Topic: Once A Rookie... (18+)

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-21 01:04 EST

They say that life is a highway and its milestones are the years, And now and then there's a toll-gate where you buy your way with tears. It's a rough road and a steep road and it stretches broad and far, But at least it leads to a golden Town where golden Houses are. — Joyce Kilmer

Graduation Day St. Louis, Missouri July 7th, 2002 — 06:13

Twenty four.....twenty five....twenty six.... There was nothing but silence in the Mendoza household and the calculated panting breaths of a fresh faced Felix. Twenty seven....twenty eight... Or so he thought.

"You're up early, mijo," the breathy yawn of his mother was stifled by a petite hand swiping over her face.

Twenty nine.. "Training," he panted, his palms flat against the dingy carpet of his room as slender corded muscle bunched in his arms and shoulder blades as the carpet came closer then farther away from him. Thirty.....thirty one...

Watching her son for a moment from her lean against the doorway to his bedroom, she smiled softly. "My mijo..." She sighed, shaking her head. "First of the Mendoza to graduate high school.." She had to press her lips together to stifle the emotion bubbling up to the surface, threatening to spill over at the prospect of her boy growing up....successfully.

Thirty five....thirty six... "Madre," he sighed, shaking his head briefly before continuing on. Thirty seven....thirty eight...

"I'm prouda you." She shrugged away from the doorway to take a seat on his bed.

Thirty nine....Fourty. His muscles sang with aches from overworking himself, but he interpreted it as a success. Lingering there a moment to catch his breath, he pulled his legs under him before slowly standing. Swiping his hands over a long face coated in sweat, he looked over to the woman looking down at her hands on her lap. "Mama....You're gonna cry when we get there, aren't you?" He gave her a wide, knowing smile that was often referenced to a particular Batman villain.

"Non!" She denied, turning her head away from him to sniffle once. "I'm a strong woman, I can handle my..." That bottom lip started quivering as she fought to get the words out. "M-my m-mijo graduating.."

"Mama.." He warned, giving her that don't you do it look. He hated seeing his madre cry, even if it was overwhelming joy and pride. It made him feel strange that it was over him for some reason.

"I'm fine!" She declared, raising her hands. "Even if my baby boy is the f-first of the family to graduate..." She swiped fingers under delicate lashes to smear away the moisture that was accumulating.

"Mhm." He seemed skeptical, eyeing her as his hands were placed on his hips.

She was quiet for a long moment, refusing to look at him for a moment. It wasn't until those chocolate irises met his, a spitting image of hers, that she broke her control. "My mijoooooooooooo," she wailed, pouncing off the edge of the mattress to sling her arms around him. She very nearly crushed him in that matronly embrace.

Groaning, his arms came around his mother as his eyes lifted to the ceiling. He towered over her even at a modest 5'11, but many people did. "Mamaaaaa," he whined. "Come on." He huffed, squirming as any boy would when it came to this situation.

"Lo siento," she apologized softly, releasing her vice-like grip on him as she took a step back and scooped up his grinning face in her hands. "I'm going to make you real waffles this morning, mijo. None of that toaster mierda." Scrunching her nose at him, she gave his cheek a pat before releasing him to head for the doorway. "And go take a shower! You stink!" She barked, flapping her hand at him before disappearing to the kitchen.

Watching her leave, he shook his head and released a slow breath. Her affection and emotion was justified, really. He knew that on some level. The first of the family to graduate, with high honors no less and without a criminal record by the age of 18. "Thanks, Mama," he muttered, peeling off the sweat-coated t-shirt he'd slept in that night before heading for the shower like she demanded.

Today was the day to make her proud.

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-21 05:14 EST

The Approach St. Louis, Missouri October 10th, 2002 — 14:23

He'd only been out of school for a few short months. Between keeping up his studies and classes, he'd been working a part-time job to help his mother pay the bills. Now he didn't have classes to take up that portion of the day anymore, he'd picked up a second part-time job when his first told him they couldn't give him full-time work. Working forty-something hours a week, it still didn't feel like enough.

