on the story. It was about that man who had been showing up more often in the news lately. The one simply referred to as 'the vigilante' or something.
"Uhh, Zane? Helloooo?" David waved a hand and disrupted his concentration. He hadn't realized he completely stopped walking.
"Oh, sorry, just.. looks like some crazy shit's going down." He pointed to the screen which was showing cellphone footage of a man wearing a large trenchcoat chasing down and tackling a man to the ground.
The reporter explained the man who was apprehended was later found guilty of several thefts in the area, but the vigilante was nowhere to be found once authorities arrived.
"The Fox strikes again, huh?"
"The Fox?" Zane was confused at first, but then remembered, "Oh yeah, I heard him being called that before."
"Yeah, nobody knows what his deal is, though. One minute he's beating up dudes who are trying to harass old ladies and the next he's speeding off from police in a stolen car. Heh. Would not want to cross paths with that guy." David started walking again while Zane lingered for a few seconds, still watching the screen.
"I dunno. He seems kinda interesting." Zane said to himself, still watching the story unfold until the newscast switched to the next headline.
"Yo, Zane! Can we get going? I'm starting to freeze my balls off!" David groaned, his hands shoved tightly in the pockets of his jeans.
"Yeah, sorry!" Zane shook his head bashfully and jogged to catch up.
"'Eyy, happy birthday, buddy!" Zane was abruptly greeted with a tight one-armed hug from Reese as soon as he walked in the door.
"Thanks, man!" Zane returned the hug and patted him on the back.
"I brought some party favors!" Reese proudly proclaimed, gesturing to a small stockpile of assorted alcohol on the kitchen table.
"Well, this is turning out to be a pretty awesome birthday, guys!"
"Better than our usual drunken escapades on Call of Duty?" Reese smirked.
"Yeah, maybe a little."
"Smartass." Reese chuckled and passed out drinking cups to everyone, "So, how's it going, Dave?"
"Things are great!" David said, pouring himself a rum and coke into his cup, "It's looking pretty promising that I could land that promotion I've been wanting soon so hopefully I won't be stuck behind a cubicle for much longer!"
"Congrats, dude! Cheers to that!" Reese raised his cup and collided it against David's in celebration.
"Well, we can't leave Zane out of this celebration!" David said, grinning widely at his boyfriend.
"Of course not! Happy 27th man, here's to an awesome birthday and many more!" Reese and Zane raised their cups for a cheers and downed some of their drink.
"Well, obviously that too, but I'm talking about Zane's promotion!"
Zane nearly spit out the mouthful of booze in his mouth.
Reese scrunched his eyebrows and gave David and Zane the side-eye, "Huh?"
"He's gonna be assisting one of the best journalists in Chicago! Didn't he tell you?"
Zane's stomach flipped and he refused to make eye contact with Reese, preferring to admire the floorboards instead.
Reese's lips curved in a semi-irritated grimace. "Nah, must've slipped his mind. The little bastard!" Reese was trying to sound like he was joking but it was obvious he was a bit irritated.
"Heh. Yeah, sorry. I thought I told you already, but y'know, ..I've just been so busy lately!" Zane shrugged innocently and quickly downed the rest of his drink and immediately poured himself another one.
Reese quickly dropped the subject, "So, who's up for some cards?"
Zane was, admittedly, very bad at cards. In fact he didn't understand how to play most of the games. It simply wasn't something he was interested in or cared to learn about. Regardless, he agreed, if only to keep what just happened off the table of discussion.
Not that it really mattered. Soon the trio was just tipsy enough to give up on taking any of the games seriously. It boiled down to nothing but giggling, rule breaking and making up their own games on the spot.
"Ah, man. Hold on. I gotta hit the head." David excused himself and laid his cards face down.
"What, again? That's like the fourth time in the last hour." Reese smirked, "How small is your bladder anyway?"
David faked a laugh, "Hilarious. I'll be right back!"
Reese kept watch as David entered the bathroom. As soon as he shut the door, he turned his attention to Zane.
"So, why does your boyfriend think you went to college?" Reese questioned, his voice in a hushed tone. "And that you're working for a big time journalist or, whatever he said?"
