The New Beginning
Link slowly awoke from his comatose slumber. The sounds of his surroundings slowly brought him back to reality. A familiar voice echoed in his ears. The sound made his head throb with pain. He groaned at his pain and struggled to recall the events from the night before.
"Happy nineteenth, little buddy," Ben's enthusiastic voice boomed in his ears. Now he remembered. It was Links nineteenth birthday the day before, and they had celebrated in Ben's favorite way. Links' mouth felt like it was made of sand paper. He choked out a groan as he struggled to lift his head. "There's water on the table for ya, runt."
Dragging his head off the couch cushion he used as a pillow, Link looked over to the coffee table to see a red cup with a devilish looking smiley face on it. He reached over to the cup. Moving required much more effort than usual. He quickly chugged down the cool drink. "What did you do to me?" Link asked once he finished.
"Ha ha ha," Ben laughed. "You put down more drinks than my dad last night, kid."
"He was here?" Links' voice sounded sick.
"No, but that would have made last night even better."
Realizing that laying on his stomach felt very uncomfortable on the couch, Link flipped himself over. The motion made his world start spinning. Struggling to maintain he took in his surroundings hoping to remember where he was. Eventually he realized his was in the living room, downstairs in the house himself, Mike, and Ben were renting out. Behind his head was the fireplace, still smelling of smoke from the night before. To his right was the coffee table standing over a light blue rug. Farther beyond to the opposite wall was was the front door, situated to the left of a bathroom and to the right of the staircase. Light bounced off the glossy white walls from the open blinds. Straight in front of Link was the dining table the stood in front of the kitchen counter. Standing at the counter stood Ben's friendly figure who was piling empty bottles into a plastic trash bag.
A year had brought some change to Ben's' appearance. He had abandoned the lip ring and had grown a thin layer of scruff on his face. His build, though still thin, showed more muscle than he once had. His arms seemed more defined as he wore a black sleeveless shirt. On his right forearm he wore a new tattoo: a sword and shield pointing down toward his wrist with angel wings growing out of the hilt and resting along the edges of the blade.
"What time is it," Link yawned.
"About twenty after twelve."
"Ah, hell!" Link rubbed his eyes
"You don't have to work today, do ya?" Ben's tone sounded concerned
"No I just hate sleeping in this late."
Ben began to giggle as he tied the end of the bag closed. "You're gonna be sleeping the rest of the weekend away kiddo."
"Oh man........." Link's stomach churned. "How much did I have?"
"A lot," Ben chuckled. "About half of last nights stock."
"I didn't sleep with anyone I would regret, did I?"
"Priscilla."
"WHAT?" Link sat up on his hands
Ben's face twisted with laughter. "I'm just kidding bro." Ben continued laughing. "You should have seen your face when I said that."
Link flopped back down on the couch. "Not cool, that chick is scary," Link groaned. Ben still chuckled in the kitchen.
Link scanned himself to see if anything was out of place. The first thing he noticed was his missing shirt. That was nothing unusual. On the back of his left hand he noticed a mark. There were three golden triangles hovering over tribal art bird wings.
"Dude, what the fuck," Link yelled.
"What?" Ben called looking up.
"You guys tattooed me," Link said with anger in his voice.
"No we didn't."
"Then what's this?" Link raised up his hand.
Ben looked at his hand with confusion. "I wasn't there for that," Ben said with a sincere tone. Link groaned with anger. "You sure that isn't a marker?"
"No it's not!" Link licked his finger and began rubbing it to be sure.
"Sorry bro I don't know how that happen." Ben continued his cleaning.
"Who was here last night?"
"The usual crew: Bill, Jason, Jessie, Lily, Max, Lucy, and Zak. Zak's got a lot of tats but he's not messed up like that."
"Garrett wasn't here was he," Link's tone was returning to normal.
"No, that asshole doesn't even know where I live. He doesn't have the balls to do that either."
"Shit," Link breathed.
