Post by RAM on May 20, 2024 3:44:25 GMT
--------
As RAM and Rydia walked down the road towards Beetle Drive...
...he was still concentrating on the constant torment begin thrown at him by rival Bobby Figgins and his gang of jocks. The aura around him and Rydia was quiet, save for a stiff breeze that blew in from the north after a cold front brought severe weather the night before.
"Tell you one thing, Rydia..."
Pause.
"Bobby Figgins is gonna be in the cafeteria tomorrow, and when I see him? I'm gonna take my tray and bash him so far upside his head, he'll wind up on concussion protocol for the rest of his life."
Rydia pulled him to the side and calmly spoke to him.
"Let me ask you something: what do you hope to accomplish by doing something stupid like that...?"
RAM stopped to gather his thoughts.
{ ...what the hell, right?! I ain't got nothin' to lose... }
He then responded.
"Much like when you crashed the school district mainframe with that virus of yours...?!"
"Aww, C'MON! That's a low blow, RAM-bo!"
Rydia poked him in the ribs for that statement.
{ ...she ain't no different from me. We both did stupid shit to end up in D-hall in the first place... }
RAM gritted his teeth.
"I just want that feeling of satisfaction, of revenge..."
"In the short-term, you'd be on top of the world. But..."
RAM noticed Rydia trying to get her train of thought in as they turned the corner.
"But what...?!"
"Bobby's still gonna be there, and he'll probably want to smash your head against a locker or two. It's like trying to code a program only to have an error message pop up. No matter how hard you try, you always get that same error message."
Rydia paused.
"The short-short version: you simply throw that program away and start from scratch."
RAM shrugged.
{ ...whatever... }
Eventually, they made it to the outside of RAM's house. It was just another unassuming structure, made of brick and featuring an American flag that hung above the front door. }
"We're here."
As if on cue, a gray 2018 Jeep Compass pulled into the driveway. Elizabeth Marshall, RAM's aunt and ex-wife of abusive David Grawn, strolls out of the driver's side. As RAM reaches into the passenger side to collect six boxes of Papa John's Pizza, she discovers the band-aids and other scars on his head.
"Oh, my...I don't seem to recognize this young trooper..."
RAM shrugged.
"C'mon, don't ask me what happened. You'll eventually figure it out..."
Elizabeth noticed Rydia's smile as she pulled out her front door key.
"Friend of yours?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Then, let me ask you...do you believe in spirit mediums, mages, dragons, Bigfoot, and the Monty Hall Problem?"
Rydia giggled.
"If there's a chance we could be more than friends someday, I'll believe in anything..."
RAM widended his eyes in shock before covering his face with his hands.
{ ...pffft, is she THAT desperate... }
His aunt laughed out loud as she opened the front door and let everyone inside.
"Come on in. Any friend of Robert's is a friend of mine."
"I gotta text my mom first..."
"Go on right ahead. Oh, and feel free to call me Miss Lizzy."
RAM walked into the modest three-bedroom home and placed the pizzas on the kitchen counter. Elizabeth (heretofore referred to as "Liz") hung her keys and lanyard on a hook next to the calendar on the wall. She shook her head, trying to figure out what happened to the troubled teenager.
"Those boys were out causing trouble again, right?"
"You can say that again. Looks like keepin' my head on a swivel is just another part of the routine."
"That's not right, babe. This shouldn't be a routine thing..."
RAM closed his eyes before grabbing a paper plate.
"Every time I see those...those jerks...I'm reminded of what Uncle David did to us."
Liz sighed.
"Hun, I understand. Yet the greatest thing we can do is prove that son-of-a-bitch wrong through our work."
She gave RAM a hug, to which he pulled back. He knew that Rydia wasn't too far behind and didn't want to risk any embarrassment on his part.
"Anyhoo, I've brought pizza -- your favorite."
"Anything is better than that mystery meat they often dish out in the cafeteria."
