Chapter 1

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Aughhh," Andre groaned, stirring in his slumber.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The alarm blared again, shattering any hope of going back to sleep.

Beep! Be–

He groaned and slammed the off button. His eyes shot open, bloodshot from his overwhelming lack of sleep.

 "Spending all night on that boss was not a good idea," he muttered.

Flinging away his blanket in frustration, he rose up, his feet hitting the cold floor. He trudged to the bathroom, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. 

The fluorescent light flickered on with a hum, casting a subtle glare over the small, tiled room.

Andre splashed cold water on his face, hoping to jolt himself awake. He grabbed his toothbrush, slathered on some toothpaste, and began the familiar routine. The minty taste was sharp and refreshing, cutting through the morning fog in his brain. As he brushed, he caught his reflection in the mirror.

A brown-skinned man with long locs that stopped at his neck stared back at him. His light brown eyes, just a shade away from golden, were tinged with red from the lack of sleep. He frowned, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble shadowing his jaw. 

"Maybe I should just call in sick," he muttered through a mouthful of toothpaste, but he knew that wasn't an option. He had responsibilities, bills to pay, and calling in sick wasn't exactly something he could afford at the moment.

He rinsed his mouth and ran a hand through his locs, trying to tame the wild strands. Satisfied, or at least as much as he could be under the circumstances, he threw on his work clothes: a worn pair of jeans, a sturdy t-shirt, and his steel-toed boots. 

In the kitchen, he grabbed his thermos and poured in the remnants of yesterday's coffee, grimacing as he took a sip. "Bitter as hell," he muttered, but caffeine was caffeine. 

He shrugged on his jacket, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed out the door.

The morning air was brisk, and the sky cloudy.

 'Hope I won't need an umbrella today'

He thought briefly as he walked to the bus stop. Plugging in his earbuds, he let the music drown out the noise of the waking city. 

The bus arrived on time for once, and he climbed aboard, nodding to the driver before finding a seat near the back. He watched the city pass by, the buildings and streets of New York an indifferent backdrop to his daily grind.

When the bus reached his stop, Andre hopped off and walked the short distance to the construction site. The sound of jackhammers and heavy machinery filled the air, a sound he had long since grown used to. He clocked in and grabbed his hard hat, joining the crew already at work.

As a bricklayer, his job was physically demanding, and today was no different. By noon, his muscles ached, and sweat soaked his shirt. He paused for a moment, wiping his brow and taking a long swig from his water bottle.

He looked around at the rising structure, taking in the smell of chemicals, wood and cement. 

'This is what I get for dropping out without a plan.'

Taking another swig of his bottle, he went back to work.

"Hey, Andre! Need a hand with that wall?" Sam, one of his nicer co-workers, called out.

Andre shook his head. "Nah, I got it. Man. Thanks, though."

Sam gave him a thumbs-up and went back to his task. 

People like Sam in this line of work were a hard find. Most were usually too busy nagging about their wives, kids and overall shitty life to bother thinking about anything else. 

Sam on the other hand was more.. jovial to say the least, he was definitely on route to a promotion. Andre appreciated people like Sam, social butterflies that usually made conversations a bit less awkward as he often preferred to keep to himself.

Focusing back on the task at hand, he worked steadily, laying brick after brick with precision.

His boss, Mr. Thompson, walked by, inspecting the progress. "Looking good, Keep it up."

"Thanks, sir,"  Giving a brief nod, he quickly went back to work, with only a few more hours left on the clock, he was more than ready to just leave.

He respected the man, fair and straightforward, like all good bosses were but he wasn't one to engage in much small talk.

By the time the day ended, Andre was exhausted. He clocked out, bid a few of his coworkers a curt farewell, and made his way back to the bus stop. The ride home was a blur, his mind numbed by fatigue. 

Once home, he kicked off his boots and collapsed onto the bed. The apartment was quiet, save for the hum of the fridge and the distant sounds of the city outside his window. He thought about picking up the controller and facing that damn boss again, but the allure of sleep was too strong.

"That can wait till tomorrow" he sighed, closing his eyes and letting the weariness take over.