A new normal

Talia awoke in Hank’s spare room at nine in the morning. As far as she was concerned, she may as well have slept half the day away. No five A.M. walk before work. No work, even.

How did she end up back in town? After all her excitement to leave her old life behind, she was now lower than when she left. No job, no place of her own, no fiance, no family in the country, no friends except… him.

She rolled over and tried to disappear into the pillow, bordering on suffocating herself. How long could she just lay there, she wondered. The weight in her heart pulling her chest into the mattress in competition with the growl of her stomach trying to lift her out of the bed.

Eventually the hunger numbed the memories enough for her to roll out of the bed, still wearing the clothes from last night. The room, which had obviously been cleaned for her arrival, was littered with her boxes and loose items. She had been too emotionally drained to unpack anything an was honestly afraid of making herself comfortable in the slightest in Hank’s home.

This was just until she’d saved enough to get her own place, she reminded herself. Sarah had… Talia felt her fist tighten around the refrigerator door handle at the thought of what her ex had done, having to **** her to skip past it just to avoid screaming and ripping her hair out. Sarah’s decisions had left Talia with very little money and no job.

Her old district in the town was certainly hiring, but she wasn’t likely to start until after summer ended. That was assuming they wanted her back after how she broke her contract. And she probably wouldn’t be teaching high school music.

Hank’s fridge was devoid of nutrition in Talia’s estimation. As the usual host for his friend group’s parties, he kept his fridge stocked with booze and soda primarily, whatever space was left was for days old take out or microwavable meals. He ate like a twelve year old and Talia was **** to fix herself a bowl of sugary cereal just to eat something while she looked for local used cars.

Throughout her morning, Talia found herself suddenly freezing in place at times. Sometimes it was remembering an argument or a happy moment that was gone forever. Other times, it was the familiarity with the space.

She remembered coming to parties in this house. She remembered playing the most asinine and complicated of board games around the banged up and too small dining room table because that’s what the least childish friends they had liked to do.

Despite inheriting it years ago, Hank hadn’t ever really made the space his own or even engaged with basic renovations. And even though it wasn’t exactly messy, it would be better to say that the place was organized more than it was clean. All the photos on the wall were dusty frames his mom had put up. The ratty carpet desperately needed vacuuming. The wood panels on the walls were chipped and cracked and the green wallpaper was peeling in some places.

As far as bachelor pads went, at least the dishes were done and there wasn’t porn hung up on the walls. Past that, it was exactly the kind of place a burn out would live in. Stains left smeared, dust allowed to collect on unutilized surfaces, kitchen stocked with prepackaged and low-effort foods nobody above the age of twenty-two should be consuming—all of it reminded her why she’d been so excited to get away from this town and these people. Nobody would grow up.

Hank wasn’t a dumb guy, Talia didn’t think. He wasn’t a particularly incapable or unattractive man. But he still just coasted off a dead-end gas station job, and spent more time complaining about being single than actually talking to girls. He had a house, he had a car, he had a degree, and instead of leveraging any of those and finding a passion, he just bounced around trying to find or fabricate any excuse to spend time with friends like one of Talia’s high schoolers.

His heart was big, though. Which was why she avoided calling him first. She knew he’d let her stay rent free. Indefinitely, even. If she wanted to, she could probably spend the rest of her life laying in the guest room watching movies and he wouldn’t say a word so long as she tossed him a bone and hung out from time to time. Of course, eventually his other friends would step in and keep him from being taken advantage of, but the point was that being around Hank was depressing. He just wanted attention and felt no desire to improve his life in any way.

But there was a sincerity to it all. Stepping into the guest bathroom, she found an unopened toothbrush and toothpaste sitting on the counter, along with fresh bottles of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner in the shower. Good stuff, too. Under the sink were a variety of tampons and fresh towels. Hank was thoughtful above all things and though depressing to watch him so stagnant, the smile on her face told her that she had missed him and his over-the-top ways.

