Striking Gold

Waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Time ticked by as Brandon waited in a nice, cushy waiting room in the middle of a hotel. It was noisy, full of tourists and businesspeople coming in and out of the doors and trying to talk over the TVs blaring SNN and CNN at the same time. He fidgeted with a bottle cap as some of them passed him by, trying to keep from staring at them like a deer in headlights. It wasn’t too hot at all, but he pulled out a handkerchief just to wipe down the sweat forming on his brow.

As his hand began to tremble, he took a deep breath and tried to hold it in. One, two, three, four... and out. Again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, he dug into his messenger bag and pulled out a notepad, labeled “To-Do Lists”, before flipping to today’s list.

Fed and walked Pookums? Check. Paid back Pyrokinetic guy? Check. Got milk and eggs for cookies later? Oh, hell yes! Took his meds?

Oh.

All the idle chatter and talk suddenly became louder and more irritating as Brandon frantically searched his bag for his meds. God, I KNEW I forgot something! he thought, sweat dripping down his brow. Of course it had to be my meds, of course! No wonder I’m a goddamn mess before a meeting goddamn it why do I even bother I can’t even-

Fortunately, he found his pill case rather quickly, so all there was left to do was get some water and voila! Another task, completed!

Brandon sat back down, just a little less anxious now that he remembered something and pulled out a copy of Kamen Rider Hime to pass the time. The noises slowly became softer and softer as each and every page entranced him, until the world around him meant nothing.

“Um, Mr. Carter?”

Just as he reached the last riveting page, a voice called out to him, startling him right out of his trance. Brandon turned towards the voice, embarrassed as he hid the comic back in his messenger bag and said, “U-um, yes, that’s me! C-can I help you?”

The lanky secretary adjusted his hoodie and stared at Brandon for a moment before he said, “Well, Sam- I mean, Ms. Goddard would like to see you now.”

“Oh, thank you! Lead the way!”

Not that there was much way TO lead. It was just a straight shot to the hotel conference room, complete with super cushy chairs that were calling out to Brandon like a siren song. The room was big enough to fit an entire football team and then some. So it was more than a little awkward, sitting at one end of the table with only one other person here. Oh, and the secretary, but he was kind of standing there. Awkwardly.

The chair at the end was turned away from him. All that anxiety came rushing back all at once. This was exactly how all the business meetings his parents dragged him to start: chair facing away, man slowly turning towards them, a fake smile plastered on his face. His parents, staring right at him and hiding all their unreachable expectations behind the same fake smile. All of them, waiting for him to make the first sales pitch, to dive off that fifty feet high diving board into a pool of sharks.

What made it worse was that this was no ordinary businessman. No, this was a Kobber. A hero. A legend. They would no doubt have even higher expectations than any normal businessperson would. God, if he fucked up here…

His heart stopped as the chair turned towards him slowly…

“YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

He stared at the businesswoman waving her arms around and shooting sparks out of her hands like she was celebrating someone’s birthday rather than hosting a business meeting. Even more surprising, he was certain that she was just about his age, rather than a big ol’ stuffy businessman hoarding stocks and watching Wall Street like a hawk.

Ms. Goddard spun her chair around one more before she sat upright and said, “I mean, hi! I heard you have a bit of a problem that I could mmmmaaaybe solve?”

If you can punch out my memories of BAD THINGS like JASON and JOSH, that’d be a GREAT start to our business relationship, was Brandon’s first thought, but instead of blurting that out like a complete dope, he instead settled for, “Ah, yes, of course! J-just a moment…”

“Sure, broski! Take all the time you need!”

Thankful for Ms. Goddard’s generous offer, Brandon took a deep breath and said, “Well, I’ve admired the Kobbers from up close and afar for years now. I’ve been a big fan since they first arrived in 2011, and they’ve done really incredible work since then. They’ve been a big inspiration for me, and well, I just-“

Get to the point, you idiot, he thought. You’re just adding fluff! Just say it!

