"It really sucks what happened with Anon," Max texted Aidan.
"Yeah," Aidan responded.
"I'm sorry that you guys aren't friends anymore."
"Don't be sorry. I should have kicked that piece of shit to the curb a long time ago."
"You were close to him, right?"
"No, not really. I always knew he was a loser. He used to look up to me though, so I felt like maybe I could help guide him to a better place."
"He liked you?"
"Yeah, he liked me. He even got an apartment right next to my house when I first moved here for college, and he still lives there now, just down the street. I think maybe I represented some kind of hope for him, some kind of light in the darkness. Maybe I represented what he might one day become, if he could only see the light. But gradually, the distance between us began to grow. I went upward, and he continued to spiral downwards. Soon, all he could see in my successes was his own envy."
"Jesus, here comes Mr. Philosophical. And I thought I was supposed to be the English Major here."
"Haha, sorry about that man. You know me."
"It's all good man. Be as philosophical as you want."
"I appreciate you saying that. Hey, I know I have finals coming up, but you know I take school way too seriously, and I feel like I'm already prepared for all of my tests. Do you want to maybe hang out tonight?"
"Sure, just name a time and place."
—
Aidan never really took the time to admire the city, but it really did look beautiful at night. He and Max were walking around downtown, looking for sushi.
"I could have sworn the place was right here," Max said. "Maybe it went out of business."
"There's another place down Chamberlain Ave," Aidan responded, pulling up Google Maps. "It's just a couple blocks up from here."
"Sure, let's go there."
It was starting to drizzle out, lightly, but neither Aidan nor Max really cared. They liked the rain. It made the air crisp and moist, and the bright city lights subtler and more muted.
The red lights and white walls of the hospital looked eerie in the rain.
"I bet Anon's in there right now," Max said quietly. "They said he has 3rd degree burns. I kind of feel bad for him."
"I don't," Aidan retorted. "If you ask me, he deserved 5th degree burns."
"I guess he was kind of an asshole."
"You can say that again. He was more than just "kind of" an asshole. He was completely an asshole."
"Not to me," Max said timidly.
Aidan looked flustered. "I'm sure he was nice to you Max, but you saw what happened in that Zoom call. The man is a psychopath."
"He definitely had a lot of struggles. But I also think he had a nicer side. Sometimes when we were playing D&D I would see him get genuinely happy. You're a great Dungeon Master, and I think he realized that."
"Yeah, whatever. I don't think he had a nicer side. Anyways, I'm sick of thinking about Anon. Let's talk about something else. Agree to disagree?"
"Sure."
They bumped fists and smiled.
"Now let's go get some sushi!"
To be continued...
