Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine, or anything you can sue
me over. Colt is my character, so hands off, unless you ask, first. That's
all. And NOW, the moment you've all been waiting for... OK, maybe not,
but... My Story
Chapter 1: Exes and D'ohs
It was raining. Damn. I hate rain, it's so depressing. Not that I wasn't already. But the rain didn't help. I mean, WHEN does it EVER rain in California? I wanted to go home and go to bed. Already this was turning out to be a stellar day. I pulled into the parking lot... OK, so I lied... I don't actually HAVE a car. Hell, I don't actually have a LICENSE yet, but that's another story. I WALKED into the Starbucks parking lot, and sighed. The line wasn't quite out the door, but it was damn close. I shouldered my backpack and pushed my way through the line over to the counter. Several customers grunted, but I ignored them.
"Colt!" The cheery, accented voice of my manager, Cheryl greeted me. "You're wet."
I bit back a sarcastic remark. It isn't good to anger your boss. "Hey, Cheryl... I'm just here for my paycheck, and I'll be out of your hair. I don't work today, so I'll try NOT to hang around TOO much." I forced a smile I didn't feel, and shrugged.
"Come back, Colt. You can sign for it." She turned back to the customer she was assisting with the pointless endeavor of self- caffeination. Ah... Stimulants. God's gift to the working class. I rolled my eyes, and walked into the back room. Amy was there, and she caught the look on my face.
"He broke up with you." I didn't bother to nod. There was no point, she knew already. "Fucking prick. I'll have Chris..."
"No. Don't. It's OK." She looked at me for a second, and nodded. "Can I just get my check?"
"Yeah." The paycheck envelope hadn't been open yet, so it took me a second to pull the taps off. I searched through the stack and found my own, at the back, as usual. Sometimes I wished I had a normal last name. But NO. My mother had to be creative. No last name. Just Colt. I still have the emotional scars from my elementary school career. Children are so cruel. "Thanks, Aim... I'll see ya t'morrow. I'm closing again."
She just nodded, wary of my mood. I shrugged, and walked out into the lobby. The line had died down, so I leaned over the counter. There was a guy manning the bar I had never seen before. He was kinda cute, too. Shit. Three hours free of the ball and chain and already I'm moving in for the kill.
I smiled at him. He nodded, curtly, and went back to making some god- awful concoction that some yuppie had ordered minutes before. He turned, and I noticed something written on his hand. Leaning in for a closer look revealed that it was the name of a psalm. Uh oh. "Cheaper than paper, I guess." He turned, and gave me a look. Gods help me, it was endearing, seeing him look so clueless. "Your hand? You wrote on it. What's it say?" I tried to look innocent. I really did. I just kept thinking ~Geez, Colt. Give the boy some room to breath.~
"It's a psalm." He grinned at me, and proceeded to QUOTE the thing, word for word. Shit. Religious boy. Not that I have anything against religion, of course... I just find that religious folk tend to be the ones who get off on informing me that "God has set aside a special torment for guys like me". Great. And YES, I am a guy. C'mon, people. Who in their right mind would name a girl after a male horse? Come to think of it... who in their right mind would name a BOY after a male horse? OK, so I'm not named after a horse. I'm named after "Samuel Colt." At least that's what my mom says. She won't tell me who he was, though. I keep meaning to look it up... Yeah, right... Like I keep meaning to go to school.
"I'm Colt." I stuck out my hand, real manlike. He looked at me, eyes blank for a moment, then shook it.
"Bryant. Nice to meet you." He nodded again, then, having finished with me, continued to make drinks.
"Right. Nice talkin to ya." I turned, and, pushing my way through the throng of zombies, went back into the rain. Safe under the overhang, I finally managed to look at my check. "$150?? FUCK!" I sighed, but stuck the already crumpled check in my back pocket. What could I say? I hadn't worked much the last few weeks. I swear they hate me there.
My bank is a few blocks away, so I walked. I walk everywhere. Either that, or I don't go. Fortunately for me, I work in a relatively convenient place, so that everything I need is almost always in reach. Of course, I LIVE a half hour away, but that's another story. Of course, the problem with having everything wrapped up in a nice little ball is... Right next to my bank is a Fry's. Um... So I have a little problem keeping money for more than five minutes. Is that MY fault? Still wet, I made my way into the vast electronic store, and shivered. It had a theme, like most Fry's, but this one was "Alice in Wonderland." It had never really occurred to me before how unsettling the sentiment behind "Alice in Wonderland" was. For the first time, it struck me how terrifying it should have been for the poor girl, had she actually sat down to think about it. I shook off the thought, tossed my backpack to the guy who had been standing, staring expectantly behind the counter, and walked into the store proper.
