Change of Luck

[taughtbykerouac]

A blur. That is the best way to explain the last 12 hours. A blur. I remember sitting with Charlie at the Bronze, hanging out, laughing it up. I remember Buffy attacking her sister's friend. I remember thinking Dawn was not Dawn, still feeling sort of creepy uncle about that one. I remember Charlie's cell phone ringing, and her taking the call. A

Comments

[taughtbykerouac]

I was pretty much in disbelief, I mean hey I like Colossus as much as the next guy, but who the hell was this Whedon and why did he mess with the history? I mean... well.. okay.. so that. Ahhh. It was like something clicked in my little fan-boy head. So it wasn't that bad, but still. I kept flipping and making a few comments here and there, but looked up when a voice opted to voice their views on this little plot arc.

"Um, that's issue five. There's sort of a climax to that whole arc, you know? So... if you wanted to uh, you know, enjoy the story, you might go back to the number one of the series,"

I flipped to the cover, and sure enough I was on issue five. I nodded in agreement, and flipped through the stack, but the only issues on the rack were... well issue five. I guessed they were all in the back issue bins. I glanced at the guy, and then to the surrounding customers. The fun fact about comic shops is that usually it is hard to find people that know about bathing, let alone common courtesy about personal space. This guy, knew his hygeine. I was impressed. Plus he seemed in the know about the current issues.

"Cool, thanks. I guess it has been a while since I stepped in here. The lack of funding seemed to be my kryptonite, however I seemed to have stumbled upon some good luck."

I glanced to where he had a rather interesting stack of issues. I arched an eyebrow and decided to break the common law that you don't ask what others are buying. Usually it was cool to ask, but some guys like to keep their Hentai and Furry fetishes to themselves.

"So, what's grabbed your interest this week?"

I put the issue five back in the rack, even though I could hear the owner grumble about finger oils. Really if you are going to be that picky? Sleeve and board them all.

[burninating]

I glanced at my stack of books, "Oh, I have uh... well, you can look. Um, some of this, some of that... just stuff that I heard about."

He crouched down and looked through my pile of things that I wouldn't be buying for a while, commenting on a couple of the artists and publishers. He wasn't a bad guy and I felt kind of bad for schooling him about the whole Colossus thing.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I was being jerky about reading in order. I'm kind of a purist about stuff like that," I apologized, squatting down next to him and balancing on the balls of my feet. Smiling thinly, I figured I should introduce myself, "I'm Andrew. What kind of luck did you stumble on? The good kind? Like finding a vintage Marvel Mystery in the dollar bin?"

[taughtbykerouac]

He followed my line of sight and shrugged it off, I suddenly was worried that he had added an odd adult title that he was embarrassed about. However when he grabbed the box and toed it towards me I took it as an invitation to peek. I bent over the box flipping through the titles. A lot of them I was unfamiliar with. I guess it had been a while since I had been in the shop. I felt like an outsider instantly.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I was being jerky about reading in order. I'm kind of a purist about stuff like that."

"Oh hey, no harm. I guess I should have known better than to pick up an arc when it is an issue or two away from completion."

He crouched beside me rocking a bit on his feet in an either unsteady or uncomfortable manner.

"I'm Andrew. What kind of luck did you stumble on? The good kind? Like finding a vintage Marvel Mystery in the dollar bin?"

I smiled, he was a bit odd, but hey I am the last one to shun the odd. After all I went to prom with an ex-demon. Odd was normal to me. I extended my free hand in a friendly gesture and shook his.

"Xander, and not that lucky.. although I don't think I have to worry about the dollar bin these days. You know Choco-Freeze? They had some big to-do contest, cash prizes, trips to far away lands, and a car! I happend to be lucky enough to get a winning wrapper! Set myself up with the lucky Sevens! So my good man! Comics are on me today!"

My voice had risen a bit towards the end there, and of course got a lot of looks with the whole Comics on me line.. I shook my head to the onlookers.

"Sorry.. not you.. not that you aren't worthy of my generosity... but well.. yeah sorry for the confusion, back to browsing!"

I dropped back down to Andrew, hopefully not making too much of an ass of myself.

"I meant I can take care of your purchases, but you have to help me find some of the better story arcs I have been missing out on."

We both stood up as my feet were killing me, Andrew seemed intrigued and he agreed that he could help me. I started glancing through the shelves again, and saw a nice Greg Horn cover... ahhh yes. Lovely ladies in clothing that is hardly considered an outfit. Ooh! Emma Frost.. in college? Nice! I smiled and added an issue to my pile. I doubted I needed to read that in order.

"So Andrew, recommend away!"

[burninating]

"Really?" I asked, trying to figure out the catch. Maybe this was, like, some kind of candid camera show? Ashton Kutcher would jump out and scream about how awesome he was, and I'd be on TV, looking like a big, gullible dork. Although... I don't think they'd stage one of those in a comic book store. Besides the few, the proud, the collectors, not many people would be caught dead thumbing through the Gloom Cookies and Top 10.

But, then again -- this Xander guy was! He was all about the buying and choosing of comic books. I knew that my browsing skills would come in handy, someday. I hoped and prayed. And now my dreams of guiding someone toward quality reading were realized.

"Okay!" I said, smiling. This could be exciting! Well, if you were me. Or, apparently, Xander. I started with all the trades, going to the big rack of Marvel and looking for the good stuff. I wondered if he'd seen Marvel Max. He liked X-Men, maybe he'd be into Alias. It was through its run now, but...

