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Jake and Albert were on call like usual. They were playing a lot of games, shitty horror, knock-offs, Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, any game where they could play together. It was fun, they both really enjoyed this time together. It was always the one thing the both of them knew they could count on.
"Jake? Jaakkeee! Jaake JakeJakeJake-"
"Yes, yes yes yes yes- I hear you, god.."
Jake didn't realize he zoned out for a bit. Whoops.
"Did you even hear what I said?"
"Uhh.. Yeah, of course I did. I always hear you."
"Uh huh. That's because you're such a good listener for me Jakee. But what did you think of my idea?"
Jake had no idea what he was talking about. He was still stuck up on the "compliment", if that's even what it's called.
"Um, yeah- Yeah I'd be down. Just uh.. Remind me what it was again? Sorry."
"I knew you weren't listening. But my great and awesome idea is that we should go out together sometime! It's kinda been a while since we've.. Y'know. Seen each other. In person."
"Yeah, yeah that'd be great. I'd love that, actually. Just a small question though. When?"
"Oh, I dunno. I could fly over to your house tomorrow. I've already been looking for tickets and I found some open at a pretty good time!"
"Oh, sure. When would you get here?"
"I don't know dude, I don't fly the plane. Maybe around like 8??"
"Ok, yeah. Sounds good. I have to do something, so I'll talk to you later. Bye, Albert."
"Oh ok, sure. Bye Jake, love you."
He ended the call. Albert would be there, at his house. Tomorrow. His house was a mess, there were boxes full of random stuff everywhere, clothing on the floor, dirty dishes, a room that hasn't been decorated in years, dirty desk, you name it. He started off with throwing things away. And then worked on the dishes. And worked on his desk. 3 things done. He was proud at first, but the slow realization settled in. He had done 3 things in 4 hours.
It took him 4 hours to do 3 things. He didn't have that kind of time to spare. It was already 12 am when he started, Albert would be here at 8. No idea if it's 8 in the morning. or 8 in the afternoon, but it wasn't that much time in his eyes. He needed to work faster. So he did. He ran across rooms, making each one slowly look better.
It was around 7 am when he finished. He felt proud. He also felt tired. The only thing left was to get gas in his car, so he could actually drive to get Albert. He got in his car, started it, and then drove. Got there, parked. All just to realize that he had no gas left. No more to get home. No more to get Albert. And another thing to make his day even worse, his wallet was left at home.
"This day can't get any worse.."
It did. He got a text from Albert. "hey jake! i hope u didnt 4get inwas comjng over, ill b there ina hour maybr less plssspls be there to pick me up" An hour. He thought about how long it'd take to run home and back to his car to get money, it'd take over an hour. He thought about asking people for money. People here aren't that nice to lend money for gas. They'd probably think he's a druggie or something.
He thought about stealing. It wasn't a good idea. It was horrible, actually. Jake tried being nice to people whenever he could, but stealing? It was low for him. Yeah, he'd joke about it and pretend to steal from his friends, but he's never actually stolen money. Then again, it's his only way back. His only way to Albert. He breathed and got out. Thankfully, there was a good amount of people. Not too many, but just enough to make him feel comfortable.
Jake started off as he usually would. Making his rounds over at the drinks, grabbed a few snacks, and then decided he should get some cash. Spotted a lady that wasn't paying attention, perfect. He made his way over and pretended to bump into her, Jake got what he needed.
"Oh, shit- I'm so sorry- I didn't see you there, sorry."
"No, no! It's ok!! I shouldn't have been standing here anyways, it's alright."
"Ah, ok. Sorry, again. Have a good day, ma'am."
"You too!"
He felt awful. She was so kind. He was a horrible person, what if she needed that? He looked at what he got. $200. That's more than enough. He thought about giving $100 back to her. After all, he only really needed $50. He can't give it back. She'd find out what he did. He kept walking. Paid for his things and left. Got gas in his car and went to pick up Albert.
It felt like he was driving forever. It was only a few more minutes until he got to the airport. Just a little longer. He felt excited. He felt sick. He felt something else that he couldn't quite tell.