Was he a workaholic" Hardly. He just had a particular sense to make sure he felt like he'd accomplished something with his life. It was almost like he was trying to make up for his family's bad habits and lack of success with his own actions. And anyone who claimed so....wouldn't exactly be wrong. His mother told him time and time again that he didn't have to prove something, but he didn't feel the same way. Who he was proving it to, he didn't even have the answer to. Society' His family'

Someone at work had told him about the job fair at one of the local colleges, that it was open to the public just as much as it was open to the college students. After hanging up the towel at the end of his shift, he'd booked it from his work to the fair. There was still a couple hours left of the fair being open, and he didn't want to miss anything important.

Reaching there by the use of a city taxi, he had no more than an hour left. In a rushed manner, he pulled money from his wallet and pressed it to the shoulder of the cab driver. "Gracias!" He called, bolting from the cab with a swat to close the door before he made it over to the stalls.

He'd spent that whole hour going through the stalls, with little success in finding interest in anything available. He'd been approached nearly immediately by a military recruiter. He'd listened to their speech, promised to take the brochures and get back to them once he thought it over.

It wasn't until he reached the final table that he paused. A man in uniform with a proud Sheppard sitting next to him, watching the crowd with the patience and calmness of a saint.

"Hello, son," the man smiled to him. He was a stout white man. It wasn't until he stood from his chair that his smaller height showed, making him look even wider and bulkier than he already was. He was an aging man, one who took care of his physique more than he did keeping the lines from his face. His salt-and-pepper hair was cropped close to his scalp and he had a depth in his eyes that said he'd seen a lot of shit. He held out his hand to Felix, leaning over the table. "Lieutenant Thompson. This here is my partner," gesturing to the Sheppard who's tail started wagging, though he remained calm looking between the men. "Officer Bosco."

Felix's smile spread wide over his face as he looked to the man in uniform, taking his hand when it was offered to give it a firm shake. "Felix Mendoza," he introduced himself before releasing his hand. Gesturing to the canine, "may I?"

"Of course, son. He's got quite the firm shake," he chuckled, lowering himself to his seat once the introduction had been made. It wasn't conventional to allow someone to pet the furry police officers, but he watched the boy curiously.

"Officer Bosco," he nodded to the dog, crouching down to hold out his hand. "Good to meet you too." The canine made a grumbling noise, lifting it's paw to place into Felix's hand for a shake. Laughing, Felix turned his burnt wood hues onto the man. "You weren't kidding." Turning to the dog, he reached his other hand out to give the top of his head a ruffle with his palm. "Good boy." Releasing paw and head alike, he stood to his feet.

"You seem to be good with animals, boy." The Lieutenant assessed with a sweep of his eyes over the fresh-faced teen.

"I've always had a way with animals, I guess," he shrugged nonchalantly, looking over to Bosco who seemed to want to edge closer to him.

"Can see that," he seemed amused. "You know, we offer careers working the canine units. We're always looking for Trainers. Or you can request partnership. It's rewarding. You ever consider a career in the force, son?" His head tilted, his eyes locked on Felix as if he could peer into the man's soul.

The boy looked between the two officers, it was clear by his expression he hadn't. "No, sir. I've considered veterinary work.." He smiled a bit. "But I don't think I'd be cut out for it." The idea of putting animals down put a pit deep in his stomach. "....Rewarding you say?" That word seemed to pique his interest.

The man's smile spread as he nodded slowly. "Aside from being a fire fighter or a doctor, I can't imagine a line of work more rewarding," he claimed. "Bringing criminals to justice, keeping the city safe. Protecting the people." Looking into the older man's eyes, Felix believed him. He wasn't crooked like a lot of cops on the streets, he believed in honor and the true meaning of the badge. It wasn't just a means to get away with murder, or a badge of authority to push civilians around. To be the big man on the block. He took his job seriously, and it was probably that look in the man's eyes that had the young boy eyeing Bosco.

"What would I need to do?" He looked back to Thompson who smiled even brighter. Truth be told, Felix had been the first kid around that seemed genuinely interested that day. That didn't just want to fiddle with the badge, or ask questions about owning a gun. If the keys to the drug lockers were hidden.

They talked even after the Job Fair was over, going over the brochures and going back and forth with questions and answers. Bosco had seemed to make a friend that day, and Lieutenant Thompson had seen potential and promise in the young boy from a bad neighborhood.

By the time Felix made his way home, he had a folder full of information and a bright smile on his face. And a decision to make.