Ben walked out of the kitchen to the side of the couch and looked at Link's hand. "It doesn't look bad though," he said after a few seconds of examining.
"Well I'm still gonna kick the ass of whoever did it," Link groaned as he pulled himself to a sitting position.
"I'll figure out who it was, bro." Ben returned to the kitchen.
"Kick 'em in the nuts for me," Link said as he stood up. "I need some food."
"Wait for it," Ben whispered with a giggle in his voice.
"Wait for wh-," Link was interrupted by a sudden throbbing headache. He held his head with one hand and put the other on the counter to balance himself. "Oh........."
"Ha ha," Ben laughed. "Look in the fridge. There should be a blue bottle with a white label on it." Ben pointed to the refrigerator. "It should help make your headache go away."
"Dude! What did you do to me," Link groaned as he stumbled to the refrigerator.
"I didn't do shit," Ben said still laughing. "You're the little idiot who wouldn't put the bottle down last night."
Link shuffled through the shelves looking for the blue bottle Ben had mentioned. "Where is it?"
"In the door, bottom shelf."
Link found what he was looking for. Picking it up, he examined the bottle. "This is a toddlers drink," Link said in a questioning tone.
"It'll rehydrate you quick and should kill the headache. Tastes like shit though so chug it down quick."
Link did as he was told and forced himself to consume the awful tasting liquid. "I think this is gonna make me puke," Link commented as he finished the drink.
"Aim that way," Ben pointed to the bathroom. "I just finished cleaning the counter."
Link spent the remainder of the day in his room watching television and recovering. Everything he had when he was living with his aunt had been transferred over to his new home. The room was a bit smaller than his old one, but he still managed to fit everything in it. Link was happy to have a room with clean carpeting and people he actually enjoyed living with.
The next day Link woke with a headache lingering from the day before. Once he ate breakfast, the throbbing seemed to diminish into a dull ache. Working seemed to help work it out of his system too. Link's work tended to be a little more physical than what he was used to during high school. Instead of working as a bagger for the supermarket, he was now a loader for a moving company. Each day he was at a new persons house moving their belongings to their new home. Link hated the blue polo shirt and matching shorts he had to where. He believed it looked ridiculous. The pay was worth the minimal humiliation so Link never complained.
The headache and dried out feeling made the day go by slower than normal. Link was happy to finally punch out at the end of the day. The setting sun cast a comforting yellow glow in the sky. The long shadows cast a humble atmosphere over the sleepy neighborhood. Link breathed in his new life with ease as his key hit the lock of the front door. He stepped through the front door and shut the door behind him. Tossing his backpack full of his work clothes aside, he made his to the kitchen. He promptly retrieved a glass from the cupboard. He reached into the fridge, took up a jug of green juice and poured himself a drink. As he drank from the glass, a shadow in the backyard caught his eye. In the grass beyond the patio, Ben and Mike were practicing their martial arts.
Link made his way into the backyard to observe his roommates skirmish. Both wore a set of grappling gloves and a mouth piece. Ben's face was red with adrenaline. Mike seemed rather calm compared to his counterpart. "Who's winning," Link asked as he shut the sliding glass door behind him.
"I am," Mike answered, his voice muffled by the mouth piece. The very moment he finished speaking, he deflected a swing from Ben.
"As usual," Link muttered to himself. Once more Mike deflected an attack. This time he countered by throwing his opponent to the ground.
Ben slammed into the ground with a hammering thud. Trying to ignore the pain brought on, Ben hurried back to his feet and tried again. His swing missed and was once again countered. He soon found himself in an arm lock and was forced down to his knees.
"Give up yet," Mike managed to ask.
"Yeah right," Ben breathed.
Somehow Ben managed to swing an elbow back into his opponents stomach. Once Mike released, Ben reached back and sent Mike to the ground. Without acknowledging the pain, Mike sprang back to his feet and faced his advancing opponent. Yet again Mike deflected the attack and sent his opponent face first into the grass. This time Ben hesitated to return to his feet. He rolled himself onto his back and spit out the mouth piece.
