"Shrinking Under Pressure"
by Sonicfan287
Chapter 2: Family Issues & New Beginnings
Zack got into his Chevy and slammed the door. He took out his keys but didn't put them in the ignition. Instead he held them in his hand and kind of gazed at them. He almost never accomplished anything in a timely manner. Everything from walking the halls in the morning to taking a shower was always elongated and prlonged for whatever reason. In this case, Zack didn't mind at all. He was content to just in his car, peering up at his rearview mirror and back down at the keys in his hand before finally shoving them in the ignition. He started the car and backed out of the parking lot, leaving the radio off for a few moments before finally shuffling through some channels.
"I am in..." "--mutha fuckers don't know how to --" "--and in other news --" "I don't believe it ... " "In your community for over ..." "Two for the price of one!" "...and on Sunday..."
"Fucking nothing on" Zack chuckled and turned off his radio. In his pocket he could feel his cell phone vibrating but he didn't care to answer it. He let it keep going until it finally stopped. Contact from anyone via his cell phone was usually bad news or his dad calling for something.
"Oh crap" Zack mumbled, talking to himself as usual, "My dad!"
He sped up and took the first left turn he could to turn around and head back in the direction of his father's office.
Austin & Son Graphics had been in business for over 20 years but of course at one time it used to be called just 'Austin Graphics'. Over the years Zack developed a love for his dad's business, signing trucks and businesses all over Connecticut. Many of the graphics were done by hand but by this time, he had adapted most of the new digital technology and printed massive decals at his facilities, an office as well as a production plant for his large scale graphics.
When Zack turned 18, his dad was thrilled to have him aboard and was pretty much his first and only employer. Zack's dad, Frank Austin had his own short fuse but for the most part took solace in the fact that Zack shared his enjoyment of art. Business had been slow for Frank and his wife, Diana when they started the business in the 1980's but over time, it grew in popularity, his sole motivation to provide for his coming son.
Being Zack's father and boss though took a toll on their relationship and many times, he found himself frustrated with Zack's lazy approach to things. A successful business is a reliable one, he'd always say and there was nothing reliable about keeping clients waiting because of video games that were more important.
It was about 6:44 in the office when Zack ran through the door.
"Dad, I am so sorry" Zack said, fighting to get the words out. Zack also hated to be sorry.
"It's after 6:30, Zack" Frank sighed, "What took you so long? You're usually done with Nancy by 6..."
"Our session ran a little long and..." Zack hesitated.
"And what? You thought you could have another day off?" Frank shouted. It wasn't uncommon for Zack to veer off and decide he didn't feel like coming to work after his counseling meetings, since Nancy's office wasn't too far from Eastern. He'd usually prefer to head back there and waste the night away, rather than driving the 20 minutes to get back to his hometown in Norwich. "Jesus, Zack, I don't even know why we pay for this counselor for you... it's not like you..."
"Hey! No, I didn't want a day off, dad!" Zack snapped, hesitating at first before deciding to just jump right in, "Leave me alone, I don't want to talk about it"
"Okay fine, we won't!" Frank said and then sighed, "Look... we've both been under a lot of stress... we've got the Strickler account again this year and it's going to be pretty involved."
For the past few years, Austin Graphics was fortunate enough to land an account with the Fall Festival committee who threw a large parade in Norwich. This involved printing several large scale posters, designs and more. After seeing what a great job their company did, it was only natural that they'd stick with them, but now they were looking for even more. It all started a couple years back when Zack designed the logo that would eventually be used to represent the Fall Festival, a swirling orange leaf he had more or less doodled on accident. The leaf itself was part of a larger drawing and wasn't a leaf at all, but rather an abstract representation of female hair which curled and contorted into crazy patterns before resting at the top of a girl's face, with distinct facial features, the most remarkable of them being fully rendered light blue eyes.
"Man, we gotta do this project again?" Zack sighed.
"Yes, and cmon, you used to love doing this" Frank replied,
"Yeah, when I was in high school, and had more time!" Zack said, "I'm in college now! I don't know what the hell I'm doing and I don't have time to design everything for them, because that's always what it ends up being..."
