Post by luckyfanpup101 on Feb 26, 2011 19:30:29 GMT -5
Chapter 1: A Typical Bad Day
September, 2000
Colin Phillips sat on the couch in the living room of the Matthews' home. In his black paws he held a flyer advertising a new exhibit at the city's museum. Renee, his best friend's mother, had agreed to take him to see the exhibit. He glanced at the window. It'd gotten dark and it was getting late in the evening. He looked at his watch. It was already fifty-five minutes past six o' clock.
The brown raccoon lived with his best friend. After Renee had learned that he was homeless, she'd taken him in as if he were one of her own. She treated him as if he were one of her children, not as if he were her son's best friend. This past year she'd adopted him, making him an official member of their family, and he was eternally grateful for that. He would forever be thankful that she'd taken him in not out of pity but out of love, something he hadn't felt until she'd taken him in. Most of the time he was treated badly because of the stereotypical raccoons seen in cartoons, the ones who stole and raided garbage cans.
Colin was extremely popular at school. The coon was good-looking. He had white fur from his muzzle to his belly. He had a dark brown stripe that ran from his nose to the base of his tail. He had baby blue eyes. At school he had several friends and was included in many clubs. He did well in all his subjects and excelled at sports. He was popular among his teachers and the other members of the school staff. It was surprising to everyone that he didn't have a girlfriend.
His best friend was the complete opposite. Erik Matthews was a very overweight skunk. He had bright gorgeous eyes. Unlike Colin, he was extremely unpopular, though this was mainly due to him being fat. Before Colin came along, he had been constantly teased and bullied. He'd even been teased by his teachers. They found it funny how someone who could ward off bears with a unheavenly stench was so vulnerable, how he was such an easy target for bullies. His bullying had gotten so bad, in fact, that he'd contemplated committing suicide. Had it not been for Colin he'd be dead.
Erik's mother Renee was beautiful. She was thin, at a healthy weight, unlike Erik. She had blue eyes. She worked as hair stylist at a place located downtown known as Cost Cutters. However, her income was extremely low, so paying bills and buying groceries was difficult. To make matters worse, Erik and Colin were only thirteen, so there was no way they could get jobs and help her. Plus, her other child, a daughter, was only six and she'd just started school. It'd be ten whole years before she could get a job. By then, Erik and Colin would be out of the house and on their own, pursuing their dream-driven careers with nothing but a high school diploma and a college degree, and all without a penny to their names.
Erik's sister was named Marshmallow Matthews. She was a white and silver-gray skunk and was just as beautiful as her mother, if not more beautiful. She had a massive tail, which seemed to be twice as big as her whole body. She had pretty brown eyes. She was sexy, cute, and beautiful. She enjoyed spending time with Erik and Colin, her "other brother," as she liked to call him.
Colin heard the telephone ring. He gulped. Oh, no. He watched as his mother walked from her bedroom to the kitchen. She looked as beautiful as ever. Today she was wearing her work clothes: a black shirt with a name tag and the name "Cost Cutters" written in white cursive text on the back. Below that was the address in white print. Her black fur was just as smooth and shiny as it'd always been. Nonetheless, his heart pounded in his chest as he feared the worst was soon to come.
His ears flattened against his head as he heard Renee's words. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mary. What? You need me to come in? Do I really have to? I mean, it's a Saturday and it's the day I spend with my kids . . . I understand. Thank you. Yes, I'm on my way. See you in a few minutes. Bye."
She walked in the living room, looking distressed. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack beside and began putting it on. It was cold out tonight, and it'd just get colder.
Colin swallowed hard. "Mom?" he squeaked. He didn't recognize his own voice.
She looked at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness. "Colin, honey, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go to work."
"But-"
She grabbed her car keys from the coffee table. "I'm sorry, Colin. I promise we'll do this another time."