"Probably because I told him that I did when we first started talking." Zane said matter-of-factly, his fixation remaining on his hand of cards. He could feel a Reese-style interrogation coming on and he wasn't amused.
Reese scoffed and rolled his eyes, "A relationship based on lies. Nice."
Zane dropped his hand on the table, "Not now, Reese." He growled.
Reese shrugged, "I'm just saying.."
"It isn't based on lies, because it isn't based on whether I went to college or not." Zane defended, eyes narrowed, "That'd be stupid. David isn't like that at all."
"Then why don't you tell him the truth?" A sarcastic grin plastered itself across Reese's face.
Zane mirrored his expression, "Why don't you mind your own business?"
Reese rolled his eyes and Zane sighed.
"I'll tell him eventually. Obviously I can't keep up a lie like that if I want things to continue with him."
"No, you can't."
Zane glared at Reese again, his eyes darted to the hallway when the door of the bathroom opened. He leaned over the table and whispered, "Don't say anything about this."
"I won't! Fuck.."
"Say anything about what?" David asked and rejoined the group on the floor.
"Oh! Umm, about me trying to peek at your cards while you were gone. I tried to look, but Reese, being the altruist he is, wouldn't let me." Zane chuckled.
"Well, I think I can let it slide this time for the birthday boy!" David said and leaned over the table and kissed Zane on the lips.
Reese made an obviously fake laugh to complement the moment and Zane shot him an annoyed glance which David didn't seem to notice.
David yawned and put on his coat, "Well, boys, I suppose I should get home while I'm sober enough to hail a taxi."
"Yeah, I should be getting to bed soon anyway. But, thanks so much for everything tonight. I had a lot of fun." Zane hugged David tightly and they kissed.
"No problem. I'm glad you had a good birthday. You guys have a good night, okay? See ya later, Reese." David waved and let himself out.
"You too, bye!" Zane waved out the door to him.
"See ya!" Reese shouted from the kitchen.
Zane peered out the door until he saw David reach the stairway. As soon as he disappeared down the flight, he immediately shut the door.
"My fucking god, Reese. Are you trying to get David to dump me?"
"No, not at all, but it seems like you are when you lie to him about shit like that. I mean, what else are you lying to him about?" The way Reese spoke and the smug look on his face made it seem like he was enjoying this.
Zane arched his brows and raised his hands, puzzled "Why exactly do you care so much?"
"Because David shouldn't be lied to like that." Reese set his drink down and folded his arms, "He's a great guy."
"Yeah, I noticed that. It's kinda the reason why I'm dating him." Zane tended to become more sarcastic the more aggaravated he got, especially when he felt like he was being patronized.
"Look, Zane, he's your first boyfriend. Your first boyfriend at the age of 27. I'm just looking out for you, dude. I don't want you to lose him over a stupid lie."
Zane grit his teeth behind his lips. Reese just loved rubbing that little detail in his face whenever it was convenient for him. Zane took a deep breath and quelled his flaring temper.
"I appreciate that, Reese, I honestly do. I will tell him soon and this isn't going to change anything. It's like you said, he's a great guy. He'll understand."
Reese nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, he will. Just as long as you don't wait too long to tell him."
Zane sighed as he checked the oven for the third time to inspect the Italian pasta baking on the rack, "I really hope I don't mess this up." He groaned, lamenting that he realized a little too late that he should have at least practiced his culinary skills before volunteering to cook a meal for David and himself.
He was just so eager to do something for David in return for taking him out to dinner and giving him a memorable birthday. Zane knew he was far and away from being an ordinary boyfriend, but he was trying his best to be one.
The oven's buzzer went off and Zane pulled the pan out of the oven. The cheese and sauce were bubbling and it smelled delicious. Zane was very pleased with the presentation of his first dish, now hopefully it tastes as good as it looked.
Zane set the hot pan on the stove as someone knocked on the door. He slid off his oven mitts and let David in.