"You're done," Mike laughed as he removed his mouth piece. "Getting better though."
"You still tore me apart," Ben said still panting for air.
"Well yeah I couldn't let you win," Mike said as he walked over to his downed friend. He offered a hand to help lift him up.
Link laughed as he he saw Ben's tired expression once he returned to his feet.
"You wanna go next," Mike asked Link with a grin on his face.
"No thanks," Link said then took a gulp from his glass. "I still have a hard enough time taking him down," he said as he pointed at Ben.
Link returned inside and finished his drink. After he set the glass in the sink, he walked across the kitchen to the garage door. He opened the door and stepped through into a blanket of darkness. He felt the wall beside him searching for the light switch. He found it and flipped it on. The soft golden glow of the light bulb illuminated the room. The garage looked more like a clubhouse for adults rather than anything else. The walls were covered in posters of adult magazines and the groups favorite bands. Instead of a car, there was Links' drum set with Ben's black bass standing next to that. Amplifiers were scattered throughout the place with the wires running along the walls. Across from the instruments was a tarp covering a large object. It was set in the corner and out of the way of everything else. Next to Link was a refrigerator which was next to an old brown couch. The couch was set in front of a wooden desk. Atop the wooden desk was a black tool chest. Next to the chest was a black monster of a stereo system. Randomly scattered throughout the garage were small chairs or stools. Memories of his nineteenth birthday resurfaced for the first time since the event. Most of the night had been spent here.
Link walked over to the tarp and pulled it aside. Underneath the tarp was a monstrous red motorcycle. The chrome on the exhaust was a little dull, and the red paint was slightly faded, showing the age of the vehicle. On the gas tank the 'Epona Custom' emblem shimmered against the light. Despite its flaws, it was still a beautiful sight to a fan of any motorcycle. Link dropped the tarp and pulled one of the short stools next to the bike. He then turned his attention to the tool chest. He opened one of the drawers and retrieved a variety of wrenches, sockets, ratchets, screwdrivers, and a hammer. Once he had the necessary items, Link reached over and pressed the power button the the stereo system. The speakers hanging from the walls buzzed on, and the sub woofer grumbled to life. He pressed the play button and stepped away. The chaotic soundtrack of his life began to flow into the room as he sat down next to the bike and began his effort to one day restore the vehicle to its original glory.
For hours Link labored. He worked at a seemingly endless routine of screwing, wrenching, and hammering. Every now and then he would finally remove a part and replace it with a new one or adjust and clean the existing one. Sometime during the time spent in the garage, Ben had entered and began to play his instrument along with the metal melody the filled the atmosphere. As he played, he rocked his head to the beat of the song with a smoldering cigar dangling from his mouth.
Finally the music began to die as the final track on the last CD in the changer came to a close. Link decided that it was a good time to call it a day on his repair work. Ben sat his guitar down and turned the amplifier he sat on off. "How's that coming along," Ben asked once the music subsided.
"Should be able to get her up and running here soon," Link answered wiping the grease off his hands with a paper towel. "Just need to find that last valve she's missing and she'll be road worthy."
As Link stood up, Ben offered the cigar to Link. Link took the cigar and drew in a puff of smoke before handing it back to his friend.
"You get off work late today," Ben asked puffing out more smoke. "Usually you get home before I do."
"I stopped by to see Clayton and Lauren," Link said as he leaned against the desk.
"How they doing?"
"Good," Link said with enthusiasm in his voice. "The foster parents are really nice people. I don't have to worry about them anymore."
Ben drew in another puff of smoke. "Don't mean to sound like an ass," Ben let out the smoke, "but I guess your aunt biting the big one was kinda a good thing."
".......yeah," Link reluctantly answered. As cruel as it sounded, Ben was right.
Seeing that the topic was bothering Link, Ben stood up and reached into his back pocket. "Check this out," Ben said as he handed a folded up flier to Link.
