"Beep beep bee-" Amy groggily slapped a hand down on top of her phone screen, fumbling with the phone as she stared into the bright screen and deactivated the alarm, groaning as she placed the phone back on her bed side table and rolled over on her side once more, burrowing deeper within her fort of blankets so she looked like a blanket burrito.

"Five more minutes." She grumbled to herself, even though she knew she couldn't fall back asleep, no matter how much she wanted to. She stayed motionless, closing her eyes for a moment before reluctantly tossing the blankets aside, wearily rubbing her eyes as she sat up and swung her feet over the side of her queen size bed, her feet landing on the cold wooden floor. Chills raced down her spine, replacing the warmth she felt from her bed that she already wanted to crawl back into.

"Gotta go to work." She reminded herself, even though she already knew. It was Monday, meaning that she was still grumpy about the fact that she couldn't sleep in and had to wake up at five in the morning.

She decided to take a quick cold shower to wake her up a little. Afterwards, she slipped on a pair of short black heels, a simple medium length black dress decorated with white flowers and a small white purse hanging on a silver chain.

She delved into her freezer for breakfast, the tips of her fingers changing to a light pink hue due to the cold.

"Yes!" She sighed in relief when she found one lone microwave breakfast sandwich left in the box. She tossed the box in recycling while she heated her food up. She ate quickly, washing down the sand which with a cup of milk that was close to its expiration date.

She then went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and hair, staring at her reflection for a moment. She could see dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She applied a thick layer of foundation to cover it up, applying red lipstick just for fun, along with a bit of blush.

She was on her way out the door towards her car to go to Starbucks to get an iced dark roast, her favorite kind of coffee, when she received a text from her boss.

"You don't need to come in to work today." Amy frowned in confusion as she read the message aloud. Remembering that she was still standing in the open doorway, she closed the door before she sat down on her couch, re-reading the message to make sure it was correct. A moment later there was another text that followed, confirming her fears.

"You're fired." She whispered in disbelieve. She had worked with Brand Designer ever since she finished college with her degree in graphic designing. Instead of texting to ask why, she immediately called her boss, anger simmering in her veins as she tried but failed to keep her cool.

"Why did you fire me?" She demanded as soon as he picked up.

"Look, it's not that you aren't good, it's just..." He trailed off, obviously trying to come up with some kind of lie to tell her.

"Let me guess, you found someone to replace me already and just had to hire them right away?" Amy snapped, waiting impatiently for him to answer.

"His name is-"

"I don't care what his name is!" I yelled before ending the call, letting the phone fall out of my hand onto the couch with a sigh of exasperation as I tilted my head back to look at the white ceiling, thoughts whirling through my mind like a tornado.

What do I do now?, Amy wondered as her anger gradually diminished. She thought of what she could do next, but only two options came to mind. She could try to find a different job in Cincinnati, or...she didn't even think she could try the other option she had in mind. She went on her phone and looked up other job opportunities, but found nothing for graphic designing. She then knew what she had to do.

"I'm gonna miss this place." She sighed, already planning on where to go as she began packing up her stuff, sending a quick text to her parents to tell them the news. She was going to move to LA since it had the most available job options for her career.
She called the first affordable apartment building she could find in LA. The lady on the phone was nice, letting her stay on the top floor of the building for only three hundred dollars a year.

Several hours later, Amy rolled her bulging black suitcase out of her house, glancing back at her old home one last time before hauling her belongings she could cram inside the suitcase into the taxi waiting by her house. She had already sold it and her car to a nice couple that had just moved to Cincinnati and were looking to settle down.

"Airport please." Amy handed the driver a wad of cash from her purse. He nodded silently, starting up the taxi with a low growl of its engine. Her house soon became a blurry dot in the distance as they drove away.

Amy ran frantically through the airport once the taxi arrived, occasionally running into people so she wasn't late for her plane that was taking off in a couple of minutes. She barely made it aboard on time, sinking down into her seat as she stared out the window, reconsidering if she was making the right choice.

The plane ride was shorter than she expected, although it could've been because she slept through most of it or was staring out the window at the fluffy white clouds lazily floating by.

"Welcome to LA." The pilot announced happily as the plane descended and slowed to a stop on the landing strip. She quickly gathered her things and stepped off of the plane. Immediately felt lost in the airport, its size much bigger and more crowded compared to the one in Cincinnati .