"Hey! You have perfect timing. I just took the pasta out of the oven, so it's gotta cool down a little before we can eat." Zane chuckled nervously, "I hope it'll be good and, you know, if it isn't, just don't be afraid to be honest about it, okay?"
David smiled faintly at Zane's rambling and took a seat at the table, "Yeah, speaking of honesty.. before we go on, there's something I have to ask you."
There was a hesitance in David's voice which didn't go unnoticed by Zane and it made him feel uneasy. He took a seat across from David at the table.
"Sure, what is it?"
"What are you hiding from me?" As soon as he spoke those words, his expression shifted immediately from his usual, calm, friendly smile to one of grim seriousness. Zane didn't like this at all.
"What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything." Zane's mouth became dry and he tried to retain his cool.
"That's not what Reese told me earlier."
Zane pursed his lips and clenched his fists underneath the table. He didn't know what to do or say, wishing time would freeze long enough to figure out what to say to his boyfriend.
"Look, if Reese is lying and you're not keeping something from me, then just say so. I'll take your word over his." David's eyes gleamed and his lips curved into a subtle smile. He looked so hopeful and all it did was make Zane feel worse.
Zane thought about it. Here David was, handing him a "get out of jail free" card on a red velvet pillow. He was bothered enough that he'd been lying to David all this time, but with how trusting he was being right now, Zane knew it'd just sting worse to continue the charade.
"No, Reese is right. There is something I'd been hiding from you."
Zane laid his hands flat against his legs, gripped his knees and took a deep breath.
"I, um, when we first met and I told you I went to school and was working as a journalist's assistant.."
"Yeah?" David folded his arms and leaned against the back of the chair.
"That wasn't the truth."
David's face hardened. "Oh." It was all he had to say to convey his disapproval to his boyfriend, almost like he already expected what was to come.
"I didn't go to college at all and I don't work for a journalist. I have a job at the grocery store down the street as a stock boy during the night shift." Zane tried as hard as he could to hold eye contact with David.
David leered and shook his head. Uncomfortable silence permeated the room until he scoffed, "This is so stupid. Why would you lie to me about this?"
"It-it's not a big deal, David." Zane asserted, irrationally hoping it'd convince him to be reasonable.
"Yeah, it kinda is." David interjected, his tone rising, "You made up this elaborate story about how you went to college and you were working for a journalist and you even told me how you were hoping this would lead to an opportunity to be a writer for a major publication. I'd say that's a pretty big detail of your life to lie about."
Zane attempted to say something, anything to explain his position. His mouth moved but words failed to come out. He couldn't bear to look David in the eyes, but he could feel those blue eyes burning into him.
"That's not even the worst part, Zane. Now that I know you lied about something like this, I can't shake the feeling that there are other probably worse things you're keeping from me." He ran his hand roughly against his face and through his raven hair, leaving his face a faded shade of pink. "Damn, I feel like such an idiot!"
Zane cringed at how horribly this was going. He didn't anticipate David would react this way and certainly didn't want him to feel stupid for trusting him.
"David, please just listen. I'm so sorry, okay? I'm really fucking sorry." Zane was on the brink of tears, and he used all of his willpower to hold them back. "I didn't want to lie but I was scared."
"Scared of what?"
Zane could tell from his tone that he must've thought it was the biggest load of bullshit he's heard in his life, but he still continued.
"Being judged. You know the shit I deal with, how it gets in the way of doing so much of what's expected of me. I was afraid you'd want nothing to do with me when you found out that I've barely accomplished anything. Nearly every guy I've talked to has walked away from me when I told them, so instead I started making shit up."
David scoffed and laughed sarcastically, "Okay. So, basically what I'm hearing is, other guys have treated you like shit in the past and now you're taking it out on me."
"What? No! That's not what I'm doing at all!"
"Yes it is, Zane! I'm not the one who judged you and turned my back on you when you told me about your life. Those other assholes are. Yet I'm the one who is being fed all the bullshit. I'm the one being deceived by someone I thought I knew!"
"It wasn't personal! I was screwed over so many times in the past. I didn't want it to happen again. Those other guys-"
"I'm NOT just one of those other guys!" David halted Zane's sentence and pounded his hand on the table, "I'm your boyfriend and I thought that would entitle me to a little more respect than what you hand out to random jerks, but I guess you don't see it that way."
