Rocky Spokes: Go'Fer Boy
"IT WAS AWFUL, YOU GUYS! There were rat bones, bits of bird seed crumbs, what I can...assume were worm guts in the pile and it reeked to High Heaven" Rocky cried in exasperation, "I haven't seen a mess that bad since...since...since after Dad used the bathroom after Chili Night three weeks ago!" Once he said his piece, poor Rock fell limp in his seat; despite all of the frantic and fearful memories of yesterday still running through his mind. At the moment, he was in the cafeteria of Royal Woods Elementary; recounting his venture into Mr. Thorne's estate the previous day with Rusty and the guys.
Of course, once they all managed to process everything; it was clear that they didn't quite believe Rocky's story. "C'mon, Baby Bro; aren't you exaggerating things just a little" Rusty inquired, "I mean...how could one small animal possibly make as big and dirty of a mess you just described?" At first, the rest of the boys felt inclined to agree with their friend's statement. But then, they all too quickly remembered the many moments where they themselves came across similar messes of their own.
For Clyde, it happened anytime it was his turn to clear out the cats' litter-boxes at home...with Nepurrtiti's being the worst of the two (especially after eating scraps from Howard's Tuna Casserole.) With Liam; seeing a big mess from critters was to be expected, when you live on a farm. In Zach's case, he only saw big "animal related" messes whenever he went out "alien watching" with his parents.
During such excursions; every once in a great while, they would presumably come upon what they thought was alien residue. But then, they would later come to learn the unfortunate truth...that the residue was nothing more than animal droppings mixed with junk food from the trash. On one such occasion, Zach assumed he discovered such a finding down at Tall Timbers Park...but it turned out to be raccoon scat containing nothing but chili dog bits and pop rocks crumbs.
Finally, there was Lincoln; who (after living in a house with ten sisters and multiple animals) had seen more of his own "big messes." It was for this very reason that he couldn't help but empathize with Rocky, after hearing his story. "Cheer up, dude; at least you were able to clean up the owl's cage okay" he said kindly, "did the butler guy at least, pay you for what you did?"
Poor Rocky only sighed heavily and shook his head in response; confessing that according to Mr. Farquard, he needed to properly earn his income. Cleaning out Ibid's cage was only the tip of the iceberg, you see and he would have to work the whole rest of the week to get the money necessary to buy Lucy's gift. "But that doesn't really seem fair, Bro" Rusty interjected, "anybody who comes helping out someone every day for a week should get paid for each of those days."
Almost immediately, Clyde suddenly butted in; proclaiming that (according to his dads) helping out others was a reward in itself. But the Spokes Boys shot back in saying that while such an idea seemed true on a few occasions; after you've cleaned up a huge mess of owl scat, you should get paid upfront for it. "Look on the bright side, fellers" Liam stated, "Rock's next few jobs should go a whole lot smoother, after that."
Despite his mind still feeling sickened by his first job experience at Mr. Thorne's place, Rocky couldn't still felt some comfort in these words; leading him to think everybody might be right. Besides, as bad as cleaning the owl's cage was; there's no way Farquard's next chore could be any worse...right?
(Line Break)
Sometime later, after everyone had been dismissed from school; Rocky's dad had just picked him up and was helping him escort him off to Mr. Thorne's place. During the drive, Mr. Spokes couldn't help but shower his youngest son with praises for what he was doing. "Seriously, kiddo; I know your first day on the job wasn't...a clean one" he said with a light yet timid chuckle, "but I'm proud of ya for wanting to keep on truckin' to the end."
While he very much appreciated his father's kind words, Rocky knew that he had a long way to go to reach his end goal; earning enough money to buy Lucy's birthday gift. As such, he needed to remain focused and keep going forward no matter what...even if it meant doing other gross chores for Mr. Farquard. Speaking of whom; after taking a look up in the distance, Mr. Spokes caught sight of the hunchback standing outside the leading to Mr. Thorne's estate.
Needless to say, after taking a moment to carefully observe the strange man-servant; he suddenly felt rather worried. "Is this the guy you're working for, kiddo" questioned Mr. Spokes, "he looks like someone out of an old horror movie from my father's day." After letting out a small giggle at his father's comment, Rocky confirmed that Farquard truly was his employer...that is, the fella who actually granted him a job at the estate.