Link unfolded the piece of paper and read its contents. The flier was for a local concert happening the upcoming weekend. Link continued to scan over the list of bands playing at the club that night. One band caught his attention more than the rest. "Black Winged Angel is playing," Link finally asked.
"Yup," Ben said through a puff of smoke.
"Black Winged Angel? Our band? We're playing the show too?" Link's voice was brimming with excitement.
"Yes indeed little buddy," Ben replied with a grin.
"How did we make the roster for that one? We don't even have a demo out."
"I guess we are more popular than we thought," Ben said as he put the cigar out in a nearby ashtray. "The club owner gave one of the guys managing the show Zak's number and asked if we would play."
"Why didn't Zak let us know?"
"It's Zak," Ben said as he released the last puff of smoke. "He always volunteers us for shit we don't know about. He got lucky we all like this idea."
"That sounds like Zak," Link said with a giggle in his voice. He returned his attention to the flier. "Dude this is gonna be cool."
"Yeah, it's the first time we'll be on a big stage too."
"Dude, this will be awesome," Link said with a giddy tone in his voice.
"Ha ha. We're gonna practice tomorrow and pick which songs we're gonna play at Max's tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll just meet you at his place tomorrow after I get off work."
The anticipation for the weekend made the week seem extraordinarily long for Link. Every day up until the night of the concert, the band practiced. Each member honed their skills to be ready for their big moment. Link was their drummer and the only one of the group not over the age of twenty-one. Ben was the bands bassist. Ironically he was the second youngest of the band yet he looked the oldest. Max was the bands vocalist. He was nearly as tall as Ben and had similar facial features. His build was lean but packed with muscle. His hair was short, blonde, and spiked with the exception of a short ponytail dangling down to the top of his shoulders. His green eyes were usually covered by dark sunglasses and he always dressed in jeans and a sleeveless shirt. Zak was the bands rhythm guitarist and the only one to play a left handed guitar. His arms were covered with tattoos. The images and patterns stretched down to his knuckles. He usually dressed in all black with some kind of chain or studs hanging from his belt. His hair was a medium length black mess the blended into his dark style. His face was thin and somewhat pale, which seemed to be emphasized by the two black rings hooped on either side of his bottom lip. Lucy was the smallest of the group and the only female of the band. She played lead guitar and dressed to match her boyfriend, Zak. Her pale features were emphasized by her bright red lipstick and Long black hair which she kept pulled back into a single, long braid. Beneath her lips was a single silver spike. To Link, they were all part of his extended family.
The night finally came. The band would finally hit the stage at a real show rather than a garage show. The band gathered in the back dressing room waiting for their cue to go on stage. The room seemed like it was meant for a real big name band or a VIP. It had a comfortable glow from the lights and was adorned with cushioned furniture and carpeting. Link sat against the wall in the back of the room. He decided tonight he would join the rest of the crowd and wear a sleeveless of his own. He figured it would work since he would probably be working up a sweat and less sleeves would help with the heat. The silence of the room was split by the opening door at the back of the room. In walked Ben with five bottles in hand. "How 'bout a good luck toast before we head on up," Ben grinned.
Everyone gathered round and took a bottle from Ben. "Uh," Link said as he examined the bottle.
"As far as the bartender knows, you're twenty-one," Ben whispered. Link chuckled as he twisted the cap off his drink. "Alright everybody," Ben said as he raised up his bottle. "Ready?"
Everyone held up their bottle and yelled out, "BOTTOMS UP!" All at once, the group chugged their drinks. Once the bottles were empty, the group let out a group belch that shook the foundations of the very room.
"Damn girl," Max commented. "You're louder than all of us."
"He he," Lucy's sweet voice giggled. "I've been practicing," she said innocently.
"Gear's all set up," Ben said. "Let's get out there and make their ears bleed."
After hours of anticipation the group finally hit the stage. They poured every bit of energy the could into their performance. After three songs and a screaming crowd the band returned to their lounge.
"Dude, that kicked ass," Zak yelled as he scooped Lucy up into his arms.
"That felt awesome," Max enthusiastically groaned as he flopped into a nearby chair.
