Just One Brief Chance

''Pride. It has many faces and goes by many names.''

It serves many roles in everyone's life.

Whether it's when you take pride in a friend's achievement,

or when you fight to the bitter end of your life because of it.

Pride

It's everywhere.

A teenage boy leaned on the balcony of a rented hotel room. He had shoulder length blonde hair that he kept in a messy, yet spiky fashion. He wore a blue and white overcoat with a steel plated belt with the word "hope" inscribed on it. He saw the amazing performance of colorful explosions that were going on before his very eyes. However, all the boy could do was sigh and walk back to his room. He walked over to his bed and rested his body onto the comfortable furniture. He looked over at the end table to see a framed picture, which he picked up and looked at. It showed not only him, but three other people as well, they all looked quite happy.

"Such a shame that you guys are missing out on so much," he said to himself before placing the picture back to it's rightful place.

A knock came from the door, which the boy jumped up and quickly answered it.

"Hello there," was his response.

Before him was a maid wearing a frilly victorian maid dress with a bonnet on her head. She looked like she was in her early twenties.

"The soup you ordered is ready. Minestrone if I'm not mistaken?"

The boy's face beamed as he gently lifted the glass bowl and placed it on a end table and gave the maid seventy jewels.

"I think this belongs to you," he said in a kind and generous tone.

The maid smiled at him and accepted it. Soon enough, the he closed the door and had let out another sigh. before him.