Zane didn't know what to say. His mind raced, trying to find anything to say, something to improve the situation. The silence was deafening. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, whatever." David said bitterly and stood from his seat, "You obviously don't trust me, so why should I trust you?"
"What are you saying?"
"I can't be with someone who lies about such stupid shit. We're not in high school anymore, Zane."
Zane sat frozen in his chair, genuinely unsure of what to do or say. He felt like it no longer mattered at this point; he'd lost total control over the situation. All he could do was watch David prepare to leave.
As he pulled open the door, he turned to Zane once more, "Guess what? You're not the only person who got fucked over by assholes, okay? I've dated more than my fair share of douchebags and I'm over that. Maybe once you get some more experience and grow up a bit, you'll understand. You're just too immature. See you around."
The door slammed shut behind him. Zane remained in his chair for several minutes. It took a while before his mind started to even process what just happened. It was over. The relationship he waited so long for and wanted so badly was over in an instant. And all because of a stupid lie.
All because his best friend couldn't mind his own business and keep his mouth shut.
Zane stood up from his chair so abruptly it nearly fell over and made a bee-line for the front door. His mind was so flooded that the ten minute walk to Reese's apartment felt like it took only a few seconds.
He pounded his fist into the door of Reese's apartment. He barely waited more than two seconds before pounding even harder, not giving a damn about how many neighbors he was disturbing.
The door flew open to reveal a very irritated-looking Reese on the other side, "What the hell is your problem!?"
Zane shoved Reese backwards, making him fall onto the sofa. Zane jumped on top of him and attempted to pin him down.
"You fucking asshole! What's the matter with you!?"
"What did I do!?" Reese reached up and attempted to pry Zane's hands off of him.
"You know exactly what you did! You just had to be a hero and tell David everything!"
"Get the fuck off me, you psychopath!" Reese shoved and kicked the smaller man off to the other side of the couch and stood up, rubbing his neck.
"Why did you tell him?" Zane stood in front of Reese, "Thanks to you, he dumped me! I hope you're happy!"
"I'm not the one who lied to him! That one's on you! He needed to know the truth!"
"God, you are such a self-righteous piece of shit. You know that? It was none of your fucking business, Reese! Why can't you just worry about your own life!?"
"Yup, it's all my fault!" Reese tossed his hands in the air sarcastically, "I'm the one who told you to lie to your boyfriend about your life since day one!"
"It wasn't your place to tell him. It was mine and I was going to confess to him!"
Reese scoffed, "Right, like how you were going to stop being a hermit and start being more social?"
Zane could feel his temper flaring up. Reese always had the propensity for being a condescending asshole, but he wasn't holding back tonight. He loved throwing this kind of shit in Zane's face whenever it was convenient.
"Oh, how about when you said you'd quit being a pussy and get your driver's license like everyone else in the world over the age of 16 so I wouldn't have to keep driving your ass around everywhere? Or getting a real job and stop mooching off your family? Seriously, Zane, when the hell do you plan on growing up anyway?"
Zane just smiled and chuckled, "Wow, you're a real son of a bitch, aren't you?"
Reese shook his head, "Yeah.. uh, not really. No."
"Heh. Okay." Zane headed for the door. "I hope it was worth it to tattle to David about me. We've been friends since middle school and you throw that away because all of a sudden you wanna take the moral high ground. Go fuck yourself."
"You did this to yourself. Don't blame me." Reese shrugged and began cleaning up the small mess resulting from their altercation, "Besides, for the record, I didn't say a word about what it was you were hiding from him. I simply tipped him off and you did the rest of the work for me."
Zane rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste another second with this lunatic, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
He shut the door as Reese began spewing another round of vitriol, but it fell on deaf ears while Zane walked away.
The words Zane recited bounced around in his head as his feet hit the pavement. He held his folded arms close to his own body which was being racked by minor tremors. He wasn't shaking due to the cold, but from nerves. He was on his way to the small cafe a few blocks from his apartment; it was where he spent a lot of time with David - their meeting place of sorts. Whether or not he was planning on meeting up with Zane, he'd spend every lunch break there at around 1:30.