RAM dug in and stacked several pieces of his favorite variety of pizza -- pepperoni, sausage, and extra onions -- on his paper plate before slowly strudging back into his bedroom, where he had a TV tray set up. Rydia ran into the kitchen with phone in hand.
"Miss Lizzy, my mom wants to talk to you."
"Oh, thanks sweetie. If you haven't eaten yet, grab yourself a plate and dig in. Plenty of pizza to be had..."
As Liz took Rydia's phone and spoke into it...
"Hello...? Yes, ma'am...!"
...Rydia grabbed a paper plate of her own and stacked several pieces of chicken and pineapple pizza onto it. She chuckled before entering the open doorway to RAM's room. To her surprise, she saw that the room was rather clean and tidy. There was a poster on the wall of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, but what really caught her attention was a notebook on RAM's computer desk, detailing instructions on building the ultimate computer.
"Get outta town! I didn't know you had a desire to build computers!"
"It's a hobby of mine. Helps me dull the pain a lot..."
Rydia nodded before plunking herself down on the floor. RAM was, at first, a bit hesitant to open his life and world up to her, but he realized that they shared a love and fasciation for computers.
"Right now, I've only got a 500 gig hard drive and 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM. Not exactly the best get-up as far as machines go. But I'm lookin' to get a new SSD and at least 16 gigs of DDR4 RAM."
Rydia smiled.
"So...where does your aunt work?"
"She works in Corsicana, at the buildin' once occupied by Tradewest. It's now the home of Texas Two-Step Productions, the indie game development studio."
Rydia nodded as she looked into RAM's eyes. Liz knocked on the open door before strolling inside.
"...pefect! It's settled, then..."
Liz handed Rydia's phone back to her and cleared her throat.
"Miss Rydia, your mom will be here in a few minutes after she gets out of the shower. She wanted me to give you this bit of instruction..."
Pause. RAM began to frown, realizing that he was not going to like what he was about to hear next.
"She says that you're to be Robert's escort home from school from this day forward."
He sighed, mustering another facepalm.
{ ...oh, you're SHITTIN' me... }
Rydia eked out a coy smirk as Liz finished giving the instructions that she was told to give her.
"Where he goes, you'll follow him."
"Tee-hee!! I'm looking forward to it!!!"
RAM threw his hands up in the air in frustration.
"What's wrong, RAM?! Why do you want to get rid of me so quickly...?!"
He then closed his eyes and said nothing else, allowing his thoughts to take over.
{ ...why should she have to deal with my burdens?! Why can't I fight my own battles alone... }
Rydia cackled.
"Earth to RAM, did a cat get your tongue?!"
"I'm just...just talkin' to my future self. He's tellin' me that this ain't a good idea to have you get involved in my conflicts."
Rydia scooted a little closer to RAM and whispered something in his ear.
"You can't do everything alone, RAM..."
She paused before standing up and heading towards the living room area, but not before turning around and smiling at him some more.
"...and besides that, I'm not SICK of you yet!"
RAM was left in his bedroom, alone to collect his thoughts.
{ ...she's puttin' her mind to it, ain't she... }
To be continued...
-------
As RAM and Rydia walked down the road towards Beetle Drive...
...he was still concentrating on the constant torment begin thrown at him by rival Bobby Figgins and his gang of jocks. The aura around him and Rydia was quiet, save for a stiff breeze that blew in from the north after a cold front brought severe weather the night before.
"Tell you one thing, Rydia..."
Pause.
"Bobby Figgins is gonna be in the cafeteria tomorrow, and when I see him? I'm gonna take my tray and bash him so far upside his head, he'll wind up on concussion protocol for the rest of his life."
Rydia pulled him to the side and calmly spoke to him.
"Let me ask you something: what do you hope to accomplish by doing something stupid like that...?"
RAM stopped to gather his thoughts.
{ ...what the hell, right?! I ain't got nothin' to lose... }
He then responded.
"Much like when you crashed the school district mainframe with that virus of yours...?!"
"Aww, C'MON! That's a low blow, RAM-bo!"
Rydia poked him in the ribs for that statement.