Tourists and business people dressed in pressed dark colored suits milled around, the tourists talking excitedly to each other and pointing at things while the business people chatted away on their phones. Realizing that she was standing in the middle of the airport, she shook her head and left the airport, riding a taxi to the apartment she was renting.

"Are you the person that called earlier this morning?" The lady at the desk asked politely. The lobby of the building was sparsely furnished with plush white chairs, the walls a pale yellow with white tile flooring.

"Yeah, that's me." Amy smiled.

"Top floor, number twenty-six." She handed her a brass key. Amy nodded in appreciation before taking the elevator up to her floor, walking down the carpeted hall until she found her room and opened the door.

The apartment's interior was a sterile white that made her feel like she was in a hospital, a long crack running from the ceiling to about halfway across the wall. The floors were covered in crusty beige carpet in every room, even the kitchen. There was a worn wooden door with a small window in it that led to a rusty metal fire escape. Amy could now see why the apartment was so cheap.

She felt a shiver run down her spine at the emptiness of the place she was now calling home. It certainly didn't feel like home. She ignored the eerie feeling swirling in her gut as she unpacked her things, reminding herself that she would have to buy new furniture and definitely replace the flooring. She was lucky she at least remembered to bring her rarely used blue sleeping bag if she couldn't get a bed for a while.

"Might as well explore where I'm living for a bit." Amy shrugged once she finished, which didn't take very long. It was only eight at night according to her phone, which was earlier than she expected.

As soon as Amy stepped outside, she felt like she was in a whole different world. Bright flashing lights shone everywhere, nearly blinding her as she stared in awe around her. Everything was much bigger and fancier than the place in Boston. She quickly shook her head and started walking around, wanting to get a feel of the area.

It wasn't long until she found a Starbucks to her excitement since it was close to home. Before she could go inside, she felt something tug at the chain of her purse, followed by the sound of hastily retreating footsteps. She glanced behind her just in time to see a black hooded figure run through the shadows.

"Hey, stop!" Amy cried before chasing after him, unable to move quickly in the shoes. As they sharply rounded a corner, they ducked inside of a brightly lit building with loud hip hop music blaring.

She jogged inside and was instantly hit with the strong scent of sweat, booze, and vomit that nearly made her gag. She scanned the crowded room, but found no trace of the hooded figure. She muttered curses under her breath as she examined her surroundings, pausing when her gaze landed on the wooden stage in the front of the room.

There was a single gold pole with a man dancing fluidly on it like it was a part of him, his bare feet nearly touching the ceiling as he flipped upside down. He was dressed only in a pair of black capris, his tan chest exposed and shining with sweat in the stage lights as he flipped back around, sliding down the pole with one arm wrapped around it until he was hovering over the floor, his pointed toes not quite touching the floor as he tilted his head back and extended his other arm behind him. Strands of red hair fell away from his face to reveal his chocolate brown eyes before he preformed one last spin, wrapping one leg around the pole while extending the other to the side, landing elegantly on the floor as he bowed his head. The applause was riotous as heaps of money was tossed onstage, the man nodded in acknowledgment as he scooped up the money and nimbly leapt offstage while a red curtain drew shut behind him with a squeal of rusty metal, his gaze suddenly meeting Amy's.

Realizing that she was staring at him, she hastily looked down at the alcohol stained black carpet, feeling her cheeks heat up and turn a light red hue.

"I haven't seen you before. I know everyone here." The man smiled as he approached Amy, wads of money still clutched in his grasp.

"I-I'm here to find my purse, some hooded person stole it from me." She stammered, trying to look anywhere but his chest.

"Ugh, not again!" He groaned before motioning for Amy to follow him backstage. She was curious what he meant when he said 'again', so she complied, glad to get away from the crowd that was beginning to stare. It was dimly lit by a single light bulb, and she could see a couple of people dressed in all black with mics taped to their faces, but otherwise backstage was deserted.

He led her down a small flight of wooden stairs that creaked under their weight. There was a black painted wooden door with that led to a small dressing room sparsely furnished with a black carpet and red walls, exactly like the main room of the building. The hooded figure was standing there, Amy's purse still in their hand.

"Ethan, I told you to stop doing that!" The man sighed in exasperation, holding his hand out for the purse.

"Man, we need the money!" The hooded figure whined as he lowered the hood. It was a young man with faded blue hair and bright sky blue eyes.

"Who's the chick?" Ethan jerked his thumb in my direction, irritation lingering in his higher pitched voice.

