The alarm rang at 5:00 a.m.
I groaned, reaching across the nightstand to silence it before it could wake Audrey. For a moment, I just stared at the ceiling, willing my body to move.
Bills didn't pay themselves.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my muscles protesting from yesterday's shift. Every part of me felt sore, but that wasn't anything new.
I quietly got dressed in my faded work jeans, steel-toe boots, and an old gray T-shirt with the company logo across the chest.
The smell of coffee filled the tiny kitchen as I packed Audrey's lunch—a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apple slices, a juice box, and a little note with a smiley face drawn on it.
She always smiled when she found those.
A few minutes later, I gently knocked on her bedroom door.
A sleepy little voice answered.
"You said that yesterday."
I laughed softly before sitting beside her bed.
"Come on. Mrs. Bradford's waiting."
Audrey slowly sat up, her messy hair sticking out in every direction.
"Can you braid my hair today?"
"You made it crooked yesterday."
"I'm glad someone's patient with me."
The construction site was already loud before I even parked.
Concrete mixers churning. Forklifts beeping as they reversed. Power tools whining and grinding. Men shouting across the site in a cacophony of Spanish and English and everything in between. The smell of diesel and dust hung thick in the air.
I barely had one foot out of my truck before someone yelled.
I looked over, my stomach already tightening.
Our foreman, Rick Dawson, was marching toward me with his clipboard in hand. His hard hat was slightly askew, and his face was red from the heat or anger—probably both.
"You're three minutes late!"
I glanced at my watch. 7:03.
"I don't care why. Get your hard hat on and get moving. We've got a deadline, and your ass isn't going to be the reason we miss it."
The next several hours blurred together in a haze of sweat and exhaustion.
Carrying lumber until my arms burned.
Mixing cement until my hands were raw.
Hauling equipment across the site in the beating sun.
Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, but I pushed through. I'd learned a long time ago that stopping meant falling behind, and falling behind meant getting yelled at. Getting yelled at meant risking my job.
And I couldn't risk my job.
Every time my body wanted to stop, I pictured Audrey's face. Her laugh. The way she danced around the kitchen singing Katseye songs.
Around two in the afternoon, one of the site supervisors approached me while I was taking a quick water break.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
"The office wants to see you."
"They said now. Drop what you're doing."
A knot formed in my stomach.
Had I done something wrong? Missed a safety protocol? Said something to the wrong person?
I couldn't think of anything, but the knot didn't care.
I wiped my hands on my jeans before walking toward the trailer office. The metal steps groaned under my weight as I climbed up and knocked on the door.
...and the company manager, a man named Greg Harrison I'd only spoken to twice in five years.
Greg folded his hands together on the desk. His expression was carefully neutral, which somehow made it worse.
"I'll get straight to the point."
"The company is downsizing."
I felt my heartbeat speed up.
"We're laying off several employees. It's nothing personal, just a financial decision."
He slid an envelope across the desk.
I looked at the envelope but didn't touch it. The words felt distant, like I was hearing them from underwater.
"What... does that mean?"
"It means today will be your last day."
The room suddenly felt too quiet. The distant noise of the construction site faded into nothing.
"It's a financial decision. Nothing more."
"I've never missed a deadline."
"I work overtime whenever you ask."
Greg sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"This isn't about performance. You're a good worker, Y/N. You always have been. But we have to make cuts, and—"
I swallowed hard, my throat tight.
"I'm her only parent. Her mother isn't in the picture."
Rick looked away, suddenly fascinated by the floor.
Greg's expression softened slightly, but his answer didn't.
"I'm sorry. I really am. But the decision's already been made."
"There has to be something."
"I'll do anything. I'll scrub toilets. I'll clean equipment. I'll—"
He slowly shook his head.
"The decision's final, L/N. I'm sorry."
The words hit harder than any piece of equipment I'd ever lifted. Harder than any fall I'd ever taken. Harder than any injury I'd ever suffered.
I stared down at the envelope.
Inside was my final paycheck.
A pamphlet about unemployment benefits.
Information on returning company property.
I picked up the envelope with shaking hands.
I turned and walked out of the trailer.
Mrs. Bradford clapped her hands together, her voice bright and encouraging.
"Okay, everyone! Settle down! Today we're doing another partner activity!"
Maybe today would be different.
Maybe someone would pick me.
The classroom buzzed with excitement as kids paired up. I clutched my sketchbook against my chest, scanning the room for a friendly face.
Harper. She was already holding hands with Mia.
Noah. He was partnered with Eli.
I smiled a little at a girl named Sophie, hoping she might notice me.
Mrs. Bradford gave everyone a minute to find partners. The classroom filled with laughter and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. Kids hurried across the room in pairs, their voices overlapping in excited chatter.
Soon, everyone had a partner.
I looked down at my paper, my cheeks burning. Maybe they hadn't seen me. Maybe if I moved closer...
