2

#2

As I walk to the Starbucks' parking lot, I'm sipping my mocha frappuccino in hand, holding a cardboard box of five donuts on the same arm, and the other hand I'm looking at job offerings on Fiverr.

I felt a bit of surprise and pain as I bumped into my car. "Darnit!" Luckily, I still had all of my items. I pulled out the keys and unlocked the car, earning the flashing lights. I stepped in.

I placed my coffee in the cup holder, carefully of course. I set my donuts in the empty passenger seat and buckled them into the seatbelt for extra precautions. I sat there, my mind going through a process of thought. I met Liam, and I'm sure we will get along amazingly. Then I met his sister, and I just didn't know what to say. She was beautiful, and nice. I shook my head and turned on the ignition. The car roared as I backed out of the Starbucks' vincity.

Hmm, I hear myself hum in annoyance. I groan as I place my donut on a napkin on my glass coffee table. I'm pretty frustrated, as you could tell. I can't find a decent job that works with my college degree. I got a degree in Creative Arts and Business Administration and Management. Fiverr isn't helping one bit, and is way too laggy. 'Maybe I should delete it? It's lagging up really badly,' I thought. I nodded to myself and deleted Fiverr. I sighed as I grabbed my donut and took a big bite. I love donuts. There is no other snack in the universe I could love more. I smiled.

My phone chimed as a notification came up on Instagram. It was a reel video titled, "How to become a SELFHELP/FREELANCE writer."

I was interested obviously, and I clicked the notification. There was a pale and almost translucent skinned man, similar to my skin tone. He was reading a book. He mentioned it was his book and how he managed to write a book, get a cheap cover artist, and pitch it to a big publisher and got rich. I was astonished. I loved writing, and I was aware this could be a scam, but darn it, I was desperate. I need to try this, and I need to try this immediately.

So, do you want to know what I did after. You guessed it, and I got some copy paper, sat down at my desk, and started drafting right away. "Oh, wait, I need to do this on the computer. Actually, I was planning on purchasing a new HP Spectre x360 sometime tomorrow. I smiled as I ate my third donut, gazing down at my story ideas.

I had no ideas. But you know, I'm sure I'll come up with something worthwhile come the next few days. Just then, Liam called me. My phone chimed my ringtone, 'Happi by Mangoo ft. bby irvy.'

I smiled. I had actually forgotten that I had given him and Nataly my number. I answered as I plucked my fourth donut from the Starbucks box. Liam spoke, "Hey Clyde!" I felt a smile crease on my face. "Heya Liam. Whatcha need?"

Liam chuckled nervously. "Oh, nothing! Just wanted to ask you : would you be up for hanging out with Nat and I tommorrow?"

I smiled again, and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm 'down' for it." I could tell Liam was snickering, but I guess he tried to sound mature. "I- Well, thanks! Meet us at our house. I'll text you the address!"

"Sure," I replied and we bid our temporary goodbyes and hung up.

I felt a beam on my face as I finished off my fourth and fifth donut, already reaching for the sixth and final pastry treat. I looked down at my drafts. I sighed as I pulled away from the desk and stood up. I just couldn't feel any motivation right now.

"Maybe I should go and visit the library nearby," I suggested to myself, "It's only 2 P.M. so I have a bit of time to kill." I then heard a knock on the front door, and I slipped off my coat and approached the wooden door. I saw a man, presumably a couple of years older than me, and he was wearing a casual plaid blue shirt with some tanned khaki's. Neighbor? Neighbor, most definitely. I stopped thinking about it and opened the door. He sighed. I felt extremely uncomfortable the second he scoffed. Then, it was silent. Deathly silent. Far too silent for me to handle without giving in to screaming. I sheepishly chuckle to break the very awkward tension. "So, uh," I sighed, "What's your name?" The man cleared his throat. "It's David. My girlfriend just forced me to try to meet someone new, y'know, with just moving in today." I smiled. We had something in common. "Well, so did I!" David's emotion showed all but interest. "Uh, did I say something wrong for you to not like me?" David shook his head, his emotion showing up a bit more. "S-Sorry, I guess you could say I'm 'socially impaired.'" We both share a light chuckle. David smiled slowly. It was nice. "So, ya live next door to me, huh?" I nodded to his question. "Yeah, we should hang out more!"

He sighed, but then grinned. "Sure, I guess."

I pulled out my iPhone and pressed my way to my contacts. David must've figured out what I was planning to do and he pulled out his iPhone 11 Pro Max and did the same. I beamed. "So, let's exchange numbers, and you could come with me tomorrow to hang out with some friends I met today. It might help with your social issues!" David nodded as we bid our goodbyes and he left for his apartment. I then grabbed my Timberlands coat and shoes and my car keys. I'll head to the library for some studying.

I'm loving it here.

-Clyde