Chapter 6

  Brent Moore 34 Years old

  Brent opened the door carefully, smiling at a small family that brushed past him. Before he could take a step in, Jeff scurried out in front of him. The sound of the cool breeze quickly changed to the roar of bustling that echoed through the large building that was the mall. Small crowds moved across the marble floors. Jeff gestured toward Brent to follow him. Brent stuffed his hands into his pockets, his gaze shifting from one side to the other, taking in the scenery. “You dragged me all the way out here, because you want to find a video game?” Brent asked, coming to a stop at the top of the escalator.

  Jeff turned to his friend softly leaning back against the sides of the escalator. “That’s not the whole reason. I also get bored when my roommates aren’t home. I don’t like to be a lone Brent, You should know this.” Jeff paused for a second, stopping to step off the escalator that had reached the bottom floor of the mall. “Plus it helps to get out of the house and get your mind off things.That’s the important part.”

  Brent quirked a brow, glancing over at his friend. “What makes you think I need to get my mind off things? I would have been perfectly happy just sitting at home and streaming movies off my console.”

  Jeff shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No you wouldn’t have, man. Nobody should be alone when they’re having relationship problems.”

  Brent nodded, instantly, “Yes they should, some people need time to think things through.” He glanced up at the sign that Brent recognized as Jeff’s favorite game store.

  “Not for a whole day. I’m telling you, Man was not meant to be left to his own thoughts for long periods of time. After a few hours, the crazy starts to set in.” Jeff replied, coming to a halt in front of the shelf. “This is what friends do. They help you find distractions from the crazy. And I hate to tell you this, but You’ve been getting that a lot lately.” Brent opened his mouth to reply, but before he could push out a sound, a familiar voice interrupted them.

  “Hey you two! Fancy running into you again.” came the sound of Nat’s voice, peering at the two men from the other top of the game shelf.

  Both boys looked up, Jeff’s expression flashing a smile and Brent dropping his head instantly. Nat? What brings you in here? And with. . “ Brent paused for a second looking up only to catch a glance of the man that Nat was standing next to. The Man’s long dark brown hair hung merely centimeters from his shoulders. His matching beard hid what Brent could only describe as an angelic complexion. “Who might this be?” Brent asked, offering his hand for a greeting.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Nat flashed Brent a grin and looked up at the rather tall man. “Oh I call him Chris, but He gets called other names too.” she said, observing Brent’s gaze falling away from hers.

  “It’s a pleasure.” Chris said, shaking Brent’s hand and flashing him a smile. A feeling of warmth and content washed over Brent’s face. A feeling that seemed to compel Brent to smile back.

  Brent shot a glare at Chris’s hands. A scar sat in the middle of his palms. A scar from Brent could only conclude as a wound. “Whoa! What happened there?” Brent asked, reaching for the man’s hand.Brent’s finger’s lightly brushed over the scar, looking at it in astonishment.

  “Oh Brent here is a Carpenter. He had a bad misunderstanding with some nails.” Nat interrupted as Chris pulled his hands away and picked up one of the games off the shelf.

  Jeff lightly swatted at Brent’s hand, casting a friendly glance over to Nat at first and then again to Brent. “Come on, man. I’m sure they didn’t come in here to have you examine his hand.” Jeff said, picking up one of the games and staring at it, before flipping it over. “What brings you and Chris here?”

  “I wanted to see what sort of things people come up with.” Chris replied, putting one game down and picking another back up. “I Enjoy creativity of others. There’s beauty in all creation.” Chris continued, smiling down at one of the games.”I’m a creator myself. I can’t help it.” He said, looking back up at Brent and Jeff.

  A silence fell between the four as they nodded in agreement. Jeff swiped the game from the shelf and set it down on the counter. The Cashier picked it and waved it across the scanner. “32.04 please.” came the voice of the cashier.

  Jeff reached into his pocket and unbuttoned his wallet. He stretched it out and began to rummage through it. He pushed a few cards aside and pulled open the main pocket. Fingers brushed across the edges of the bills. Jeff counted it out carefully, mouthing the numbers as he went along. “Crap!” He glanced over at his friend. “Hey man? I’m short 7 bucks, can you help me out? I’ll pay you right back as soon as we get back to my place.” He said flashing a smile over at Nat and Chris, who’d stepped into line behind them. Jeff grew nervous cycling through the bills in his hand, mouthing off the numbers as he counted. A sorrowful sigh escaped his lips as he rested his hand with the cash on the counter and dropped his head. The sound of the drawer opening alerted the two men. Jeff watched as the cashier scooped the money into the drawer. “But I don’t. . “ Both men shot the cashier with a confused expression.

  “Have a good day. Thank you for coming in.” the girl said, ripping the receipt from the printer and handing it over to Jeff.

  Both men looked over the receipt with curiosity. “Exact change? It’s a. . “ Before Brent could finish, Chris and Nat approached them.

  “Hey are you boys hungry?” she asked, looking between the two. “Chris and I are thinking about getting something from the food court and thought you might like to join us.”

  “We’d love to but that was the last of our money.” Jeff replied, giving her a shrug. “We couldn’t possibly ask you to.”

  Nat waved off his response with her hand. “Don’t worry about it. We have you covered.” she replied, pulling the straps of her leaf green purse up over her shoulder.

  “Well thanks! We’ll pay you back.” Jeff responded, gripping the shopping bag tightly. “What’s your number? I’ll call you when I have the money.

  “We’re not debt collectors, don’t worry about it.” Chris interjected, turning his back toward the men and walking out of the store. “Did you see what I did there?” He whispered to Nat.

  Nat rolled her eyes and continued walking. “Do you have to show off like that?” she asked, nudging him on the shoulder.

  “Chris looks like he’s in dire need of a shave.” Brent whispered to Jeff as they followed closely behind the pair. “Do you remember Principal Boon in High School? He looks just like him.”

  Jeff tilted his head and scratched the top of it. “Are we looking at the same person? I don’t remember Principal Boon ever having a beard.” He said, stepping onto the escalator behind them.