“I, uh, um…”

He was that child again, struggling to get the words out as his parents and the businessman watched him with growing disappointment. Too scared to make the dive. He wished his meds would kick in now, as the air around him grew cold and his hands clutched at his pant legs tightly.

“I…”

The sighs. The shameful headshake. The unimpressed look. He could remember it all too well how his voice trembled, how his eyes stung with tears, how his heart nearly burst out of his chest. So much bumbling and fluff until he finally got the words out, and somehow managed to live through the encounter. He remembered leaving the room with the tiniest bit of relief-

“Oh, dear. My sweet dear… Why can’t you learn from your brother? He would have been more composed and coherent. You should ask him for help next time.”

The words echoed in his mind. Everything felt so cold now. His throat hurts, his eyes hurt, everything hurt-

Brandon suddenly snapped back to reality as Ms. Goddard shouted, “Oh fuck, shit, are you okay?!”

The room was still the same was it was a few minutes ago. The only difference was that Ms. Goddard was suddenly at his side, a worried look plastered all over her face.

Guilt overtook him as he admitted, “N-no, I’m not. I’m… I’m not good at these sorts of things, so I kind of… I need a moment, Miss… uh…”

“Bro, just call me Sammy!” Sammy said, waving off Brandon’s attempts at formality. “I’m not some guy on Wall Street! That’s Draco’s- No, wait, that’s more Parsee’s job! Don’t think of this like some business meeting, think of it as… Uh…” She turned towards the secretary, sparks flying from her ponytail as she asked, “Yo, Mikey, what CAN we call this?”

Mikey flinched and held out his hands as he replied, “Hey, don’t ask me! You’re the college grad!”

“Just because I graduated doesn’t mean I don’t fuckin’ suck at words!” Sammy retorted before she turned towards Brandon and said, “Well, whatever! Fuck formality, you’re my friend now! And we’re gonna do the frandly things and talk about things and…” She paused for a moment and turned to Mikey as she asked, “Hey, give our new dufe some water! He needs some.”

“On it!”

Brandon barely squeaked out a “Thank you” as Mikey got a glass and filled it with water. Water that came out of his hands and was kind of lukewarm, but water, nonetheless. He took a couple of sips and set it aside, then looked at Sammy’s and Mikey’s smiling faces.

This wasn’t anything like those old meetings. That truth alone gave Brandon the courage to speak up again.

“Weird, super awkward panic attack aside,” Brandon continued as Sammy took a seat beside him and nodded, “The main issue is that the Kobbers, well, they’re moving to Kuwahawi. They’re moving to a resort town IN Kuwahawi. It’s going to be expensive, and I just wanted to ask… could you somehow pull some strings and maybe, maybe get me some discounts for all-inclusive stuff? I’m willing to do just about anything to make it happen. Even if that means sacrificing myself to a volcano god at the end.”

Brandon watched as Sammy adjusted her glasses and rubbed her chin, squinting her eyes hard as she thought. It probably wasn’t the first time someone asked about something like this. Hell, how many Kobber fans were just harassing Jonesy and Sine for a chance to see their heroes in action? Certainly, some average shmuck like him didn’t even stand a chance… right?

After a few minutes, she gave him a serious look and asked, “Why do you want to visit the Kobbers? It isn’t most people’s idea of a vacation, ‘especially with the shit they see. But you’re dead set on it. Why?”

There wasn’t a hint in hesitation nor a hint of anxiety as he replied, “To change.” Sammy raised an eyebrow, curious. Brandon took a deep breath and continued, “I’ve noticed something in all the years I’ve watched the Kobbers do their thing. Anyone who gets involves with them always leave a changed person. They always experience some sort of personal growth, find some sort of insight that some people might not even find in a normal life. The experience… it changes them for the better.

And if it can change extraordinary people like Sarah and Shimmer… then I’m sure the experience will change someone like me, too.”

Sammy’s expression didn’t change at all. For a brief moment, Brandon wondered if he had fucked up somewhere before she broke into a smile that could light up the whole room.

