“Well, hey Pep! I was wondering when you were going to call.” His dad had a firmly raised eyebrow.

  Pepper could see the slight disappoint on his dad’s face, but he knew he couldn’t be upset. “Yeah… sorry about that. I meant to call, but then Marcus and the crew wanted to celebrate. Call Andrea, Brent…”

  He was going to continue his list but his dad’s lifted hand caused him to stop. “It’s okay Pepper.” His dad quickly shifted to a fake sob. “We’re… we’re just second best. I just don’t know why our son doesn’t love us anymore… what did we do to raise such a monster?” His dad ended his overly dramatic charade with a large grin.

  “Something tells me you’ve heard that before.”

  His dad chuckled. “Your dad wasn’t the perfect son either. It happens, kids leave the roost and you quickly realize how fast life flies by.”

  “You can say that again.” Pepper’s eyes widened and he reflected on everything he had gone through.

  “But hey! Congrats on the selection son.” His dad paused and looked off in the distance. “I told your mom all about it, she is really happy for you.”

  He huffed, not really believing it. “Oh really? I find that hard to believe.”

  “Well, I can’t think of any parent who doesn’t want to see their kid succeed. She… she’s just had a lot happen and I think she struggles to have an vision of a future past whatever is planned tomorrow. Hearing you actually make it into the regionals I think may helped her see there is a light at the end of the tunnel she’s been trapped within.”

  Pepper paused and took a breath. “Well… I guess I should say thanks at least. For everything dad. Is there… anything I can do, you know, maybe get you guys a gift card to a restaurant or something?”

  His dad’s face lit up at the suggestion. “Ohh, that’s right. Someone must be rolling in some serious stacks of Flex if he’s willing to shell out some of them frog skins!” A quick glance away from the camera and he tilted his head to the side. “You know Pep… I don’t need anything. You worked hard and earned all…”

  “Dad, you have supported me so much. I mean… look at all the times you paid for my KBVS registrations. The rover rides.”

  His dad playfully chuckled. “You know Pep, when someone normally tells you to not worry about something, you shouldn’t remind them off all the times they helped you out.”

  “But, I’m serious dad. You guys may have given me a hard time…”

  His dad lifted a finger up and cut him off. “Your mom gave you a hard time, don’t you go throwing me in the same boat as her.”

  “Okay, that’s fair.” He sighed, “Yeah… you’re right. But still… let me do something nice for you guys. Please?”

  There was hesitation on his dad’s side of the video call. He could see through his father’s long gaze that there was conflict within him. A gaze of gratitude to have his son offer to help. A proud and peaceful warmth to know his son cared enough to offer.

  But there, beside the gaze of appreciation was a cold spirit of pride. A father who appeared to be afraid and hesitant to admit that help would be a welcomed relief. A stern resistance to not want to be vulnerable to a son he felt compelled to set an example for.

  After a long few seconds, his dad finally sighed and nodded. “You know what. Pep, if you want to do anything, just have it be more focused on your mother.”

  A lightbulb came on and he felt he had a perfect idea of what he wanted to do. He smiled and he could tell that his father picked up on whatever it was that had popped into his head. He started to form a scowl in return, and Trent realized he wasn’t going to pry the idea out of him.

  “So… speaking of being stacked in Flex. Did you do your taxes yet?”

  His eyes blinked rapidly and he felt a slight tightness form in his chest. “What?”

  Trent laughed, “Well, that clearly answers my question.”

  “But, dad… I’m only 17.”

  “And?”

  “Well I mean… I can’t drink till I’m 21, I thought I didn’t have to worry about…”

  “Life comes at you fast, don’t it? Welcome to being an adult son.” His dad laughed again. “Heck, just be glad the government changed it five years back. You would have had to do your taxes last year at 16.”

  “I still don’t understand how you could be an adult at 16.”

  “Well, when you’re trying to rebuild humanity, you have to make some changes. Some more significant than others. But… you’re an adult now Pepper. Gotta wake up and smell the coffee.”

  “Well, how do I do my taxes?”

  “You get a guy.”

  Pepper had started to take a sip of water and choked on it. Fighting through his cough he asked. “You get a guy?”

  “You get a guy.” His dad nodded. “Terry Langbeck, from Johnston Financial House. I’ve been using him for years now.”

  “Well… can he-”

  “Nope! Nice try slick. You moved out of state. Terry only does Michigan.”

  “Well, fine. Screw Terry! I’m going to go get my own guy.”

  “You should go get yourself a guy.”

  Pepper paused and laughed. “Thanks dad. I needed this.”

  “Anytime son… that’s what I’m here for.”