I could probably spend half a day exploring the store, but I'm usually only interested in the video game and computer section. So, I headed over there, right off the bat. I like looking at all the things I could buy. I had a crisp fifty dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket (I'm not TOTALLY clueless). My usual gig was to browse until I found something that didn't TOTALLY offend my sensibility, but today was different. I walked into the small, walled-off area that marked the video game section, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the small display set up in a corner. "The BEST Zelda game EVER" the sign proclaimed. I shivered. So, I'm a Zelda fan. My heart sank, though, as I walked to the table. It was empty. D'oh. Dejected, and defeated, I turned to find something else that "spoke" to me. And then I saw it. It was peering out from under the tablecloth. The corner of something. I bent down, and yelled triumphantly! It was the LAST copy of the "Best" Zelda! I practically flew to the counter, and deposited my new acquisition on the table.
The guy behind the counter looked at me strangely, but he scanned the game and asked softly for forty-seven dollars and eighty six cents. I laughed, and slapped the fifty down on the surface, making him, and several of his coworkers jump. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry" He handed me my purchase, and told me to make sure I showed the man at the exit my receipt.
I dashed out the door, grabbing my backpack and flashing my receipt as an afterthought. The man nodded, and I was off, running to catch the bus. It was Friday, fortunately, which meant that the bus ran the extended route, and picked up around the corner. It was just arriving when I got there. Am I good or what?
On the bus, I finally had a chance to study the game. It was for GameCube, which was fine, since my little brother had gotten one about a month before. We were in business. I read the cover. "The Legend of Zelda: Palace of Hope." The back proclaimed "A new evil emerges. Will Link and his new friend be able to stop it?" I scanned the screen shots that graced the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "new friend" the back spoke of, but I saw nothing but shots of Hyrule Castle, and what was probably the Palace of Hope. I settled back into the chair. What I loved about video games is, you MATTER there. People affect others. ~If I disappeared tonight,~ I mused, ~would anyone even notice?~ I shrugged to myself. It didn't matter, anyway. I would be playing my new game soon. I predicted a long night. My pleasure at my discovery had overshadowed my depression. For now. Outside, the thunder rolled.
Chapter 1: Exes and D'ohs
It was raining. Damn. I hate rain, it's so depressing. Not that I wasn't already. But the rain didn't help. I mean, WHEN does it EVER rain in California? I wanted to go home and go to bed. Already this was turning out to be a stellar day. I pulled into the parking lot... OK, so I lied... I don't actually HAVE a car. Hell, I don't actually have a LICENSE yet, but that's another story. I WALKED into the Starbucks parking lot, and sighed. The line wasn't quite out the door, but it was damn close. I shouldered my backpack and pushed my way through the line over to the counter. Several customers grunted, but I ignored them.
"Colt!" The cheery, accented voice of my manager, Cheryl greeted me. "You're wet."
I bit back a sarcastic remark. It isn't good to anger your boss. "Hey, Cheryl... I'm just here for my paycheck, and I'll be out of your hair. I don't work today, so I'll try NOT to hang around TOO much." I forced a smile I didn't feel, and shrugged.
"Come back, Colt. You can sign for it." She turned back to the customer she was assisting with the pointless endeavor of self- caffeination. Ah... Stimulants. God's gift to the working class. I rolled my eyes, and walked into the back room. Amy was there, and she caught the look on my face.
"He broke up with you." I didn't bother to nod. There was no point, she knew already. "Fucking prick. I'll have Chris..."
"No. Don't. It's OK." She looked at me for a second, and nodded. "Can I just get my check?"
"Yeah." The paycheck envelope hadn't been open yet, so it took me a second to pull the taps off. I searched through the stack and found my own, at the back, as usual. Sometimes I wished I had a normal last name. But NO. My mother had to be creative. No last name. Just Colt. I still have the emotional scars from my elementary school career. Children are so cruel. "Thanks, Aim... I'll see ya t'morrow. I'm closing again."
She just nodded, wary of my mood. I shrugged, and walked out into the lobby. The line had died down, so I leaned over the counter. There was a guy manning the bar I had never seen before. He was kinda cute, too. Shit. Three hours free of the ball and chain and already I'm moving in for the kill.