Ever since their break-up almost a week ago, Zane had been planning on showing up at the cafe and hopefully hash things out with him and maybe work on getting back together again. He rehearsed what he was planning to say day and night until he managed to craft the words that he knew perfectly described how he felt.
He was so lost in thought that he nearly walked past the building. When he saw that he'd already arrived, his stomach began to twist. It contorted even worse when he spotted David seated at his usual table sipping a cup of coffee and obsessively glancing at his phone.
They'd been apart for only a few days but to Zane it felt like he was seeing him for the first time in months. He briefly wondered if his ex had changed much in that time, but then immediately waved the notion off as being absurd.
Refusing to put anymore thought into it, he began to charge towards the entrance of the restaurant when something caused an icy chill to run through his chest.
An eerily familiar blond man walked in through the other entrance of the cafe and immediately headed for David's table. Zane backed out of sight and investigated. After a few seconds, Zane realized the man wasn't just familiar, it was Reese.
"What the hell is he doing there?"
As far as Zane knew, Reese never even heard of the place where he and David spent so much time together. Now here he was, clearly knowing his way around and where to find David.
David's face lit up as soon as he spotted Reese. He stood up and the two men embraced, followed by a quick kiss and then a second, more intimate kiss before Reese sat down in the chair across from David.
This sight knocked the wind out of Zane. His knees were now fully pressed against the sidewalk, his hand propped against the brick wall to hold himself up while he watched in disgust.
"They're fucking.. together now?" His eyes began to sting and burn. All he wanted to do was march into that cafe and inflict as much pain on those bastards as possible. It didn't matter if it was physical, mental or emotional torment. He just wanted them to suffer.
"Hey, kid. Are you okay?"
Zane glanced around and noticed an older man looking down at him, obviously bewildered.
"I'm sorry?"
"I asked if you're okay. It looks like you're about to have a heart attack or something."
Zane looked at himself, suddenly aware of what a strange sight a man kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily must've been to passersby.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Zane answered, his voice trembling. He rose to his feet, brushing the dirt off his jeans and stumbling a little as he walked away.
"I can hail you a cab if you want!" The man offered. Zane didn't look back.
Zane waved to the man, "No, I'm okay. Thanks anyway!" He stuck his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and briskly walked through the stream of people on the sidewalk.
His brain threatened to process what just transpired as he made his way back to his apartment, but he refused to feel or think about anything. Not now. He didn't even want to take a breath, too afraid of being set off.
Tears welling up in his eyes made it hard to discern the door to his room and he was shaking so much he could barely unlock the door. The burning feeling was so bad it felt like his tear ducts were dispensing acid.
He slammed the door to his apartment and then did the same with his bedroom door, not at all caring about any noise complaints he might get. He collapsed onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow as burning water streamed down his cheeks.
All of his hard work to get his life back on track completely undone by something he witnessed for only a few minutes, all because of some stupid lie. How could this happen?
Depression consumed him for the next three days. He adopted a new diet, one he liked to call the "liquid diet," consisting of mostly alcohol and very little food. He was more antisocial than ever, barely left his apartment and his performance at work was becoming dismal while his attitude became more careless.
He was too distracted with Reese and David to really give a shit about what was going on in front of him. He lost his best friend and his boyfriend in the same day and then he found out they betrayed him. He could've killed both of them right at that moment he spotted them, but every so often he caught himself bargaining with some higher power to make things right with his two ex-friends.
Zane was afraid this despair would never go away, but it didn't last long at all. It was only a weak levee that quickly gave way to ferocious tidal waves. Instead of figuring out how to win his former friends back, he decided that their forgiveness was absolutely worthless. On the other hand, finding a way to make them suffer was a much more worthwhile goal.
He didn't feel like he was frozen in time anymore, bogged down by his depression. He felt like a vibrant blaze had been ignited inside of him and that fire wanted to burn David and Reese to the ground.
