Title: Go Anywhere, Do Anything
Author: Carrehz
Rating: PG-13, I suppose.
Character(s): Pat, Kaboom and Kimberly; Giggles and 420 are vaguely referenced
Warning(s): Swearing, mild suggestiveness I guess?
Notes: First-person, written from Pat's point-of-view. This is a companion to Like A Kite Without A String, so it'll probably make the most sense if you read that too.

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Go Anywhere, Do Anything

I'd known her for several years now, I suppose. Whenever I hung out with my friends, she was usually there, sitting in the corner quietly and only occasionally joining in the conversation. Her name was Kaboom Curran, and to be honest, I didn't know much about her at all. She was more a person that I hung out with, than an actual friend. She didn't seem to be friends with anyone here, really, so I'm not sure why she kept joining us, especially at this point - a year after graduation, most of the old crowd had moved on, found something else to do, something better than hanging out on street corners and trying to be edgy.

As for me? I was getting ready to move on, too. I still liked my friends, of course, but I wanted to get out into the real world, be a proper adult. I used to dye my fringe black, but I'd stopped doing that a while ago... I was getting tired of having to re-dye it every month or so, and besides, most people didn't take you seriously when you looked like a whiny emo kid. I was starting to grow out of all of that, anyway.

"...So anyway, are you still moving to Felicitas, Pat?"
I looked up, shaken out of my reverie. "Yeah, hopefully. I still need to find a roommate though, I don't think I'll be able to afford it otherwise," I explained. I'd dreamed of moving to the city for a while now. Telluria was alright, I suppose, but I didn't want to live here forever. I'd already looked into housing, I had an idea of which jobs I wanted to apply for... but I wasn't really sure how to find a roommate. I knew a few guys that had moved to Felicitas, but they'd all gone to college. I wasn't sure what to do about that yet, what I wanted to study... so I'd decided to take a year or so off, work for a while, think about things.

"You... need a roommate?"
I glanced over at the cat that had just spoken - Kaboom. I hadn't expected her to say anything... like I said, she normally kept to herself, and that had been particularly true lately. She'd outright said several times that she was just hanging out with us because she was avoiding her sister. That was the main thing I knew about Kaboom - she hated her younger sister. I'm an only child, so I guess I can't understand what that's like. I've never met her sister, really - she was two years below us, in school - but I'd seen her a few times, hanging onto people and chattering excitedly at them. Completely the opposite of Kaboom, in every way; I could see why they didn't get along.
"Well, yeah.. I mean, that'll make it easier if I could split the rent and shi- stuff, with someone else." I used to swear a lot, but recently I'd been trying to stop.
"M-maybe I could move in with you."
I blinked; I really hadn't expected that. As far as I could tell, she had zero plans for the future. But then... well. Kaboom didn't talk about herself much, but I got the impression that her home life wasn't that great. She talked about her sister a lot; how much she hated her, how annoying she was. And she'd mentioned having an older brother, once or twice. She never talked about her parents. If the subject came up, she'd start fidgeting and change the subject. I tried to avoid bringing it up; no point making her feel bad about it here. Perhaps she was avoiding them, too, for whatever reason. It wasn't any of my business.
"...Really? I... yeah, maybe?" I wasn't opposed to the idea; it would help me out a lot. Part of why I'd been dragging my feet trying to find a roommate is that I didn't particularly like the idea of living with a total stranger. Although... "Wait, do you even have a job?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer was most likely "no".
She looked away, seemingly avoiding my gaze. "Well.. no... not yet. I was thinking I could look after I moved..."
I considered things. Maybe all she needed was someone to reach out to her, someone to help her out of the bad situation she seemed to be in. Maybe she just didn't know how to get out of it by herself.
"Yeah, I guess that could work," I said, making up my mind on the spot. "Look, I'll give you my phone number, okay? Then I can call you later so we can talk about it more," I continued, scribbling down my number on a piece of paper and handing it to her. She took the scrap of paper from me quickly, not even glancing at it as she shoved it into her pocket.
"Alright..."
I felt a twinge of unease, but I pushed it away. I was doing the right thing. Moving in together would help out both of us, I was sure of it. I'd have a roommate to split the bills with, and she'd have a fresh start. It'd be perfect.

~~~~

We ended up moving the next week. My parents had been sceptical when I told them I was moving in with a girl I knew from high school - I'd mentioned Kaboom to them once or twice before, but they'd never met her or anything. They asked if we were dating... what a weird idea. She's nice, and all, but I don't see her like that at all. It had never even crossed my mind that people might think that.

I'd offered to help her move her stuff, but she said she could handle it by herself. We agreed to meet at the bus station; she arrived about an hour late, claiming her sister had "held her up", or something like that. Didn't matter much to me; I wasn't in a rush to get there. But I suppose in hindsight, maybe I should have seen that as a warning sign.

I found a job quickly and soon fell into a routine; Kaboom... did not. I didn't see her that often; whenever I was home, she was usually holed up in her room. At first I tried not to say anything about it - maybe she was just having difficulty getting a job. But as time passed, I realized that she wasn't even trying to find one. I'd come home from work and she'd be sitting there staring blankly, her hair sticking up at odd angles, looking very much as if she'd only just woken up. I'd ask her if she'd looked for work, if she had any ideas for what she wanted to do - if she'd be able to pay this month's rent - and she'd mumble, look away and change the subject. And the longer this went on, the more frustrated I became.