Hank Tock was a burnt out, washed up, lazy waste of potential. But above all of that, to everyone, he was a good friend. He was the only one who tried to keep in contact for more than a week after she left, even if she never responded. He congratulated her when news of the engagement got back to their hometown—and she believed he actually was happy for her. And the first thing he did when she called was stock his guest bathroom with toiletries because Talia hadn’t thought to pack hers.

***

Hank had stopped by Talia’s old favorite italian place after work, remembering her favorite dish. The past week had been a little awkward. He’d never had a roommate aside from his mother before, and Talia was always sadly moping around and not wanting to talk about it. She wasn’t being intentionally cold, but they only saw each other during the rare times Hank wasn’t working. He picked up a bunch of extra shifts to afford the expenses of having a guest in his house that he had to drive around. It was clear that she was stressed and sad and angry, but there never felt like a good opportunity to bring up anything. Talia was very good about saying what she needed to say without prompting, so Hank hoped that she just didn’t need to confide in him.

If the support she needed from him was just rides, groceries, and a bed, then he wouldn’t smother her. Still though, they were friends, weren’t they? And friends did hang out from time to time.

His day was going quite well, all things considered. The weather was nice and slightly rainy, he hit every green light allowing him to arrive to his shift on time despite sleeping in, and he got to work with his favorite coworker, Vera.

He was going to try and give Talia some space, but also had been curious about trying that board game. It had to be an ARG thing. He’d only ever watched YouTube video breakdowns of ARGs, he’d never been able to experience/solve one himself before. He wasn’t going to push it, but it could be a fun way to reconnect. Maybe she wouldn’t try to leave him behind again.

Hank’s house was easy to find in the serene suburb. An overgrown lawn invading the cracked sidewalk and driveway. White paint that was chipped and peeling around the whole perimeter of the single story house. In a neighborhood of serene, American dreams of cookie cutter homes, one might mistake Hank’s home as abandoned. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take better care of things. But he worked double and triple shifts just to keep up with the mortgage that was only a year off from being fully paid. He hardly had the time or money to renovate or take care of anything that wasn’t vital.

He slipped his car into the garage, a feat he was always proud to do after having disposed of the hoard his mother had kept. No matter how bad the outside looked, his neighbors had no idea the work Hank had put into the inside just to make it fit for a human. Even still, the scars of his mother’s hoarding still marked the house.

“Talia,” Hank called out, stepping into the kitchen from the garage. “I brought dinner.” He pulled off his jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door and set the food on the counter.

Talia shambled down the hall, eyes a little puffy. He clicked his tongue, untucking his work polo from his khakis. “Chicken parm, no eggplant, from Luigi’s.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Enjoy your dinner.” Hank gave her a silly wink, opening his own styrofoam box. The two ate silently for a few minutes before Hank broke the silence.

“That Ophelia’s place was really good.”

Talia cracked a smile. “Yeah it was. How’s your umbrella treating you?”

“You know, I’m sure it’s just confirmation bias, but the weather has been perfect all week. And I’ve been hitting all green lights, so…” He gave a shrug to play it off, but he had been getting a little suspicious. “How’s your magic box?”

“Oh, god, I just shoved it in the closet to get it out of the way.” She rolled her eyes.

The silence came over them again, but Hank wasn’t quite ready to be done.

“The, uh, board game seems interesting.” Talia shrugged and nodded in response. “Have you looked into it at all?” Hank asked.

“No,” Talia shook her head. “Been busy applying for jobs and looking for cars.”

“Well, hey,” he cleared his throat, “I get tomorrow off, I was wondering if maybe you’d want to play it tonight? Just see what this Ophelia’s thing is actually about?”

“Sure.” The answer came too easily. Talia usually did not care for board games. Every time one was pulled out at a party was usually her signal to either leave or start playing on her phone. He had expected her to waffle about or flat out decline.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, checking her email on her phone for word back on any of her applications. “My curiosity is slightly above my distaste for learning new complicated board game rules. That girl was really good.”

Hank smiled and nodded, taking another bite of his fettucine.

