Page 30 of Mr. Frosty Pants

“Did you read that book? Because it was pretty good.”

“Bullshit.”

Casey grinned. “The point is, I need to find my mission in life. I know what I want to do for my career, but I need to find the right place to do it. I want to live somewhere I’m passionate about too.”

Joel rolled his eyes. “Passion is pointless.”

“Well, you seem to have taken that sentiment to heart in every possible way.”

Joel blinked, dropped his sandwich to the wrapper. “Did you really just mock me for being a virgin?”

Casey’s lips smirked slightly. “You dish it out all the time. Always have. Can’t you take it?”

“You know I can. Bring it.”

“Okay, I will.”

Joel waited expectantly for Casey to say something more about his poor virginal state, but instead, Casey asked, “So, did you ever finish that book?”

“Which book?”

“You know, the one back in high school. About the vampires.”

“Oh, yeah. Ages ago. And I’ve written a few more trashy horror novels since,” Joel said, lifting his lips in a half smile.

“Really?”

“Lots of ghosts, zombies, and gore.”

Casey’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. “Have you published any of them?”

“Rejection slips line the walls of my bedroom.”

“Don’t give up!”

“I didn’t. But I took matters into my own hands in the meantime. I self-pub under a pen name. Joel Grimsbane.” He chuckled. “It brings in a little extra each month. Not a lot.”

Not nearly enough to make even a dent in the bills.

Casey poked a piece of fallen lettuce into his mouth. “Are they good?”

“How the hell would I know? I wrote them.”

“Did you like writing them?” Casey tilted his head, gazing at him intently. “Would you read them again?”

“I guess. Yeah. Sure.”

“Then they must be good.”

“Becca read a couple.” Joel picked a stray leaf of spinach from his sandwich just to keep from looking at Casey.

“Didshelike them?”

Joel remembered Becca calling him after midnight, crying and hyperventilating, begging him to come to her apartment and spend the night. “Since it’s your fault I’m too scared to fall asleep, you sick, awful fuck!” “Yeah, she liked them.”

“Well, I’m still a horror fan, thanks to you making me read Amityville back in the day. So I’m definitely looking them up. You’re on Amazon?”

“Enough about me and the books,” Joel said, shifting uncomfortably. “Let’s talk about something else now.”