Ken.

// Hello, I'm Ken. This is my second attempt at writing a story. I decided to write one that I'll have fun with and won't get burnt out on with the copious amounts of prose. I hope you enjoy.

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Silence entangled two teenage boys; the only sound accompanying their presence was the chanting of the train they boarded hauling itself across the tracks.

Until one of them decided to speak.

“... Can’t believe you don’t listen to rock.”

“Please do not start with that shit, Eddie,” the other boy rebutted.

“Oh, sue me! It’s 2009. You need to get with the times."

"Don't care. Rock is for old people."

“Literally everyone listens to it except you,” Eddie asserted.

“I can name 5 people that don’t,” the other boy mumbled.

“Sorry?”

The boy locked eyes with Eddie.

“I said only weirdos listen to it.”

“What?”

“You got hearing problems or somethin’? Must be all that bullshit you listen to."

Eddie’s eyelids shut as he carefully mulled over his next words with a deep breath. His eyes opened to the boy wearing a smug face which he had to prevent himself having a viscerally angry reaction to.

“... Jackie? You listen to classical music.”

“Uh-huh. Blows any of that rock nonsense you like outta the water,” Jackie declared.

“Y’know what?” Eddie responded with a voice crack as his hands clenched, packing a fistful of his pant legs into them. “You’re lucky I fuck with you.”

“Ain’t I lucky,” Jackie remarked with hard-to-miss sarcasm. “What even is your favorite band? Bet Beethoven smokes that.”

“Your music taste is painfully fuckin’ lame, man. What do you even tell girls when you talk to ‘em? ‘Yeah, we can go back to my place and I put on some of that MOZART’.”

“Chicks dig Mozart,” Jackie replied with certainty.

“On my life, they don’t.”

“Maybe you think that because you don’t get any.”

Eddie huffed.

“Bro— name one girl that would prefer to go to a piano concert over a rock concert.”

“...”

“Jackie, I swear to God, if y-”

“Your mom,” Jackie interrupted.

“FUCK YOU!” Eddie shrieked, followed by irritated stares from fellow passengers.

“Chillax, man. You’re gonna get us kicked out with all that ruckus,” Jackie warned.

“Oh, I’m in the wrong here?” Eddie sputtered. “Man, whatever. We still goin’ to the store?”

“Not just a store, man; it’s GameStop,” Jackie replied with a dash of drama in his tone as his hands mimicked an explosion.

A pause as Eddie awaited a reply, to which Jackie cleared his throat.

“Yeah, we get off on this next stop here.”

On cue, the train stopped and his doors whirred open, to which the boys arose from their seats and stepped through said doors, not before engaging in an obligatory “ladies first” quarrel; Eddie ended up shoving Jackie out.

Once the door shut behind the boys, the rest of the passengers looked among each other with a sigh of relief. And so, Jackie and Eddie made their way to the local GameStop.

“Hey, I know a detour down this back alley,” Jackie mentioned after coming to a stop. “Kinda dark. I think we’ll be fine, though.”

“Jackie?” Eddie asked after also coming to a stop.

“Yeah?”

“It’s comin’ up on nighttime. Why on Earth would we go down a dark alleyway?” he questioned before he continued walking; Jackie quietly trailed behind as he hid a giggle.

Following their previous conversation, Eddie already had a game in mind.

“Yo, what game are you tryin’ to get when we get there?”

“I’m big into Halo,” Jackie replied. “Their newest game just dropped, and you’re playin’ as a completely different protagonist.”

“No Master Chief this time?” “No Master Chief. What about you?” Jackie asked. “What are you gettin’? I saw CoD came out with a new one; looks tight.” “Oh, you’ll see. I’m not getting any shooter this time.”

“What? Oh. Sports game?” “Nah, man, you’ll see,” Eddie replied as he pointed to GameStop’s storefront sign. “We’re here.”

And so the two boys entered the shop; Jackie instantly appeared in front of the case for Halo 3: ODST while Eddie hovered about, looking for the game he had in mind. While Eddie was looking for his game, Jackie had already approached the cashier with the game in-hand; much to his disappointment, he could not buy it.

“Sorry, boss,” the cashier stated. “You gotta be 18 or older to get this. This game’s rated M for Mature, see?”

Jackie scoffed. “Yeah? How do you know I’m not 18 or older?”

“Please don’t complicate this,” the cashier replied.

“I’m legally an adult!” Jackie proclaimed. “I could drink if I wanted to.”

“Well, I’d be happy to see some ID,” the cashier retorted. “W-Well, er, I didn’t bring it this time,” the kid struggled to spit out before sighing, realizing the jig was up.

“Could get this, instead,” a voice behind Jackie spoke, a familiar one: Eddie.

Jackie spun around and was greeted with the sight of a game framed within both of Eddie’s hands: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

“Dude, no way. A rock game? Only people who stink are gonna buy that. I’m just gonna get a fake ID then buy my game; a game for real men.”

“... I can hear you,” the cashier replied.

“Talk to the hand!” Jackie rebutted.

“Dude, why don’t I get it for you?” Eddie asked. “I doubt you had the money to get your game yourself.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Jackie’s forehead. “‘Course I did.”

“Uh-huh. We’ll come back here later with my mom so she can get you your game,” Eddie replied while dramatically sliding Guitar Hero across the counter.

“Fine,” Jackie replied begrudgingly. “Rock’s for weirdos. I don’t get how you like that stuff.”

The cashier watched, amused, before scanning the game. “I’m assuming you don’t need the guitar?”

“It comes with a guitar?” Jackie asked.

“Yup, it’s the one in my room,” Eddie replied before retrieving his mother’s debit card from his pockets.

“Would you like to sign up for our Edge Card?” the cashier asked.

“What? Ooohh, the rewards card thing. No, I’m good,” Eddie replied.

“Alright, and would you like to put $2 towards the Scratch Protection Plan? Gives you a warranty on scratched discs.”

“N–”

“Remember what happened to Modern Warfare?” Jackie chimed in.

“Err, yeah.”

“Alright, and would you like t–” “NO! Let me pay already,” Eddie demanded.

The cashier pursed his lips and punched in the price: $66.95. Swipe.