Snippet #2254931

Bastian stared at the note tacked to the fridge for a good five minutes before he was able to push past the sleep clouding his mind and comprehend what it said. Not that it was a surprise, or said anything special or life changing. Gone to Nancy’s for the week, took Tuck. Keep house clean. Nancy was his mother’s sister and they often went to stay for days at a time here and there, more so during the summer. He left the note where it was and fixed himself a quick breakfast, while convincing himself that he didn’t care that they never asked if he wanted to go with them.

He was still brooding over it as he got dressed for his shift at the arcade. Bastian didn’t really have to be in for another hour, but he liked to be early and maybe get in a couple of games first. He pulled on a pair of black slacks and the mandatory polo. He topped it off with a pair of suspenders because he could, and grabbed his keys on the way out the door. His car wasn’t the best, but it ran pretty reliably and was better than the train in his opinion.

Bastian drove through a McDonald's on the way, picking up a couple of breakfast combos. Evie was supposed to start work that morning, too. He was excited to have a friend working there with him, even if she did beat him eight out of ten times on most games. Bastian didn’t have many friends, but those he called friend he tended to spoil when and where he could. Paying for a cheap but tasty breakfast was something he could certainly do.

It took another ten minutes just to find a parking space that wouldn’t have him hiking out to Timbuktu. Sack of food in one hand, his rucksack emblazoned with a red dragon symbol slung over the other shoulder, Bastian locked his jalopy and started the shortish walk down to the pier. Oh yeah, he needed to pick up an IMAX application. Couldn’t hurt to at least try, he figured. Maybe for the summer he could even work both jobs, wasn’t like he had social engagements to keep. Pffft.

He spotted a handful of people walking ahead of him, and was pretty sure he recognized one by the dreds alone. Bastian wasn't sure if he wanted to call out and draw attention to himself though, so he just walked along behind them several yards. He figured he'd catch up with Evie at the arcade anyway and he didn't want to run to catch up. Way too early in the day for running.