"Do it again! Do it again," Ben cried in a goofy tone.
Link stayed relatively silent as he breathed in a giant breath of satisfaction.
"Dude, I though were were screwed when we first stepped up there," Max said the strain on his voice from singing becoming evermore present. "I started to choke until Link started drumming Fallen."
"Ya, thanks Little Dude," Zak said as he forced a hug on Link. "Saved our asses out there."
"Cool," Link said uneasily. "Just don't ever hug me like that again though," as he pushed Zak away. The group laughed together.
"So when do we get to do this again," Ben giggled as he stretched out over a couch.
"I'll ask one of the show guys if we get to go to Termina with 'em," Zak added.
"What are you guys relaxing for," Lucy questioned aiming at Max and Ben as the lounged in their seats. "Theirs still more bands hitting the stage! Get you lazy butts up," she said as she dragged Zak to the door with her.
"She really loves music," Zak said as he disappeared behind the door.
"I think I'm gonna chill at the bar, that took a lot of energy outta me," Ben said as he pulled himself to his feet.
"I think I'll join ya," Max groaned once more. "You coming too?"
Link hesitated with thought. Since he wasn't legal to sit at the bar, "I think I'm gonna hit the pit once the next band starts."
"Don't get roughed up," Ben said and patted Link's shoulder as he walked by.
"I'll be fine," Link defended. "I can take you down."
"That's not saying much," Max whispered as he followed.
"Heard that," Ben called from beyond the door.
Link staggered out of the ravenous crowd. He was sore, tired, and couldn't get enough of the energy that surrounded him. Link was forced to listen to his body as it ached from his time spent in the 'pit'. He drew in a deep breath as he stepped off of the concert floor and walked over to the booth where his friends were sitting. Mike had joined the party at this point. As Link stepped up to the round booth, he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. As he sat himself down on the edge of the seat he listened to the conversation Ben and Max were having.
"Yeah they have a good beat," Ben said with a raised voice loud enough to be heard over the roar of the band playing. "But the lyrics are too......too growly."
"You growl all the time though dude," Max responded as he drank from a beer bottle.
"Yeah I know," Ben said as he slid a glass full of amber colored liquid to Link. "But you can still understand what I'm saying, for the most part, and its not that much or as fast." Link took a giant gulp from the glass as he continued to listen. "I'm mean I don't sound like 'rawr-rawr-rawr-rawr-rawr' when I scream or growl though."
"Whoa dude," Max said with a concerned tone that was aimed at Link. "You're bleeding!"
Everyone at the table set their attention on Link. A smeared stream of crimson blood trickled from his nose. Link raised his hand up to his lip. "Oh shit," Link exclaimed as he saw the crimson fluid on the tips of his fingers.
Ben quickly handed a napkin to his friend. "What happened?"
"Big guy," Link began as he wiped his face. "He threw me down and stepped on my head." His voice reflected a sick enthusiasm however.
"Which one," Ben asked as he looked over his shoulder at the crowd of thrashing people. Zak and Max followed Ben's example.
"Big, bald, and has a really long beard."
Within the crowd stood a tall, round man who was bald and had a long, red beard that reached down to his massive chest. "Damn," Ben said as he turned back around.
"Shit," Max cut in. "I'm surprised he didn't eat you man.
"Good work kid," Ben said as he patted Link on the shoulder. "You walked away from the that beast still breathing."
Mike leaned forward, "Why don't ya head to the bathroom? Your smearing blood all over yourself."
"Yeah good idea," Link said as he stood up.
Link hurried to the back of the room where the restrooms were, still clutching the bloodied napkin over his nose. As he walked past a group of people he noticed a familiar face that sent an awkward chill up his spine. A girl with long, shimmering blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. It was Zelda. Link Twisted his head around as he continued walking. It was her. He would have never expected her to be at a show like this. He always assumed that she did more 'proper' things. She was sitting in a booth like the others with a group of girls. Some of their faces were familiar from high school as well.