"They trust you, Zack, they trust us" Frank said, "And you should be proud of that, trust is a very important thing"
"Yeah, well I'm not" Zack sighed, a glum look on his face.
His father could only stare back in disgust.
Up at UCONN Storrs, things were looking a little more positive. A new crowd of students filed into and out of buildings at an alarming rate. UCONN's main campus was full of buzz, which is what left Ashley Tremorton feeling a bit out of place. Other than her good friend Alicia, she didn't have too many personal acquaintances, and as she made her way up to her room, she couldn't help but feel a bit weighed down by her stress.
She turned down a busy corridor packed with people, feeling occasionally jostled by some of the unfamiliar faces who carelessly made their way through. Before she could turn around and express frustration, the antagonists were usually nowhere to be seen. She scoffed and tried to disguise her anger as a quick laugh, brushing some of her auburn hair aside as she hurriedly proceeded up the flight of stairs to her second floor dorm, clutching her books and supplies tightly against herself.
She walked into the room and flopped down on the bed, allowing her books to fly haphazardly onto the floor and surrounding areas. Her roommate Caroline paused, removing her headphones for a moment to greet her.
"Sup, roomie?" Caroline smiled. Caroline was always smiling. Considering Ashley's current mood, maybe it was for the best that she was lucky enough to be paired with such a mellow roommate. It also helped that Caroline regularly engaged in smoking marijuana.
"Hey" Ashley said, her voice sounding distant as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling above her.
Caroline slid one earphone back on, allowing herself to speak while still listening to the Paramore album blaring from her iPod.
"What's up?" she asked, also preoccupied with her laptop as she studiously slid her finger across the touch pad to engage in an exciting session of Farmville on Facebook.
"Huh?" Ashley asked, slightly surprised to even be spoken to, "Oh not much... how are you?"
"I am fantastic..." Caroline said, her voice drawling a bit as she spoke, "You know Trent from Physics class?"
"Uh-huh" Ashley nodded, realizing she could've just about said or done anything and Caroline would've kept right on going.
"Well, I just checked his facebook out and guess what? He's single!" she exclaimed, "I've been waiting that relationship out for quite some time..."
"Hmm. Cool" Ashley said, attempting some kind of emotion
"Psh!" Caroline tsked, taking off her headphones altogether and glancing right at Ashley. Sensing this, Ashley swerved her head and made eye contact, "C'mon Ash, this is Trent Davis for fuck's sake, and guess what? His friend Travis is having a party this weekend and we are so going"
"What do you mean 'we'?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well c'mon I need a wing man... girl, whatevs" Caroline shrugged.
"Heh -- I, I'm sorry" Ashley said, sitting up now in her bed "I like you and all but I don't know if I'm really --"
"Oh c'mon, it'll be awesome! And I'm thinking before that, we get totally made over" Caroline said, causing Ashley to stare back inquisitively, "Yknow, new hairstyles, wardrobe, everything... I'm trying to help you too, yknow ... there's going to be so many hot guys there"
"I appreciate it, but I don't know..." Ashley said, "I was never really the party type and..."
"You got that right, girl" Caroline said, getting up and setting her headphones down on the bed, proceeding to her closet.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashley tsked, crossing her arms
"Chill" Caroline sighed, crouching down and rummaging through her things to uncover a small shoe box. "It's just that you have 'quiet girl' written all over you, but this is college now! It's time to spread your wings, yknow"
"My wings are fine where they are" Ashley said, half smiling and turning away from Caroline as she unveiled a small plastic baggie with a small sample of pot.
"I'm telling you, Ash, you remind me of my roommate last year... total bore" Caroline said, "She didn't do anything... but you on the other hand, you look like you have potential ... just hope you don't waste it"
"With all due respect, Caroline, some of us are here to get an education" Ashley retorted.
"Yah... sure" Caroline smiled and leaned back as she lit up a pipe, "Ya want some?"
"I'll pass..." Ashley sneered and slumped back onto her bed, rolling over and facing the adjacent wall.
Giantess World
