Locking In With My Life System

Aiden opened the door.

Casually dressed and standing on his doorstep with a droopy expression was Casper, not a single thing on his being asides the phone in his pocket and laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

”You look like shit.” Aiden remarked, a bemused smile on his lips.

The blonde-haired youth on the other hand simply let out a tired sigh in response.

Then he droned;

”Bro, do you know what it feels like to have writer’s block?”

”You’ve been on a roll for a couple days, and you feel like you’re on top of the world, then suddenly your brain decides; Fuck you! I need a paid vacation from your continued abuse.” he suddenly let out with exasperatedly raised arms that dropped to his sides a moment after.

”Still, you believe you can whip it into shape like a workhorse, so you find a horsewhip and whip it, only for it to completely drop you like a bad habit for the next couple days,” he began pacing back and forth whilst clutching his head.

”Now you’re seated before a blank screen, with an equally blank mind, and it’s like constipation, and then you start doubting yourself, and you wonder if you ever had any talent at all, and if all you’ve been doing thus far has just been one huge fluke and if you should just listen to your father telling you to follow in his footsteps instead of blazing your own path!” he continued his tirade, his expression getting progressively stressed by the minute.

Before he could continue on, Aiden whom had long walked around him, kicked his ass into the house. Literally.

”Quit your whining and head in, Casper! Moping isn’t gonna solve your problem!”

Even then, the blonde-haired youth slowly trudged into the house with yet another dejected sigh.

Dropping his bag near the door, he branched straight for the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out the jar of pickles with a sense of familiarity.

Without so much as a flourish, he made himself comfortable on one of the stools, uncorked the jar, pulled out a pickle and began eating it... all whilst still having that same mopey gaze.

Through it all, Aiden had watched, his mouth slightly agape.

’Is he stress-eating?’ he inwardly questioned, his eyes blinking a couple times in disbelief.

Standing akimbo a moment after though, a resigned sigh soon escaped his lips as he proceeded to continue making his meal whilst musing to himself;

’I hope what I have planned helps him...’

Clearly unaware of Aiden’s reactions or thoughts, Casper kept munching on the pickle. Then he raised his head up a moment after and asked, his tone curious;

”Say, where’s your old man? Is he still sleeping?”

”On a business trip in New Jersey.” Aiden casually replied as he switched on the gas to medium-low heat and tossed a little butter into it.

”How’s yours?” he then asked, to which Casper replied much the same;

”Somewhere in Las Vegas,”

”And I hope he stays there for a while. It’d do us both a whole world of good.” Casper muttered under his breath as he continued munching on another pickle.

Though Aiden heard, he figured it was best to leave things as is without probing too much into it.

The last time they’d had that discussion--one that had happened when he had arrived at his doorstep late into the night in sophomore year--his buddy had been an utter wreck and quite frankly, neither he nor Casper himself wanted to relive it.

Still,

”Hey. You know we’re always here for you, right?” Aiden reminded him as he slowly emptied a quarter-full cup of pancake batter into the heated pan.

”I know, and I’ll always be grateful for it. Thanks man.” Casper smiled for the first time all day, his expression genuine.

”Anytime.” Aiden bobbed his head softly in acknowledgement, a warm smile on his lips.

Following that, a natural silence descended between the duo, the ambience comfortable and homely.

A moment later, Casper spoke;

”I’ve managed to raise a couple thousand dollars for college... roughly somewhere around thirty grand now. The funds I’ve pulled from the web novel helped quite a bit.”

”That’s great to hear,” Aiden replied to which he then said;

”Still barely over the tuition fee for the first session though... I mean that is if you still plan to apply to Pacific Heights. And let’s not even talk about housing.”

”You don’t have to remind me,” Casper admitted, his free hand gently massaging his temples as a resigned sigh escaped his lips.

”Well, if all else fails, I’ll just head on over to a community college.” he soon shrugged it off and then continued eating the pickle.

’I’ll make sure it doesn’t fail. We’re getting you away from that man... whatever it takes.’ Aiden inwardly affirmed.