As Link continued walking, his gaze lingered on Zelda. A second later she looked up and met eyes with him. Link quickly twisted his head back around. Suddenly Link was afraid that she might have seen him looking at her. What would he do if she did? Should he go and say hi? She barely knew who he was in school, she would probably find it awkward if he did. He hurried into the mens restroom to clean his face of the blood. As he washed his face clean, his heart pounded with anxiety. He questioned why he felt like he was afraid that she was sitting there in the same room as him and the rest of his band. Suddenly it hit him. She had seen Link play on stage. Why does that worry me? Link mentally questioned himself once more.
Link dried his face and exited the restroom. He hurried by her table once more, glancing over only for an instant to triple check if it was her. It was still her. He hurried back to his seat and quietly sat. He instinctively kept his gaze in the direction of where she was seated.
"You okay the buddy," Ben asked, breaking Link's concentration.
"Huh," Link blurted as he returned his mind to reality.
"You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Oh," Link's voice had a nervous shudder to it. "I thought I saw someone I knew back in high school."
"Who," Ben asked.
Link hesitated for a moment. "Just a girl I knew in science class."
"Is she hot," Max asked as he looked over his shoulder in the direction Link was staring.
"Uh," Link hesitated more. "Yeah."
"Then why don't you go say hello to her," Mike added as he started to grin.
"Oh," Link hesitated once more. "Well, we didn't really know each other."
The table fell silent for a minute as all eyes were fixated on Link. "Aw," Mike finally blurted out.
"Is our little buddy shy," Ben said as he pinched Link's cheek.
"Dude!" Link slapped away his friends hand.
Mike Laughed from the opposite side of the table. "C'mon, let's go check her out," Mike said to Ben.
"K," Ben said as he finished his drink and slid underneath the table.
"Guys! Don't!" Link's cry fell on deaf ears as Ben stood up and walked next to Mike in the direction of where Link had been staring. "Ben!"
"Relax," Lucy said. "They don't even know which one she is."
"She's the blonde one," Link said without thinking.
"Now I know," Zak said as he slid away from from his partner.
"Zak, don't," Link begged.
"Babe, be nice," Lucy commanded.
"Chill, I'm just gonna get a look," Zak giggled as he hurried after the others.
Links heart began to pound in his chest once more. He feared that his friends would do or say something that would embarrass him.
"Let me out," Max said from between Link and Lucy.
"Dude don't," Link pleaded.
"Easy runt," Max joked. "I'm just getting another beer."
Link breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up and allowed Max out of the booth.
Max began to walk toward the bar as he turned around and said, "-and I'm gonna get a look at her." He giggled and hurried away before Link could protest.
A few, eternal minutes passed by before the group returned. "Are you guys done," Link groaned as he allowed Max and Ben back into their seats.
"She wasn't over there," Ben said as he sat down.
"She probably smelled you coming," Link commented as he returned to his seat.
"What are you so nervous about," Mike asked sincerely.
"I just don't want you guys making a scene about it," Link answered.
"A scene," Zak questioned. "We just wanted to see if she was hot."
"Hey," Lucy cried.
"Don't worry Babe, you're smoking," Zak reassured her.
"You like her," Max added as he sipped from his drink.
"Whatever man," Link blurted.
Ben's face was twisted with laughter. "Damn you're touchy buddy."
"Because I got you screw balls messing with me," Link shot out.
"Chill out man," Ben said as he reached down to his jacket laying beside him. "Here." Ben presented a cigar to Link. "This is for messing with you."
Link hesitated a second. He stared at the brown column for a moment before gladly accepting. "Lighter," Link asked as he held out his hand. Ben planted a black lighter in Link's hand. Link proceeded to the patio passed the restrooms.
The patio was well lit through the haze of smoke. A good sized crowd had formed in the crisp night air. Link strolled over to the edge of the patio and leaned against the guard rail. The patio opened out to the view of the busy downtown street. It was always full of life. People jumped from bar to club, club to bar all night long. Link put the cigar between his lips and drew air in as he lit the cigar. He exhaled a satisfying breath of smoke into the air.
