Patrons' Eyes Only!

              “Marner doesn’t deserve to be on a team this bad,” David chuckled to his friend Aaron as they were watching a Toronto Maples Leafs hockey game. “I swear man,” Aaron began, “Marner is the problem. He’s alright in the season, but you can’t even tell he’s there in the playoffs. It’s like he bails when it matters the most.” “And you think Matthews is any better?” David exclaimed with a dumbfounded grin, “Mattews can’t score to save his life without Marner.”             As David and Aaron continued to banter, Zach and Morgan – a husband-wife duo and hosts to the watch party – walked into the room bringing drinks and snacks. Zach ended up taking Aaron’s side of the argument: “Marner’s replaceable, bud. If you trade one guy out, he definitely goes before Matthews.” “No way!” David argued, “Who are you gonna replace him with? Someone who disappears in April?” Aaron smirked: “Breaking even...

                  “Yeah! Let’s fuckin’ get it, boys!” Sam roared at the bar one night, drink in hand with a big grin on his face as he watched his sports team win. He downed the rest of his glass and pounded the counter in celebration along with the other guys. Although he was happy to be in his natural environment, he hadn’t found much camaraderie with anyone at his school yet.                 Sam had grown up as a typical sports jock. He had a strong build, short blond hair, and excelled in various sports teams while struggling to pass his classes. As the self-proclaimed ‘King of High School,’ he hadn’t expected that he’d be any less amazing in his freshman year of college. But nobody knew who he was here, the football season hadn’t begun yet, and the classes were even harder.               ...

                  Rain pattered against Alan’s window as he spent yet another night alone in his room on the computer. He had been slaving away at a dead-end job and relied on games and the internet for any trace amount of joy ever since his girlfriend of five years dumped him several months ago. Her words continuously rung in his head: “ You’re almost 30 and you’re still not serious about your career or investing in anything…!” She would scold him like a mother would to her kid, but she wasn’t wrong. Alan had coasted through life up until this point, skating by with just enough money to pay rent and live reasonably well. It was difficult to feel motivated to do more than he was already doing since it had been working out for so long.                 Alan’s room was unusually cold that night, probably due to the storm outside. It didn’t feel too bad at first since h...

                      Against my better judgment, I went to the mall on an unassuming Friday. After losing my job a few weeks ago, I became paranoid about spending any money that wasn’t strictly necessary, and I’ve always had a difficult time in treating myself even before. But I really wanted the new Persona game. I walked around the mall for a long time, mulling over on whether I should buy it or not, and whether I even deserved it.                 As I finished a small meal at the food court, I caught a glimpse of one of the most beautiful Asian women I’d ever seen on the other side of the mall walking out of a clothing store. Her long flowing skirt teased her slim legs that looked incredibly long thanks to her high heels, and her tight midriff was complemented by her glistening bare shoulders that popped in and out from behind her black hair. ...