7 Deadly Sins of Joseph Anza
Joseph Anza has been a naughty boy. A collection of fanfics showing the 7 Deadly Capital Sins.

Hey there. I was just going over my Christian Living notes, and well, watching Fillmore, so my the imaginary lightbulb of ideas went off in my head, and here I am, writing it. Hah. Anyway, there's no default pairing and age. Be warned that there will be some mature themes involved and some cursing. Hope you enjoy, and please review.

I might even write one of these for other characters as well. Danny's going to be interesting.

Pride is so hard to write for, yet so easy to feel! Gah. Well, I'm up for any self-challenges, so yeah, I'm not giving up on this.

Oh, and remember:

I do not own Fillmore! and any of its characters. What I'm writing is merely a time passer and a medium of entertainment for the readers. I will not be responsible for people that read content that they are not to read, because I will state directly what things you can expect from the fanfic.

PRIDE
"I'm in trouble because I'm normal and slightly arrogant. A lot of people don't like themselves and I happen to be totally in love with myself."

Fifteen-year-old Joseph Aspen Anza had a lot to be proud of. He was tall, athletic, smart, charismatic, played the guitar and sang well, was probably one of the most good-looking guys at X High School, and had nearly every girl he passed falling under his spell, and every other guy wanting to be him. He wasn't very wealthy, but he was well-off enough to study in the Ivy Leagues. He'd fall in love with himself if it were possible. But nah, he's not gay. Nor a narcissist. Wait, maybe a narcissist. Hell, you'd think his life was perfect. It wasn't, but he made it seem like it was.

He wasn't the most popular guy at school. He was enough to be noticed by people, and could remain anonymous enough for people not to recognize him. He only had a small group of close friends, but had a lot of others too. He had a couple of people that secretly and openly hated him, and most of these people were ones he busted for small-time crimes, because who likes spending time confined within four walls, doing nothing aside from being forced to think about what they'd done? Do you? Didn't think so.

He wasn't president of anything, nor a majorly big star in track or basketball, but for some reason, he had a fanclub.

He was reserved, timid, but smooth. That was probably why he was so good with the ladies.

But despite all this, he still wasn't happy. Not completely. He received a lot of compliments, but he acted like he it wasn't true. How modest. Whenever someone would say how good he was, he would smile, say that it was nothing and that he was just your average Joe, yet feel secretly happy that they noticed. Yet this wasn't enough for him to be satisfied. He wanted love. But he didn't want to show that vulnerable side of himself. He didn't cry. He didn't show emotions. He was known to be the master of self-control. He was the most composed officer in the force. Even though something had hit home, he didn't cry. He'd have a straight face on, ready to hold anyone who needed him. He wanted to be the strong one. His idea of being a true man was to stand up for everyone, and hide his emotions.

But right now, all he wanted to do was curl up and cry. He'd just broken things off with Karen. It just wasn't working for them. They were perfect for each other, he just knew it. He took the chance of love with her, because he felt she was the one. But as time passed, the spark was gone. It was all routine and obligatory to him already, not voluntary. He wasn't seeing her the first thing in the morning and the last thing before he went to sleep. And that wasn't good. He had been too caught up doing his work and attending to his friends, that he didn't feel Karen slipping away until it was too late. He was too self-centered and selfish, that's what he was. He hated seeing that look on her face, which was a mixture of sadness and the realization of the truth that they were never meant to be. He remembered the exact words she said, "I still love you, but you're right. It's not working between us."

He sighed. He took a walk by the pier; it always calmed him down. And the clear view of the night sky helped too.

He sat on the edge of the boardwalk and kicked his feet in the water. He relished the feeling of the cold water lapping against his leg. He splashed some water ahead. He remembered when Karen pushed him in the water. He was shocked at first, but he pulled her down as well, wetting her new clothes, but she laughed and kissed him. He smiled at the memory, and found himself touching his lips. He sighed again, as tears formed in his eyes. He shook his head vigorously, but it only made him want to cry more, because he and Karen, they were nothing more than distant memories. He blinked, as a salty tear cascaded down his cheek. He didn't bother wiping it away. No one could see him. He sniffled, staring at the night sky. He saw Taurus, Karen's sign. Another tear slid down, because he remembered again.

"Look up at the sky, Karen."

"Where?"

"Look. Beside Orion, the one with Riegl, that bright bluish-white star, and Betelguese, the yellow-orange colored star, is Taurus. It's for you."

He was sobbing by now. It was his first heartbreak. Yes, things weren't working out, but he didn't treasure those moments before as he did now. He still loved her, but not enough. He missed her. Already. He felt as if a big part of him was just ripped out. And it was hard to survive without it.

"Joe? Is that you?" said a quiet, feminine voice.

He tucked his head in and brought his knees to his chest.

The girl neared him, and a soft, cold hand tilted his chin up. It was Ingrid.

"Hey." she said, smiling. "Here." She handed over a tissue, which he gratefully accepted. She sat down beside him.

"So, what happened?"

"We're over." he said, sniffling. He sighed, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I... don't know. I-It just wasn't working. I didn't do enough. I didn't love her enough. Who was I, to think I was enough for her? I was too busy caught up in what I had to do, I neglected to be with her. I'd never realized how much she meant to me... until it was all over."

He started sobbing again. "I can't take it anymore, Ingrid. I feel like I could die."

When he said that, Ingrid was moved. Joseph was known to be able to endure extreme amounts of mental and physical difficulty, but when it came to matters of the heart, it seems he couldn't have handled it much. He was scared. Her eyes softened, as she held his sobbing form. This was the first time he had shown any other emotion aside from happiness and anger. She held him tight.

"Don't worry. I'm here for you." she said.

Right then, Joseph swallowed his pride. There was a time he had to be true to himself and others. He was a proud, pompous bastard at times, but he was human too.

There's a lot of things to be proud of. There are things we aren't. Those are the ones we want to hide. But sometimes, you have to face your weaknesses to better yourself.