But how? In what way could Zane ever put those two in their place? Zane was never good with revenge. It almost always backfired on him or was ineffective at best.
Zane's phone buzzed next to him on his bed. He glanced at the device, the bright screen blinding him as his eyes adjusted from the darkness of his room.
"I don't give a shit if you posted a new status. Who fucking cares?" He rolled his eyes and tossed the phone away.
Social media. It was something he used to enjoy, but once he realized people really didn't give a shit about his life, which everyone found boring and uninteresting, he stopped wasting his time on it. Now all it does is remind him of Reese, David and every other conceited asshole like them. They thrive on that shit. Zane wondered if they're listed as being in a relationship with each other. The thought made him want to regurgitate. After a moment, Zane thought of something.
"They're always on there." He said to himself. He stared at his phone and grinned. "I think I know where to hit them where it hurts."
Zane immediately sat down at his computer. His fingers rapidly pounded the keyboard in hopes of finding out everything he needed to do to perform hacking on social networks. To his delight, he came across a treasure trove of various sites detailing various methods of hacking. Some were harder to find than others, many of which residing in the dark depths of the web.
It wasn't someplace he dared venture on his computer before, but he felt like he no longer had anything to lose and everything to gain. His brain soaked up every bit of information like a sponge.
He didn't stop with social media hacking, he went on to learn about all forms of it. And suddenly his original plan to make his former friends look like assholes on a stupid website looked like minor league. Especially in comparison to the grand scheme of what he was capable of in the world of hacking.
The reclusive behavior would continue for another few weeks. He poured his heart and soul into learning everything there was to know about hacking and he refused to let this be something else he'd just give up on. It was all he cared about now.
He found it funny; he hadn't ever worked this hard when he was in school, but he figured the pay off here was much more bountiful. There's no doubt he can benefit from becoming a proficient hacker, but what can solving ridiculously convoluted math problems that one would never face outside of a classroom do to improve his life?
Zane was admittedly a little surprised when people started contacting him and wondering where he's been. Of course, most of the calls were from his boss, threatening to terminate his employment for missing a full week of work. Still, he didn't expect anyone would notice he hasn't been around.
Despite that, he couldn't care less when he got the inevitable irritated voicemail about being fired. Who needs a job when you're learning how to transfer money from other peoples' bank accounts to any nearby ATM for your own taking?
By the end of the week, Zane had learned pretty much all of the basic techniques that were popular amongst proficient hackers. He refused to use random people to practice on. It's not like they did anything to him to deserve it.
He started off by practicing inconsequential hacks on his own electronics so as not to ruin them in the process. Then he'd focus his attention on hacking inanimate objects like steam pipes, road blocks and traffic lights that were strewn about the city when no one was around. It was so gratifying to see a hack go off without a hitch, be it a faulty traffic light or messing with electronic road signs.
Zane was thoroughly enjoying the learning process and he actually looked forward to waking up the next day and teaching himself a new skill. It was a very different feeling for him, he wasn't used to it but he welcomed it. It was also great in that it gave him a reason to leave his apartment once in a while.
With a hood sheltering his face and his hands in his pocket, Zane headed for a rather secluded part of town where he planned on practicing a hack on a bridge. He honestly hated being out in public, the paranoia that people were constantly staring at him in judgement and every chuckle being aimed at him was overwhelming. It worsened when his prescription ran out.
A group of three jocks walk down the sidewalk heading in Zane's direction, he side steps to avoid, but lightly grazes the elbow of one of them.
"Hey, kid!" Someone shouts from behind him. Zane ignores it and continues on his way.
"Hey!" The same man yells, louder this time.
Zane turns around to observe where the shouting is coming from and a heavy feeling in his stomach forms when he sees the three guys he just passed staring right at him.
"Yeah, you! Don't you fucking walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" The guy approached Zane, followed closely behind by his two friends. "The fuck is your problem? You can't move your ass out of the way when you see people coming? Can't even be bothered to apologize?"
Zane couldn't believe this guy was for real. He barely nudged him as he walked past. His glance darted to the other two guys who were snickering at him.
