Everything is Green

Chapter 1

"Oh shut.. the fuck.. up" you groan as you slap your alarm clock to get it to stop making the horrible noise it always seems to do at 6:30am sharp. It may seem outdated that you still use an actual alarm clock in the era of smart devices, but you've fallen asleep one too many times without charging your phone to rely on it to wake you up.

Today is the first day of your new job you found through an ad posted online. You'll be bartending at the infamous club Exchange in downtown Los Angeles. With a college degree, you never thought you'd be bartending, once again, to make ends meet. Back home in your small town, you used to bartend on the weekends to put yourself through college. So, your experience, vibrant personality and, quite frankly, your looks, got you through the interview process pretty easily.

It's a Saturday morning and you don't have to be at the club for your first shift until 9pm, but you woke up early enough to get your bearings in a new city, since you only arrived 2 days ago. It will probably be a long night, since you're scheduled until 4am, but you hope you can squeeze a nap in somewhere throughout the day once you finish running your errands.

You finally start to stir around, kicking angrily at your sheets to get them off you. You are not a morning person. You finally sit up, throwing your legs off the side of your bed. You sit there for a second rubbing your eyes in hopes they'll stop burning from the morning light coming through the large windows in your small studio apartment.

The windows in this place are the main reason you chose to live here. Well, that and it was the only place you could afford. The windows fill the entire wall of your living / bed room. Floor to ceiling.  As you walk into your apartment, the kitchen is directly in front of you on the very far wall, but only taking up half of it. To your right is a small bathroom containing only the necessities and nothing more. You do have an amazing clawfoot bathtub but you're much more of a shower person so you overlook the amenity. To your left is the living room / bedroom. A geocentric book shelf separates the two. Since you use the bookshelf for plants and other random items as well as books, it's not completely full. Meaning, you can still see through some parts of the shelf. It creates just enough privacy for you, but also allows the space to feel bigger than it actually is. Facing your bed, to the left, on the same far wall as your kitchen, is a small space for a table and only 2 chairs. Your "dining room".

The concrete floors and walls may seem cold and somber to some, but you've spent the first 2 days in your new home decorating exactly how you like it. You've strategically placed just enough plants around the space to give it a nice pop of color and freshen up the air a bit. You found a lovely burnt orange velvet couch on sale. Some may find it a little eccentric, maybe that's why it was on sale, but it fits you to a T. Bright, sophisticated, soft, and often overlooked. A nice modern rug placed in the living room gives your feet a place to hide from the cold floor. A small vintage coffee table fills the space between the couch and large TV you have placed in front of the book shelf. The size of this TV may seem like overkill for an apartment of this size, but what can you say? You love your movies.

Once your eyes have finally adjusted, you search for your phone you tiredly threw some where last night before bed. You have a few missed texts from when you were sleeping. You actually fell asleep pretty early last night since you were so exhausted from your move. So this is expected. You have a couple from your mom you decide to reply to right away.

Mom

How's your night going? Getting settled in okay? 8:58pm

Well you must be asleep, goodnight I love you. 10:29pm

Hey just checking in, haven't heard from you 6:12am

You

Good morning momma, sorry I was exhausted last night I fell asleep pretty early.

Going to run a few errands today then I have work later tonight 6:35am

Mom

That's okay, I miss you already. I wish you could've stayed here. I know things got tough but I worry about you being so far away alone. 6:36am

You don't reply, trying to avoid that conversation at all costs for what seems like the millionth time. You see that you also got a few texts late last night from one of your old best friends who has lived in LA for a few years now, Alex.

Alex

Y/NNNNNNN 10:29pm

What're you doingggggg 10:36pm

Stop being lame & come out with us 10:40pm

You better not be asleep right now it's Friday night & I haven't seen you in years 10:47pm

You suck 11:23pm

Okay sorry for calling you lame & saying you suck I love you :( 11:48pm

But I'm still upset you're FUCKING SLEEPING RIGHT NOW 11:49pm

Oh my, he was definitely drunk. You laugh to yourself as you read his texts to you. You used to work with Alex back at home when you were both in college. You got pretty close because of your shared interests and aspirations. Even though he moved to LA a few years back, you never lost touch and still consider him one of your best friends. He's now a pretty well known model, doing anything from runway shows to magazine shoots. Even though you know he most definitely isn't going to be awake at this hour, you decide to text him back.

You

Dude my body's clock is still set to a different time zone 6:41am

I don't know how to be alive after 8pm yet 6:41am

I hope they didn't have to drag you out of the bar last night, call me when you're coherent I miss you 6:42am

Just as you're about to put your phone down and get up to shower, a text notification sounds and brings your attention back to the screen. For a split second you thought it might be Alex, still awake from his drunken Friday night. That's until you read the name on your screen.

Audrey

Y/N wtf? 6:45am

Did you move and not tell me? 6:45am

Why the fuck is there a for sale sign in OUR front yard? 6:45am