Kyros

Chapter One - Maxwell

"I would rather cut off my own hand and eat it before doing that," I say to Bear over my headphones. I look around me and no one is playing me any attention on the cart. That's good, this conversation could get weird. I fix my shirt, wishing I could be in my normal t-shirt and athletic shorts. Don't get me wrong, I like the occasionally looking nice thing but now with this internship it's business casual everyday. I guess it's something to get used to.

"Would it really be that bad?" Is his reply. I can hear him typing on his desktop over the phone and the sound makes me want to slap him with the keyboard that I can't reach because the sound is slowly driving me insane. Instead, I just roll my eyes, turn down the volume a little on the ear piece and stop scrolling through discord to pull up my messages on my phone. The metro stops again to pick up more people and every time I just hope no one sits next to me. It's claustrophobic enough in these cars already.

"Why should I want to go to a party when I can be perfectly content with a couple bottles of Hard Lemonade at home where no one else has to see me or know of my existence," I say.

"I think that is the definition of anti-social," Bear says.

"Clever," I reply while opening up my messages to Dayton.

Me: 'Time to wake up Pay Day'
Day: 'Jokes on you, I haven't gone to bed yet.'
Me: 'Shocker'
Day: 'Big Bear tells me you said no to the party.'
Me: 'I didn't exactly say no.'
Day: 'Right. Just a little bit of cannibalism instead.'
Me: 'Self-cannibalism. And I think it accurately expressed my feelings.'
Day: 'Bridge call?'

"You get silent sometimes and I just hope you aren't sitting there and planning my death because I have annoyed you with my typing," Bear says.

"Only sometimes," is my reply and I close my messages with Dayton.  I go back to the call and offer Day to join in. It is excepted after one ring.

The ding of the metro go off again and a few more people get on as we get closer to the heart of the city.

Day: "So the one time we are actually invited to a party and you don't want to go?"
Bear: "Maybe you could finally meet a guy... or a girl... no judgement. Do some stuff. Live a little."
Me: "I'm still breathing so I think that constitutes as me living a little."
Day: "I can't argue with your logic but I think maybe a night without you sitting on your laptop typing like your life depends on it could be good for you."
Bear: "Become a social butterfly my caterpillar."
Me: "There are many things I would like to be but a butterfly is not one."
Day: "Well, Bear is already taken so how about you can be a mosquito?"
Bear laughs in the background.
Me: "Is it because I just suck the life out of people?"
Day: "No, because after you leave the only thing a person is left with is an itchy bump."
Bear laughs harder.
Me: "You really know how to give someone a compliment don't you?"
Day: "I take pride in my abilities."
Me: "The few you have."
Bear: "Now now children. Say your sorry to each other or I'll have to put you in time out."
Me: "Oh look at the time. I got to go boys. My stop is next."
Bear: "Give POTUS my regards."
Day: "Tell him I look forward to being his VP next election."

I roll my eyes and disconnect. I pick up my bookbag and sling it over my shoulder, waiting for the train to stop. I turn on some music over my headphones and brace myself as the cart comes to a halt. Over my headphones I can hear the ominous metro lady say "Step back to allow customers to exit". That's me. I get off the metro and into the crowd of people waiting to get on.

My phone buzzes and I see a text from Day.
Day: 'Make sure your ready at 8pm tonight for the party! I'll be picking you up, wether you're ready or not.'

I roll my eyes and continue on walking up and out of the metro. Ready for what the day has in store for me.