The boy went on further to explain that while Mr. Thorne was busy with his own business, Farquard and other staff members were the ones who attended to everything else. "Well...just be careful is all I'm gonna say" Mr. Spokes said firmly, "if I find out this creep has you doing anything...unsavory while on duty, he's goin' down!" Rocky's only response to all of this was the usual behavior any child in his position would display; a disgruntled groan, a heated blush of embarrassment on his cheeks and him trying to "hide" himself within his t-shirt.
Of course, this all faded away; once Mr. Spokes stopped his truck slightly in front of the gate. As he watched Rocky scrabble his way out through the car door, Farquard pulled out an old golden pocket watch from his shirt pocket and clicked his tongue in mild disapproval. "You are four minutes past your arrival time, young Master Spokes" he muttered snobbishly, "punctuality is a key factor in finding one's self within Mr. Thorne's good graces."
Almost immediately, Mr. Spokes stumbled his way out of the car and immediately went to his son's defense; revealing that there was...a bit of a snag during the drive over. "See...my car had a bit of an engine problem halfway through Royal Woods and we had to pop in at Flip's Food n' Fuel to get it fixed" he explained, "at least, I'm hoping Flip fixed my baby...otherwise he robbed me of thirty-seven bucks." After that, there was a small period of silence between the three gents until Farquard let out a heavy and weary groan.
This was later followed up with him handing two twenty dollar bills to Mr. Spokes, proclaiming that it would be the only time he would show charity in the face of tardiness. "Now that we have settled that; it's time for you to begin your day's duties, Master Spokes" he said firmly while wiping his hands with a handkerchief, "don't worry, it won't be...quite as messy as your first time on the job." Almost immediately, Rocky heaved out a soft yet long sigh of relief; thinking that things might be looking up for him from here on.
That's when he felt the man-servant roughly shove a piece of paper against his chest, which turned out to be a list of items Mr. Thorne needed. "Naturally, I insisted on performing this duty myself beforehand" Farquard said matter-of-factly, "but the master insists I remain here, claiming that my presence in town might 'alarm' some of the townsfolk." At first, Rocky felt the urge to make a sarcastic remark about what his "employer" just said...but he held his tongue like a good boy; thinking that doing so on his first day on the job would be bad news for him.
Instead, it was his dad who decided to make such a comment; which was coupled by him making several gestures at Farquard's hunch. This of course, resulted in the two "gentlemen" getting into a bit of an argument with one another; which left Rocky feeling rather ashamed. "DAD...Stop it, please" Rocky hissed through clenched teeth, "are your trying to help me or get me fired?!"
With these simple words, not only did Mr. Spokes suddenly stopped ranting but so did Farquard; leading to both men taking a brief moment to take in a calm breath. Once that was done, Farquard approached Rocky more civilly and gave him instructions on what to do with the list. "Each of these items are relatively easy to find" he stated, "but the moment you have collected them, you are to return here to the estate; where I shall deliver the items to Master Thorne personally."
For a split second, Rocky came close to questioning why he couldn't make the delivery himself to Mr. Thorne; only to immediately remember the man's reclusive behavior. With this in mind, he realized that it was best not to bother him about such things and just leave handing over the goods to the house staff. After agreeing to the task; Farquard then handed Rocky a small cloth bag, one that contained a small amount of gold coins.
Naturally, when his father happened to catch sight of them; his eyes suddenly turned into dollar signs. "WOW! I can't believe it, real gold coins" thought Mr. Spokes, "if this Thorne guy pays people in town with this kind of stuff...chances are Lil' Rocky might end up getting some gold himself!" In spite of this knowledge, however; the man thought about taking just one of the coins from Rocky's bag...thinking it would pay off his car a lot more than the forty bucks he received from Farquard.
But as he slowly eased his hand down towards the bag, Mr. Spokes suddenly spotted a horned owl diving straight for him; causing him to recoil in alarm. "OKAY...Okay, the money's off limits; I get it" he cried, "you don't have to be so rough about it. The owl simply squawked bitterly in reply, turned around and comfortably perched itself atop Farquard's hump; all while giving Mr. Spokes a sort of stink-eye look.
