Blame my Childhood

Wake up Call

Ah... the water is nice... the sand is warm.

I wiggle my toes in between the sand, enjoying how soft it is.

The waves of the ocean are lapping against the shore, a gentle rhythm that soothes my soul.

The horizon stretches out endlessly before me, the water a deep, tranquil blue.

The sun is high in the sky, casting a golden light that makes everything sparkle

I can't remember the last time I felt this peaceful.

"AHH!-" Tweek's eyes shot open, a dream.

He sat up abruptly, the cold floor of his apartment jolting him back to reality.

The neighbor. Again woke him up.

Tweek groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and stumbled over to the window.

"It's 2 AM," he murmured to himself, peeking out through the blinds at the quiet.

The scream came to a stop. Tweek sighed. He knew it wasn't the first time, and likely wouldn't be the last.

The silence was eerie, a stark contrast to the serene beach he had been dreaming of.

He threw on a hoodie and shuffled to the kitchen, flipping on the light to brew himself a cup of coffee.

He had a project to look over before he went to work.

He opened his laptop, which was sitting on a small dining table.

As he sipped his coffee, the caffeine began to kick in.

He glanced around the room, his eyes adjusting to the soft light of the laptop screen.

Tweek had lived in this run-down apartment complex for years, and his neighbor was someone from work, they were pretty much the only people who lived here.

Kevin, his work buddy, was throwing a party for his birthday tonight.

Tweek had RSVP'd with a tentative 'yes'. But he knew Kevin would be upset if he didn't show up, so he decided to make an appearance.

-

Already 7 am? Wow he had catched up on all his work.

He had barely slept, but the screams and the caffeine from his midnight brew had kept him going through his work. With a final sigh, he saved his progress and closed his laptop.

"Gah!- I need to get ready..." Tweek mumbled.

Soon he was ready for work, he didn't have a car and work was quite far by foot, so he took the bus everyday.

He lock the door behind him. He didn't see his neighbor as he showed up to work an hour early everyday.

The bus ride to work was a blur of early morning traffic and half-asleep faces.

Tweek stepped off the bus and walked the last block to the office. As he approached the office building, he spotted a familiar figure leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

"Morning, Craig," he said with a tired wave.

Craig looked up, a cloud of smoke escaping his nostrils as he exhaled. "Tweek, you're early," he noted, his voice flat.

Tweek shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Craig's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

He took a long drag from his cigarette before flicking it away.

"Kevin's party tonight, right?"

Tweek nodded, trying to hide his excitement.

"Yeah, Kevin's turning twenty-five," Tweek said, trying to keep his voice from cracking with the yawn that threatened to take over. "You are coming, right?"