  Pepper ended his call, but with the idea fresh on his mind, he loaded up his internet browser. His mind had been holding on to the image of the framed photograph his mom and hung up in the living room. The photo was of a sunset over a small lake placed in the center of a grove of trees. He had not paid much attention to the event growing up, but he remembered his parents saying it was their favorite place nearby.

  He narrowed in on the area and then found the lake listed on a map. A few more minutes of digging and there was the reservation form. He filled out the boxes and made sure to set the date for three months from then. There was a group of options which offered upgrades such as a bouquet of flowers, chocolates, candles, lotions, and wine. Pepper happily checked every upgrade box that was available.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The confirmation message and recipe arrived a few seconds after he confirmed the reservation. He then sent a quick message to Andrea with the dates. She replied a few minutes later with nothing but question marks. Once he shared the details with her and added his request for her to babysit Megan so his mom and dad could enjoy their getaway. She happily agreed. Her response of colorful heart emojies and kisses left him missing her even more.

  With that all taken care of Pepper then focused on the next matter at hand. Finding a guy. He did a quick search of the local area and found multiple office options available. An hour later, however, that list had dwindled down from over thirty to nearly a handful left.

  The more places he called, the more he heard the same message repeated over and over again. We’re sorry, but we’re not taking any new clients right now. The whole process became worse with every location he called. His spirit sank further with every rejection and his frustration grew to the point that he contemplated just how many issues he’d have if he didn’t file his taxes. Though the temptation grew with every rejection he received, he finally found relief.

  “I just had a cancelation later today, are you able to make it into the office at 1 pm?”

  “1 pm? I can be there!” He leapt at the opportunity.

  “Yeah, great. So, just be sure to have your Form GT 9, Form GT 1 EZ, and any other additional Form’s which show earnings, such as Form R5’2 or R7’s.”

  “Of course! Yeah, I can, will totally get those.”

  The call ended and he paused with concern. I have no idea what she just told me. He tried to call his dad back, but only got a rejected call. His dad shot him a quick message saying he was at work and couldn’t talk.

  It only took another few minutes of Pepper navigating the forums to realize he should just check his email. A quick search function and he found multiple emails with the required documents, buried behind dozens of advertisements. He glanced at the messages while collected the forms and placing them into an easier to access digital folder. That was when he happened to notice his emails from Rocket Burger and Rhino’s both had messages of encouragement and congratulations from both Rhino and KT.

  He made a mental note to reply and thank them, but the stress of getting his taxes filed rose to the higher priority. The Buzz Podz dropped him and Amprage off in front of the business location. The sign Wilson Financial Services in bold red letters hung over the main door. He was greeted by a seating area, filled to the brim with potted plants.

  There was a small waterfall feature in the corner of the room, and his nose caught some type of scent which made him feel like he and Andrea were back at the Indian restaurant. Pepper scanned over the area but wasn’t ready for the black cat to dash across the room and streak directly in front of him. The creature hissed and he practically leapt out of his skin.

  “Demonic hell spawn!” Amprage yelled and tried to lunge in hot pursuit of the cat.

  Pepper dove and wrapped his arms around his metal familiar. “No! I thought I told you to delete this out of your personality profile!?”

  His familiars barking was enough to bring a young woman walking up to the front of the room. She brushed the blonde hair off to the side of her face and adjusted her large and round framed glasses on her face. “Can I like, help you?”

  Pepper froze and realized that he and Amprage must have looked like a twisted pretzel. Their limbs interlocked as he tried to put Amprage in a martial arts body lock Nate had shown him. He leaned in and whispered. “Either behave or find yourself not coming along on adventures.” Amprage growled and he slowly let go of his familiar while standing up.

  The woman was wearing a beige sweater and had just finished pulling the sleaves up before placing her hand on her hip. “Do you have like, an appointment?”

  Pepper couldn’t help but notice that the woman’s voice was unlike the southern accent of the other local populace. He placed it as a west coast valley girl and he immediately feared that she would be handling his taxes. “I’m Pepper Walker, I have a 1 pm appointment. Are you, my uhh…” He paused and caught himself as he almost said my guy. He cleared his throat and continued. “…tax professional?”

  She widened her eyes and then rolled them from side to side. “Yeah, no. I don’t do those. That is all handled by Mr. Chester in the back, yeah.” Pepper then glanced at her name badge which read ‘Becky’ as she looked at her manicured nails on her free hand. “I just handle, like… the clients documents and get them ready for Mr. Chester.”

  “Oh, okay. Well that’s good.” He quietly sighed in relief.

  “Yeah… okay, so like, come over here and let’s, you know. Take care of this.” She turned and headed to a small reception desk. Pepper hadn’t noticed it at first, as the entire desk had been placed behind a wall of plants and other shrubbery which blended in better than military equipment.

