And here I am again on this lovely September day… I've been feeling rather sick all day… Headache, sore throat… and on top of that… my monthly feminine issues started this morning. It's been such a lovvveeeeelllllyyyyy day

Not.

Anyways, hopefully a review or two will help me feel better… enjoy this instalment.

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Chapter 3

After two full days of doing odd job work around the apartment building he lived in, Gar sat with three of the other tenants in the building's common room, playing a game of Poker.

Across from him sat Mr. Yerssa's sister Wanda. She lived down the hallway from Gar and got free rent considering her relative owned the place. But her rivalry hadn't died down with her sibling. Mr.Yerssa would probably be charging the brunette for the room if his wife hadn't interfered and said she could have it for free, and although they still hated each other they put on a good show for Mrs.Yerssa. Everyone got quite a kick out of it when they saw it happen.

To his right sat a rich foreigner, with the accent barely anyone could understand, named Bingo. Well his name wasn't actually Bingo. No one could pronounce his real name, or remember it for that matter, but shortly after he arrived Wanda learned he loved the game Bingo. Thus the name was born. No one really knew why Bingo lived here, or even if he had a job, but the crazy cat lady on the second floor once spread a rumour that he secretly owns and runs a country from here in this building. No one really believed her, though… I mean, there is a reason why they call her a crazy cat lady.

To his left sat John. John was a cook at a local restaurant and was probably the sanest out of everyone who lived in the apartment building. The only bizarre thing about John, though, which wasn't even that bizarre, was that he was the oldest out of them all, and according to Wanda, was one of the most romantic and understanding men she'd ever met. But he didn't even have a girlfriend! Gar, Wanda and John were the only three in the apartment who were single. Bingo even had a girlfriend; her name was Tamara, she lived down the hallway and was using him for his money… but the bizarre little dude could still say he was taken!

"Gar? Gar… Anyone in there?" Wanda said as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, coming out of his trance.

"That is very acceptable, friend Garfield Logan. But it is the time for you to play," Bingo said, referring to his cards. Gar smirked at Bingo's speech. It had always reminded him of how Starfire spoke. Only Bingo's accent was much worse than the alien's.

"Ummm…" he groaned looking down at his cards, "I'm going to fold."

"All right. Well that means I automatically win!" John said as he collected his chips from the centre of the table.

"I am completed," Bingo sighed, leaning back into his chair.

"If you mean you're done playin', then same here," Wanda added, as she threw her remaining chips in the middle. "It's gettin' late, anyway."

"Yeah. I've got an early rise in the morning," John agreed standing up and pushing in his chair.

"I guess that means I'm done as well," Gar muttered, picking up his jacket.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Wanda exclaimed as she started to dig through her purse, "Here." She handed Gar a newspaper clipping. "I spotted that today, and I know you've been lookin' for a job, so I figured that some of those pictures you've been drawin' deserved a better place then your apartment wall."

Gar looked down at the paper, where there was a want ad for an artist. "Thanks, Wanda."

"You're welcome. You just better not forget it! 'Cuz this if a definite IOU on your behalf"

Gar grinned at her. "Don't worry, I won't."

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The next morning, as soon as he thought the woman advertising for an artist would be awake, he ran down to the lobby where the pay phone was. His telephone had been cut the week before because of the lack of bills being paid, but, thankfully, Mrs. Yerssa had forced Mr. Yerssa to get a payphone installed the year prior… the cheap bastard… he wouldn't get anything overly expensive done unless you pried him with a hot rod… And Gar was convinced Mrs. Yerssa had at times.

"555…" he muttered out loud reading the number off the advertisement. "2978."

After a few rings a dry voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is Rachel Roth there?" Gar said cheerfully.

"Speaking. Who's this?"

"My name's Garfield Logan. I'm calling about the ad you had put in the paper about the artist."

"Ah, I'm assuming you're interested."

"Yeah… Umm… just a quick question. How much do you pay?"

"Well. How about we meet first. If you'd bring some of your artwork to the café on the corner of Main Street, then we'll discuss payment. If you get the job that is."

"Sounds like a date to me!" Gar exclaimed, with excitement evident in his voice.

"Anything but a date Mr. Logan, strictly business. I'll see you at six." And with that, the woman hung up.

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Later that night Rachel sat in a corner booth of the café, gradually sipping on the herbal tea she'd ordered and patiently awaiting the arrival of Gar.

"Rachel Roth?" a voice called from behind her.

She turned her head to see a rather tall, handsome man standing behind her with a folder tucked under his arm. His short blond hair gave her the sense that it hadn't been brushed in weeks. He wore a baggy forest green t-shirt and dark navy jeans. But the far most captivating thing about his appearance was the pair of olive coloured eyes that danced with the reflection of the various candles in the café. She seemed lost for a moment as her own violet eyes met his pools of forest green, and for a split second, he seemed oddly familiar.

"Have we met before?" she asked, trying to place where she had seen those dazzling jade beauties.

"I'm sure I would have remembered such a beautiful face." he replied flirtatiously seating himself across from her.

"Mr. Logan," Rachel snapped with a hint of danger in her voice, "I'm here to see your work and find out if you're right for the job. Not to flirt."

"Understood," Gar muttered, as his eyes travelled from the pale skinned woman to his folder. She was quite attractive, to say the least. Her long black hair was perfectly cut past her shoulders and her brilliant violet orbs caught his gaze at first sight. Normally, he wasn't drawn to eyes, but her eyes seemed like a mystery waiting to be unveiled. Gar hated mysteries and uncertainty, but those eyes were enough to fall in love with.

Pulling his art out of his file, he placed some of his greatest pieces in front of her, "Here they are."

After hastily glancing at each picture, Rachel's eyes fell upon a small black and white sketch of two young teenagers in a loving embrace under the shade of a giant oak tree. The drawing looked as though hours of long hard work had gone into it. But what she couldn't figure out was why the flawlessly illustrated picture… was of Raven and Beast Boy.

"What's this one about?" she asked curiously as she picked up the sketch.

Gar stared nervously at the picture, biting his lip 'Crap. That's not supposed to be in there.' he thought, trying to find a way to put it into words that wouldn't embarrass him.

"Oh, that? When I was a teenager I was a big Raven fan. She was my hero. And I figured If she wasn't with me, why not with Beast Boy? I always thought they'd make a cute couple. But that wasn't supposed to be in the pile."

Okay, so it wasn't a total lie. Raven was his hero, he was a huge Raven fan, and he did think that he and Raven would've made a cute couple. If it hadn't have been for the accident, he would probably be with her right now.

Realizing what he was thinking he shoved, the memories into the back of his mind and snapped back into reality.

"I see," Rachel finally muttered, as she placed the picture back down on the table. The idea of her with Beast Boy wouldn't be all that ridiculous if it was 7 or 8 years ago. But now, she didn't even know where he was. She glanced at the picture one last time before looking up at Gar. "How does 15 dollars an hour sound to you?"

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And the plot thickens! Hope you enjoyed!

Lot's of Love,

-Mlzy 3 xoxoxox

P.S- In response to a question from one of my readers. Yes, Fargoth… I did used to be on Neopets… and that guild. I haven't been on there in forever though…………………… did I know you on that?