Mirror

Chapter 1 (Draft 2021)

Ryder walked into his one-bedroom apartment. He was exhausted from work;  Ryder was a night stocker for a retail store. He usually works from midnight to eight but today was a different day. He worked till noon this day; Ryder is an average height man. He has thick black messy hair that he never combs. He had an average build, just with very broad shoulders. Ryder fell like a sack of bricks to his couch.

He was relieved to be on something so soft. Ryder was ready to drift off into a deep sleep. However, his phone was playing a ringtone. It was a high-pitched ringtone. But it was recognizable to Ryder.

Ryder groans because he knows who it is and what they probably wanted. With his head still on the couch cushion, he grabbed his phone. Ryder answered it and put it to his ear. In a deep tired druggie voice, Ryder spoke: "Hello?"

The other side of the phone displays another mood of emotion. It was full of energy and cheerfulness. "Ryder! The big man! How are you doing? Why do you sound so tired? Did you not take your nap?"

With all the questions the man was asking, Ryder was getting a headache. "Frank," said Ryder in a desperate tone, "please, calm down. One question at a time."

"Oh, so it was one of those days, huh?" Frank said in a softer tone.

Ryder sighed. "Yeah, one of those days."

"Well, you should get your nap then because we have a long day ahead of us," Frank said.

Ryder's eyes shot open. His face became a questionable stare. If Frank were there, Ryder would be staring at him. "What do you mean us?" Ryder asked, that deep druggie voice leaving his throat.

"Uh, yeah us. Did you forget?" Frank said, trying to lead Ryder into answering his own question.

Ryder thought for a moment or two. In an instant, he remembers what it was. "Wait, that's tonight?"

"Yeah, you scheduled off tomorrow, remember?" Frank asked.

Ryder was off the next day, but he completely forgot the reason why. "Oh, right... I did forget." Ryder said in a depressing tone.

"Well, I guess you could sleep for an hour or two. But you are a big part of this get-together for it to work." Frank said.

Ryder paused for a moment. "Wait, why am I a big part?" Ryder asked.

"Well, how else are we gonna get drinks?" Asked Frank as if it was obvious.

Ryder sighed in annoyance, "Are you telling me that I'm buying... like usual?" Ryder asked with a bit of anger in his voice.

"Well, yeah, of course, because I don't have a job." Frank simply said.

"No, you can't hold a job," Ryder said in a very frustrated tone.

"Jobs ain't my thing, bro," Frank said as if that's the perfect answer. "Once I become famous, I'll never need a job."

Ryder always knew Frank always wanted to be famous without doing anything. It was a losing argument, so he let it slide. Then a thought came by. "What about your parents? They're rich; why can't they pay for it?"

"You know my parents only give me enough money for rent and little food on the side," Frank said.

Ryder sighed yet again, knowing he was right. "Okay fine," Ryder started, "but I'm gonna be cheap about this, though."

"We all know cheap liquor is the best way to get hammered!" Frank said, chuckling at the end.

Ryder chuckled a bit too. "Alright, just let me sleep for like two hours, and I'll pick you up," Ryder said.

"Sounds good to me. See ya soon." Frank said.

"Late." Ryder saying his goodbye as he hung up the phone.

He scrolled on his smartphone to his clock app. He went to set a timer for two hours. Once it was established, Ryder simply fell back onto his couch to drift back to sleep. Once his head hit on the couch cushion, his eyes shut close, and his world went dark.

Two and half hours later...

Ryder showed up at Frank's house. Frank lived in a bad neighborhood. The streets were always littered with so much garbage that it seemed that the city always forgot about this street. The house didn't fare much better either. It was a studio apartment that looked to build entirely out of the mud. There was water damage on the corner of the studio apartment. The door was damaged, most likely from the previous owner. The door always looked slanted, with one spot covered in duct tape.

Ryder's car stopped right in front of Frank's studio. Ryder waited for Frank to get out. And he waited and waited. Frank's studio was still, no activity. Ryder was getting a bit impatient. He honked his horn. Still, no movement could be seen in the studio. Ryder grabbed his phone in frustration to call Frank.

It rang for three rings until Frank picked up the phone. "Sorry, man, I'll be outside in a few," Frank said as shuffling could be heard.

"What are you doing?!" Ryder asked, frustrated. "You said you'll be ready to go when I got here."

"I can't find my sock." Frank simply said.

Dumbfounded, Ryder asked: "Your sock?! What do you mean you can't find your sock?! Just put on two random socks and get out here."

"See, that's the problem. I was gonna wear my orange ones, and one was wet. Then I went to look for my gray socks, and I found one but the other had spaghetti sauce. Then I tried-"

Ryder cut him off in frustration. "Frank! Just find a simple pair! Please, that's all I'm asking for! Just put on some simple flip-flops!"

There was a pause. "That's what I was looking for next."

Holding back the anger in his voice Ryder simply said: "Just - just get out here when you can." Then he hung up the phone.

Frank finally left his studio ten minutes later. Frank wasn't a big fellow. He was built almost like a stick with no muscle definition or hair. If there were a massive gust of wind, he would most likely be taken by it. He also had a skinny face, with flat blonde hair and blue eyes; Frank always wore bright colors of some sort. Today he wore a bright orange cut-off shirt with dark blue basketball shorts. His footwear was tan sleeping slippers.

Frank got into Ryder's car. "Alright, let's go get some booze!" Frank said with excitement. Ryder glared at Frank. "What?"

"So you took ten minutes," Ryder started, "to find some shoes. The ones you found were slippers?!"

"You told me to hurry up," Frank explained.

"Yeah, to find some regular shoes," Ryder said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"What are you so worked up about?" Frank asked. "It's not like people are gonna judge you."

"But I'm the one who is taking you- forget it!" Ryder said as he started the car. "Let's just go."

"Man, you're cranky when you don't get your sleep," Frank stated. "Some booze will cheer you up."

"The sooner, the better," Ryder growled.

"Cheer up; tonight will be great!"