Jared In Elysium (Chapter 1, excerpt)

Chapter 1: The Fall (excerpt)

The crisp, early autumn wind encircled Jared as he stood outside with a lit cigarette between his lips. Pondering what his plan of attack was in this new and unfamiliar environment, he filled his lungs with the smoke of an American Spirit and leaned over the deck of his friend Chad's home, exhaling a cloud of grey-white fog. Behind him, he heard the sliding glass door open and shut and the unmistakable heavy footsteps of his dear friend Chad approached him.

Chad was a tall, slender guy with a burgeoning beard. He definitely looked like the kind of person that would hang around Jared, who was slightly shorter than Chad, stockier and barrel chested with a full beard. They were both band geeks in high school with a penchant for guitar and folk music, and definitely looked the part.

Chad spoke, "Hey man, Mom wanted to know if you had heard back from any of the restaurants yet."

Jared replied, "Not yet, man. It hasn't even been three days. I don't even know if they've seen the applications yet."

"Eh, you're probably right. I'm sorry, she just keeps bugging me about it."

"Well, shouldn't she come and ask me herself?"

"You know how she is, man. I'm just the messenger."

"I know, I'm sorry," Jared slapped him on the back,"I really appreciate you guys."

Chad smiled and stepped back inside. Jared snuffed out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, flicked it into the treeline and began to walk inside when his phone began to rang; the caller ID read "Sarah". Jared hadn't seen that name pop up in almost three months, and spoke to himself, "What in the hell?" as he let it ring to voice mail. She immediately called again, much to Jared's chagrin. He flipped his phone open and sighed, "Hello?"

The panicked, high-pitched voice on the other end spoke,"Jared?!"

"Yes?" He said calmly.

"We need to talk!"

"So talk."

"I, uh--"

"Good talk." Jared hung up. She called about twenty seconds later, and he picks up, but this time he hears her sobbing.

She softly crooned, "I'm pregnant."

Silence came from Jared's mouth, followed with a monotonous, "What?"

"You heard me."

"...I don't know what you expect me to do. I don't even have a home at the moment."

"I just wanted you to know."

"Well...thanks for letting me know, I guess."

"...Do you not care?"

"Of course I care, but I'm in a tight situation at the moment, Sarah. This is literally the last thing I expected to hear,"a brief silence followed, "Do your parents know?"

"No."

"Okay. I'm at a loss of what to say here. I don't know what to do."

"I just wanted you to know."

"Okay. Well, thanks for letting me know."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye," Jared closed his phone, threw it across the yard and put his face in his hands. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, then proceeded to light another cigarette, looking across the yard at the cheap cellphone he carelessly threw across the lawn. He walked over to it and put it back in his pocket. He finished this smoke in what seemed like record timing and walked back inside, taking care to not slam the sliding door on his way in.