28-year-old Joey Porter slammed the door as he walked into his Pittsburg appartment.
"How could she do this to me?! I gave her four great years of love and she cheats on
me?!" he exclaimed, talking to himself, "That bitch!". It was devastating when Joey found
out that Racheal was cheating on him. At first he refused to believe it. But after knowing
about it for weeks he broke down and questioned her. She told him the truth and said that
he was nice but he just wasn't her type. This infuriated Joey and he stormed off without
even saying good-bye. After the initial fury, however, he realized how badly he missed
her. After all, she was his first real love. He decided to go to bed and get over his anger.
The next morning, he woke up to the telephone ringing. It was his best friend, Rufus.
"Hey, man," he said in his inner-city accent, "I know you prob'ly ain't feelin' up to it yet,
but I figured I'd call and ask ya if ya wanted to come wit' me to the street fair today. Do
ya?"
"Yeah, sure," Joey answered, "It might help me get my mind off things for a bit." So he
threw on some street clothes, grabbed his wallet, laced up his DC's, and locked up his
appartment. After stopping in at the office to pay the rent, he walked outside. It was a hot
Pennsylvania summer day only amplified by the reflected heat from the concrete and
buildings around him. He caught the bus to the intersection of Liberty and 5th Streets
which was near Rufus's apartment. As he got off the bus to wait for his friend, one of the
hookers that frequented the corner came up to him. "Hey there, big boy, you lonely?"
"Well, yes. But it's too soon for me," Joey replied.
"You sure?"
"Positive"
"That's too bad," she said, "I bet your a real stud." As she left, Joey saw Rufus coming
down the street. He said hello and they went to get on the bus. As he looked down, he
saw that the prostitute that had been speaking to him had dropped her ring. "Hey, wait!"
he called, but she was to far away to hear him. "Come on, man," said Rufus," the bus is
leavin' and she'll prob'ly be here when we get back." So Joey stuck the ring in his pocket
and got on the bus.
After a day of fun and greasy food, Joey was tired and glad to be getting home. As they
got off the bus, he remembered the ring. He looked around but couldn't find the girl
anywhere. "It's just a little late," said Rufus," she'll be here t'morrow."
This time, Joey didn't slam the door, he closed it gently. He felt guilty about the ring. He
kept it in his pocket until he went to bed. But as he took off his jeans, he decided to take
it out. If he put it in his dirty clothes pile, the woman would never get her ring back. He
set it on the nightstand and took a shower after brushing his teeth, he got into bed. It was
still hot and the AC was broke so he slept in the nude. He looked again at the ring and
decided the best place for it was on his hand so he wouldn't forget it. As he slipped on
the ring, a female voice whispered, 'You have activated the powers of the ring! You will
now become the animal you desire. If you do not choose, one will be chosen for you.'
Suddenly, Joey felt a tingling sensation all over his body.