[@T Risket]
	"Are. You. SERIOUS?" James almost screamed. Goro had taunted him for as long as he could remember, and this time he had really thought he would get him. "[b]Welp...I'm sure you'll get him next time [/b]" Max said to him. "Yeah, probably." When Max looked at his watch, he shuddered. "[b]Looks like its time to get goin anyways...we don't wana be late for the haunted house[/b]" Max grinned while saying this, but James knew it was forced. "Oh, right..."  He stared off into space, before following Max out the door, and onto their bikes. All night he had been trying to forget about the inevitable visit to the haunted house. But now, as they glided towards it on their bikes, he felt a bit less apprehensive. The bikes soothed him. He was still terrified, but he could deal with terror. It was the uncertainty that got him. And the questions. [i]Will I have an asthma attack? Will there be an accident? Will something go wrong? Will I die?[/i] Finally, they arrived. James shook at the building. "How did I get here?" He muttered to himself.
[center]1 and a half hours earlier...[/center]

	"DAAAAAAD!" James yelled from his upstairs bedroom. "Got any money?" He said as he practically sprinted down the stairs. James's father looked over his glasses, one eyebrow raised. "And why would you need this money, James?" James froze. [i]Oh crap oh cra-[/i]"To get books!" He shrugged nervously. "Why else?" His mother gave her input from the kitchen. "As long as you and Max don't go to that 'Comic Cavern'." She used air quotation marks on this. James sighed exasperatedly. James's father handed him two dollars in quarters. James looked at the score in mock sadness. "I won't be able to get more than one book!" James's father looked suspicious, but he gave him another dollar. "Thanks dad! Bye, love you!" He said quickly while rushing out the door.
	He practically leaped onto his bike, pedaling out of the driveway as fast as possible while a grin stretched across his face. "This is going to be so rad!" He rode as fast as he could to the Comic Cavern, and when he arrived he impatiently stored his bike and ran inside. He looked around, amazed by the sheer amount of joy all these arcade machines and comics could gift a kid like him. While he was waiting for Max, he browsed the machines, surprised by a new machine. "Polybius..." He read out loud to himself. He had never heard of it before, but hey, might be good. He was about to put some quarters in when he noticed a certain bike pulling towards the Comic Cavern. James began walking out to greet Max.

[center]Present[/center]

	"Are you sure this thing is up to code Max? It might, I dunno, fall on us! Or what happens if a bear is living in there? We'll get mauled!" He took a puff of his inhaler. "Just saying, man, we need to be safe about this." Max was his best friend. (And maybe his only.) Sometimes he rushed into situations that, may or may not be safe. He looked back at the imposing building. "We don't necessarily have to do this Max." Not even his sunglasses could hide the fear in James's eyes. "Never mind. Let's just get this over with. Then do you wanna go to my house and read some of the new comics I got?" He loved sharing his comics with Max. Even if they were less than impressive, and only mediocre, he had a massive collection.	
	Max was one of the few who understood James, and one of the even fewer to befriend him. It wasn't because James was hard to befriend. Nope, it was because it was hard for him to befriend someone. They had similar interests, unlike most of the boys in his class who loved sports and football and all the stuff James hated. The nerdiness of the two was a source for max teasing and even more shunning. However, James didn't mind it anymore, as long as he had Max on his side, he would be okay with things.