Disclaimer: I do not own Doug or it's characters.
Chapter 1,
Hi, it's me, Doug Fun-
"Funnie, I thought I asked you to deliver these pictures at exactly two." Doug heard his boss say and Doug froze, but quickly glanced down at the clock which read 2:01.
"Sorry, I'll get them delivered right away." Doug closed his journal and he threw it in his bag.
"Right away would have been at 2 o'clock, like I asked." His boss hollered, shoving the box of pictures into Doug's hands.
"Just hop on your little bike and peddle as if your life depended on it, because if you are late getting the pictures there, then you're fired." The man said and Doug ran out of the store.
Doug wished he had a different life. He graduated high school 4 years ago. He did a few semesters of college, but the environment wasn't the same as high school. He ended up failing English three times, before he stepped away from college. Doug's parents were some what supportive of this, but Doug could still feel their worry and disappointment when he walked into the room. The first semester was paid for by financial aid, since he failed the second semester was paid by his parents. When Doug failed again, he parents insisted that he gets a job and pay for the next semester by himself. And Doug failed again. And here he is, still working as a store assistant. Which basically meant that he was doing everything under the sun, except writing. Working the same job for 3 years should say a lot about a person. But for Doug, it just feels like a wasted life. His birthday was coming up in about a month, and all he wanted was to quit his job so he can focus on writing. As much as he wants this, he also knows that his family needs his paycheck. Judy is still going to audition and tryouts to become an actress, but she is rarely paid. His mother still has her job at the recycling plant, but the real issue is his dad. He got really sick, and the hospital bills were crazy. The doctors were still running tests, but Doug helped pay the bills.
Besides, even without his father's medical bills, Dous didn't make enough money to live on his own. A decent place with a washer and dryer was roughly $1,000 or more. So if Doug cancelled his health insurance, he could afford the place if he didn't eat a lot and kept the lights off. But then he could be arrested for not paying health insurance. So Doug lived at home, almost 23 and practically wishing for death. He had hit a brick wall of life and he didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to dwell on the things he cannot change. Right now, he needed to focus on getting the delivery on time. Mrs. Week did a lot of fundraisers so she was a big customer for the store.
Doug knew exactly where to find her too. It's not like it was very hard, though. She became Roger Klotz's next door neighbor after he became famous and he moved him and his mother into their carriage house. When Doug got to Mrs. Week's house, he abandoned his bike on the sidewalk and ran up the door with the box.
"Oh, hello again, Doug." Mrs. Week said sweetly.
"Hi, Mrs. Week. I got your package all ready for you." Doug said, handing her the box.
"Thank goodness. And you're right on time too. I will be sure to call Mr. Stoneheart, right away to tell him what a good job you did." Mrs. Week said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Week." Doug said.
"Here is a little thing for you, honey." Mrs. Week said and she handed Doug a $20 and Doug blinked.
"Oh, I appreciate the thought, but I can't take this from you." Doug said and Mrs. Week smiled.
"Just take it, Doug. And say hello to your father for me." Mrs. Week said and Doug sighed and put the bill in his pocket.
"Thanks." Doug said and he walked back to his bike.
One good thing about his job was that he could practically block the rest of his life. He didn't need to focus on how sick his dad was, or how he still lives at home, or how he just wished that he could be a writer. The customers and the employees he worked with did not care about what he had going on with his life. It was bittersweet.
"Hey, what's with this hunk of junk." Doug instantly recognized that annoyed voice. He looked up and saw Roger stopped beside Doug's bike. Doug hasn't seen much of Roger since graduation. In fact, he hasn't really seen much of anyone since graduation. Being a genius, Skeeter went to college up in Washington to learn more about genetic mutations. Patty got a summer job at a newspaper out in New York, and they offered her a full time position. So she moved out there and is supposedly doing great. Chalky got picked up by the US Olympic team and he was deep in training. And last Doug heard, Beebe was out in England to try and win over a prince. As for Roger, he hadn't heard much.
"Sorry, I didn't realize that I stopped there. I thought my bike was on the lawn." Doug said running over.
"Doug, it's sure been a while hasn't it?" Roger said happy to see a familiar face.
"Yeah. I suppose it has. You still doing the monster truck thing? My mom was telling how proud your mom was about that?" Doug asked and Roger chuckled. When he did this, Doug thought he was some sort of white scarf under Roger's popped collar.