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-21 09:12 EST

Indecision St. Louis, Missouri October 11th, 2002 - December 9th, 2002

Anyone who knew Felix knew one thing about him: he never made snap decisions. Everything in his life up to this point was calculated, thought out. He analyzed every key detail that seemed relevant, sometimes even irrelevant. He thought about how it would effect him down the road, the people around him.

He was certainly the black sheep of the family. The Mendozas were known for the impulsiveness, their recklessness. Known for never thinking things through which was the key reason why most of them ended up in the slammer or worse. Even his mother was an oddball for only having two sons, though it had been medically necessary for her to get her tubes tied after having Felix.

He was the opposite of his brother who shared the Mendoza traits. Cesario had been getting in and out of trouble with the cops since he was young, he'd been kicked out of school by the age of fifteen. By the time Felix had reached high school, Cesario was off and living with some girl he'd met at a bar and knocked up within a month. Rio certainly wasn't the prized 'good child'.

He'd studied the brochures given to him from the Job Fair from front to back, every bit of that folder with the information on the Academy and what he'd need. The options given. The potential. The reward Lieutenant Thompson had told him about.

He found himself asking opinions from his friends at work, discussing it and weighing the pros and cons with those that offered their advice. Some looked at him like they were crazy, perhaps knowing about Cesario. Some thought it was a great idea, that Felix's nature seemed to fit. Even a couple of them teasing him about "looking good in uniform", though that one had made him scoff.

December 9th, 2017 — 13:47

Finally, he thought it was time to give Cesario himself a call. He rarely came to visit these days, dealing with a young kid and his woman. Madre tried to get him to visit more, but he always made an excuse. Felix had never really understood Rio's reasons for steering clear of home.

He knew Rio wasn't all that fond of cops, hearing the way he'd talked about the 'pigs' in the city. How he'd call them scum and just out to be the big dogs in town. Sitting on a stool by the phone attached the wall, his head was leaned back against that very same wall. Looking up at the ceiling as that deafening ringing tone droned on.

Just when he was about to give in and hang up the phone, assuming Rio wasn't going to answer, that gruff voice killed the ringing. "What?"

Squirming on the stool, he wasn't so sure why he felt so nervous calling his brother that day. They'd never really been close, but they hadn't been distant really, either. They were brothers. Maybe he was crazy for hoping for him to be supportive. "Hey, brother. It's Felix."

"Felix, brotha!" That deep baritone called, much more pleasant than when he'd answered. "What's up" Mama die or some shit' Why you calling me?" It was almost impressive how his tone could go from casual, to sarcastic, to confused in the manner of two seconds.

"What' No. Mama's fine. I'm uh, just checking up, man. How's it going?" He wasn't really, but for some reason, the words he wanted to say kept sticking to the roof of his mouth like peanut butter.

A crackle of laughter spilled through the landline as he heard Rio find amusement. "Yeah, okay, buddy. You're just calling to check up. Seriously, what?s up?" The distinct click of a lighter could be heard over the line, the puff and inhale of a cigarette before he started speaking to his woman. "Ay, chica. I'm on the phone with Felix. Get the fuck outta here with the kid, huh".....Aight, she's gone. You gonna tell me what?s up or do I gotta go over there and beat it outta ya, ay?"

"Well, I.." He started, pausing when he heard him speaking to his woman like that. His nose scrunched in distaste for it, shaking his head. Mama would beat you with a broom hearing you talking like that to her, man... When it was just them again, he let out a nervous laugh at the threat that was all but empty. "Nah, nah...Well. I've been thinking about the future, y'know?"

A low distracted grunt came out. "Ng. Future. This shit again."

"Well, yeah..." He let out a hopeless laugh, already starting to regret calling his brother about this. He didn't care. He didn't even know why he thought Rio would.

"Out with it."

Taking a slow breath, he tipped his head back and closed his eyes as if preparing for Rio to lose it. Maybe it was a good thing he'd called instead of talked to him in person. "I'm thinking about being a police officer."

There was an almost deafening silence on the other line. He almost thought Rio had hung up.

"...Rio?"

"You're going to be a fucking pig, brotha?" There was a mixture of shock and disgust in his tone.

"Man, no. It's not like that, alright. I know some of the cops in town are shit, but.."

