I'm the Bad Guy

Paya's

I sit down in the shower, the water falling on my skin hard and hot, it was a good place to feel sorry for myself. I turn off water and get out of the shower, rubbing the towel on my head. I look at dark skin boy in the mirror and wonder how he got here, from a smiley young boy to having RBF 24/7, swearing to his mother that piercings were out of his range to getting a piercings on his ears and nose. I really did hate myself. 

I walk out of the hotel steamy bathroom, letting the steam fade away, I wondered if I could call Sam, did he even care? Sam is my childhood friend back when my mom was... here. I set my phone down, letting the idea slip my mind till my phone started ringing, showing the only picture Sam had of me, smiling. Damn, I really could smile. I pick up the phone.

"Where are you?" I could hear George yelling in the background.

"Paya's hotel" I play with a pen in my other hand that I had pick up from the nightstand I had laid my phone.

"Valerian" he sounded concerned, worried, he never used my first name, he usually calls me VJ or J, Valerian Jax, what was my mother thinking?

"Ugh, are still coming to school? Right?"

"Look, Sam, if your wanting to preach or teach me right now, I advise you not too" I snap a little, I really hate being mad but if that's what's gets people off my dick, I'll do it.

"Do you want to come over? How are paying? For the stay, I mean, I'll pay bill if you haven't yet. Hav-"

"SAM!" I yell. The worst best friend of the year award goes to Valerian. I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh.

"Sorry, sorry, I have everything under control, and yes, I'm still going to school, sorry" I sit up, my elbows on my knees.

"I-it's fine, well... If you need anything, I'll be here, eating a frozen pizza and playing animal cros-" I cut him off.

"You still play that trash?" I lay back down.

"Trash?!? How dare you! How dare you insult the, easily, the best game of the year" he play yells. I fake gagged into the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, us New Yorkers actually can be quite the town's folk" I laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think that, remember that one vacati-" I shake my head remembering the trip that are families toke.

"Please, God no, don't make me relive it" I sulks through the phone.

"It was a bright summer's day in June" I relived.

"GOD" Sam yells.

"How old were we 8? 9?"

"9? I think, why I'm I helping you?"

"You come out of the woods screaming your lungs off. "MOOOOM, DAAAD, OWWWWWL!"" I do my best impersonation of Sam, waving my arm above my head.

"Kill me now" Sam continues to beg.

"We all thought you were chased by an actual owl "

"Damnit Jax, I was 9, give me a break" he says with food in his mouth.

"We look behind you to see, what do we see again?" I say in a funny british accent.

"Damnit Jax, you see nothing, you see NOTHING"

"The funny thing is, I can still picture it in my mind, clear as day, no, stop laughing, it's true" he tries to protect himself. I'm still dying with laughter.

"Honest to God, Jax, I remember talking to the trees, which I don't do anymore, as much, anyways, I remember talking about the tress and said something in greek and-"

"Where did we even learn greek? I don't remember like, going to classes or anything" I say, trying to force the memory up.

"I- actually, I really don't know, huh" I hear the music in backgrounds of Sam's phone.

I wanted to go back in time, where i wasn't a dick and didn't beat my step-father up, my mom was still here, and who ever my father's is, is a good father and came back to pick up his son. I look over at the little nightstand and by it, a staff, didn't see that when I walked in. I walk over to it and pick up the staff, it's a little taller than me, it's had a tiny engraving at the top of the staff.

Ares.

A engraving was a dog and a vulture. I remember in class we learn each of the gods sacred animal. Ares was a dog and vulture, I rub my thumb over the symbol, I pick the staff up, kind tempted to throw it.

"J? J? Did you hear me?"

"U-uh, yeah, yeah, i'm gonna have to let you go, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Oh, okay, yeah, see you tomorrow" I hang up the phone, still holding the staff. I look at the staff closely. There was small golden beads and white marble beads tied to the top of the staff where the symbol was. I twirl the staff between my fingers, my bojutsu started to kick in again. I started looking for what type it was, it look like a quarterstaff but couldn't tell. I was better with a quarter then I was with bo, the words of my teacher said. I wonder if the Ares thing was just for decoration or intimidation tactic, your bow had be check by the enemy for cheating or abuse, so it be pretty sick to see the Ares symbol on your opponents staff (yes, you can abuse your staff).

I found a button at the top, and when you find a button what to you do... press it. It turned in a tiny staff, looking more like a baton than a staff. Okay, I'm keeping this, might come in handy if I see George again, I smile at the thought. I put on my pair of sleeping shorts and head to the sofa, there was no way I was sleeping on that public bathroom floor they call a bed.

I realized I still had the staff in my hand, I extended it and lean it up against the wall.

"Goodnight, staff"