I smiled at him. He nodded, curtly, and went back to making some god- awful concoction that some yuppie had ordered minutes before. He turned, and I noticed something written on his hand. Leaning in for a closer look revealed that it was the name of a psalm. Uh oh. "Cheaper than paper, I guess." He turned, and gave me a look. Gods help me, it was endearing, seeing him look so clueless. "Your hand? You wrote on it. What's it say?" I tried to look innocent. I really did. I just kept thinking ~Geez, Colt. Give the boy some room to breath.~
"It's a psalm." He grinned at me, and proceeded to QUOTE the thing, word for word. Shit. Religious boy. Not that I have anything against religion, of course... I just find that religious folk tend to be the ones who get off on informing me that "God has set aside a special torment for guys like me". Great. And YES, I am a guy. C'mon, people. Who in their right mind would name a girl after a male horse? Come to think of it... who in their right mind would name a BOY after a male horse? OK, so I'm not named after a horse. I'm named after "Samuel Colt." At least that's what my mom says. She won't tell me who he was, though. I keep meaning to look it up... Yeah, right... Like I keep meaning to go to school.
"I'm Colt." I stuck out my hand, real manlike. He looked at me, eyes blank for a moment, then shook it.
"Bryant. Nice to meet you." He nodded again, then, having finished with me, continued to make drinks.
"Right. Nice talkin to ya." I turned, and, pushing my way through the throng of zombies, went back into the rain. Safe under the overhang, I finally managed to look at my check. "$150?? FUCK!" I sighed, but stuck the already crumpled check in my back pocket. What could I say? I hadn't worked much the last few weeks. I swear they hate me there.
My bank is a few blocks away, so I walked. I walk everywhere. Either that, or I don't go. Fortunately for me, I work in a relatively convenient place, so that everything I need is almost always in reach. Of course, I LIVE a half hour away, but that's another story. Of course, the problem with having everything wrapped up in a nice little ball is... Right next to my bank is a Fry's. Um... So I have a little problem keeping money for more than five minutes. Is that MY fault? Still wet, I made my way into the vast electronic store, and shivered. It had a theme, like most Fry's, but this one was "Alice in Wonderland." It had never really occurred to me before how unsettling the sentiment behind "Alice in Wonderland" was. For the first time, it struck me how terrifying it should have been for the poor girl, had she actually sat down to think about it. I shook off the thought, tossed my backpack to the guy who had been standing, staring expectantly behind the counter, and walked into the store proper.
I could probably spend half a day exploring the store, but I'm usually only interested in the video game and computer section. So, I headed over there, right off the bat. I like looking at all the things I could buy. I had a crisp fifty dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket (I'm not TOTALLY clueless). My usual gig was to browse until I found something that didn't TOTALLY offend my sensibility, but today was different. I walked into the small, walled-off area that marked the video game section, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the small display set up in a corner. "The BEST Zelda game EVER" the sign proclaimed. I shivered. So, I'm a Zelda fan. My heart sank, though, as I walked to the table. It was empty. D'oh. Dejected, and defeated, I turned to find something else that "spoke" to me. And then I saw it. It was peering out from under the tablecloth. The corner of something. I bent down, and yelled triumphantly! It was the LAST copy of the "Best" Zelda! I practically flew to the counter, and deposited my new acquisition on the table.
The guy behind the counter looked at me strangely, but he scanned the game and asked softly for forty-seven dollars and eighty six cents. I laughed, and slapped the fifty down on the surface, making him, and several of his coworkers jump. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry" He handed me my purchase, and told me to make sure I showed the man at the exit my receipt.
I dashed out the door, grabbing my backpack and flashing my receipt as an afterthought. The man nodded, and I was off, running to catch the bus. It was Friday, fortunately, which meant that the bus ran the extended route, and picked up around the corner. It was just arriving when I got there. Am I good or what?
On the bus, I finally had a chance to study the game. It was for GameCube, which was fine, since my little brother had gotten one about a month before. We were in business. I read the cover. "The Legend of Zelda: Palace of Hope." The back proclaimed "A new evil emerges. Will Link and his new friend be able to stop it?" I scanned the screen shots that graced the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "new friend" the back spoke of, but I saw nothing but shots of Hyrule Castle, and what was probably the Palace of Hope. I settled back into the chair. What I loved about video games is, you MATTER there. People affect others. ~If I disappeared tonight,~ I mused, ~would anyone even notice?~ I shrugged to myself. It didn't matter, anyway. I would be playing my new game soon. I predicted a long night. My pleasure at my discovery had overshadowed my depression. For now. Outside, the thunder rolled.