The Eight-Point Arc

iii. quest

iii. quest

The next logical step for the story to evolve, the third stage is a quest. The quest is a direct result of the trigger. You have a problem, you need to go on a journey to remedy it. Now, there are two types of triggers. An unpleasant trigger or a pleasant trigger. With an unpleasant trigger, like getting left at the altar, the quest is a way to return to the status quo. For a pleasant trigger, like for instance finding the map to your family long lost treasure it's a quest to maintain or increase a new pleasant state. You're trying to make your life even better than it was.

So, the question one could ask is, is Abrielle's trigger pleasant or unpleasant? On one hand, falling in love is a good thing. On the other finding out you're in love with your best friend is not always a good thing. Trying to turn friendship into love can often end badly. Getting out of the friendzone can be quite a dangerous endeavour.

There's also another sliiiight. problem. Abrielle isn't exactly sure which one of her friends she loves. Ridiculous, obviously. The girl needs to shape up.

The thing is, for as long as she's known the boys, they have always been kind of complementary. One doesn't come without the other. Kinky.

Anyway, that night, as they get ready to go out, her quest begins. And her quest isn't to woe one or the other. Actually, it's isn't to woe either of them. Her quest is to find herself another man. Sure, she wants to figure out which one of her friends she suddenly has feelings for but she also wants to get rid of them. Like right now.

Or so she wants to make herself believe.

They get to the bar before Sammy and her friends and so they sit at a boot and wait.

They order a beer and chat about nonsense. Or more particularly coprophilia and urophilia. Don't look it up. Really. Ace is trying to understand the psychological and physiological root of it, Chief is trying to decide if he would actually be down with it and Abrielle is just covering her ears going "BLAH BLAH BLAH EW EW EW!"

Ace gets up to go answer a call. Abrielle is left with Chief. He smiles at her mischievously and tries to throw peanuts in the v-neck of her shirt. Please, let me not be in love with that, she thinks. A girl sitting at the table beside them tries to start chatting up with Chief when her friend goes to the bathroom and she's left alone.

"Hi..." she says and Abrielle imagines her twirling a lock of hair between her fingers and smiling sexily and she's being quite paranoid and dramatic. "How are you?"

Shanahan makes a face, "Not so good, I just had an accident in my pants. Does it ever happen to you? You just want to do a little fart but you end up shitting your pants?

Anyway, would you mind helping me tidy up the brake marks? It's bound to start smelling soon."

After he says that, Abrielle prays to God she isn't in love with that moron.

The poor girl is confused, she doesn't know what to answer to that.

"Never mind, I'll survive, what's a fresh layer gonna do to my granny panties anyway?" Shanahan adds for her.

The girl just stared at him in disbelief and then looks the other way and tries to ignore him as best as she can.

Taking a sip from her drink, ABC shakes her head at her friend. "Chief, I worry about you sometimes..."

"Hot kinky worry?"

"You should definitely seek professional help."

"Does a hooker count? I mean technically she's a professional, and she's helping Chief's cause" and then he makes 'up in the air hand' movements "Raw raw go team Chief pants!" ABC looks at him like he's crazy—because he is. Chief makes a face at her because he knows what she's thinking, but then gets serious. "You know I hate it when people ask me how I am. She wasn't really interested in my current way of being, that ought to teach her for next time."

"I really worry about you," she states again but Chief ignores her and keeps on ranting.

"That's just like those chicks that when they're feeling like shit like to answer "Oh I'm okay" and then they throw a fucking fit at you because you answer "Alright" and go all "But you should have known I was not okay!" Look woman, you said you were okay so I'm assuming I'm not supposed to press the matter! Damn you all vile women!" Chief yells at her, pointing right at her face, getting on his feet. And then he just walks away making crazy hand gestures around his head, everyone within a twenty feet radius looking at them weirdly. Thanks a lot dumbass.

Ace passes Chief, giving him a "what the fuck, dude?" face and then sits down beside ABC. "Damn you vile women, again?"

"Yeeeep."

Abrielle could give more information, she could explain but she doesn't feel like it. Instead she just looks around the room, trying to find someone suitable to make her forget about this whole maybe being in love with one of her friends thing.

"I need to find myself a man tonight," she states out loud.

"Huh, not that I'm against it or anything, but why exactly do you need to find yourself a man, and why do you kind of look furious, like borderline murderous when you say that," Ace asks, a little amused.

"Don't ask question, just try to help me find a date," she tells him, still murderously staring around.

At this point, Sammy and her friends arrive. Shanahan comes back and acts, normal-ish. Normal for him, weird for normal people.

There's a lot of flirting around the table and it bothers her. She tries to ignore it by never staying with them for too long. She just gets up, gets to talking with a guy and hope that she gets a decent one with a real phone number.

It takes her longer than she had anticipated, but finally, after almost talking with every guy in the bar she finds a semi decent one. He looks good, he doesn't sound that stupid and his name is not Brad or Chad or Thad.

They exchange phone numbers.

And with that win she thinks crisis adverted.

Poor girl has no idea...