~~~~

One day, as I walked home from work, I stopped outside a bar. Why not, I've worked hard this week. Besides, I didn't feel like going home just yet. I'd only be greeted with more excuses, and that's if she talked to me at all. Money was tight, especially this month, but I was pretty sure I could afford a quick drink or two.

I sat at the bar for a while, nursing my drink, before a voice interrupted my thoughts. "Everything alright, hon?" I looked up, to find a jackalope woman standing there, looking... concerned, almost? "Mind if I sit here?" she continued.
"Oh - um - sure, go ahead," I stammered, edging to the side so she could get in. She was really pretty...
She sat down next to me, ordered a drink, then turned to face me. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but it looks like you've got a lot on your mind."
"Oh... well, yeah, I guess I have."
She smiled. "My friends say I'm a good listener, if you want to talk about it."
"No, it's alright," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "I wouldn't want to bore you; I'm sure you've got better things to do than listen to a stranger's problems," I added, smiling myself.
"No, no, I don't mind!"
"Well, if you're sure." I shifted in my seat, getting more comfortable as I continued, "It's my roommate... she... well," I stopped. I was frustrated with Kaboom, sure, but I wasn't going to sit here and gossip about her to a stranger. "Where to begin... wait," I shook my head, laughing slightly. "Where are my manners... I'm Pat, what's your name?"
"I'm Kimberly! It's nice to meet you."
"You too." I took another sip, trying to think of how to explain what was on my mind without betraying Kaboom's privacy. "Now, where was I... well, a while ago I moved in with this girl I know. N-not like that," I added quickly, seeing the look on her face. "We're just friends. ...Not even really that, to be honest. See, she..." I broke off, again trying to think of the right way to word it. Kimberly didn't say anything, just continued to watch me, patiently. "I think things were kind of rough at home, for her. I'm not... well, it's not really my place to say stuff about that." She nodded. "But I needed a roommate, and I thought it'd help us both out if we moved in together. I figured if she was living somewhere else, she might be more... motivated? To do something with her life. But as it is..." I sighed. "I don't think she means to take advantage or anything. But she hasn't been paying her half of the rent and I've had to scramble to get all the money in time... I had to ask my parents for help this month," I admitted, embarrassed. "And I guess I feel kind of sorry for her, but..."
"Yeah... that's rough," she replied, leaning a bit closer as she spoke. "I know some of my friends have had trouble with their roommates not paying their way. Haven't you tried talking to her about this?"
"That's just it.. I try asking her about it every time I see her, but she usually just avoids me... She hasn't even tried to get a job, since we moved here. And, and maybe it'd be different if we were at least friends, but... I don't even really know that much about her. She's just someone I know from school."
"Why not give her an ultimatum? You know, 'pay next month's rent or you're out', something like that?"
"Because she's never paid rent at all, the whole time we've been living together. I wouldn't mind if it was just the one time, but.." I sighed again. Kimberly looked at me, glanced down at the bar, then back up to me, before she spoke again.
"Well... Pat? Can I say something?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you just tell her to find somewhere else to live?" I looked away.
"I don't think she has anywhere else to go... I don't want to just kick her out onto the streets.. I don't want to be an asshole, you know?" I paused, then looked back at her, realizing what I'd said. "Oh - sorry."
"'S'okay," she said, shrugging. "Look, I get where you're coming from. And you're a sweet guy for saying all of that, but... You need to think about yourself too, you know?" She put her hand on top of mine. "If she keeps doing this, and you both get kicked out, where will you go?"
"I... I guess I could just go back to living with my parents.." I stammered, staring at her hand. "...I don't know. I need to think about things." She nodded again, moving her hand away. I took another sip of my drink, then turned to face her, smiling. "Now then... You've listened to my problems, so it's only right that I listen to yours too! Er... if you have any, I mean.."
"Oh! Um, let's see..."

~~~~

We talked for several hours. Kimberly was so pleasant and easy to talk to. She was funny, she seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say... plus she was gorgeous. During a lull in the conversation, she ordered another drink; I was about to join her, but a glance at the contents of my wallet made me think twice. "Looks like I'm out," I said, pocketing it again. "I'm on a budget... Besides, I should really get going, I've got work in the morning."
"Oh.." She looked at me, then at the floor, fidgeting suddenly. "Um.. er... do you want to come back to my place?" she said, blushing slightly. "I-I mean it's okay if you don't want to, I know we only just met, but-"
My eyes widened. "You mean like.. um..."
"Mm-hm," she nodded, still blushing. "I, um. I really like you, Pat..."
I smiled nervously. "T-then yes! I'd love to."