"Hey, I know you," a girls voice said from Link's left. It was a familiar, soft and elegant sounding voice. He quickly looked over to see the radiant smile of Zelda. She wore her hair in her familiar ponytail braid. She wore white pants and a pink tank top. "You're Link, right." She leaned back against the guard rail next to Link.
"Uh," Link stuttered. "Yeah." He tried to hide the cigar. "Y-You're Zelda."
"I haven't seen you since high school." She waited to hear Link reply.
"Uh, yeah......" Link couldn't think of anything else to say.
"I didn't know you played drums," Zelda continued.
"Uh....Yeah I've been playing since I was twelve." Link tried his best not to tremble in front of her.
"So when did you join a band," she went on.
"I joined right out of high school. The bassist, Ben, is my roommate and he got me to play with his friends and then we all just formed the band." His voice was shaking with fear. He instinctively took a puff from the cigar.
"You smoke too?"
Link forgot that he wanted to hide the cigar. "Uh," he stumbled. "Every now and then, just to relax." He felt so embarrassed that he was smoking in front of her.
"Care to share," she asked.
"What," Link asked surprised. Zelda pointed to the cigar. "Oh, sure." He handed the cigar to her. And watched her take in smoke. It was an unexpected sight to see her smoking in any fashion.
Zelda handed the cigar back to Link. "Thanks," she said letting the smoke free. She swiveled around and leaned on her elbows against the rail. "So what have you been doing since high school?"
Link took in another puff of smoke. The tip tasted extra sweet from the lip gloss Zelda was wearing. "Just working pretty much," he answered as he began to be at ease.
"Where do you work?"
"I work for a moving company. Ben's brother is a manger there and he got me a job there."
"You're not going to school?"
"No," Link was slightly ashamed to answer. "I wanted to but living on my own and paying for everything was a little more difficult than I assumed."
"Can't your parents help you out?"
"Uh, no. I'm an orphan."
"Oh," Zelda had a shocked look on her face. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said with an increasingly relaxed tone. "I never knew my real parents, and my aunt was.......let's say less than lovable before she died."
"Oh. Well still I kinda feel bad that I brought it up."
"It's okay. You didn't know." Link said as he finally looked over and and made eye contact with Zelda.
Back at the patio opening, Ben Mike and Zak secretly observed Link and Zelda conversing.
"You think he knows we set this up," Zak asked.
"Nah," Mike answered.
The two continued to talk for hours, trading life experiences and opinions on current events. Their conversation finally came to an end once the club bouncer announced the club was closing and everyone must leave.
"Okay," Zelda grinned as Link finished typing her number into his cell phone. "So gimme a call next weekend and we'll hang out."
"Alright." He hesitated for a moment. "I'll see you later then."
"Bye," she said as she waved goodbye and rejoined her group.
Link watched as she walked away. Even the way she walked had grace to it.
"Damn she is pretty cute," Ben's voice abruptly cut in.
"Holy crap," Link said startled. To his left stood Ben as he pulled his arm into the sleeve of his gray, denim jacket. "Where'd you come from?"
"She is a beauty," Mike's voice cut in from the opposite side.
"Wow," Link exclaimed. "How long have you two been here?"
"Long enough to see you got her number," Ben answered.
Link grinned with satisfaction. "Yes I did."
"Good work," Mike said handing Link his sweater. "It went better than we planned."
"Planned?" Link stopped and looked at Ben.
Ben wore a childish grin on his face. "It was Mike's idea." Link turned and faced Mike.
"Don't listen to him, he's drunk," Mike said, trying to refrain from laughing.
"Hey, that doesn't count," Ben shot back. "I remember things better when I drink."
"Like you remembered to give me the keys so I can drive us home?"
"Yup," Ben said as he tossed his keys to Mike.
Link stood in place a moment as his two roommates walked ahead of him. "Oh you guys suck," Link finally said.