It was Tuesday.

Raine packed his dry-cleaned, coffee-stained blazer in his briefcase and wore his jacket. There were some bloodstains on it, but they weren’t visible from the outside.

He could stay another night at the hotel, but he decided against it. He wasn’t keen on remaining in Beverly Hills for much longer. He wanted to spend some time at home, in his own room, before he left for the Hopkins Company’s island. Although it hadn’t been easy, he was up early so he could see his roommates when he got back.

He had thousands more than he’d had the day he arrived. Levin’s company had given him a few hundred dollars for helping Sora, so he could take a taxi home, eat at a decent restaurant, and still pay back his debts.

He went down the elevator, checked out, and asked for the receptionist to call him a taxi. Then he took a seat on an oddly placed sofa and waited. The lobby was still in the middle of being restored. He stared at a certain part of the ground. The Bolstridge was right there. And Louise. He cringed from the memory of Louise’s injuries.

She’d been taken to an emergency room while he’d dealt with the motorcyclist. She was in terrible condition, but according to the doctors, she would live. As for Sora, she had just been terribly drunk that evening. He’d gotten a brief glimpse of her after she woke up and before she was taken to the hospital as well. She’d looked like she was being crushed by guilt.

Raine had had his leg checked by the two who’d stitched up his wounds. They’d called him an idiot and told him his injuries would take longer to heal than predicted.

But he still felt great. He patted his jacket and felt the $5,000 (which was now in an envelope) in its pocket. He’d once heard that money stimulated the same parts of the brain that cocaine did. He believed it. Money’s a hell of a drug.

He opened his phone to see what time it was. As he did so, he noticed that the date was June 5th. He blinked and looked again. June 5th? Already?

He leaned back in the sofa. Hooray, 22. Will Adam even remember how old I am now?

The taxi arrived. He got up and made his way to it. He entered and told the driver his apartment’s address.

. . . .

Raine unlocked the door and entered the apartment. “I’m back.”

It was about 6:40 AM. Everyone was still home. From the kitchen, he heard the sound of eggs sizzling on a pan. From Jordan’s room, he heard the sound of a strumming guitar. From the living room, he heard the sound of someone typing.

He took off his shoes and went to the living room.

“You’re back early,” Adam said, his voice flat. His eyes were on the eggs.

“Hey, Raine—” Dominic’s eyes widened. “What happened to your leg?”

“Nothing major,” Raine said. “It’ll heal in a few weeks. But I have good news. I got a job. A full-time job.”

“Great,” Adam said. “So when you can pay your share of last month’s rent?”

“Now, actually.” Raine took out the envelope containing his signing bonus, pulled out $800, and put it on the counter.

Adam glanced at the envelope and the money on the counter with a surprised look. “Is it from a signing bonus?”

“Yeah. I’m going to head to the bank today or tomorrow and pay my credit card debt in full.”

“That’s great,” Dominic said. Then his eyes went back to his laptop, and he continued typing. Adam nodded in agreement and moved the eggs to a plate.

Raine blinked. That’s all?

“I’m going to fly out of America for the new job in about a week,” he said.

“Okay,” Adam said. He took the $800 from the counter and put it in his wallet.

“So I’ll have to move out. Sorry for the short notice. I can pay my share for this month’s rent as well if you need it.”

“No, it’s fine. I know a few people who need a room to rent right now,” Adam said. He went up to Jordan’s door and knocked. “Jordan, the eggs are done!”

Jordan soon came out of his room with his backpack in one hand. He greeted Raine, dropped his backpack beside his door, and took a seat at the dining table.

“Bodyguard work went bad?” Jordan asked, staring at Raine’s leg.

Raine shrugged. “I got decent money for it. And my trip to the hospital was free.”

Jordan’s curiosity was sated. His attention turned to his phone. Adam went to the table with the eggs, three forks, and three plates. He took a seat, and Dominic closed his laptop and put it aside.

Raine stood there for a moment, staring at them. He felt as if he were watching a scene from a TV show. Those within it were close yet far. He entered his room and closed the door quietly. A soft sigh escaped him.