"No, you're telling me you're going to be a fucking pig. Do you even KNOW how they see us, bro' We're nothin' but fucking beaners and criminals to those pigs and you wanna go signing up with those-"

"Rio-"

"Why the fuck are you even telling me th-...Why are you even considering-.."

"Rio!"

"This is fucking bull****, Felix. You wanna be a- I can't even believe you." Rio scoffed.

"Listen, it's not as bad as it seems," he sighed, opening his eyes as he hung his head. He should've known better than to tell Rio about this.

"You have fun being a pig, brother. You'll end up just like the rest of them. Thinking you're fucking better than us. Don't fucking forget where you came from-"

"How can you even think I'd be like that, man' I know where I came from. I grew up in this city just like you-"

"Fuck off, Felix." Click.

Staying on the line for a moment after the line went dead, he let out a slow breath through his nose. Burnt wood hues resurfaced as he turned on the stool to hang up the phone on the hook. "Well...that was a mistake," he muttered, shaking his head.

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-22 07:47 EST

The Decision St. Louis, Missouri December 23rd, 2002 — 20:05

Working double shifts for the holidays, it wasn't until 8:00 at night that he spilled through the front door of the meager apartment. "Ng," he grunted, rubbing the side of his face with the flat of his hand. He was exhausted, even if it was still early. Closing the door behind him, he looked longingly to his bedroom like he just wanted to go to sleep.

"Welcome home, mijo!" Chirped his mother from the kitchen.

"Thanks, Mama. How was your day?" Tossing his keys into the small glass dish on top of the bookshelf lined with religious figurines of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and angels. Slipping his jacket off his shoulders, he tugged on the sleeves to slide them off before hanging the thin fabric off the coat rack. He turned away from the door and made his way toward the kitchen where he could hear his mother moving around.

"Busy, busy, busy," she sighed, shaking her head. "Mail came in for you today," she flapped her hand toward the counter where there was a small stack of envelopes. "You hungry, mijo' I made dinner, I can warm it up for you."

"Mail, huh?" He looked over to where she was flapping her hand, making his way and nodding. "That'd be great, Madre. Gracias." Leaning against the counter, he looked through the envelopes, flipping them up one at a time to see who or what they were from. Bill, bill....oh. His eyes widened a bit as he pulled a thicker envelope from the pile and tore into it. "Come onnnn," he breathed.

"Aye' What is it?" She eyed him, pulling that night's dinner out of the fridge and getting a plate fixed for him.

"It's....Well, I don't know yet." Carefully pulling the piece of paper out of the envelope, slow and hesitant like he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to read it.

"You seem awfully excited, mijooo," she sang. "It can't just be nothing." She eyed him for a moment before putting his dish in the microwave to heat it up, putting the dishes away into the fridge for leftovers.

"I...ng." Trailing off, he unfolded the paper. Taking a deep breath, those burnt wood hues moved from side to side as he scanned them over the words. His expression was worried at first, only to slowly curl into an excited grin. He was quiet for a moment until he read the last words. "....I got in."

The microwave beeped and his mother pressed the button to open the door, glancing over her shoulder at him with a look of confusion. "Got in" Got into what?" Pulling out the plate, she set it aside for him.

Smiling softly, he turned and leaned his hip against the counter while he lifted the acceptance letter. "I..." Scratching the side of his stubble jaw, he shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything unless I found out. But....I applied to college, Madre."

She'd been retrieving him a utensil to eat with when that one word caught on and she turned her eyes to stare at him with a look of surprise. "College" You applied" Where'd you apply to?" Barreling questions at him immediately, she turned away from the plate in the new distraction.

"A school in the city, I applied and.." Shaking the letter, he gave her a small smile. "They accepted me."

"Ohhhhh, mijoooooo," she breathed, pressing her hands to her chest as she looked about ready to spill over into her emotions again. Heading right for him, she reached for the letter and plucked it from his hands to read it herself. Her smile was warm, wide and looked about ready to split her face open as she reached the end. "Mi mijo....a college boy.." she breathed, shaking her head as she looked up at him. "I'm so prouda youuuuu," she crooned, grabbing his cheeks with her hands and nearly shook his face back and forth with the effort. "But...what are you studying" What do you plan on doing with it?" Confusion coming back as she looked between him and the paper.