~~~~

I woke up early the next morning. At first I was disoriented, confused as to where I was... and then the events of the previous night slowly filtered back into my mind. I smiled, looking at the woman lying next to me, her long hair fanning out behind her, her head thrown back slightly so as to avoid spearing me with her antlers. Trying to figure out how to get close without being hit in the head with those had been interesting... in a good way, of course. I watched her for a minute or two, before remembering that I had work today. I glanced at the clock sitting on her bedside table; I still had about an hour before I had to leave. Still...

Kimberly stirred as I moved. "Morning.." she said sleepily, looking up at me, her eyes still half-lidded.
"Morning," I said, leaning in to kiss her. We remained like that for a few minutes, before I reluctantly pulled away. "I have to go to work, I'm sorry.."
"It's okay," she said as she sat up, more awake now.

A few minutes later, I stood by her front door, ready to go. "Hey, Pat... Can I see you again sometime? I really enjoyed being with you last night," Kimberly said, hugging me. I hugged her back, kissing her forehead.
"I'd like that. Last night was wonderful."
She pulled away after a bit. "Don't want to make you late for work. Hang on, let me give you my phone number..."
We exchanged numbers, then stood there looking at each other, neither one entirely sure what to say.
"...Pat," she said eventually. "Don't beat yourself up about her, alright? Your roommate, I mean. You're too nice a guy to get hurt by something like this." She fidgeted a bit. "That's why I approached you, last night. You looked so lost in thought, and- and I thought you looked really nice, and..." She glanced at the floor, took a breath, then looked back at me. "W-well, I really like you. Just, think about what I said yesterday, okay?"
"I will," I promised. "And um, Kimberly? I like you too. Um.. Thank you." We kissed again, then I left.

My mind was racing with thoughts as I walked away. I didn't have to go to work just yet... I had plenty of time to go back home first. To confront Kaboom, to tell her enough was enough. And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the right thing to do. I had to. And I had to do it now, before I had the chance to change my mind. Things couldn't go on like this any longer. It wasn't fair to either of us. And maybe this would do what nothing else had done, maybe it would shock her into sense at last.

I reached my flat and paused in front of the door. I didn't want it to come to this. I felt awful about it. But it had to end now. It had to.

I took a deep breath, then opened the door. "Kaboom? Are you awake?"