He put his briefcase on his desk and unpacked. When he was done, he opened his laptop and opened his email. June had sent him an e-book she recommended he read before he started work. It was Introductory Ephrian by Sage Gilman and Deron Costas.

What’s Ephrian? Raine wondered. He glanced at the first page.

“Ephrian is odd.” That was the first sentence. Just like Hopkins.

Raine skimmed through the first page and went to the second. Ephrian was obviously a language, but the book didn’t say where it was used. Raine took to the internet. He found nothing useful.

He sent June an email with questions about Ephrian. Then, since she recommended that he go through it, he properly read a few pages of the book. The writing was witty, the explanations clear, and the examples enlightening. But Raine couldn’t stay focused.

He took off his jacket, tossed it onto his chair, and flopped onto his bed. His eyes stayed on one boring spot on the ceiling, but his mind was wandering. In his head, he replayed his roommates’ lackluster reactions to his return.

It’s my own fault. I spent all day drinking and playing games. What a great roommate I made. His jaw slowly clenched. Why did I do that?

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He thought about it. He thought long and hard. His mind pulled out an answer for him. He closed his eyes. I have to quit. I have to quit. This time, I really have to quit.

He sat up. Hopkins really is my second chance. I can’t fuck up my life again.

He first made a call.

"Yeah, we're open."

That was all he needed to hear. He changed, stuffed his duffel bag with a change of clothes, and left his room. Dominic and Jordan were in the living room, getting ready to leave. Raine said goodbye and left the apartment in a hurry.

It’s my goddamn second chance. He passed the corner store without a glance, crossed the street the moment the light turned green, and went straight for Walt’s gym.

There was no one inside except Walt, reading a book on the sofa.

“Raine?” Walt said. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Raine’s crutch. “What happened?”

“Minor injury,” Raine said, catching his breath. “But that’s besides the point.”

“What?”

Raine felt fire in his stomach. “Can I use the weights?”

. . . .

Unlike last time, his legs didn’t hurt. It was his arms now. He dropped his bag onto the ground and flopped onto the sofa. “I can’t move my arms.”

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you do only arm exercises for that long.” Walt passed him a cup of water, which he accepted gratefully.

Raine’s arm trembled as he held the cup. He finished the water in seconds. “I can’t remember the last time I was so tired.” He paused. "Actually, it was worse the last time I was here."

“Well, you’ll have plenty more opportunities to be even more tired when you start your work with Hopkins.”

Raine’s brows rose. “You heard from Levin?”

“Yeah.” Walt frowned. “I used to work for Hopkins, actually. I switched over to Shields after three years.”

“Shields?”

“Oh, you can just think of it as a nickname for Jones Clark.”

“That’s a pretty odd nickname.”

“There’s a long story behind it.” Walt shrugged. “Either way, you should make sure to learn as much Ephrian as you can before you start. Hopkins is big on language proficiency.”

“I have a question about that. Where is Ephrian even used?”

“I can’t tell you that right now. I don’t think anyone can.”

“I’ve heard answers like that far too many times in the last few days.” Raine sighed. “I swear this is the strangest job I’ve ever had. No, it’s the strangest I’ve ever even heard of.”

Walt smiled. “That’s what everyone says. What I can tell you is that, if you do it right, it’s a job that will eat up every last minute of your time and leave no room for a real life.”

They spent a little longer talking about Hopkins until a customer came for private training. Raine left the gym with his spirits lifted and his arms so exhausted that he couldn’t use his crutch properly. He had to hail a cab to get back to his apartment.

He went inside and threw his dirty clothes in the washing machine. Then he went into his room and fell onto his bed.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. His arm ached as he pulled it out and flipped it open. June had responded to his email with a “Sorry, I can’t say,” and a sad face emoticon. Raine returned to the home screen and stared at the date.

He shook his head, sat up, and went to his desk. As much as he wanted to nap, there was news to read and financial statements to inspect. It had been a while since he’d last done either. Getting the job from Hopkins didn’t erase his investments or his responsibilities as an investor. He turned on his laptop and started reading news articles.

. . . .

Jordan was the first to return. Then it was Dominic, and finally Adam. It was almost dinnertime.

“I’m starving,” Adam said. He opened the fridge. “We’re out of ingredients for any meal that isn’t bread and ketchup. You guys want to order in pizza today?”