I took a small step toward another table.
Before I could finish, the girl at the table frowned at me.
"We already have two people."
Another boy muttered loudly enough for me to hear.
The other children laughed.
I backed away, clutching my sketchbook so tightly my knuckles turned white. As I returned to my desk, I heard whispering behind me.
"She only draws baby stuff. Like a little kid."
I hunched over my desk, pretending I couldn't hear them. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry. Mommy always said I was strong.
I'm strong, I told myself. I'm strong.
At recess, I tried again.
A group of girls were playing on the blacktop, pretending to run a bakery. One of them had a chalkboard menu. Another was drawing pretend cookies on the pavement.
I took a deep breath and approached them.
The girl with the chalkboard—Mia looked me up and down.
"Because you'll ruin it."
Another girl—Harper giggled.
"And your clothes are ugly."
Someone bumped my shoulder as they walked past, and my sketchbook slipped from my grasp. Crayons scattered across the sidewalk, rolling in every direction.
But they were all smiling.
I didn't pick up my crayons right away.
Straight back inside, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. I burst through the classroom door, unable to hold back the tears anymore.
Mrs. Bradford looked up from her desk, her expression shifting from surprise to concern the second she saw my face.
She immediately knelt beside me, her hand gentle on my shoulder.
"Oh, sweetheart... What happened?"
I tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come. They were stuck in my throat, tangled up with the sobs.
Mrs. Bradford reached for a tissue and handed it to me.
"You don't have to tell me all at once. Just take your time."
After a few quiet minutes, I finally managed to whisper,
Mrs. Bradford's heart broke.
She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.
"I'm so sorry they made you feel that way."
"Did I do something bad?"
She answered so quickly that I looked up, surprised by the certainty in her voice.
"You didn't do anything wrong. You hear me? Not a single thing."
"Then why don't they want to play with me?"
Mrs. Bradford didn't have an easy answer. She paused, her brow furrowed, searching for the right words.
"Sometimes people make unkind choices," she finally said. "That's not your fault. It never is."
She reached into her desk and pulled out a clean sheet of paper.
"Would you like to draw with me for a little while?"
I nodded, wiping my eyes.
Together, we drew flowers. Rainbows. Butterflies.
For just a little while, I forgot about recess.
I sat in my truck for a long time, staring at the steering wheel.
The engine was off. The windows were up. The world outside was muffled and distant.
I didn't cry. I couldn't.
I just sat there, the envelope resting on the passenger seat like a bomb waiting to explode.
The question echoed in my head, but I had no answer.
I had a few thousand dollars in savings. Maybe two months of rent if I stretched it. After that...
I couldn't think about after that.
I started the engine and drove.
By the time I reached Audrey's school, I still hadn't figured out how I was going to tell her.
I sat in the pickup line, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel. The envelope was hidden under the passenger seat. The weight of it felt physical.
One day, I told myself. Just give me one more day.
Mrs. Bradford noticed me arriving earlier than usual when I walked up to the entrance.
"Ms. L/N? Everything okay?"
"Yeah... I just got off early today. Thought I'd surprise her."
She looked like she wanted to ask more, but simply nodded.
A few moments later, Audrey came out carrying her backpack. Her face lit up when she saw me.
I knelt to hug her, pulling her into my arms.
"Why are you here so early?"
"I thought... maybe we could do something fun."
Her eyes lit up, the sadness from earlier forgotten.
"How does ice cream sound?"
I laughed a genuine laugh this time.
The little ice cream shop wasn't anything fancy. Just a small storefront with a few plastic tables and a chalkboard menu.
Audrey picked strawberry with rainbow sprinkles.
I ordered a plain vanilla cone.
She sat across from me, happily kicking her legs beneath the table. Between bites of her melting cone, she told me about butterflies and castles and how she wanted to learn another Katseye dance.
I noticed she smiled less than yesterday.
That was enough for the moment.
On the drive home, we sang along to her favorite songs with the windows rolled down. She belted out the lyrics, her small voice filling the cab.
For a little while, neither of us thought about the bad parts of the day.
That night, after Audrey fell asleep hugging her stuffed bunny, I sat alone at the kitchen table.
The final paycheck rested beside the calculator.
I opened my laptop and stared at the glowing screen.
"Construction jobs near me."
Dozens of listings appeared.
Some paid less than half of what I was making.
Some were too far away to be feasible with Audrey's school schedule.
Some required experience I didn't have.
I rubbed my tired eyes, my temples throbbing.
I'd start applying tomorrow.
Right now, I was too exhausted to think straight.
I closed the laptop, checked on Audrey one last time, and pulled the blanket over her shoulders.
"I'll figure this out, baby," I whispered.
Even if I didn't know how yet.
I turned out the light and headed to bed, hoping tomorrow would bring a little more hope than today had.
sorry for the delay guys it took so long to write this chapter but hopefully y/n finds a job soon.
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