Eliana wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. She'd been working a second job for the past few months, and the exhaustion was settling deep within her. She hadn't been this fatigued in a while, but it needed to be done. She had bills to pay.

The nightclub wasn't an ideal second job, but the tips she would receive from bartending and the extra money from washing dishes was keeping her head above water, and that's all that mattered.

Tonight, she was on dish duty again. Definitely not her favorite out of the two, but money was money. So, she kept her comments to herself and worked.

The nightclub, After Dark, was the busiest club in this part of town. Only the richest of the rich came here and weren't afraid to show just how much money they had. Which is why bartending was the gig to score.

The music boomed outside the kitchen, and all Eliana could do was sway to the music, tidying up the dishes. She would love to be on the dance floor, allowing all her problems to melt away and be trampled by the other dancers, but life wasn't that easy. Nothing ever was. Yet, Eliana did her best to remain positive through it all.

The kitchen door slammed open as Adam the busser, came barging through with a stack of dishes and shot glasses. His brown hair a mess on top of his youthful face, he gave a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, Eliana. I hate to add more to your work load, but the crowd tonight is tearing apart the food and drinks. I can't keep up!"

He quickly walked the pile towards the sink and gently set everything in to her pile she still had. But, she only had five minutes left on her shift, so she gave a sweet smile.

"No worries Adam. But, I'm only here for another five minutes, so Sierra will take over what I don't finish."

He rolled his deep brown eyes. "Sierra? I thought she wasn't working tonight? I would much rather work with you. She bitches the whole time she's here." He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a deep sigh.

Eliana couldn't help but laugh at the way he pouted like a kid who just had candy taken away. She enjoyed working with Adam. At only nineteen, he had a good head on his shoulders, and would call anyone out on their bullshit.

"Well, I appreciate you wanting to work with me, I enjoy working with you too. But, I'm working two jobs, remember? This gig is only part time. I have to be up super early for my full time job at the bank."

Running a hand through his brown curls, he nodded his head. "I know, I just don't like working with grouchy mic grouch pants."

Both attempted to control their laughter and miserably failed as they had tears come to their eyes. Eliana needed to laugh, especially with how everything in her life was going right now. Laughing and positivity were walls she felt safe behind.

Eliana's alarm on her phone dinged in her pocket as she snoozed the sound. "Alright kiddo, I have to head home, but I'll see you again on Thursday night, ok?" She only worked at After Dark on Tuesday and Thursday nights. For now, she was surviving only working part time two days a week. Her full time job drained the life out of her, though. Being an accountant was no joke, and she encountered rude people rather frequently.

"Fine, but you better prepare yourself for Thursday because I'm sure Sierra will provide me with plenty of content to talk about." Adam left the kitchen and headed back out to the floor.

Eliana took the opportunity to head out before seeing Sierra, because Adam wasn't lying about her being a grouch. She wasn't someone anyone wanted to be around.

Discarding her gloves and hair net, Eliana headed to her car in the parking garage. It was already eleven thirty and she had to be up at seven to go to work, so she stepped on the gas to get home.

Turning the key quietly, the door unlocked with a faint click. Being careful as she crept into the apartment, she kicked her sneakers off and shut the door quietly behind her.

Darkness coated her surroundings. Sliding her hand across the wall next to her, she found the light switch to the living room. The apartment still looked the same from when she rushed out earlier. A mess.

Letting out the same sigh Adam let out earlier, Eliana decided she wasn't going to worry about it now. She was exhausted and didn't want to disturb her best friend Sadie who shared the apartment with her.

Sadie was going through a lot right now, so Eliana wasn't going to make a big deal about the living room not being cleaned. Instead, she made her way towards her bedroom. Dragging her feet up the carpeted stairs, she quietly stopped by Sadie's room. The door was slightly cracked with a dim light coming through.

Sadie slept peacefully under her thick pink comforter. The nightlight cast a dim light across her flawless features. Smiling to herself, Eliana pulled the door softly until it shut. She didn't want to wake Sadie just to tell her she was finally home.

Her body reacted as soon as she saw her bed. It was like a magnetic pull that she surrendered to, and flopped onto the cloud like mattress. She desperately needed to shower, but she would deal with it in the morning.

For now, she allowed sleep to consume her mind and body.