He'd eyed her when she got emotion, groaning and rolling his eyes as he shrugged. "Madreeeeee," he whined, trying to pull from her grasp until she asked that. He looked at her for a moment, hesitating before he shrugged and cleared his throat. "Well...I.." Looking at her a moment, he took a deep breath. "Criminal Justice."

"Criminal Justice?" She blinked at him, not seeming to understand.

"I....I wanna be a police officer, Madre. And, I can't go to the Academy until I'm 21 so..." He shrugged softly. "I thought it'd look good to get some college under my belt before going in."

She seemed to stare at him for what seemed like forever, blinking as he told her that until she looked at the piece of paper then him until she broke out in uncalled for laughter.

His brows furrowed as he just looked confused, looking at the paper then her as well. "What' What's so funny?" He huffed.

Waving her hand in the air as she shook her head, she was just cackling at this point. "N-no, m-mijo! I'm not laughing youuu," she howled. Shaking the piece of paper in the air, she gasped for her breath as she looked at him with tears wetting her lashes from the laughter. "Aye, aye aye....Oh, out of the history of Mendozas.....a cop..." She looked at him, hopeful he'd see the irony.

It took him a moment, he almost looked hurt that his mother was laughing at him until she gave him that look and brought up their family. Their family who was often in and out of jail, or at least getting in trouble with the authorities. Who were more nefarious than they were judicial. After a moment, he sputtered out his own laughter. Nodding his head, "I get it. I get it."

Breaking off from her laughter after a moment, she was left with a warm smile as she waited for him to finish with his. When he did, she reached out her hands to put over each of his shoulders. She looked him over, perhaps imagining him in a uniform. Her smile softened even more, nodding before she met his eyes. "You make me proud, mijo..." She whispered to him, reaching to cup his cheek. "Just when I think you've got no more surprises...you prove me wrong.." She laughed softly, shaking her head as she lowered her hand and nodded her head. "Eat your dinner before it gets cold."

She moved out of his way, pressing the acceptance letter to her chest for a moment with a warm smile before moving to the fridge. Looking down at it one more time, she reached up to press the paper to the cold surface, putting a magnet on it to keep it in place. "...Are you going to tell Rio?.." Her voice was soft, her eldest son a touchy subject for her.

He'd just picked up his plate and took a bite before he looked over to her when she asked about his brother. Chewing slowly, he swallowed and looked down to the plate. "I called him when I was deciding what I was going to do..." His own voice was soft as he sighed. "...I'm sure you can guess how that went.."

Turning around, she kept her emotions in check as she gave him a gentle smile. Nodding, she looked to the floor a moment. "I'm sure I can." Shaking that off, she lifted her head to eye him. "It doesn't matter. You're brothers. He'll come around eventually, mijo. Family is family. And I'll whoop him with the broom if he makes a fuss." She nodded firmly, patting Felix on the arm as she came close. "I'm going to go lay down, mijo. It's been a long day."

He forced a smile on his face as he nodded to her. "Yeah, Madre. He'll come around." He wasn't quite sure if he believed that. He chuckled when she brought up the broom, imagining her chasing a full grown Cesario around. "I'd pay to see that. Mmk, Madre. Gracias," lifting the plate to gesture what for.

She nodded to him, reaching up to plant a kiss to his cheek before slipping away to her room.

He was quiet for a while, idly eating as a million thoughts swam around in his head. He just hoped Madre was right.

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-22 22:03 EST

Noche Buena St. Louis, Missouri December 24th, 2002 — 08:50

It was a four hour drive where it was agreed they'd be having Noche Buena that year, his Aunt Claudia's new house. There was a big back yard and plenty of space for their expansive family. Felix and his mother agreed to leave that morning to make it in time to help cook for their evening dinner, but as it reached 9 in the morning, Cesario had yet to show up.

"Mijo, can you call your brother to see if he's still coming?" Madre called from her bedroom where she was finishing getting ready.

"Aye, Madre! I'll call him!" He called from the living room. He'd been ready more than hour ago, dressed well and presentable for the family get together in a dress shirt and tie. Standing from where he'd been waiting on the couch, he strode over to the phone line and leaned against the wall. Plucking the phone from it's receiver, he punched in Rio's cellphone number and waited. It took calling twice before he picked up the phone.

"Hola, Madre," he sighed, a hint of irritation in his gruff voice.