  Becky pointed to a small chair that was set off to the side of the desk. It was then that he heard the sound of her long nails clacking away on the mechanical keyboard. He didn’t know why, but the noise was one that slowly dug under his skin and mercilessly clawed away at his soul.

  “Do you have an appointment?” She asked. He felt the baffled expression form on his face and looked right at her. She completely ignored him and kept her gaze locked onto the holoscreen in front of her.

  “Yes… like I said. I’m Pepper Walker, I have a 1 pm appointment.”

  A large gum bubble formed in front of Becky’s lips. It popped and she went about smacking her lips while loudly chomping down. “Oh yeah, you like said that, huh?”

  “Pretty sure I mentioned it. Haha.” He nervously chuckled while his spirit faded into more torment with every key stroke.

  “Yeah, okay so, like… do you have your forms?”

  Pepper lifted his arm up and tapped his other hand on his holodex. “Right here. All loaded up and ready to go.”

  “Okay so… I need you to. Oh gosh, what is it…”

  “Use the transfer files option?” He questioned.

  Becky seemed to ignore him and repeated his statement verbatim. “Use the transfer files option.”

  Pepper took a deep breath and bit the inside of his cheek. “Sure. Absolutely. Let me get you those files.” He pressed the option on his holodex and then hovered the device over the reader. The thing beeped to life and he saw the transfer process complete on Becky’s end.

  “Yeah… Okay, so like, where did the files go? They have to… uhh, technology.” She blew another bubble.

  Pepper had reached up and was actively clawing at his face. He finally couldn’t take it any more and pointed on the screen where the exact folder had appeared where his files transferred to. “Pretty sure they went right there, in that, folder icon… thing.”

  He watched as Becky’s mouse pointer floated across the screen and finally arrived at the folder. She clicked it open and a new window appeared with the files clearly visible. “Oh hey, yeah I found them.”

  “Look at you go.”

  She chuckled and slightly snorted. “I know, right? Shit’s crazy…”

  “No kidding.” Pepper looked down at Amprage and to his surprise, his familiar looked more confused than he did.

  A completely distorted expression was on Amprage’s face. He slowly lifted his head up and looked at Pepper. “How? How is… she… even possible?”

  Pepper took a deep breath as he felt his eyes widen. “I, don’t, know.”

  “Don’t know what? Box 13?”

  Becky’s statement caught him off guard and he quickly turned back. “Excuse me?”

  Her hand was quickly clicking away on the screen and a page finally appeared on the screen. “Yeah, like, right here. You’re…” She paused and leaned forward while her gaze narrowed in. “GT 9 Form… box 13 isn’t filled out.”

  “Okay?”

  She blew another bubble and popped it loudly. “Yeah, it needs to be filled out.”

  “Well, isn’t that also a part of what you guys do?”

  Becky made an overly dramatic face while her eyes crossed for a brief moment. “I mean, like, yeah Mr. Chester does that stuff, but at the same time, you need to have box 13 filled out.”

  “Okay…” Pepper took a deep breath and tried to keep his patience. “Well, what exactly goes into box 13?”

  “Well, it says it on the back of the page. Did you read that?”

  “I guess I must have missed it.”

  “Yeah, you should like, read the back of the page and then fill out Box 13.”

  He felt his knuckles pop while turning white from clenching down on the sides of the chair. “Is it really that important?”

  “I mean… like, Box 16A uses Box 13, and it’s just like weird.”

  “How do I figure what to put in Box 13?”

  “You just put the number in.”

  “What number?”

  “You know, like it says on like, the back?”

  Pepper could feel the heat coming off his cheeks. He was now actively biting down on his tongue. He was doing his best to contain every ounce of frustration that wanted to scream at the top of his lunges.

  Becky finally clacked away on her keyboard and closed the page on the screen. “Like, whatever, I’ll just add a note to Mr. Chester. He can let you know if it’s a big deal.”

  That’s it? That’s the solution. This whole time all we needed to do was leave a freaking digital sticky note for the professional …THE PROFESSIONAL to take a look at it all? He stared and slowly blinked at Becky.

  She slowly turned and looked at him. He noticed her brown eyes that now widened and looked sickened with the way he was staring at her. She glanced off to the side but then back at him. “What?” She took a breath and then rolled her eyes but quickly returned. “Do I have like, something on my face, or?”

  “Nope, I was just…” He looked down at Amprage who was still mesmerized by the woman seated in front of them. “… day dreaming about all the things I was going to buy with my return.”

  Becky raspberried. “Yeah, like… I wish, right? Good luck with that.”