James Raven's Career: A Short Story

It’s been a couple weeks since all hell broke loose on Proving Ground XI now. Petey and Sauce spent countless hours with their team to get all the music back up on Soundcloud and he finally found some time to get some shut eye. We’ll get back to that, though. Petey is laid down on what looks to be a hotel bed, at least that’s what it seems like through his eyes.

Petey closes his eyes and the scene becomes all wavy and stuff like they always do when someone starts dreaming in the TV shows. Everything clears up to show Petey standing at the edge of the hotel bed. He has a bottle of wine in one hand and his phone in the other. His phone buzzes as a message comes through. Petey lifts his phone up to his face and the Face ID unlocks it. The message is from ‘THE HIP HOUSE’.

YUNG SAUCE: PETEY, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!

Confused, Petey takes a second to think if he’s supposed to be anywhere right now. Nothing comes to mind and the very next second, another message from Sauce comes through.

YUNG SAUCE: DUDE… WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

Before allowing Sauce to send another text like all the girls do when he takes forever to respond, he messages back.

LIL PETEY: I’m at the hotel room, bro. What’s good?

Petey’s phone dings again as another message from Sauce comes through.

YUNG SAUCE: MEET ME IN THE LOBBY! RIGHT NOW!

Petey takes a swig of the wine and then puts his phone in his pocket. With the bottle still in hand, he walks out of the hotel room and closes the door behind him. The halls of the hotel are silent. You could hear a feather touch the floor, that’s how quiet it is. At this point, Petey is starting to get a bit weirded out. He presses the button on the elevator and presses ‘L’ for lobby, even though he nevers takes L’s himself. The elevator door closes and then it starts to descend.

This was the longest elevator ride of his life. A lot of thoughts are currently going through his head.

“Why the fuck are Sauce’s vibes WAY off right now”
“Can I finish this bottle before reaching the lobby?”
“Damn, my fingers still stink… I washed them like 50 times”
“Holy fuck could this elevator go any slower?”

Before long, Petey turns the bottle upside down and starts chugging. He spills a little on his floral button up shirt and tries to wipe it off, only to make it worse. The elevator slows down until it comes to a full stop. A ding is heard and the door opens. Petey had never seen anything like this in his life. Fire trucks, ambulances, police, half the hotel, everyone and their momma are currently gathered in the lobby. He slowly steps out and notices Sauce freaking out in front of a policeman. Everyone turns their attention to Petey as he slowly makes his way over to Sauce. Sauce’s voice can be heard, shaking with every sound that comes out of it.

YUNG SAUCE: I told you man, he was here and then he wasn’t. That’s all I got. I was talking to him one second and when I turned around, he went missing.

Petey finally reaches the two and both of them look directly at him.

YUNG SAUCE: It’s about fucking time. TJ is missing again, dude!

The policeman sniffs around Petey after he walks up.

POLICEMAN: What’s that smell?

With a blank expression on his face, Petey looks directly into the policeman’s eyes while pointing to the wine on his shirt.

LIL PETEY: I just spilled the fucking Rosé, man. What’s going on? How did TJ go missing again?

YUNG SAUCE: Did you not just hear me? I was talking to him one second and when I turned around, he went missing.

Petey strokes his beard as if he was thinking intently.

LIL PETEY: So, you’re telling me that one second TJ was there and then the next… he wasn’t?

YUNG SAUCE: That’s exactly what I just fucking said.

LIL PETEY: TJ just disappeared into thin air then? That’s what you’re telling me right now?

Sauce becomes irritated and slaps Petey right in the face.

YUNG SAUCE: Are you not listening to me?!

LIL PETEY: I heard you loud and clear broski, I don’t know why you had to hit me like that. You sayin’ TJ became a ghost or somethin’.

Silence strikes and Petey grabs a hold of Sauce’s shoulder.

LIL PETEY: Did he act strange or anything before he just vanished?

YUNG SAUCE: Nah, man. We was talking about how we’ve never seen a deerbra and then he went on a tangent about Gerald. When I replied to him, I got no response. Man this is not good.

Just a few seconds later, TJ comes out of the elevator with a couple paper towels in his hand. No one notices him and he sneaks up on Sauce and Petey.

TJ THOMPSON: Yo, what the fuck happened here?

Still not noticing that TJ is there and without even moving a muscle, Petey takes a deep breath.

LIL PETEY: TJ’s fucking missing man. He just vanished.

TJ THOMPSON: Dude… I’m right here.

Both Sauce and Petey turn into the direction they heard TJ’s voice, only not to see him. He wasn’t there. Moving their heads back and forth, he’s still nowhere to be found.

LIL PETEY: Please tell me you heard his voice, too.

YUNG SAUCE: … I… thought I did?

They start looking behind furniture and shouting his name, but he’s still nowhere to be found. Petey stops and lightly punches Sauce on the shoulder.

LIL PETEY: DUDE!

YUNG SAUCE: WHAT?!

Petey pauses for a brief moment.

LIL PETEY: TJ made like James Raven’s career and vanished again.