The Game of Life

Chapter 10

Ariel woke to an empty bed. It was noon. The world already seemed to revolve in its perfect pattern as she let her legs drape over the frame of her bed. Her feet hit the cool ground. She made her way to the door. There was a small soft carpet to which her feet made refuge for a brief second from the chill of the floor and she continued on her way. After making herself some breakfast she ventured to Nate's room. He was knocked out cold on his bed. She simply sat herself down on the floor and watched. She didn't find it odd as she watched him slightly drool on his pillow. His hair was in dire need of a brush. She stayed for quite some time and had her back leaned against the opposite wall from his bed. She watched his chest travel up and down as he took deep breaths in his sleep. Ariel attempted to mirror his breathings unconsciously. He was so adorable when he slept.

His face and body were at rest and all she could think about was what was going through his mind. She worried about him many a times as they had grown up together and gone on many adventures. This adventure however seemed different. This wasn't their great exploration of the sandbox or even the time they chased down the ice cream truck for two blocks, no, this was different. Things were changing. She no longer looked to him as her friend. It was something a little more. Something she could not trace the origins of, but there it sat in her heart and on her mind as the time seemed to flow together in harmonious ticking. She had long known that she enjoyed his presence and had enjoyed their adventures. It was just something different. He seemed so attractive as he slept. Her mind instantly snapped to jealousy. What if some girl tries to take him away? Why was she jealous? She knew he would always be there for her.

He stirred softly, slowly waking up. Her heart skipped a beat with small happiness that he was awake but sad that she could no longer watch his resting figure.

He lay his eyes on her only for a moment before something seemed to hold him back. His mood changed from welcoming to afraid in such a short time.

Nate muttered an inaudible noise.

Ariel stood up and began to walk towards him. Her arms wide open for a hug and a smile lay painted on her face.

"Out!" Nate's mumbles had formed.

Ariel was taken aback by his abrupt change. She didn't know watching him sleep would make him so irritable. She stormed out of the room, whilst slamming the door behind her.

Nate's emotions and mood stood firm as he fully wanted her out. He wouldn't let himself touch her. He would refuse every fiber of his being to her sweet smiles and hugs. As he looked down at his own hands he only imagined them being that of beast's claws. His own touch now held no value of warmth or welcoming but that of sinister betrayal.

Nate no longer felt himself as a person.

Ariel threw herself upon the couch, her eyes had already begun to fill with tears. She did not understand what happened and she desperately needed to know, but he would never let her in. Something has to be seriously wrong. "Well, of course something's wrong idiot," she said aloud to herself. Her best friend in the whole universe is one room away and he has been struggling without her. She doesn't know what else she could do to make this any better but she did not believe that this could get any worse so she attempted to regain his trust. She must. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him in her life.

"I'm gonna fix this!" she said confidently to whatever negative energy she blamed for his actions.

Ariel ran out into the Mystery Machine and grabbed some board games and cards. The Disney movies may not have turned out like she wanted but at least she had these other things. On top of the pile was the game of Life. Maybe they could finish the game from the other day. All of the pieces were still in their respective places as Ariel knew they would pick it back up even if years later.

She entered into the door to see Nate standing across the room. His figure looked tired and his head was down, almost as if he was praying. Slight murmurs came from his lips but not for long as he raised his face to Ariel. His eyes were sunken. His framework of his face was ugly and dark. His beauty seemed to be drained out of him. She looked at him with a moment of disgust. She knew that he was her best friend but she still was human and couldn't help look away. These things floated through her mind as he stood there and she attempted to justify her disgust with his appearance.

"What's that?" Nate's finger lay pointed at the games.

"I...I just thought we could finish the game we started." Ariel's voice had an air of caution, trying her best not to upset him any further.

Nate's eyes looked deeply into hers. They were terrifyingly sharp at first but melted into a soft glow of pain. His body seemed to give more pressure on the wall as if to hold himself up. At last however, he dropped down to the floor and sat with his legs crossed. Ariel's smile grew and she flung down the game and herself and began to sort all the pieces into their places. Nate went to grab the middle wheel piece as Ariel did. His hand shot back to his side. Ariel now worried if they were going to be able to play at all if he was still going to be like this.

They began where they left off. Nate's car already had a full family and he had gained a nice sum of money from his turns. Ariel had no family in hers. She never was particularly good at this game but she absolutely loved it because Nate did. He spun the wheel and landed on a 4. She spun a 7. They continued their turns accordingly and seemed to be nearly close to the end of the game when a knock on the door shocked Ariel. She rose to see who was there and Nate lifted his head slightly at her sudden leave. She opened the door to an empty porch, consulted to herself that she had not made up the noise. She blamed some rascal teenagers looking to get a rise out of ding-dong-ditch. She sighed and returned to the game.

"Hey girlie," Damien sat on the couch with a crestfallen look.

Her surprised jump back was noticed by Nate who lifted his head.

"What is it?" Nate's naïve voice asked as if he couldn't see that a stranger was sitting on their couch. Ariel traced her eyes between the two and realized that he couldn't actually see Damien. To avoid going insane she simply sat down and ignored Damien in hopes that she too would not see him anymore.

"We need to talk," This time Damien's voice seem to resonate inside her head and definitely understood Nate could not tell that they were not alone.

Nate's cellphone rang a silly techno tone and it seemed to echo through the situation. It cut off any concern that Ariel had with Damien. He answered the phone and through the thick silence, Ariel heard a voice she could not have imagined. This one was beyond clear and recognizable to her.

Nate hung up and placed the phone down by his side.

"Was that your mom?" Ariel severely hoped that it wasn't as she always ruined things.

"Yeah, she's making me go home."