"Yeah, I am. But I had to take a break for a little bit." Roger said.
"Well, why-"
Ring, ring.
"Oh, excuse me, it's my boss." Doug said and Roger nodded in a very understanding way.
"Hello?" Doug asked.
"Doug. Now that you managed to deliver that package, we need you to pick up some chow from the Honker Burger." Mr. Stoneheart said and Doug used one hand and pulled out a small pocket notebook and flipped it opened.
"Oh, pen, pen." Doug muttered blindly feeling around inside his bag, and then in his pockets. Doug must have left his pen at the desk when he tries to get some journaling done.
"Here, Funnie." Roger whispered handing Doug one of his promotional pens.
"Ok, so we have a meeting of 8 people ok. So you need to get 8 honker burgers, 6 of them with cheese. Everyone wants lettuce and mayo. 3 of the cheeseburgers need tomatoes. One hamburger gets everything. Oh, and we are gonna need mustard." Mr. Stoneheart said and Doug wrote as his boss listed things off.
"Which ones need mustard?" Doug asked and he heard some muffled voices before there was an answer.
"Ok, one hamburger, not the one with everything. One regular cheeseburger, and one cheeseburger with tomato." Mr. Stoneheart said and Doug wrote that down.
"Ok, so two hamburgers, one with everything, the others with lettuce, mayo and mustard. Six cheeseburgers, three with tomatoes and three without. And one cheeseburger with tomato, and one cheeseburger without tomato gets mustard. Sounds right?" Doug asked as he recited his list.
"Ok, now we need sides. 5 fries, 4 onion rings, 6 candied beets, and 5 tater tot's. All supersized." Mr. Stoneheart said.
"Super... sized." Doug said as he wrote.
"Ok, now we need 3 milkshakes, 5 cokes, an iced tea... and I guess a diet Dr. Pepper." Mr. Stoneheart said.
"Which flavor of milkshakes?" Doug asked.
"Strawberry, chocolate and Vanilla." He said.
"Got it." Doug said.
"Wait, she actually said 'vanilla and orange', it's a creamsicle." Mr. Stoneheart corrected.
"Strawberry, chocolate, and creamsicle then." Doug said, already tired and he wasn't on his way to the Honker Burger.
"That's all, or at least it should be. I'll call you if I need more." Mr. Stoneheart said.
"Ok." Doug simply said.
"And don't forget, this food is for a meeting so I authorize this being paid for by that company credit card I gave you." The man said.
"Thank you sir." Doug said and he sighed heavily when he hung up the phone.
"Dang, Doug, that man had you whipped." Roger said and Doug froze. He actually forgot that Roger was right there beside him.
"That's my boss, he has a lunch meeting and needs me to pick up the food. He does that every once in a while." Doug said and Roger stared at Doug as he picked up his bike.
"How do you even carry all that stuff on a bike? Is that what you normally use?" Roger asked and Doug nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, it is cheaper than a car with no gas or car payments. And it, uh, gives me plenty of exercise and sunshine and fresh air." Doug said as he slowly awaited Roger laughing at him. But it didn't come, so Doug decided to continue.
"I get the food from wherever I go, and put it in my bike handles. And people are nice, they will put the drinks I have in a drink carrier and then put that in a bag so I can put it in my bike handles as well." Doug said and Roger paused for a moment, then he pulled out his phone and he tapped on it with a stylist.
"You know, Dougie; since I'm taking a little break from my monster truck gig, I'm actually free for the rest of the day." Roger said and Doug got annoyed, since it sounded like bragging.
"That's great Roger." Doug said and Roger put his phone away.
"So, since I'm available anyways, and you are so addicted to fresh air, why don't I come along and help you carry that stuff back to your boss." Roger said and Doug blinked. Out of everything he thought Roger would say, offering to help was not one of them.
"Well, it would be nice to have another set of hands." Doug said and Roger smiled.
"Enough flirting, Doug. Let's go get those burgers on the double. We are going to the Honker Burger, right?" Roger asked and Doug nodded.
"Ok, then. Onward!" Roger said and Doug chuckled. And as they rode to the Honker Burger, he realized that he hasn't really laughed or chuckled or even giggled in months. Not since his dad started to feel sick. But Roger made Doug laugh without even trying. Maybe it was good that Roger has re-entered Doug's life. After all, a bully, turned friend, will be friend to the end.