Holding a couple of books aloft, I asked him if he'd read this, if he'd heard of that.

"This is fun," I admitted, after he had a stack of books that was about eight inches high. "It's almost like being a personal shopper."

When we circled back around to my box of soon-to-be used comics, I nudged the box with my foot, "Are you sure you want to buy these for me? I mean, not to get all practical and stuff, but... you don't really know me. And then, maybe you'd buy them for me and then not like me for some reason ...and want them back? I just don't want to take advantage of your winner's high. Plus, um, a couple of my selections are for my friend Jonathan."

[taughtbykerouac]

"Really?"

I have to admit I would have been as doubtful as Andrew if some stranger came up to me offering to share the wealth, but I was in a great mood. Sure the girl I thought I would marry skipped town, but hey I was 7 Grand in the bank better. Andrew was looking around the store, maybe looking for some FBI types to haul me away.

"Really. Have at it!"

"Okay!"

Then he was off, grabbing issues off the rack and from the looks of what he was pulling I was going to be thanking him for the choices. He just kept pointing out things, and holding up issues. I didn't even care what they were, if he said they were good I was going to trust him. It wasn't like I wasn't going to worry about them not getting read. I would read them, and hell if I didn't like them? No loss. What three four bucks a pop? This was the little leagues of spending.

"This is fun, it's almost like being a personal shopper."

I laughed and took the stack of books from him. The poor thing looked like he might topple over. We had made it through most of the newer titles, and he had done a bit of back issue bin searching for me, mainly to catch me up on this whole X-Men debacle. Then he was glancing at his own box of stuff, slightly toeing it with his foot.

"Are you sure you want to buy these for me? I mean, not to get all practical and stuff, but... you don't really know me. And then, maybe you'd buy them for me and then not like me for some reason ...and want them back? I just don't want to take advantage of your winner's high. Plus, um, a couple of my selections are for my friend Jonathan."

Wow, the poor thing must have some serious younger sibling issues. The whole take backs thing was something I heard Dawn talk about all the time. I smiled and bent over to pick up the box he had.

"It's totally cool. Besides you hooked me up with some great reading here, I owe you something for it. So this friend of yours, think he would want to go check out that flick Constantine? I hear Keanu isn't playing it Brit, but that it isn't that bad. We can take my car," I glanced at my watch and hoped that the work was finally done on it by now. It had afterall been three hours since I dropped it off, and the guy had no other cars in the shop to work on, "I can let you drop your stuff off, and we can get your Jonathan friend too."

I didn't have much to do in town these days anyway. I mean it wasn't like Faith had given me her home address, the succubus from what I read in the newsletter someone had left in the auto shop had been caught at the Bronze last night, and well... Cordy and me? Not so much the best friends that like to hang out. I was the townie, and well... this was town.

"Sound like an okay plan?"

[burninating]

Today was just getting better and better! I nodded quickly at my new sugar daddy friend and said that Jonathan was dying to see Constantine.

As soon as I said it, I thought about taking it back. I didn't have to call Jonathan about it, or invite him. I could call Warren! Although, inviting Warren out two nights in a row... Jonathan would get mad. He was already feeling left out, as I'd told him all about the girl fight and Joust and hanging out with Warren.

Okay, so, Jonathan. We'd go get my old buddy Jonathan and then we'd go see a movie. With my new friend, Xander.

"So, what are you going to do with all your moolah?" I asked, envious. If I had a big gang of cash, there's no telling what I'd do.

Well... actually, I'd probably do exactly what Xander was doing. Buy some comics, some collectibles, some cool clothes. Buy presents for my friends. Maybe I'd even take a trip out to the cons that I could never afford to attend. I smiled at the thought of buying the best Boba Fett costume *ever made* and wearing it to various conventions. People would be all "who is that con-goer with that fabulous costume?" and then I'd be all "..." And then they'd be like, "Wow. He's like a phantom. A cool, collected phantom."

I'd never take off my helmet. I'd even eat with it on, although that might be really difficult.

[taughtbykerouac]

So it looked like Townie Xander actually now had something going for him. Sure others might look at it as buying your friends, but it wasn't like I was just paying him off. I was making an investment in Andrew's collection. I was a finacial backer of sorts. A silent partner, without the silent thing. Oh well, he was a nice kid there was no harm in it.

"So, what are you going to do with all your moolah?"

I grinned, and headed to the register with the group efforts of our shopping excursion and the man at the counter was either happy he was making this huge sale, or upset that he had to actually ring it all up.

Andrew seemed to have drifted off at the thought of all my winnings, and I had to admit other than the things that I had done, I didn't really have many plans.

"Well I had to get my car fixed... which I hope is done now. I mean I had this whole summer road trip planned, but the car didn't even make it past Oxnard and then I had to use the rest of my money to tow it back. Now though? I could go on the trip if I wanted to, but I just haven't figured that out yet. I mean it really isn't that much money. With taxes and all, I mean I am not the bigget math whiz, but I bet if I tried to go too far I would end up stuck in like.. Mexico or something trying to sell my kidneys on the black market."

I smiled and handed the cashier the credit card. I didn't even take note of the total, I just handed it over and signed at the bottom. He handed me the boxes and after folding them shut I handed Andrew his bag of comics and then we headed down the street to pick up my car.

Once I paid for that, and we put our purchases in the backseat we headed back to campus to find his friend Jonathan. He called shotgun, which was funny since there were only the two of us, but in a matter of moments we were on campus trying to find a parking spot in front of the dorms.

((going to hop over to the Jonathan!))