"Rio, it's not Madre. It's-"

"Oh. Wannabe Piggy. What do you want?" His tone was clipped, irritation growing as the seconds passed. "Talk."

Felix rolled his eyes slowly and let out his own sigh. Instead of acknowledging the name, "Madre wants to know if you're coming to Noche Buena today. Are you driving with us or-"

"I'm going to Noche Buena with Rosa and the kid." Deadpan, impatient.

He had to close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose to keep his tone in line. "Why don't you bring Rosa and Nicol's with you, then the family can-"

"We've got plans, Felix."

There was a tick to the edge of his jawline, a flex of muscle beneath the stubble jawline as he pinched his nose harder. "You at least coming to church tonight' You know Madre wants to at least see you guys-"

"I said no, Felix. Jesucristo." Click.

The line going dead tore a stream of curses beneath Felix's breath as he held back from slamming the phone back to the receiver. Running his hand over a shaved head, it hit his thigh when it dropped.

"Is he coming, mijo' Or meeting us there?" She called from the bedroom.

"Neither, Madre," he sighed, moving toward the open doorway of her room. Pausing there, he took up a lean against the frame. "He's not coming."

She was in the stand-up mirror, trying to find which sweater went with her blouse and skirt. "Not even to service?" She frowned, looking at him in the mirror.

"No, Mama..." He shook his head, lifting his eyes to meet hers in the mirror. "He said he's going with Rosa and Nicol's to see her family." He wasn't entirely sure that was true or a lie to get out of coming to Christmas.

"Oh. Well," she sighed, deciding on a sweater as she slipped it over her arms. "He's a grown boy. He can make his own decisions who he wants to spend Noche Bueno with." Her tone was bland, that twinge of sadness around the edges that Rio had skipped out on another family get together.

"It's okay, Mama," he forced a smile on his face. It irritated him that Rio always did this to her. He didn't care if Rio hated him for becoming a cop, but he'd been skipping out on spending time with their mother long before that phone call. "We'll still have fun, aye' You know Camila had another kid, right?" Flashing her a wide smile as he picked up her purse and held it out to her.

"Aye, aye, aye..." She groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm surprised they're not just walking out by now. How many she got now?" Eyeing him as she finished buttoning her sweater and moved to take her purse from him.

"This one makes four," he snickered about his cousin. She wasn't even twenty seven yet and she almost hand a handful of munchkins running around. "She said she wanted a big family." He shrugged. "She wasn't kidding." He laughed softly, nodding his head for the door.

"No, she wasn't," his mother chuckled, taking his arm as they made their way to the door. "Thank you, mijo..." She whispered, glancing up at him.

"For what?" He furrowed his brows, looking down at her as he scooped his car keys from the dish by the door.

"For being a good boy." She looked away from him when she said it, patting his arm with her other hand. "Te amo."

She didn't have to say it. He knew. Thank you for making time for me. "Te amo, Madre."

Rookie · Date: 2017-02-23 02:31 EST

No Rest St. Louis, Missouri May 13th, 2003 — 15:38

There'd still been no word from Cesario. He'd tried to call a few times, but the moment Rio realized that it was Felix calling instead of Madre, he barked some insult or just hung up. Eventually, he stopped answering all together. At that point, Felix had given up. He didn't want Madre to not be able to reach Rio in case she needed to. Whatever his brother could possibly offer her, he didn't exactly know.

When enrollment came around for school and then the first day of class, his mother had hoped Felix would cut back on hours at work or drop one of the jobs when he started. Instead, he just tacked it on with the two part-time jobs he was already working. She worried over him, claiming he was overworking himself and running himself into the ground already. But he didn't see it.

Nearly three months into classes, he was starting to feel it. Others had seemed to notice, too.

Working a 9-5 shift at the neighborhood grocery store, he was on his final break of the day. He'd been sluggish that day, sore between work and little sleep. The routine workouts in the morning to build himself for the physical fitness needed for the academy....still three years away.

In his tan work slacks and forest green polo shirt, he was sitting on the ground outside of the building in the shade. He'd hoped the fresh spring air would help him, but it had only coaxed him into sleep where he was leaned against the brick wall.

"Felix," a woman's voice coaxed him to consciousness. Though the nudge of her foot to his leg aided in that, too. "Felix, wake up, man. You falling asleep on the job now?" She snickered, nudging away at his leg.

