Pain Killer

Chapter 3: Travis

"Watch they're on your left."

"I know. Who do you think I've been shooting at for the pass minute?"

"Oh now they're coming from behind."

"I got it. I got it."

"Watch—"

"Kane! Just watch your own screen." In a few clicks of buttons, I have the enemy dead on the ground.

"You don't have to get all pissed. It's just a game." Kane frowns and leans back into the sofa. The scar in between his eyebrows brightens like it has done ever time he's upset back when I accidentally gave it to him in middle school.

"Fine, but this is a team game not a dictatorship."

Kane turns his character at me and shoots me.

I drop my controller. "Hey?"

"This is my game. I can play however I like. Welcome to the dictatorship of Kane. Do you have any problems?"

"Well—"

"Ops sorry. The dictator is not taking complains at the moment. If you don't like it you can move out."

Grinding my teeth, I pick up my control. He lords over me every chance he gets about the fact that I'm couch surfing. "Alright then lord and master." I smile. "How about another game?"

"Well—I don't know. I might have more important things to do as dictator."

I wack him with the sofa pillow.

He begins laughing which I catch. "Fine fine, let's get back to gaming." He hits the new game button. The room bursts with sounds of exploding and gunfire. "You know, hitting the dictator is punishable by hanging until death."

"If I had known that I would have hit harder." Before Kane could give a snarky comment, my phone starts ringing. I keep the controller in one hand as I glance at the screen. Heat rises to my face. "Can we pause it?"

"We're playing live, Travis."

"But it's my mom."

"Tell her you're busy."

I take the ringing phone and head to the other side of the bedroom. "Just turn down the volume." Taking a deep breath and watching Kane turn the television down only slightly, I answer the phone. "Hey Mom."

"Hi honey, I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time. You're not working are you?"

I glace as the video game on the screen. "No, I always have time for you."

"Where are you? There's a lot of noise."

I try to shelter the receiver with my hand. "I'm out on the street, picking up something for lunch."

I hear Kane scoff. "With what money?"

"Oh my baby is working hard. Well don't let me bother you too much. I just wanted to tell you I've booked two ticket to Toronto today. Isn't that exciting? We will be together for Christmas this year."

My hand rings the back of my neck. "Mom, I already told you, Christmas is a bad time for me at work."

"Because people feel guilty for the beggars at that time of year." Kane laughs at his own joke as I race to make sure to cover my phone so that my mom doesn't hear.

"Dad and I can do sightseeing when you're working. There is no way you'll be working Christmas day. It will be just like old times. We could even decorate a tree in your apartment."