“Now THAT’S what I wanna hear!” she said cheerfully. “You already sound like a Kobber, so fuck it, I’ll do it! I’ll get you those discounts. Fuck it, I’ll get you TWO discounts! Bein’ a Kobber ain’t fun without a friend to do shit with, ya know?” Brandon was already starting to scream internally even before she added, “I’m gonna get the best shit ever for you guys and have you set up for life! Or at least for as long as the Kobbers chill in Kuwahawi!”

Brandon wanted to squeal so badly, but he knew as well as anyone that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. “And in exchaaange, you waaaant…?” he asked, praying it wasn’t something like ‘suddenly own an Arcade’ or ‘become a janitor’.

“Bro, dude, man. Carter dudemanbro. Fuck, I don’t even know your first name, what was it again?”

“B-Brandon, Miss Go- I mean Sam.”

“Right, Brandon!” Sammy slid her arm around Brandon’s shoulder, which was a little awkward because her arms were a bit… short. “So I did a little background check, because I don’t give discounts to hardcore criminals and shit. And boy, did I hit some good shit on LinkedIn!”

Brandon broke into a sweat. She didn’t call his old jobs, did she? God, if she heard he got fired from a Toys R Us of all places! She pulled out her phone and pulled up the profile, scrolling through it with a finger.

“Graduated Summa Cum Laude at NYU- holy shit that’s my ol’ romping grounds before I transferred, holy fuck that’s amazing- working as a freelance editor and owner of a knitted goods Etsy shop AND some artsy commission shit… worked pretty much every chance you got, too, with you startin’ at 16! And you’re just a year older than me, too! So lemme tell you what I’m gonna do!” She soon changed the page, then held out her phone when she opened up a new site. “You recognize this, right?”

Brandon had to squint a little, but there was no doubt in his mind about what it was. “That’s the Kobber Blogger! Looks like Dia updated the background a bit and made it mobile friendly, but…” He looked up at Sammy and raised an eyebrow as he asked, “What about it?”

“You know Kuwahawi’s not 100% urban, right? It’s more like, fuckin, I dunno, 10%? The blog ain’t accessible to 90% of the people who even live there!” Sparks flew from Sammy’s hands as she continued, “So, tell me, how do you get Kobbery news over to people who don’t have an internet connection, aside from word of mouth?”

“That’s easy, isn’t it?” Brandon said with a chuckle. “You write a newspa-“

The words died in his throat as the realization hit him. It took a minute for him to say anything, not helped by Sammy’s gigantic grin. She was reminding him way too much of Emily. Emily, but all business.

“Y-you’re serious about this?”

Sammy continued to grin as she said, “Damn straight! I gotta pass the idea over to Dia, but knowing her, I bet she’d love having help! It’s tough work, running a news blog all by herself, so a little helping hand’s in order! So what do you say: you in or nah?”

As Sammy held out her hand, Brandon grasped it and gave her a firm handshake, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’m all in! Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for everything! I-I promise I won’t let you down! Gosh, how can I even repay you for all this, this is just a dream come true and-“

Mikey smiled as he chimed in with, “For starters, how about showing us around? Sammy hasn’t been here since 2011 and I’ve been here never. And we could use something to eat.”

“LIKE DONUTS!” Sammy shouted at the top of her lungs. “Oh, man, is that donut place near the NYU still open?! Like, dufe, I could kill for a Boston Crème right now!”

The hype Sammy was emitting was rubbing off on Brandon, especially at the mention of donuts. It took all the effort he could muster NOT to drool on his suit!

“As a matter of fact, it is! I can take you there, if you-“

“MOTHERFUCKIN HEEEELLL YEAAAAAH”

As the three headed out, Brandon’s heart swelled with hope and joy. He took a chance, and god, did he strike gold! There was still two months to go, two more months to save up- after all, even with discounts, a resort trip isn’t cheap for two people. He was sure, though, that he’d get through it just fine, especially with Sammy and Mikey showering him in encouragement.

When it was finally time to hit the hay, all he could do was try to imagine the look on Emily’s face when he could finally share the news.