{ ...she ain't no different from me. We both did stupid shit to end up in D-hall in the first place... }
RAM gritted his teeth.
"I just want that feeling of satisfaction, of revenge..."
"In the short-term, you'd be on top of the world. But..."
RAM noticed Rydia trying to get her train of thought in as they turned the corner.
"But what...?!"
"Bobby's still gonna be there, and he'll probably want to smash your head against a locker or two. It's like trying to code a program only to have an error message pop up. No matter how hard you try, you always get that same error message."
Rydia paused.
"The short-short version: you simply throw that program away and start from scratch."
RAM shrugged.
{ ...whatever... }
Eventually, they made it to the outside of RAM's house. It was just another unassuming structure, made of brick and featuring an American flag that hung above the front door. }
"We're here."
As if on cue, a gray 2018 Jeep Compass pulled into the driveway. Elizabeth Marshall, RAM's aunt and ex-wife of abusive David Grawn, strolls out of the driver's side. As RAM reaches into the passenger side to collect six boxes of Papa John's Pizza, she discovers the band-aids and other scars on his head.
"Oh, my...I don't seem to recognize this young trooper..."
RAM shrugged.
"C'mon, don't ask me what happened. You'll eventually figure it out..."
Elizabeth noticed Rydia's smile as she pulled out her front door key.
"Friend of yours?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Then, let me ask you...do you believe in spirit mediums, mages, dragons, Bigfoot, and the Monty Hall Problem?"
Rydia giggled.
"If there's a chance we could be more than friends someday, I'll believe in anything..."
RAM widended his eyes in shock before covering his face with his hands.
{ ...pffft, is she THAT desperate... }
His aunt laughed out loud as she opened the front door and let everyone inside.
"Come on in. Any friend of Robert's is a friend of mine."
"I gotta text my mom first..."
"Go on right ahead. Oh, and feel free to call me Miss Lizzy."
RAM walked into the modest three-bedroom home and placed the pizzas on the kitchen counter. Elizabeth (heretofore referred to as "Liz") hung her keys and lanyard on a hook next to the calendar on the wall. She shook her head, trying to figure out what happened to the troubled teenager.
"Those boys were out causing trouble again, right?"
"You can say that again. Looks like keepin' my head on a swivel is just another part of the routine."
"That's not right, babe. This shouldn't be a routine thing..."
RAM closed his eyes before grabbing a paper plate.
"Every time I see those...those jerks...I'm reminded of what Uncle David did to us."
Liz sighed.
"Hun, I understand. Yet the greatest thing we can do is prove that son-of-a-bitch wrong through our work."
She gave RAM a hug, to which he pulled back. He knew that Rydia wasn't too far behind and didn't want to risk any embarrassment on his part.
"Anyhoo, I've brought pizza -- your favorite."
"Anything is better than that mystery meat they often dish out in the cafeteria."
RAM dug in and stacked several pieces of his favorite variety of pizza -- pepperoni, sausage, and extra onions -- on his paper plate before slowly strudging back into his bedroom, where he had a TV tray set up. Rydia ran into the kitchen with phone in hand.
"Miss Lizzy, my mom wants to talk to you."
"Oh, thanks sweetie. If you haven't eaten yet, grab yourself a plate and dig in. Plenty of pizza to be had..."
As Liz took Rydia's phone and spoke into it...
"Hello...? Yes, ma'am...!"
...Rydia grabbed a paper plate of her own and stacked several pieces of chicken and pineapple pizza onto it. She chuckled before entering the open doorway to RAM's room. To her surprise, she saw that the room was rather clean and tidy. There was a poster on the wall of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, but what really caught her attention was a notebook on RAM's computer desk, detailing instructions on building the ultimate computer.
"Get outta town! I didn't know you had a desire to build computers!"
"It's a hobby of mine. Helps me dull the pain a lot..."
Rydia nodded before plunking herself down on the floor. RAM was, at first, a bit hesitant to open his life and world up to her, but he realized that they shared a love and fasciation for computers.
