7 Deadly Sins of Joseph Anza
Joseph Anza has been a naughty boy. A collection of fanfics showing the 7 Deadly Capital Sins.
Avarice is the love of material things, to the point where you put aside all other things to get more and more of what you want. But when you love something too much, something else gets neglected.
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.
AVARICE
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Money. Seriously, it can solve so many problems. We all need money. And we want money. Heck, some are so obsessed to get rich that they turn into full-blown workaholics and will buy the cheapest things, reasoning that they're good enough, or that saving money is better. I'd bet you haven't refused money given to you. Yes, you haven't. And, you've committeed the sin of avarice. But we can't help it. There's something about having money that makes you feel good.
But then again, money can also be the source of many problems. Take gambling. Once you've become accustomed to gambling, you'll keep coming back. And if you lose something, you've got to be ready to give a very long explanation to your family.
Which means more work. Work. We work for a living. We work to survive, we work to achieve. And if we achieve, we become successful. And success will bring in money. We're rolling in the greens again. Which is why you'll have to listen, or read, in this case, a story about a boy and his obsession for success.
Joseph Aspen Anza is part of a prominent and well-off family. His father is a lawyer, and his mother is a well-known fashion designer. Currently, he is sixteen years old, a junior at X High School. He's part of the security force in the school, aptly named the Safety Patrol. He holds positions there as a patrol officer, interrogator, bodyguard, and most importantly, the secretary of the force. It was a big responsibility, but he was trying to prove himself worthy of a higher position-- the coveted Commander-in-Chief. It was voted upon, and only available to senior males. His brother, Jared, who held the position two years ago, challenged him to do the same. Even better, he said. And Joseph loved a good challenge.
He was always competitive when it came to things he was interested in. He wanted to be the best in everything he could do, plain and simple. He wanted the best girls, and he got them. He wanted the best physique, he had it. He wasn't too muscular, but he was lean and taut, and towered over others at five-eleven. He wanted good grades, and he had them. He knew he wasn't the smartest, because there were other officers, namely Ingrid Third and Karen Tehama, that were even smarter than he was. So he focused on math and journalism, which were his strongest points.
But now, he had something most other people at school didn't have. He had a job, at the beach, as a lifeguard. People could call him obsessed over security, but he didn't mind, because he really was. He took his cousin's death too seriously, because she had drowned in their backyard pool about a year ago.
Though, the real motive behind his new job was the money. Hard, cold cash. At a rate of forty dollars an hour, it was enough for him to save up for his future Lexus. He had a big allowance of two hundred dollars a week. He barely used half of it most of the time, and had a nice three grand sitting in his savings right now. If he worked ten hours a week, he'd have four hundred dollars more.
He'd had the job for two months already. His shift was two hours every weekday, from five in the after noon to seven in the evening. He'd return home, usually directly to bed or to dinner first, around seven-thirty. He'd kept this up with school, but was slowly losing more weight and losing touch with people.
One day, he decided to check his e-mail. Maybe he'd earned some cash from the online surveys perhaps?
But he was surprised to see an e-mail from Karen. Karen. When did he last see her again? He clicked on it, and was suprised at what he saw.
Hey.
You're looking more and more gorgeous by the days. And your bank account's probably growing faster than a snap. Wow. I'm glad to see you succeed. :)
But Joseph, I don't want to just stay on the sidelines and watch. I miss you. I mean it. I miss those long talks we had before. I miss it when you'd call every morning and every night, no matter how annoying my cell phone is. I miss the times when all we did was just sit beside each other, doing nothing. I miss even the times when you'd mess up my hair! It's been a while, hasn't it?
Where are you? Better yet, who are you? I miss the Joseph I knew. Where is he? Can your work really replace me? It hurts to think so, but you know, I find that so easy to believe. It's always work this, work that, my shift starts in twenty minutes... and so on.
Why won't you call? Why won't you talk to me? It's been so hard to go on without talking or seeing you. In fact, I'm sure the guys down at the beach know you better than I do now. I feel like I don't know you anymore. I really miss you. And I don't want to end this. And I won't. But please, just help me here, if you want this to work out between us. You know I want it to.
I'm not asking you to quit your job and spend all your time with me. I understand that you need money, because I'm sure your parents want you to start being independent. Please just don't ignore me. It's breaking my heart. ): I can't take it anymore. I need to hear your voice. I need reassurance that everything's going to be okay. Please. Just a little effort?
Love, Karen.
He closed the e-mail, and didn't bother reading the others. He peered at the mirror, and saw his reflection. Wow. When was the last time he looked at himself?
There he was. He pulled the mirror, and looked into it. He had the sky blue crystal eyes he'd always had, black hair, now sun-streaked, tanner skin, and a more chiseled and almost grown-up face already. Last time he'd checked, he was still a lost teenager, unsure of what he wanted.
Now he got what he wanted. He had money. He always had. But what use is what you want when you don't know its' value?
Karen was valuable. More than money could ever buy. She was right. He was replacing her with his greed.
He shoved it aside, not caring if it had broken on the floor or not, and took his coat, heading where his feet took him. He ran and ran, and reached his destination.
Karen's house. He walked to the backyard, and stared up at Karen's balcony, her favorite place in the entire world. He checked the tree beside the columns, and placed a foot on it. He reached up and climbed, until he got to the balcony. He went up and over the white wood railing, and, mustering up his courage, tapped on the door.
Why did he need courage to talk to her? What was it that made him so nervous to someone he practically had shared his life with? Someone who he'd been friends with since they were children? It only came down to ths: guilt.
He saw her peering through the glass from her bed, and almost gasped at the sight of him. She shoved off the pillow on her lap and set aside the book she was reading, and practically ran to the door.
"Joseph?" she said, looking as if she had just seen the Risen Christ.
He smiled faintly. "I got your e-mail. You're right. I missed you too."
She drew nearer to him, and he enveloped her in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around him as well. He felt her shaking, but knew this meant she was crying. And she hardly ever did. He leaned in closer to her ear, whispering.
"Everything's going to be fine."
It is of human nature to be greedy. We always want the best of everything. But when we do get it, we'd want something better. Though some don't need to work very hard to get what they want, some do. And those that work too hard forget about the simple things and simple joys in life. They only see what they want to see. And in turn, they neglect things that were once important to them. And when it's gone, that's when they realize the weight of loss, and start to wonder why it happened in the first place. Outside, they can refuse that it was their fault. But inside, they know it was them. Are you working? Are you studying too hard? Then take some time off. There are also more important things than studies and work. The people around you-- you see them every day. But one day, they might not be there anymore. So take a little time off to spend it with them, and try not only to think about yourself, but others as well. Sometimes, what you do can mean so little to you, but can mean so much to other people.