Page 2 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“No, I’ll be selling hot dogs to brats at the Athena,” Danny muttered, showing not a shred of enthusiasm. “It’s a trial shift. I have to prove myself.”

“But they’re going to pay you for it, right?” Will asked, remembering how similar stories had ended.

Danny shrugged.

“They’ll either pay me or they won’t.”

“Dan. You should…”

“Yeah?”

“You know. Stand up for yourself.”

“You can’t really stand up for yourself when you don’t have a choice. Because if I had a choice, I wouldn’t agree to a shitty trial shift. I have to chip in for rent somehow, right?”

Will felt awful. He hated this topic.

“You don’t have to,” he replied gently. “The bills aren’t that high. We’ll manage, right?”

“God, don’t even start,” Danny scolded. “Besides, even if I agreed to that, I’d still need cash. I have practically nothing to wear. I only fit into two pairs of pants, and they’re already tearing.”

“I can lend you money.”

Dan shot him a glare.

“Seriously?”

Will fell silent. Conversations like this often turned into arguments, so he preferred not to push it. The thing was, it really wasn’t easy to find a job in this town, especially a part-time one. BHA was quite popular, attracting a lot of students from the surrounding area.

“I really envy you, you know?” Dan said at one point, letting out a long sigh.

“My parents being dead?” Will asked.

Danny gave him a startled look but relaxed when he saw Will wasn’t offended by the remark.

“No, the fact they left you a house and a pile of cash. Mine wouldn’t even give me bus fare.”

Will smiled sympathetically. His parents had died when he was four. The subject should have been a sore spot, but since he didn’t remember them at all, he felt strangely detached from the whole story. After the accident, he had moved from Black Hollow to Greenhill to be raised by his maternal grandparents. While he had a good relationship with them, he felt they were holding him back too much. As soon as the opportunity arose, he returned to his family home—which was now his, after all—along with the insurance money that allowed him to study without worrying about expenses.

At last, they reached the gates of hell.

“Remember to stay safe!” Marika Olsen greeted them. She was handing out paper bags with condoms and informational flyers. “This year started without any surprises. Let’s keep it that way!”

Danny pointedly ignored her. Will couldn’t bring himself to do the same, so he accepted the gift.

“One more for your boyfriend,” Marika added, handing him a second bag.

Will forced a smile and rejoined his friend.

Danny wasn’t his boyfriend, though many people automatically assumed they were a couple. It was no wonder—two gay guys living under one roof usually sparked such assumptions, though Will never understood why. He and Dan were good friends, but they weren’t compatible in any other way. They were both looking for something completely different.

“Here.” Will handed Danny the precious gift.

“God. This is so embarrassing, seriously. Do they really think people nowadays don’t know how to use protection?”

“Maybe they think some of us can’t afford condoms.”

Dan snorted with laughter.