He hastened his shower and changed into his pajamas in preparation for the game. Meanwhile, Talia poured herself a glass of wine and started popping popcorn. Despite how awful she felt generally, she did feel some excitement upon retrieving the wooden box from her room and placing it on the coffee table.

Spooky Buddies was a childish tradition that often led to disappointing events. But she did feel comfort in the familiarity. She did miss making fun of the hokey and cheap productions with Hank. Maybe they might have good things to say about this one.

When she got back into the living room, Hank was sitting on the couch holding a small rulebook that he squinted at suspiciously. The board itself looked like it had been aged for fifty years, covered in grime and scratches. But the play area was, infuriatingly, just identical to snakes and ladders, except the squares were a jumble of different colors.

“Well, that’s…” Talia clicked her tongue. At least she knew how to play this one. “Familiar.”

Hank nodded, still squinting at the rules. He pointed to the far edge of the board, where two stacks of cards were locked behind a metal cages sunken into the board. One stack was labeled Challenges the other Category.

“There’s some differences, but the rules say that it will be explained as we play.” Hank lowered the book, pointing to two leather notebooks. “It says to begin, write your name in one of the journals.”

Talia nodded, setting down the bowl of popcorn and her glass of wine. She picked up one of the old feeling books, a pocket sized notebook, and a pen. “I have to say, the production quality on this is really good.” She said, fanning through the empty pages before scribbling her name onto the first page. She might steal this notebook for work, it felt so nice and premium in her hand.

“Yeah, they definitely lost money on the sale. So it’s got to be a marketing thing.” He nodded, scribbling his name into the other one. He pointed to small pawns in recessed holes at each corner. Red, blue, black, and yellow. “Pick your color.”

Talia handed him the yellow pawn, her favorite color. He chose blue, turning back to the rulebook and squinting again. “Oh, weird, I missed that before. I guess each piece has its own perk?” He began reading the entry out loud.

Red: When landing on a red square, roll an additional number for the resolution phase. Failing challenges adds an additional digit to your next Number change.

Yellow: When landing on a yellow square, roll an additional letter for the resolution phase. Failing challenges adds an additional letter to your next letter change.

Blue: When landing on a blue square, always change an additional word. Failing a challenge adds an additional word to your next word change.

Black: When landing on a black square, always claim an additional detriment. Failing a challenge adds a Detriment to the next Detriment you claim.

Talia pinched her nose. “Dude, my brain is already hurting.”

Hank nodded, unsure how he missed that explanation. “Me, too. The book doesn’t even explain what any of those terms means. Detriment, changes, challenges… it just says everyone begins on the first square and each player draws a challenge card.”

Talia groaned, regretting her agreement to play. She could be in bed crying. Or sleeping. Or crying while sleeping. Hank, sensing her annoyance, waved his hand reassuringly. “It promises that the game has an easy to follow learn as you play. We just have to start.” He tossed the rulebook on the seat next to him on the couch, snatching up the unclaimed notebook and scribbling his name in. Talia found a die being scooted her direction. “We roll to see who goes first.”

She let out a sharp breath and leaned forward in the lazy boy, grabbing the cube and tossing it. Five. Hank then did the same. Four. Then he picked up the pamphlet again and shook his head. “Ok, so, must’ve skipped over this part…” It didn’t make sense. The thing was barely a page long, with four blank black pages stapled into the shape of a booklet. How had he missed these rules? Especially so close to the top of the page.

“You’re going to go first in the move phase, but the game really begins with us each drawing a challenge card and then either completing it or discarding it.” He furrowed his brow, placing both of their pawns on the first space. It was red. Talia reached over to the little metal bars holding the challenge cards. But they wouldn’t open. There wasn’t even a hinge or latch. She tried brute forcing it, but couldn’t get it open.

“I think we broke it.” Talia said, equal parts relieved and disappointed. She didn’t like the idea of challenge card, not being a fan of games that were super involved. Hank rushed to the other side of the coffee table, making his own vain attempts to open either of the cages.