Meanwhile, Rocky simply shook his head in silent annoyance; wishing that his dad would go back into the car and leave already. Then, he took a quick peek at the list and saw a few items there that seemed both familiar...yet gross at the same time to him. "Are you sure Mr. Thorne wants this kind of stuff, Mr. Farquard" Rocky asked warily, "most of it doesn't sound safe for even Ibid to eat."
Straightaway, the owl in question gave him a look at seemed to say "you know nothing about my diet;" while Farquard said that the list wasn't a grocery list for Mr. Thorne...it was for his work. "My master performs...experimentations while he is in his study" he explained, "but he often requires specific ingredients for them, ingredients that just so happen to be found within some areas of Royal Woods."
While this information did help put some of Rocky's concerns at ease, one question still buzzed through his mind; would any of the people who had the list's items actually give them to him?
(Line Break)
Some time later, Rocky was seen walking through downtown Royal Woods; looking through the list of items and mentally thinking on how he planned on retrieving each item. "Okay, let me see here" he murmured softly, "the first thing Mr. Thorne wants me to get is three gallons of something called...meat enriched brine?" Three times over, Rocky read over the name of the item and each time he did; the name left him feeling utterly confused.
Surprisingly, while he was able to deduce the first half of it; it was the word "brine" that left him feeling to most baffled. "Think, Rock...think, you know you've heard of that word before" he whispered tensely, "I think...yeah, it was back in Science Class three weeks ago!" With this in mind, Rocky searched through every part of his memory to try and find the moment in question.
When he finally managed to remember it, he realized that the term "brine" was another word that described salt water. "Hold on...where am I going to find salt water around town" he asked himself, "and what exactly does Farquard mean by the 'meat enriched' part anyway?" Then, all of a sudden; Rocky's train of thought was suddenly disrupted by the obnoxious sounds of loud and off-key singing.
With a start, he turned sideways and saw that he was passing by "Flip's Food n' Fuel;" the town's resident fuel and convenience store. At the same time he caught sight of Flip, the place's namesake, exiting the building with a large pot of water in his hands. "Whelp...time to clear out the used hot dog water from the fryer again" he said out loud, "that'll stop all those chuckleheads from complainin' about the brine smell in the air."
Upon hearing the man's words, Rocky's memory suddenly echoed with those of the first item on his pick-up list; meat enriched brine. "Wait...does it matter if the brine water have a hot dog flavor to it" he thought to himself, "I'll ask Farquard if Mr. Thorne wanted anything specific later." With that, Rocky took in a deep breath for good luck and made his approach towards Flip; hoping the man would cooperate with him.
But when the greasy vendor caught sight of the boy, his suspicious nature immediately kicked in and he was soon on the defensive. "Lookie here, chief; I don't want no trouble outta you" he grumbled firmly, "I'm plannin' on disposin' this stuff in the most 'hygienic' way I can...by dumping it down the sewage drain at the curb." Once he had his say, Flip hoisted up the pot with both hands and started waddling his way towards the side of the street.
However, just as he got to the curb; he then heard Rocky desperately urging for him to not pour out any of the water; proclaiming that he would be more than happy to take some of it off Flip's hands. "Hold on there, chief...what'cha need my hot dog water for anyhow" questioned Flip, "your old man plannin' on making his homemade cologne again?" Rocky couldn't help but inwardly shudder at the memory in question; mostly for the fact that his entire house reeked of hot dog water, daffodils, hot cocoa and a pinch of cinnamon for over a week.
After that; he and Rusty were ordered directly by their neighbors to demand that their father stop making homemade cologne, Aphrodisiacs or anything else he planned to use that would allegedly "help" him win the ladies over. "Not a chance, Flip; I'm actually picking this up for someone else" Rocky stated, "any chance you've crossed paths with or at least, heard of Mr. Vincent Thorne?" The moment this inquiry came out, Flip's face suddenly contorted into a sort of disgusted expression; as if he were both afraid yet disturbed at the same time.
