tertis

part one

Brandon was hunched over the computer, a slightly and an effeminate looking youth. He had long black hair that framed his fine chiseled face, his pale looking skin only pronounced his features even more. He had that angsty look about him. He also portrayed angst in his demeanor. A highly intelligent and articulate young man, he wasn't like other boys his own age and even though he had a few male friends that were of his caliber , his friends were mostly female. He often got teased for being gay. His mother also wondered but never brought the subject up. Until he decides to mention it himself, to calm her fears.
The background music was blaring "I don't love you I like I did yesterday".





"Wanna listen to a cool new band?'" a voice interrupted to him, it was Alley... his best friend. Like a sprit she seems to always have a habit of appearing out of nowhere.

They were so akin in appearance that people often mistaken them for twins, instead of friends.

"Yeah,,,what is it.?" Brandon replied, more engrossed in his game than playing attention to his friend.

Alley pursed her ruby lips and flicked her black hair to one side. "Bauhaus 'she replied flatly unimpressed with his lack of attention to her.

"Like that's soooooooooooooooooooo retro, ' Brandon laughed.

"I know that s why we need your mums turn table to play it,"Alley said

"Any way we can listen to that later, what are you playing?"

"Tetris" Brandon replied to his friend.



"Oh My God, talk about Retro. Mum use to play it when she was a kid Like that is so eighties," Alley laughed,

"Yeah, well who brought in a band from like dinosaurs," Brandon agued back good humouredly?

"Besides, Mum made a bet with me.If I can beat her score, she will get me an x box 360 for Christmas," Brandon crowed.

"No f*****g way!!" Alley exclaimed aghast.

"I'd been on at Mum and Dad for ages to get me one. Every time I ask them ,

They say you have a computer and a PlayStation for games you don't need an Xbox," she mimicked in her parents tone of voice.

After a moment of envious sulking, thinking to herself, "How is so not fair that his Mum is cooler than hers." she got up and went over to Brandon and gave him a playful shove.

"Give me a go and I promise that I won't kidnap it and hold it to ransom when you get it. That's if you get it," Alley joked.

Alley settled her self down on the chair and started maneuvering different coloured blocks on the grid, squares with L shapes falling into their appropriate places.

Line after line Alley felt her self getting more and more into the game.

She began to understand the simple pleasure before graphics was king in computer games: the time when all it mattered on really whom had got the highest score.

A knock on he door interrupted her thoughts, it was Brandon's Mum letting him know that she was going to work , and that she will see him later that night,,,much later that night .



"You are to see that Alley gets home safely, Brandon" Ms Kinston reminded her son.

"Yeah what ever Mum", Brandon answered back rudely. He was offended that his Mum could even think of his display in lack of manners.

Alley, feeling the tension, yelled " Don't worry Ms K, I see that he does", throwing the invisible whip at him.

"You're so mean", she said to him after a moment.

" Hey this is cool", as Brandon spied a couple of lines that she wrote a few minutes before.

"Yeah, homework for creative writing," Alley replied. She was too engrossed in her game to pay much attention to his compliment.

The coloured blocks were so hypnotizing.

"So , who is this porcelain white?" Brandon asked .He was curious to know the latest love interest in his friend's life.

"Just a guy I see around she answered not wanting to give too much away.

There wasn't much to tell anyway. The guy had a girl friend and she was always with him when ever she saw him. But their eyes always met like they were kindred souls, and that was enough for her.

"Hah -ha ,,, I bet your Mums and you too matey pie.



Beat this score 569.0000, and I promise I won't hold the x-box to ransom, on your eternal slavery."

"Gotta beat me first," Brandon challenged his friend.

"Ok, you on. And can we sign it in blood?" Alley remarked

"Just lets not go there" Brandon answered her unsure if she was joking.

"Ok fine.

You Emos are such p*****s!" Alley said playfully, throwing him a punch.

Brandon playfully pushed his friend out of the way, he was eager to beat Alley's score ,as he hates to be beaten, especially by a girl.


He only discovered Tetris a few weeks ago ,when he seen his Mum playing it on line.

Despite the game's ancient graphics, he got hooked just watching his Mum play. It intrigued him so much, that he decides to give it go.





Alley was dying to hear the New Bauhaus record that she found in some junk shop .She found her friend's taste in music appalling, and felt it was her job to introduce to him to the true side of darkness.

"What happened to your turntable?" Alley asked Brandon a few minutes later, disappointed finding it wasn't working.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, it needs a new needle. Mum was supposed to get one a few days ago. I guess she hasn't got a round to it yet," he answered his friends festering disappointment.

He was just getting settled into his game. Watching L shapes fall, followed by squares, and neon coloured Z's on the graphed blackground.

The thing about Tetris was, the higher levels you reach, the faster game gets.

Ms Kinston reached level 18, and the score of 72611. She might have done alot better, if she didn't have to stop and get ready for work.

Alley smiled at Brandon's hap-hazard way of playing but didn't say anything. She could have, but not just yet.

"Tetris is all about creating order out of the chaos falling all around you" She thought.




Shaking her head, she reached into her satchel, looking for her mobile. Always on the bottom, under everything.

she called home a few minutes later , "Hey dad, I won't be home for tea,"

"Well don't be too late Alley, as you have two assignmentss to hand in by Friday."

Alley sighed and her Dad nagged.

"Alley do you hear me?" Mr. Thompson demanded.

Rolling her eyes, Alley always felt that she was being pushed into choices that she didn't want to make.

Hell, she thought, she could get pregnant and finish the corporate dream.

complete and only ordinary for her family. She excelled at all her subjects, but she only put her Full effort into two. English and Art.

"Yes Dad," Alley said wearfully, after listening to her Dad's lecture on goal setting, and the meaning of personal responsibility.



While Brandon lacked complete direction. His only goal was to finish high school. Over the legal age of leaving school they couldn't be done for truancy. Brandon's reports constantly remarked that he could do better.

Often Brandon couldn't be bothered doing better. He would have left school by now, and signed up for the dole except for his mum threatening to kick him out of home if he dropped out of High school. They were both nearing 18, and nether of them gave any thought to any further goals once they both had graduated.



"Dad's No fun" Alley complained.

"Been giving you a hard time again?" Brandon had stopped his game for a moment, to sympathize with his friend.

"I wish he was more like your Mum, She is way cool, and you can do what you like."

Even though Ms Kinston and her son are best friends and she is the coolest mum around there were, however, house rules. just simple rules on living that all teenagers were expected to understand and abide by

It's so not fair," Alley continued.

"Well, I can't leave school to go on the dole." Brandon hit back with household rule Number 3

The thought of telling dad all that Brandon wanted to do was to go on the dole, had sent Alley in to hysterical fits of laughter.

"What's so funny?" not getting her sudden change of mood.

"Oh God, I should tell Dad that you want to go on the dole.

It will be so funny just to watch him have a major spew."

Like, he thinks, you are a nice enough boy, all in all, but you lack ambition" Alley told him.

"Yeah , I have ambition; I just haven't found it yet," was his quick witted reply.

� 2009 syriascat