"The purse you stole was hers, now give it back." The man instructed with a tone of finality that made Ethan roll his eyes before handing me my purse back.

"Thanks." Amy nodded curtly, checking the contents to make sure everything was still there. She noticed that twenty dollars was missing, but she didn't care at this point. There was an awkward silence that filled the room, making Amy feel uncomfortable.

"We should get going." Ethan suggested. We nodded in agreement and followed him out back to the entrance.

"How long have you worked here?" Amy asked to try and make conversation to ease the awkwardness, gesturing around them.

"A while." The man shrugged, his bright fiery red hair falling in front of his chocolate brown eyes.

"Can I at least know your name?" Amy pressed, slightly annoyed by how vague he was being.

"Phoenix." He stated simply before leaving the building with Ethan in tow.

"Phoenix." She repeated, hesitating a moment before leaving the building as well. There was no sign near the building much to her disappointment. She checked the time on her phone to see if it was too late to keep looking around or not. It was ten at night.

So much for getting a bed for tonight, Amy thought bitterly. At least she had her sleeping bag. Amy sighed as she walked back home, glad she remembered the address. However when she unlocked her apartment, it didn't look the same as before.

A twin sized bed with forest green sheets and duvet was shoved into the corner of the room, along with a medium sized flatscreen tv placed on an empty black shelf and a medium length plush dark brown couch. In what was supposed to be the kitchen, there was a small white mini fridge and a dark brown wooden table with a couple of matching chairs. Laying on the table was a white business card.

On the front it said "Immigrants, we get the job done", the name and motto of the place where she met Phoenix. It explained that it was a strip club much to her embarrassment and when she turned it over, she found words scribbled on the back in black ink.

"Welcome to LA." Amy read it aloud. Next it it she spotted a Starbucks gift card with a time and date attached on a post it note. She realized with surprise that he was asking her out on a date, even though they had just met. She tried to think of how he knew where she lived, but had no idea. Unless...

Amy jumped, startled out of her thoughts when she heard the clanging of footsteps on the metal fire escape. Why would anyone be on the fire escape?, She wondered as she cracked the door open slightly. Frozen mid-step on the stairs leading back down to the ground was Phoenix, a flash of panic crossing his face before small smile took its place. He had changed out of the black capris into a plain black t-shirt that hugged his torso, gray tennis shoes, and a pair of dark blue jeans.

"Hey again." He gave her a small wave, his shoulders relaxing.

"How do you know where I live?" Amy demanded.

"I-I live in the apartment below you. I talked to the landlady and she told me about you and that you were new here, so I thought you could use some furniture for now until you find a place to work." Phoenix stuttered, his face burning a shade of red that matched his hair. Amy felt her heart soften at his kindness. And she thought he was stealing something.

"Will I see you at Starbucks tomorrow?" He asked timidly, which seemed unlike him.

"Sure." Amy smiled.

"Cool!" Phoenix exclaimed happily.

"Uh, I mean, see you then." Phoenix cleared his throat, trying but failing to hide his excitement as he leaned against the railing of the fire escape. Amy opened her mouth to warn him to be careful when suddenly the railing creaked and snapped off, sending Phoenix plummeting down towards the unforgiving pavement. She gasped as he fell with a yelp of surprise. As she quickly ran down the first set of stairs, she found Phoenix clinging onto the edge of the second flight of stairs, shooting her a reassuring smirk.

"Don't mind me, I'm just hanging out." He joked. He grunted as he pulled himself up, once again brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Don't do that!" Amy lightly punched him in the arm, angry at him for scaring her, but relieved that he was alright.

There was a moment of silence before Phoenix started laughing uncontrollably, doubling over as his shoulders shook.

"What?" Amy frowned in confusion. He only laughed harder, tilting his head back.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Phoenix apologized once his laughter subsided and he had regained his breath.

"I'll try leaving the safe way I guess." Phoenix sarcastically remarked as he rolled his eyes before descending down the rest of the stairs. She watched as he walked away, smirking when she saw him fist pump the air in victory.

Amy waited until he was completely out of view before walking back inside, changing into a pair of light gray sweatpants with a matching large blank t-shirt before crawling under the covers of her new bed. Even though it was late, she couldn't seem to sleep as she thought of Phoenix, wondering why he acted so mysterious. After what seemed like several hours later, she fell into a fitful sleep, promising herself to start job searching after her date at Starbucks.