His mind then started thinking back to previous moments where he either met with either a worker from the house (possibly Farquard) or had caught sight of a "strange looking owl" coming by for a pickup. The whole time he was thinking all of this, he looked down at Rocky with slight pity in his eyes; which was something he rarely showed with people. "I can't believe that creep-wad's got himself a new go'fer boy, after all this time" he said bluntly, "but hey...it ain't my business what everybody else does to make a buck."
With this exchange over and dealt with, Rocky wasted no time in asking to buy the three gallons of hot dog water he needed from him. "Hold on a minute there, chief" Flip said suddenly, "three gallons of my water sounds...quite a lot and I doubt a kid like you has enough allowance to afford it all." As if expecting to hear this from the skinflint store owner, Rocky smiled coyly and stuck his hand inside of the cloth purse he had beside him; pulling out two gold coins soon after.
When Flip caught sight of the two "golden beauties" (as he liked to call them,) dollar sign symbols suddenly appeared in his eyes and a greedy grin slowly formed on his face. "Okay...looks like you can afford my water after all" he said with a chuckle, "how much you said you wanted again?"
(Line Break)
Having collected what he needed from Flip, Rocky was moments away from continuing on with the rest of his job. But before Flip offered up a small wagon for him to use to help make lugging his load a little easier...for a price, of course. At first, Rocky felt like refusing the offer but he quickly realized that a boy his size wouldn't be able to carry two gallons of fluid on his own.
So, in the end; he gave Flip the "rental fee" for the wagon and continued on with the rest of his search. Much to his surprise, some of the other items were just as easy to find as the first one; despite the odd sounding names Farquard wrote down. The next thing on the list was flower petals, specifically those belonging to a black rose.
Naturally, when it came to roses of any kind; the best place to go was the local flower shop in town. But in spite of that knowledge, Rocky felt worried that the shopkeeper wouldn't have the flowers he was looking for. Upon entering, the florist inside (a woman in her late 30's) greeted him with a kind "hello" and asked if he was looking for anything in particular.
"Actually, I am...do you happen to have any, uh...b-black roses in stock" Rocky murmured shyly, "and what about some thyme, jasmine, rosemary, a bit of wormwood and...I think this says 'poppies?'" Wanting to make certain he recited each item correctly, the young Spokes boy briefly showed the list off to the shopkeeper. As one might expect, she felt...a bit concerned why a boy like Rocky would want some of the other plant items on the list.
But when she saw the black roses, an idea began to form in her head; one that caused a rather coy look to appear on her face. "I'm guessing you're getting the roses for a special someone, eh" she inquired playfully, "possibly someone who's really into unique plants and horticulture?" While Rocky felt that the lady's assumption seemed pretty far off and while he felt the slight urge to tell her that straightaway; the moment he opened his mouth, he froze.
Then, after taking a moment to think back on some of Lucy's interests; he realized that the vendor's idea...wasn't actually that absurd. Still, he pushed that thought aside and instead chose to tell the shopkeeper that he was picking the stuff up as a favor for someone else. "I dunno what Mr. Thorne wants with all these plants and stuff" he stated, "but that's what he gave me on the list."
Upon hearing mention of Mr. Thorne's name, the shopkeeper's face suddenly formed a slight grimace; one near similar to what Flip had earlier. She then went on to reveal that someone else (possibly another boy Thorne talked into making pickups for him) came to the shop once, a few years ago. "Apparently, the kid wanted to know if we sold any sort of nightshade here" she stated, "I questioned them on whether or not they knew of how dangerous such a flower was...but they only told me the same thing you just said, that you were just getting what's on the list."
After taking the woman's story to heart, Rocky suddenly felt a slight feeling of uneasiness welling up inside of him; like he heard his teacher announce Parent-Teacher Conference Night at school. When he first came to Mr. Thorne's estate not too long ago, the Spokes boy already had weird feelings about the man he was now working for. But after what he'd been doing today, so far; Rocky felt even more suspicious about his "mysterious employer."
(Line Break)
The time is now 11:45 in the AM, fifteen minutes away from Noontime and Rocky was still walking about town, looking for the items on his list. After leaving the flower shop sometime ago, the next few items on his list seemed even stranger than retrieving hot dog water from Flip; not to mention more difficult to collect. There was the fresh bush berries that he found in Tall Timbers Park, twelve dozen wild crickets, fresh scat from a forest owl (which he immediately knew to be another name for poop) and other such items.