"Right now, I've only got a 500 gig hard drive and 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM. Not exactly the best get-up as far as machines go. But I'm lookin' to get a new SSD and at least 16 gigs of DDR4 RAM."
Rydia smiled.
"So...where does your aunt work?"
"She works in Corsicana, at the buildin' once occupied by Tradewest. It's now the home of Texas Two-Step Productions, the indie game development studio."
Rydia nodded as she looked into RAM's eyes. Liz knocked on the open door before strolling inside.
"...pefect! It's settled, then..."
Liz handed Rydia's phone back to her and cleared her throat.
"Miss Rydia, your mom will be here in a few minutes after she gets out of the shower. She wanted me to give you this bit of instruction..."
Pause. RAM began to frown, realizing that he was not going to like what he was about to hear next.
"She says that you're to be Robert's escort home from school from this day forward."
He sighed, mustering another facepalm.
{ ...oh, you're SHITTIN' me... }
Rydia eked out a coy smirk as Liz finished giving the instructions that she was told to give her.
"Where he goes, you'll follow him."
"Tee-hee!! I'm looking forward to it!!!"
RAM threw his hands up in the air in frustration.
"What's wrong, RAM?! Why do you want to get rid of me so quickly...?!"
He then closed his eyes and said nothing else, allowing his thoughts to take over.
{ ...why should she have to deal with my burdens?! Why can't I fight my own battles alone... }
Rydia cackled.
"Earth to RAM, did a cat get your tongue?!"
"I'm just...just talkin' to my future self. He's tellin' me that this ain't a good idea to have you get involved in my conflicts."
Rydia scooted a little closer to RAM and whispered something in his ear.
"You can't do everything alone, RAM..."
She paused before standing up and heading towards the living room area, but not before turning around and smiling at him some more.
"...and besides that, I'm not SICK of you yet!"
RAM was left in his bedroom, alone to collect his thoughts.
{ ...she's puttin' her mind to it, ain't she... }
To be continued...
-------
"They say even percieved jack-offs like me get distracted from time to time.
Logan Sky is gonna regret the day he beat me -- movin' on.
Dark Tiger, the supposed dark beast.
I hope the reality you face right now is worth the price of admission. Thing is, every since I cam into this company, I've found myself surrounded by the very same arrogant jock-types that I stood up against in high school. You know...the types that get away with blood murder 'cuz of nepotism, money, and all that other bullshit that gets thrown around. How does it feel, Tiger, to know that you ain't no different than, for example, Sabin or even Nick Danger. I mean, shit, with that gal Tigress at your side, you think you're on top of the goddamn world, but instead?!
You must truly feel insulated. Protected.
CODDLED.
Shielded from the world outside these walls.
That's what bothers the shit out of me, Tiger. Every fuckin' day, I'm reminded that you've gotta put on a face diaper...err, some stupid mask or warpaint...in order to be considered for the big time. EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!...I'm reminded that you have to be married to, or be siblings with, someone in order to be able to succeed in this shithole of a business. Yet the truth is, and I still stand by what I say, that championships and check boxes don't mean SHIT to me.
'Cuz after all?!
The reality of this world ain't like the bullshit you see on TV. Nothin' in this world works out the way YOU want it to. As you as you don't get your hopes up in life, you can take it a helluva lot easier. You'll feel less pain, less sufferin', less misery. No matter how much you love someone, no matter how much you carry around your awards like badges of honor, once they're gone...they're all gone.
And you'll be left to fend for yourself.
Broken. Battered.
Bloodied. Bruised.
Alone.
I don't think you're ready for face that reality, Tiger. I think you need to learn the hard and PAINFUL way...that I'm fully capable of hurtin' you very badly. I don't need no stupid mask or lovey-dovey bulllshit artist to tell me how good I can be. I WILL be better than you -- better than anyone in this cesspool of a company will ever realize.
No more distractions. No more bullshit.
Just me...standin' over your rotting corpse.
While you're left to collect your thoughts.
All alone."
PROMO COUNT: 416
Well howdy there pardner.