To say Casper’s father was a narcissistic piece of shit was doing the man a serious service.

Rather, far worse words would offer more fitting descriptions given the sort of emotional and financial abuse he’d subjected his only legitimate son to.

Honestly, if not for the fact that Casper had managed to find solace in Aiden and the gang at a very crucial point in his life--one that had driven him to play the long game with his old man--he probably would’ve never grown into the clown they all knew and loved today.

But that was a story for another day.

Currently though, his upper torso laid over the counter whilst munching on another pickle, his expression an elegiac sight as he let out another resigned sigh.

This time, Aiden simply shook his head in amusement as he slipped into the nearest tool and began eating his meal.

He wasn’t even halfway into completing his meal when the doorbell rang again.

”I’ll get it.” Casper offered, easing himself off the stool as he walked over to the door.

No sooner had he opened it, Larry, Clyde and Benjamin trooped in like men on a mission while Casper found his way over to the sofa in the living room and slumped headfirst into it with another drone.

Shamelessly, the trio moved into the kitchen with a sense of familiarity, same as Casper previously had when he’d first arrived.

Despite seeing Aiden quietly eating his pancake by the counter though, they didn’t even bother to greet him as Clyde opened the fridge, Larry opened the cupboard and Benjamin went straight to electric kettle and switched it on.

A couple minutes later, all three stood at different areas of the counter, eating the overnight oats that Aiden had promised he’d prepare for them a couple days back when he’d informed them about the sleepover.

”Oh, Aiden. Fancy meeting you here.” Larry shamelessly remarked.

”Hello, fam. What’s good?” Clyde added, stirring his meal.

”This right here,” Benjamin pointed at his cup, then added after taking a spoonful;

”I like this. I like this a lot. When are you gonna give me the recipe?”

Through it all, Aiden simply gave all three bemused looks, a theatrical shade of disappointment on his features as his lips fought hard against a grin whilst curling into a tight-lipped smirk of mock disgust.

Then after casting them sidelong glances for a minute or so, he remarked much the same as he popped the last piece of pancake into his mouth;

”You disgust me.”

The trio were already gearing to reply, amused smiles plastered on their faces when the doorbell rang once more. This time, all three trooped over to the door like foot soldiers.

Upon opening it, they watched as Theo stood before the doorstep, a duffel bag slung over his shoulders and a visible sense of relief on his features as he greeted;

”Hey guys.”

”Hey man. Come on in.” Larry responded on the trio’s behalf as they gestured for him to walk in.

As he did, he couldn’t help but give all three curious looks as he watched them move into the kitchen. Naturally, he followed.

Upon seeing Aiden clearing out his dishes though, he greeted with a warm smile;

”Aiden. Good morning.”

”And a very good morning to you too, Theo.” Aiden replied in kind to which he then audibly called out the trio;

”Finally. Some proper respect around here!”

Dismissively waving him off in a shared gesture of their hands, the trio simply kept eating their meals, Theo already finding himself chuckling as Aiden led him out and into the living room.

As he did, he asked;

”Had anything to eat yet?”

”Yeah. Some toast.” Theo replied in the affirmative, his tone assured... only for his tummy to rat him out on the spot with a low grumble.

Before he could bother explaining himself, his face flushing a deep shade of beet red, Aiden simply chuckled and said;

”There’s some pancake in the pan. Grab it before Benjamin pounces on it.”

With a pat to the back, he collected the youth’s duffel bag and pushed him in the kitchen’s direction.

In the same motion, he proceeded to walk upstairs to retrieve his laptop... but not before he purposely dropped the bag on Casper’s back on the sofa.

”Ow.” the youth let out a muffled groan, one that had Aiden chuckling as he made his way up the stairs.

About an hour later, after everyone had finally settled down and the shenanigans were over, Benjamin asked;

”So, what was so important that we’d have to miss out on the party Kevin’s throwing at his parents’ condo?”

To that, Aiden placed his laptop before them on the table and said;

”This.”