He tried again. "But-"
"You're in charge while I'm gone. Make dinner and make sure Marshmallow gets in bed on time. Love you. Bye." She walked out of the house, leaving the door open.
The car's headlights flashed through the window and onto the wall of the living room. The lights faded as the car was reversed out of the driveway. The car was steered onto the street and was driven out of sight.
Colin sighed. His gaze fell to the flyer that was still held in his paws. For two weeks he'd talked about nothing but the new exhibit at the museum. She'd promised to take him to see it, and now she just decided to get up and go to work as if her promise didn't matter. How could she do that? He didn't understand it. He tossed the flyer aside and got up. He glared heavily at the open door. He wanted to slam it shut, but thought better of it and closed it carefully, then he started towards the bedroom that he shared with Erik.
Due to the family's low income, they couldn't afford a very expensive house. The best they could afford was a one-story house. The first room that one walked in upon entering the house was the living room. In front of the front door beyond the living room beyond the living room was the dining room and kitchen. To the left of the doorway to the dining room was a hallway. The first door to the right was a closet. The second door to the right was the bathroom. The third door to the right was a bedroom. The first door to the left was a bedroom. The second door to the left was another bedroom.
Colin entered the bedroom to the left. The first bedroom was his and Erik's bedroom. The second bedroom to the left was Marshmallow's bedroom. The third bedroom, the bedroom across from Marshmallow's bedroom, belonged to Renee.
Marshmallow was sleeping beside Erik when Colin walked in the room. Erik was busy reading a book. He was a regular bookworm. He loved reading as much as he did writing.
Erik looked up from his book. He was surprised to see that Colin was still at the house. "Colin, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the museum with Mom."
Colin chuckled. He smiled. "That's what I thought too. Change of plans."
"I'm sorry, Colin. I know how much that meant to you."
Colin ignored his friend's comment. He sunk heavily in the chair in front of his computer. Erik watched him as he began to play a game of solitaire. Erik knew that Colin only played the game when he wanted to forget about something that was bothering him. The only reason why he didn't play the game at was simply because it was too simple for him. The raccoon grabbed a box of Twinkies from beside him. He opened the box and pulled out a wrapped Twinkie. He ripped off the wrapper and shoved the Twinkie in his mouth. Before he finised it, he began opening another one. He had a tendency of letting his feelings control his appetite. For example, he overate whenever he was upset.
Colin sighed as he placed a paw over his face. He was trying his best to be strong about not being able to go to the museum with his mother. The thought of showing weakness in front of his siblings was unheard of. The last thing he wanted to do was to cry.
"What time is it?" Erik inquired.
"Seven o' clock." Colin's mouth was full, causing his voice to become muffled, thus making it hard to understand him. As he chomped down on the Twinkies in his mouth, whipped cream gushed out of his mouth, making him look rabit. Now all he needed to do was pretend like he was having a convulsion and roll his eyes into the back of his head and the illusion would be complete.
"We should probably feed Marshmallow. It's getting close to her bedtime."
Sighing heavily, Colin pushed his chair away from the desk. "Excuse me, I need some time alone." He quickly turned off his computer and stood up. He started towards the door. Erik's voice stopped him as he was about to turn the doorknob so he could exit the room.
"Would you like some help?"
He turned. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Erik nodded. "All right." He turned back to his book.
Colin entered the kitchen. He wasn't the absolute best cook. In fact, Erik was much better at it than he was, but he could at least attempt to cook dinner without burning the house down. He surveyed what he had to work with, then set to work. Luckily, Renee had a cookbook he could use.
An hour and a half later, he spotted Erik heading towards the front door. He called out to the portly skunk. Once Erik had turned around, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going out on a date with Melissa," Erik stated.
Colin blinked. "Melissa Daniels?" She was one of the bullies who daily harassed Erik.
"That's the one."
"But she hates you."
Erik turned to open the door. "I'll be back when I feel like it."
"Well, at least eat something before you go."