His head sprung up, eyes blinking slowly like they didn't want to stay open. "...What?" Lifting his chin, the petite girl who was no more than a couple years older than him was standing. Her abyssal hair was pulled into a high ponytail, pale skin only looked paler beneath the dark color of her polo. She usually had an eyebrow ring in, but she had to take it out for work. There was a cigarette scissored between her fingers, one she flicked with her thumb to the filter to send a dusting of ash to the ground. He moved his leg out of the way. "Hey Anna," he grunted, rubbing his face with his palms before his head popped up again. His brows furrowed. "What time is it?"

"Hey," she snickered at him being a little slow on the draw. She lifted the hand holding the cigarette, tilting her wrist to look at the thick black watch on her wrist. "Just a couple minutes short of 3:40. What time you gotta go back in?" Turning her hand back, she moved around him to lean her back against the brick wall. She lifted the leg opposing him, pressing the sole of her sneaker against the wall behind her.

Sighing, he glanced around. "3:45." Relaxing after being informed he wasn't late off his break, he let the back of his head press to the rough surface of the bricks.

"You been sleeping lately?" Tipping her chin down, she eyed him with a narrow of her eyes. They were somewhere between friends and co-workers, often hanging out on breaks or lunches but never took their time together outside of work.

He squinted up at her, a fleeting look before he looked away. "Few hours a night." Picking up the water bottle at his hip, he twisted off the cap and took a long swallow.

"That ain't much, man," she glared at him. Quiet for a moment, she took a slow drag of her cigarette before holding out her travel mug. "This'll keep you awake better than water," she offered, giving it a little shake. It was still full, having been refilled before she came out for a smoke.

"Yeah, and the crash is a real bitch," he snickered, waving off the offer of coffee. "I'm good, this is more hydrating." Lifting the opened the bottle for emphasis before taking another swallow and capping it.

"Suit yourself," she shrugged, bringing the mug to her lips. The sole of her sneaker scraped loudly on the bricks as her foot slid down, just for her to crouch beside him and tilt herself back against the wall. "So, why aren't you sleeping much?" Glancing over at him, one eye squeezed shut against the wisp of smoke threatening her lashes.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. He shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "Just been busy between working here and my other job. And school now." And the 6 am morning workout routines....He didn't bother mentioning those though.

"Shit, dude....I get tired working this place four days a week," she scoffed, shaking her head with a soft laugh. "I don't know how you do that." Quiet long enough to suck more putrid smoke into her lungs, she glanced down at his haggard expression. "You're overworking yourself though. You're starting to look like shit."

Scoffing, he cut a smirk up to her. "Thanks...."

"No, really. You're younger than me and you look like my mother after a week at the hospital." She objected, lifting her brows as if she was making a good point while bringing the mug up to her lips.

Rolling his eyes, he tucked his chin and stared ahead. "You're starting to sound like my mother."

"Well...Don't you think if you hear it from more than one person, it might be true?" She countered him, lowering the mug to give him a pointed glare.

Scowling, he felt like he'd heard this all week. "Yeah, yeah..."

"Listen, I'm not trying to give you shit. Just don't want you running yourself into the ground and leave it to me to pick your fucking slack," she laughed, reaching out to give him a nudge to his shoulder.

The playfulness brought a slow grin to his face. "Maybe you should follow my example and get off your lazy ass once in a while then."

"Fuck you, pal. I'm a hard worker. I worked two whole pallets today. Two!" Holding up the fingers scissoring her cigarette, she nodded and eyed him. "Two!"

Laughing, he rolled his eyes. "Damn amiga, how you manage to stay upright?" He said, his tone oozing sarcasm at that point. He reached out, tilting her wrist so he could read her watch. "Shit, I gotta go in again," he sighed, groaning as he climbed the wall awkwardly to get to his feet.

Watching him stand, she craned her neck back and squinted up at him. "Yeah, get your ass up old timer. Get outta here." She waved her smoking hand as if to shoo him. "You're crampin' my style."

"Fucking kids and their damn rap music," he muttered, sending her a Joker-like grin that was matched with her own before he sorely walked toward the building. "Jesucristo," he breathed, his legs feeling like someone had run him over with a truck.

Maybe they were onto something....