By the time twelve o'clock came around, Rocky was simply ravenous with hunger; which led him to decide in making a quick lunch break stop at the Burpin' Burger. Upon entering the restaurant, he was greeted by Grant; the part-time cashier/server who worked there (when he's not helping down at Lynn's Table.) "Nice to see ya again, dude" the teen said kindly, "what can I...aye-yi-yi! Rocky, dude...what happened to you?!"
After letting out an exhausted groan, Rocky took his seat at the nearest booth; where he took a moment to look at his reflection on one of the napkin dispensers' metallic sides. It was here that the poor boy was finally able to see himself after all the work he'd done this morning. He had several leaves stuck in his hair from the park, light traces of mud on his shoes, his arms were dangling like noodles at his sides and upon close inspection, Rocky saw bags starting to form under his eyes.
"YIKES! I...I didn't realize I was working so hard in just one day" he cried in alarm, "but I can't stop yet...I just have to get one or two more things on my list and I'll be finished." As if Fate had overheard his words, Grant took a seat at Rocky's booth and asked what else he needed to retrieve for Mr. Thorne; all while mentally hoping the remaining items weren't anything...too dangerous or bizarre. "Well...I don't really know how to say it, to be honest" he murmured softly, "the names he has written down are either too weird to say or too hard for me to pronounce."
At first, Rocky half expected to hear Grant laugh at him for his explanation; as if he were talking nonsense. But instead; the young man offered to judge the list for himself, took the paper in his hand and started reading through every name of every item. Upon examining it closely, Grant saw red "X" marks beside the names of half the items on the list; which meant Rocky probably found these already.
At the very bottom of the paper were two things that had yet to be crossed off, "Essence of Dragon Fire" and something...bones. "WHAT?! BONES?! FARQUARD DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ME LOOKING FOR BONES" exclaimed Rocky, "are you sure you read that part right?" After reading the paper again, Grant not only confirmed that he read it correctly but he also showed the specific type of bones the list required; namely those of something called a "cockerel."
"Okay, first off; something about that word sounds...nasty for some reason" Rocky murmured, "second, where am I going to find the...(shivers) bones of something like that here in town?" Once more, Grant came to the boy's rescue; assuring him that he knew exactly where to find the items. After that; he rushed into the kitchens and came back with a small, red bottle in his hand that read "Dragon Sauce" in fiery text.
Straightaway, Rocky recognized the bottle as the extra ingredient for one of the Burpin' Burger's most infamous menu items; the Fire in the Belly Burger. Of course, neither he nor Rusty ever attempted to eat it themselves; considering the fact that one whiff of the sauce's aroma was enough to make one's nose hairs burst into flames. Now, the big question on Rocky's mind was...what would Mr. Thorne intend to do with something like this?
"Maybe the guy's just a big fan of spicy food" he thought, "now, I just gotta find me some...yuck, bones and my job for the day will be finished." With this in mind, Rocky asked Grant if he had any idea what a "cockerel" was and where he might find one. "First off, little dude; cockerel is just a fancy word for a rooster or chicken" the teen chuckled, "second...I'm sorry to say that we don't have any chicken scraps on hand that I can give you."
This news didn't seem to be that big of a surprise to Rocky, surprisingly. Since Burpin' Burger was more of...well, a burger joint; chicken-based meals or entrees wouldn't be something one would find on the menu. At the same time, Rocky still felt just a little disappointed; wondering where else he could find chicken bones in town that wouldn't rouse too much suspicion from others.
"Don't worry about that, lil' man; I've got just the thing to help" Grant said with a smile, "but first...I've gotta get back to work on the rest of the customers." No sooner had he said this, both boys looked towards the counter and saw what looked like a lineup of people; all of whom were demanding some service.
(Scene Change: Outside the rear exit of Lynn's Table)
Sometime later, Grant was finally able to go on his lunch break; which he used to take Rocky down to Lynn's Table. Along the way, the teen decreed that Mr. Loud's restaurant had the exact ingredient he was looking for. It was here that the young Spokes boy caught sight of a poster taped against one of the windows; one that seemed to be advertising a chicken wing meal Mr. Loud had recently unveiled.