"I'll eat when I get back. Don't worry about Marshmallow. I let her have the rest of your Twinkies."
"You what?!" His breathing suddenly became heavy as he had to restrain himself from choking Erik.
"I'll see you later. Bye." Erik walked out of the house before his friend could protest.
Colin stared at the open door. Only this time, he went ahead and slammed it shut. "Why is it that everyone expects me to do things on my own? Just because I might be capable of doing things by myself doesn't mean I want to do it by myself!" He stormed back to the kitchen to make dinner. He scowled at the light brown colored carpet and roughly kicked at the floor, then shot an ugly look at the pot that contained the tomato soup. Shaking his head and grumbling to himself, he walked over to the stove and turned the burner off. He poured himself a bowl and sat down at the table before he began his meal.
He sat at the table afterward, waiting for Renee and Erik to return from thier journeys safely. He hoped that they would return soon. He didn't want to be up all night waiting for them.
Erik walked in the house at ten o' clock. He started down the hall, but Colin's voice stopped.
"Erik, are you hungry? If you're hungry, Romeo, dinner is ready. There's plenty of tomato soup left if you want some."
Erik ignored Colin's comment as he made his way towards the refrigerator.
"The date didn't go well, did it?" Colin asked as Erik poured himself a glass of milk.
Erik didn't answer. He quickly finished his milk. "I'm going to bed." He walked out of the kitchen.
"Okay, then. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Whatever." The fat skunk disappeared as he continued to go down the hall.
Colin sighed.
Renee arrived at the house forty-five minutes later. She also rejected the offer of tomato soup, claiming that she'd already gotten something to eat with Mary.
Colin poured out the rest of the soup on the lawn. There was no possible way he could eat a whole pot of tomato soup by himself. He was afraid to attempt to try. He would most likely end up with a horrible stomachache.
Erik was already asleep when Colin entered the bedroom. His bed creaked as he got in it. He lied on his side and pulled the covers up to his neck as he drifted off to sleep. He felt fresh tears seep through his eyes. He allowed them to fall onto his pillow.
September, 2000
Colin Phillips sat on the couch in the living room of the Matthews' home. In his black paws he held a flyer advertising a new exhibit at the city's museum. Renee, his best friend's mother, had agreed to take him to see the exhibit. He glanced at the window. It'd gotten dark and it was getting late in the evening. He looked at his watch. It was already fifty-five minutes past six o' clock.
The brown raccoon lived with his best friend. After Renee had learned that he was homeless, she'd taken him in as if he were one of her own. She treated him as if he were one of her children, not as if he were her son's best friend. This past year she'd adopted him, making him an official member of their family, and he was eternally grateful for that. He would forever be thankful that she'd taken him in not out of pity but out of love, something he hadn't felt until she'd taken him in. Most of the time he was treated badly because of the stereotypical raccoons seen in cartoons, the ones who stole and raided garbage cans.
Colin was extremely popular at school. The coon was good-looking. He had white fur from his muzzle to his belly. He had a dark brown stripe that ran from his nose to the base of his tail. He had baby blue eyes. At school he had several friends and was included in many clubs. He did well in all his subjects and excelled at sports. He was popular among his teachers and the other members of the school staff. It was surprising to everyone that he didn't have a girlfriend.
His best friend was the complete opposite. Erik Matthews was a very overweight skunk. He had bright gorgeous eyes. Unlike Colin, he was extremely unpopular, though this was mainly due to him being fat. Before Colin came along, he had been constantly teased and bullied. He'd even been teased by his teachers. They found it funny how someone who could ward off bears with a unheavenly stench was so vulnerable, how he was such an easy target for bullies. His bullying had gotten so bad, in fact, that he'd contemplated committing suicide. Had it not been for Colin he'd be dead.