"Sorry?" Was all Zane could say. He didn't want to admit he was a bit intimidated, he also refused to give the jerk the satisfaction of sounding sincere. However, the jerk bought it anyway.
"That's better." The jock patted Zane on the head with a condescendingly smug grin on his face. "Now, watch where the fuck you're walking. Little shit."
Zane leered at the gang, the three of them cackling with laughter as if their friend just made the biggest burn in history. He grit his teeth. Those guys were much bigger and taller than himself, but they couldn't be any older than twenty. 'Respect your elders' was a sentiment that hardly mattered when the younger person can overpower you.
The feeling of powerlessness tore Zane up inside. He felt dehumanized every time it happened, especially coming from some stuck-up kid. He knew most people his age and younger wouldn't take that kind of shit and it just made him feel even more like a pathetic doormat. He couldn't do anything about it and it was one of the worst feelings he ever experienced.
"Why don't you watch where the fuck you're going, you entitled piece of shit."
The guys were barely five steps away when Zane muttered his grievances.
"Oh, you're a fucking tough guy, huh?"
Zane once again ignored the jock and continued walking away, hoping they'd eventually leave him alone.
"I don't think so!" He was grabbed by his hood and then yanked and slammed into the brick wall beside him.
"Listen, bitch. Nobody like a mouthy little shit. Do you understand me?" The jock pinned the smaller man against the wall and got in his face. He refused to make eye contact with him.
The jock grabbed Zane's chin and lifted it up to force eye contact. "I said, do you understand?" Passersby glanced at the situation, but only gawked and didn't make any effort to help out. Like this was just another day in the neighborhood.
"Yes." Zane said, glaring up at the man and swallowing all of his pride.
"Good. Now don't make me do this again."
Zane's heart thudded in his chest. He was embarrassed and infuriated. As the three jocks walked away, Zane quickly pulled out his phone and tried to figure out what to do. He wasn't going to let these fuckers get away with this.
His eyes darted around the area until he spotted transformers suspended above where the guys were headed. Fingers rhythmically and rapidly tapped the screen of his phone. As soon as he was finished, an explosion of sparks rained down on the trio, causing them and everyone near the light pole to scream and jump out of the way.
One of the guys moved right in front of a set of steam pipes adorned on the wall of the building, which Zane promptly targeted. The sudden burst knocked the man to his feet and sent all of them running away in fear.
Zane allowed himself to laugh out loud triumphantly. For the first time in his life, he didn't let someone get away with pushing him around. It felt good. It felt fucking amazing. He didn't want the feeling to ever go away.
Suddenly he realized it didn't have to. There were douchebags like this all over Chicago who need to be put in their place and perhaps he could be the one to do it.
Zane peered around the corner of the building and spotted his targets. Reese and David walked in to the nightclub looking like a jovial pair. The sight was sickening. Ever since he began hacking, he'd learned quite a lot about the two people he thought he knew so well. Apparently Zane was one of their favorite topics to discuss when they weren't sending each other perverted texts.
He found out that David and Reese had actually been screwing him over for quite some time. He was such a burden to the both of them and David cheated on him less than two weeks into their relationship. Zane had to refrain from whipping his phone at the wall after seeing that. At least now he had no qualms about what he was planning for them.
Before they broke up, Zane borrowed David a sizeable sum of money and since he unofficially quit his job, he could really use it about now. Not to mention people who borrow money and never pay it back is a serious pet peeve of his. While he's at it, he decided he'd charge the bastard interest while he's helping himself to his ex's bank account.
As with nearly every situation, he felt nervous. He didn't want this hack to go wrong. Who knows what ramifications he could face? It might even get traced back to him and that's the last thing he needs. It was only a minor texting hack for now, but he was still concerned something could blow up in his face. Seems like he could never manage to hide from bad luck for long.
These worries were nothing new. It's all a part of suffering from anxiety. Zane was confident in his developing skills as a hacker and they were only improving by the day, but he still fears the worst is waiting for him around the corner.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said a gruff, gravelly voice from behind Zane. His body froze and reluctantly turned around to face who had caught him.