"This is perfect, guess I didn't need to look that far into town for the stuff on Mr. Thorne's list after all" Rocky thought with an outward grin, "I just hope I won't get spotted by Lucy while I'm..." The mere instant this thought popped into the boy's brain; Lucy, in her usual unexpected manner, suddenly appeared behind Rocky. In the past, such a thing would cause the boy to almost leap out of his skin in alarm; like how most people have reacted.
But instead, he only reacted in this way because he didn't want to be noticed by any one of Lincoln's other family members; Lucy especially. After taking a moment to recover from the shock, though; he blushed softly and greeted the young Goth in the most casual way possible. "Uh...Hi, Lucy; fancy seeing you here" Rocky murmured shyly, "I mean...it's obvious you'd be here, it's your dad's place and you h-help him out some...times...I'm talking too much right now, aren't I?"
Not wishing to appear disrespectful in front of her crush, Lucy chose to respond in the most simple yet inoffensive way possible; a light shrug of the shoulders. After that, she proceeded to ask why Rocky was standing outside the back exit of her dad's restaurant in the first place. That's when Grant came bursting through the door, holding what looked like a reasonably-sized trash bag in his hands.
"Hey, Luce; to answer your question, Rocky here offered to help me clear out some trash from the kitchen for your dad" the teen explained, "isn't that right, lil' dude?" Almost immediately; Rocky snapped out of his daze, glanced back at Grant for a few seconds and (albeit slowly) gave a silent nod in reply. Much to both their surprise, this little white lie not only seemed to fool Lucy completely but she rewarded Rocky for his gesture in the most unexpected way...with a quick yet somewhat affectionate hug.
"Thanks for doing this favor, Rocky...I mean it" she murmured, "I owe you one." After that, the young Goth said her goodbyes and went off on her way; leaving Rocky behind looking still as stone. Although it was brief, the hug Lucy gave him filled the Spokes boy with such joy that he felt like he was in a dream.
But like all dreams, Rocky's moment of bliss came to a quick and sudden end the moment the rancid smell of trash filled his nostrils. "GAH! What the...WHAT THE HECK, GRANT; ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME" he cried in disgust, "holy crud that reeks...what's even in that bag?" Grant offered no reply, at first; choosing to instead giggle loudly at Rocky's earlier outcries from the shock.
But once he regained his composure; he explained that aside from the chicken bones he promised, there was plenty of other pieces of used ingredients and scraps left inside. This meant that in order for him to retrieve the final thing on his list, Rocky would have to dig out the chicken bones by hand himself. As expected; this idea filled him with thoughts of disgust, fear and regret all in one shot.
But before any of these feelings could get the better of him, his mind suddenly thought back to Lucy's hug from earlier; along with the final words she said before leaving.
(Cue Rocky's daydream state with Lucy hugging him in thanks)
Lucy: "Thanks for doing this, Rocky; I mean it...I owe you one"
(Back to Reality)
The instant Rocky came back to his senses, he still had the same adorably blissful look on his face from when the daydream started. Then, in what felt like a flash; he felt a sudden feeling swell up inside of him (as if an intense flame suddenly ignited in his chest.) When he decided to tell Grant about this feeling, he saw the teen give him a knowing look; much like how his brother would do.
"Sounds like somebody's in love" the teen said in a sing-song tone, "it's no wonder you were so eager to get the stuff on your list." The instant this came into mind, Grant wasted no time in reopening the trash bag; playfully beckoning Rocky to begin his work. Once more, the young Spokes boy felt a twinge of disgust flow through him; causing his small body to shake like a leaf.
But after giving himself a quick yet somewhat painful slap across the face; Rocky regained his composure, rolled up his sleeves, took in a deep breath of clean air and dipped his right hand into the bag. The instant he did so, his whole body started cringing violently with disgust (outside and inside) but he pushed through it all thanks to one simple phrase; "do it for her." Using this as his mantra, Rocky fished his hand through the bag from top to bottom; desperately trying to find at least one set of chicken bones.
Thankfully, after about a minute and a half; he had managed to collect a whole pile of bones (big and small.) After pulling out one final wishbone from the bag, Rocky heaved out a tremendous sigh of relief and rushed into the restaurant like a rocket; appearing desperate to reach the restroom. Meanwhile, Grant chuckled softly under his breath and collected the pile of bones within a small baggie.