Erik's mother Renee was beautiful. She was thin, at a healthy weight, unlike Erik. She had blue eyes. She worked as hair stylist at a place located downtown known as Cost Cutters. However, her income was extremely low, so paying bills and buying groceries was difficult. To make matters worse, Erik and Colin were only thirteen, so there was no way they could get jobs and help her. Plus, her other child, a daughter, was only six and she'd just started school. It'd be ten whole years before she could get a job. By then, Erik and Colin would be out of the house and on their own, pursuing their dream-driven careers with nothing but a high school diploma and a college degree, and all without a penny to their names.
Erik's sister was named Marshmallow Matthews. She was a white and silver-gray skunk and was just as beautiful as her mother, if not more beautiful. She had a massive tail, which seemed to be twice as big as her whole body. She had pretty brown eyes. She was sexy, cute, and beautiful. She enjoyed spending time with Erik and Colin, her "other brother," as she liked to call him.
Colin heard the telephone ring. He gulped. Oh, no. He watched as his mother walked from her bedroom to the kitchen. She looked as beautiful as ever. Today she was wearing her work clothes: a black shirt with a name tag and the name "Cost Cutters" written in white cursive text on the back. Below that was the address in white print. Her black fur was just as smooth and shiny as it'd always been. Nonetheless, his heart pounded in his chest as he feared the worst was soon to come.
His ears flattened against his head as he heard Renee's words. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mary. What? You need me to come in? Do I really have to? I mean, it's a Saturday and it's the day I spend with my kids . . . I understand. Thank you. Yes, I'm on my way. See you in a few minutes. Bye."
She walked in the living room, looking distressed. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack beside and began putting it on. It was cold out tonight, and it'd just get colder.
Colin swallowed hard. "Mom?" he squeaked. He didn't recognize his own voice.
She looked at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness. "Colin, honey, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go to work."
"But-"
She grabbed her car keys from the coffee table. "I'm sorry, Colin. I promise we'll do this another time."
He tried again. "But-"
"You're in charge while I'm gone. Make dinner and make sure Marshmallow gets in bed on time. Love you. Bye." She walked out of the house, leaving the door open.
The car's headlights flashed through the window and onto the wall of the living room. The lights faded as the car was reversed out of the driveway. The car was steered onto the street and was driven out of sight.
Colin sighed. His gaze fell to the flyer that was still held in his paws. For two weeks he'd talked about nothing but the new exhibit at the museum. She'd promised to take him to see it, and now she just decided to get up and go to work as if her promise didn't matter. How could she do that? He didn't understand it. He tossed the flyer aside and got up. He glared heavily at the open door. He wanted to slam it shut, but thought better of it and closed it carefully, then he started towards the bedroom that he shared with Erik.
Due to the family's low income, they couldn't afford a very expensive house. The best they could afford was a one-story house. The first room that one walked in upon entering the house was the living room. In front of the front door beyond the living room beyond the living room was the dining room and kitchen. To the left of the doorway to the dining room was a hallway. The first door to the right was a closet. The second door to the right was the bathroom. The third door to the right was a bedroom. The first door to the left was a bedroom. The second door to the left was another bedroom.
Colin entered the bedroom to the left. The first bedroom was his and Erik's bedroom. The second bedroom to the left was Marshmallow's bedroom. The third bedroom, the bedroom across from Marshmallow's bedroom, belonged to Renee.
Marshmallow was sleeping beside Erik when Colin walked in the room. Erik was busy reading a book. He was a regular bookworm. He loved reading as much as he did writing.
Erik looked up from his book. He was surprised to see that Colin was still at the house. "Colin, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the museum with Mom."
Colin chuckled. He smiled. "That's what I thought too. Change of plans."
"I'm sorry, Colin. I know how much that meant to you."
Colin ignored his friend's comment. He sunk heavily in the chair in front of his computer. Erik watched him as he began to play a game of solitaire. Erik knew that Colin only played the game when he wanted to forget about something that was bothering him. The only reason why he didn't play the game at was simply because it was too simple for him. The raccoon grabbed a box of Twinkies from beside him. He opened the box and pulled out a wrapped Twinkie. He ripped off the wrapper and shoved the Twinkie in his mouth. Before he finised it, he began opening another one. He had a tendency of letting his feelings control his appetite. For example, he overate whenever he was upset.
