Sore

Having Beth turn down lunch for a second time, Justin's lips curl just enough to show a wry grin. Strike two.

"Alright... well thanks anyway. I owe you." Opening the door, he pauses as Beth speaks again. Looking back over to her, he chuckles. "Yeah, well... you never know when I might show up. Besides... this isn't really work."

Sliding out of the car, he bends down for a moment, almost as if wanting to say more than he really does. "Take care, Beth. I'll be seeing ya."


Phil smiles a little as he sees Rayne starting to fall back to sleep. "You have a good night too," he replies quietly.

Standing up, he looks down at her for another moment or two before finally exiting the room.


For Gage, the morning didn't come fast enough. He'd thought the roadside service had been tough - that was nothing compared to a night at the lumber mill. Not only was he the newbie, but the work was heavier than he was used to. Without having done anything for so long, it was difficult for him to get back in the groove.

After eleven hours, the walk home felt like a hundred miles instead of just one. But the time he reaches his apartment, his feet are dragging. He was hot, sweaty and totally exhausted. He was supposed to have lunch with Sapphire today so he could tell her about his first night at work, but it would be a miracle if he was even awake.

Kicking off his shoes, he trudges into the living room and flops down on his mattress, still sweaty, still in his work clothes. Every muscle in his body ached. Just turning his head hurt. A hot shower would probably do him good, but it hurt too much to move to even think about going and starting the water.

His eyes start to drift closed. Turning onto his side, he groans. Was he even going to get used to this work? He was still glad to have a job, but new doubts were arising.

Yawning, he closes his eyes and let his head sink into his pillow. Half an hour... that's all... just half an hour. Unfortunately, he didn't set any alarms, and half an hour turns into several hours, bringing him to lunchtime, at which point, he still hadn't moved.