“Maybe there’s instructions I missed, again.” Hank stomped over to the couch, growing more frustrated. He just wanted to do something with his friend and now the stupid thing was annoying both of them. He checked the back page for assembly instructions, but found it and the other three pages blank. He squinted at the one page that actually did have words on it and began looking through the set up. He’d placed everything on the first red square. They rolled to see who could go first. “It says we need to roll to see the minimum number of rounds we have to play today.” He noticed. “But that shouldn’t affect the cages…” He scratched his head.

Talia sighed and rolled the die weakly, making sure that it landed on One. She didn’t want to do this anymore. One round and she could call it a night. Though hopefully it was broken and they couldn’t play “There. One round. Assuming we can get the—“ Her fingers barely tapped the cage for emphasis, the bars suddenly springing apart. Talia jumped up in surprise before suddenly feeling really silly.

Hank smiled at her fright. “How’d you get it?” He asked.

Talia stared at the now available cards. She hadn’t done anything. A grin crept onto her face, putting together what must’ve happened. For a game of snakes and ladders, the board was awfully thick. “I think they put a timer in it.” She laughed. “Probably hoping people would get frustrated and then spooked by the game doing something on its own.”

“Looks like it worked.”

She nodded, giving him a quick look to show her amusement. The game had won her back. “Feels like they kinda waster this on us.” Hank said, setting the rulebook down. “If we were influencers or something that reveal would’ve been really cool. But we’re not even filming this or anything.” Talia shrugged. The woman in the shop hadn’t even asked if they had social media, so it sucked for them, but still, this would be fun to explore.

Both of them reached over and grabbed a card from the challenges pile in much higher spirits. Whatever goodwill the game had earned back, however, was destroyed instantly upon them reading the challenges. Talia gasped in surprise, looking up at Hank with a shocked look, which Hank met with a blush.

“Woah!” Hank laughed uncomfortably. “I think she misread our situation.” He couldn’t even look Talia in the eye from the sheer embarrassment.

Challenge: Makeout with another player for one hour. If you refuse or fail, +1 to the result of your next number change. You have four hours.

“Yeah…” Talia ran her slender fingers through her long blonde hair, not even allowing the face of the card to be visible. She no longer knew what Ophelia’s was attempting to advertise, but it probably wasn’t a horror movie. The game, had, however, turned this night into one.

Challenge: Take another player’s virginity. If you refuse or fail, add a 0 digit to the end of your next number change. You have six hours.

“Hank, I’m sorry, but this is not the kind of game I want to be playing with you.” She said, tossing the card onto the coffee table. They were both in good humor, but disappointed that such an interesting concept and excellent execution had been wasted on something like this.

“Nope, fully agreed.” He laughed, still blushing. His disappointment was perhaps greater than hers had been. He was really getting into it. “I was expecting Jumanji or Zathura. Not…”

“This?” She raised an eyebrow. He nodded, placing his card back on top of the pile. “Ha!” She cried. “How funny. All that build up, all that performance. And the whole time, we were just in a sex shop.”

“I’m sorry. Not the great return for Spooky Buddies I was hoping for.” He was about to launch into one of Hank’s famous overlong apologies.

Talia stopped him with a wave of her hand. “Honestly, it’s par for the course. At least this one was just disappointing and not overtly dangerous.”

Hank nodded in agreement. “Like that Pioneer Zombie thing?”

The two sat reminiscing over the many other Spooky Buddy flops and few triumphs for the next half hour before Talia decided to excuse herself and head to bed. She left Hank to clean the game up, reasoning that he had invited her and was thus responsible for sacrificing himself if anything went wrong. She also said she was keeping the journal for herself, which Hank gave no protest to. They were nice journals and he intended the same for his.

Her feet dragged across the wood floors towards the bathroom for her to brush her teeth. Then she threw herself into the bed and cried thinking about how her and Sarah would never play Canasta again. About how Sarah might have liked to play a dirty game like the one in the living room.

Finally when the tears were gone, she drifted off to sleep to the sound of soft rain against the window.