“Mm, bread and ketchup,” Dominic said. “But yeah, sure. Pizza sounds good.”

Jordan also agreed to order pizza. Raine left his room and asked that they order his share too. Then they had to pick the topping.

“Pepperoni?” Dominic asked.

“Nah, we had that recently,” Jordan said.

“How about Hawaiian?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Hawaiian it is,” Dominic said. He ordered the pizza on his phone.

Raine found nowhere to make an input. Without a word, he went back into his room and flipped open his phone. June 5th. 7:04 PM.

The pizza arrived in 30 minutes. Jordan and Dominic sat on the sofa, playing a video game, and Adam sat at the dining table with his earphones on, reading a book. Raine was in the kitchen pouring a glass of water for himself when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” he said. He went to the door, paid for the pizza, and put the box on the dining table.

His roommates repaid him the cost of their portions and sat down to eat. Raine got the plates and took a seat.

Adam’s brows rose. Then they furrowed in a slight frown. “You’re not going to your room?”

“I can’t eat here?” Raine asked half-jokingly.

“Obviously you can. It’s just surprising.”

Although he’d been hungry, Raine had only one slice of pizza and got up. It felt strange for him to eat at the table, to both him and the rest. He washed his hands and cleaned his dish as the other three talked.

“There’s this new guy who just can’t stop talking once he gets going,” Adam said. “I went to get coffee with him and some other teachers and once we hit the topic of cars, he spent half an hour going off about how Japanese cars are better than German ones.”

Dominic’s brows rose. “Oh, I know someone like that at my chess club. Does he have short blond hair, look kinda clumsy, and have a pair of steel-framed glasses that he wears occasionally?”

“Damn, that’s the guy. What a small world we live in.”

Raine glanced at Adam and opened the fridge pointlessly. I kind of expected you to forget my age, not my birthday.

He sighed and closed the fridge. “Hey, I’m going down to grab dessert,” he said. “Some cake, I guess.”

“Oh, can you get a slice of cheesecake for me?” Jordan asked. “I’ll pay you back later.”

“Seconded,” Dominic said.

“I’ll pass,” Adam said.

“Okay,” Raine replied calmly, heading out. Way to miss the hint.

He went downstairs and went over to the nearest cafe. His arms still ached. The walk sucked.

He pushed open the door to the cafe and made his order. There was an unoccupied table at the back, so he sat there and waited.

He flipped open his phone and checked the time again. Goodbye, birthday.

He didn’t want much. He just wished someone would at least remember it. He closed his eyes. I deserve this. No complaining. No complaining.

He wanted a damn beer, not cake. But he suppressed the feeling, slapping it down with all his will. An employee brought over his slice of tiramisu crepe, as well as two slices of cheesecake for takeaway in a paper bag. Raine gave the employee a half-smile and ate his crepe. It was creamy, sweet, and tasty, and he couldn’t eat more than two bites of it.

He grabbed his takeaway bag and left the cafe. He stared up at the sky. I feel like shit.

He made his slow way back to his apartment. When he came back, he saw that Adam was the only one in the living room. Raine greeted him and put the paper bag on the counter.

“Raine, about your new job,” Adam suddenly said with a frown. “It’s not illegal, right?”

“No.” That should be fucking obvious.

“Well, good.” Then Adam went into his room. “I’m going to sleep now. See you.”

Raine stood where he was. His fists clenched. That’s it? That’s all you have to say?

Shaking his head, he entered his own room and locked the door behind him.

He flipped open his phone. June 5th. 8:30 PM.

There goes the day. He tossed his phone onto his desk and lay on his bed, stared at the ceiling. There it goes. Fuck.

He threw his phone aside and laid there doing nothing but breathing disappointment. Just seconds later, his phone buzzed. He guessed it was another email from June.

He sighed and got up to grab his phone. It was a short and simple message from Levin.

“Happy birthday, Raine.”

Raine blinked. He spent several long moments staring at the message. Of all people, it’s the guy whose offer I so ungratefully rejected. How ironic.

He entered his bathroom and closed the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he turned on the tap and leaned over the sink.

He cried.