Busyhead | Technoblade

Eight | Donations

TEAGAN SPOKE ON THE PHONE WITH KALEA AS SHE EMBARKED ON HER WALK HOME. "My feet are killing me," she complained with a sigh. The flight of stairs she knew she would soon have to ascend just made matters worse. Maybe she should invest in a bus pass.

Kalea let out a soft sigh of sympathy. "Oh you poor, broke soul. What ever will you do?" Her words were laced with their usual sarcasm, but Teagan didn't take it to heart. A car would be nice, but it wasn't a necessity. She was finally approaching enough savings to pay off her student loans through graduation. When that was finished, she could worry about a car -- and maybe find a way to quit her job all together.

"I'm so close, K," she murmured with a shuddering amount of hope. She breathed in a deep breath of the brisk air. It was the cap end of autumn, approaching the holidays, and while Teagan much preferred the California summer scene, she had to admit that the weather was nice. "A few more months, and I'm out of that place. For real this time."

She could hear the sad smile in her best friend's voice. "You've said that so many times, Teags. That place treats you like dirt. I know you love Mikey and Connor, but are they really worth sticking around? You could at least get a better job in the meantime."

Teagan sighed into the fabric of her mask. "Not in this social climate. I can survive a few more months. My application for Twitch partner was finally approved, and I'm nearing 700k followers. I'm getting there. Really."

Kalea wanted to empathize, but both of them knew that she couldn't.  She had tried over and over again to extend a hand to Teagan, an offer that was consistently declined. Kalea was wildly popular -- borderline famous -- and had no short of means. She flew to San Diego to see her friend frequently, and though it was always a show of companionship, she always hated herself for feeling as if it was a flaunt of her finances too. Teagan never saw it that way, but she also didn't want her best friend's pity. She could do it herself.

A little laugh left Teagan's lips as she opened the gate to her apartment complex's parking lot. "You know, you don't ever poke and prod Nico like this."

She heard her best friend scoff as she headed for the stairs. "That's because there's no point in it. I love Neeks, but that boy was raised to be a spoiled rich boy. He has a heart of gold, but he also has the palate of a king. And he has no trouble finding a way to get what he wants."

Kalea's words were edged with a bitterness that Teagan well understood. Nico was a close friend, and had been for 8 years, ever since they met him on the first Minecraft server they ever played on. He would talk in chat about the fancy pc his parents had just built, while Teagan would read his words from the cracked screen of Mina's old laptop that was all but falling apart.

She hated him. Until he asked for their skypes, and put together a group call with the three of them. He was every bit the typical teenage boy -- cheesy jokes, easy arrogance, and a lopsided smile. But he was also incredibly understanding, wonderful at advice-giving, and too handsome for his own good. In no time, he became the protective older brother than neither of them had. Of course, when he developed a crush on Teagan's older sister, she wished he lived closer so that she could smack him. It was short-lived, though, and their friendship survived it.

"Point taken," Teagan breathed as she reached her floor. She pushed open the heavy door to the hallway that would lead to her apartment. "So maybe I don't have a trust fund, or a record on the verge of going platinum, but I'm doing just fine. I'll catch up."

"I know you will," Kalea murmured supportively. "Your book is almost done, isn't it?"

The mention of it filled Teagan with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "I think so. The first draft, anyway. I just have to go back and make major changes before I send it to the editor."