Colin sighed as he placed a paw over his face. He was trying his best to be strong about not being able to go to the museum with his mother. The thought of showing weakness in front of his siblings was unheard of. The last thing he wanted to do was to cry.
"What time is it?" Erik inquired.
"Seven o' clock." Colin's mouth was full, causing his voice to become muffled, thus making it hard to understand him. As he chomped down on the Twinkies in his mouth, whipped cream gushed out of his mouth, making him look rabit. Now all he needed to do was pretend like he was having a convulsion and roll his eyes into the back of his head and the illusion would be complete.
"We should probably feed Marshmallow. It's getting close to her bedtime."
Sighing heavily, Colin pushed his chair away from the desk. "Excuse me, I need some time alone." He quickly turned off his computer and stood up. He started towards the door. Erik's voice stopped him as he was about to turn the doorknob so he could exit the room.
"Would you like some help?"
He turned. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Erik nodded. "All right." He turned back to his book.
Colin entered the kitchen. He wasn't the absolute best cook. In fact, Erik was much better at it than he was, but he could at least attempt to cook dinner without burning the house down. He surveyed what he had to work with, then set to work. Luckily, Renee had a cookbook he could use.
An hour and a half later, he spotted Erik heading towards the front door. He called out to the portly skunk. Once Erik had turned around, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going out on a date with Melissa," Erik stated.
Colin blinked. "Melissa Daniels?" She was one of the bullies who daily harassed Erik.
"That's the one."
"But she hates you."
Erik turned to open the door. "I'll be back when I feel like it."
"Well, at least eat something before you go."
"I'll eat when I get back. Don't worry about Marshmallow. I let her have the rest of your Twinkies."
"You what?!" His breathing suddenly became heavy as he had to restrain himself from choking Erik.
"I'll see you later. Bye." Erik walked out of the house before his friend could protest.
Colin stared at the open door. Only this time, he went ahead and slammed it shut. "Why is it that everyone expects me to do things on my own? Just because I might be capable of doing things by myself doesn't mean I want to do it by myself!" He stormed back to the kitchen to make dinner. He scowled at the light brown colored carpet and roughly kicked at the floor, then shot an ugly look at the pot that contained the tomato soup. Shaking his head and grumbling to himself, he walked over to the stove and turned the burner off. He poured himself a bowl and sat down at the table before he began his meal.
He sat at the table afterward, waiting for Renee and Erik to return from thier journeys safely. He hoped that they would return soon. He didn't want to be up all night waiting for them.
Erik walked in the house at ten o' clock. He started down the hall, but Colin's voice stopped.
"Erik, are you hungry? If you're hungry, Romeo, dinner is ready. There's plenty of tomato soup left if you want some."
Erik ignored Colin's comment as he made his way towards the refrigerator.
"The date didn't go well, did it?" Colin asked as Erik poured himself a glass of milk.
Erik didn't answer. He quickly finished his milk. "I'm going to bed." He walked out of the kitchen.
"Okay, then. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Whatever." The fat skunk disappeared as he continued to go down the hall.
Colin sighed.
Renee arrived at the house forty-five minutes later. She also rejected the offer of tomato soup, claiming that she'd already gotten something to eat with Mary.
Colin poured out the rest of the soup on the lawn. There was no possible way he could eat a whole pot of tomato soup by himself. He was afraid to attempt to try. He would most likely end up with a horrible stomachache.
Erik was already asleep when Colin entered the bedroom. His bed creaked as he got in it. He lied on his side and pulled the covers up to his neck as he drifted off to sleep. He felt fresh tears seep through his eyes. He allowed them to fall onto his pillow.