The whole time he did this, however; he couldn't help but wonder what Mr. Thorne wanted with such an item or all the other things on the list Rocky showed him earlier. "Whatever Mr. Thorne's paying the lil' dude; he'd better double it, when the time comes" thought the teen, "anybody who has to fish through garbage deserves a big raise!"
(Line Break)
The afternoon sun was slowly dipping on the horizon, as poor Rocky trudged his way back to the eastern edge of Huntington Oaks. Of course, this was happening almost thirty minutes after he waited for and rode on a bus back to the town sometime earlier. Before making this decision; Rocky knew he couldn't lug his load of supplies all the way there on foot; that would make him later than he already was.
Worse than that, his dad was still at work and he couldn't leave to come help drive him over to Mr. Thorne's place. So, the only option he had left was to take the bus there; which meant having to wait a good ten minutes for it to arrive. When it finally did, there were dozens of other people already seated inside of the bus.
The very sight of this caused Rocky's jaw to drop so low, everyone swore it might fall straight through the floor. When they saw all of the strange items the boy had with him, some passengers wondered if he was up to no good; even the driver thought so. "Trust me, Ma'am; none of this stuff's for me" Rocky stated nervously, "I, uh...I'm picking these things up as a favor for someone."
The driver stared down at the young Spokes boy with a firm gaze, causing him to almost quiver with fear slightly. Then, all of a sudden; several of the other passengers started ranting and raving for the bus to start moving. Although she still felt mildly suspicious of Rocky's "collection" of strange items, none of it seemed dangerous or toxic and she could sense that he was telling her the truth with his explanation.
"Okay, kid; go and take your seat" she said with a slightly dismissive tone, "but if any of dat stuff causes a mess on the floor, you'll be the one to clean it up...got me?" Without the slightest hesitation; Rocky nodded in obedience, thanked the driver and made his way to the nearest open seat. Upon sitting down, he set all of his items next to him as close as he could and heaved a long sigh of exhaustion.
To think that earlier on, he thought cleaning out an owl's birdcage was the hardest task Farquard would have him do for Mr. Thorne. But after traveling through every inch of Royal Woods, Rocky realized just how mistaken his feelings were. "Chin up, dude...you got another job done for Mr. Thorne" he whispered softly, "which means you're one step closer to earning what you need to get Lucy's gift!"
The instant this thought came into mind, Rocky reached into his pocket and took out his cellphone; whereby he went about looking up the current week on his calendar. On it, he saw that he had finished up two days of work for Mr. Thorne; as well as the date of Lucy's birthday (which had been given several "Goth-themed" emojis. "I've still got the rest of the week to earn the rest of the money I'll need" Rocky thought tiredly, "I just hope my plan will work on time."
(First AN: Another job bites the dust, folks but who knows what else Rocky will need to do for Mr. Thorne next. Will he have the energy he'll need to give his surprise to Lucy, in the end or will he be so burnt out that he won't be able to even enjoy the cake?)
(Second AN: The biggest challenge for this chapter was coming up with "fantastical names" for usual, everyday ingredients or items. So, if any of them sound like they don't make that much sense to you all...I'm sorry. I may be an imaginative writer but there are certain things that even I'm unable to do)
(Third AN: For those wondering; yes, Grant still works for Mr. Loud at Lynn's Table. He's just doing his Burpin' Burger job for extra cash, which makes sense; a lot of teens work extra jobs to either pay for cellphone bills or to raise funding for college. Anywho, just thought I'd bring this up; in case anyone got confused)
(Fourth AN: Here's another fun tidbit for those unaware; the term "go'fer" is not only a real one, it's been used by people as a way of telling others to retrieve something for them. Guys like Rocky are often referred to as "go'fer boys" while the ladies are known as "go'fer girls")
(Final AN: I don't want to delve too deeply into spoiler territory here...but trust me when I say Rodney Spokes, Rocky and Rusty's dad, won't be the first one other than Rocky himself who will catch a glimpse of Mr. Thorne's home environment.
When that happens, let's just say...some people in Royal Woods may want to "address some concerns")
