24 Hour Challenge C!
Title: The Maddening Pace
Word Count: 1618
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Glee
Pairings (if any): none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): none
Summary: Artie is burnt out at his job, but maybe his fortune is about to change.
2024
"Hey Steve." I was freezing, but I tried to smile as the bus doors slid open in front of me.
The big bald man just shook his head at me. "You're heading in to work early."
"Yeah. I need to make some headway on this project. I didn't think I'd catch you this early."
He rose an eyebrow at me as he leaned over to pull open the ramp. "Oh yeah? Is this still the same movie?"
"Oh yeah," I sighed, rolling up the ramp. I watched him flip up the front seats on one side. There was no one else on the bus this early. "I feel like we've been stuck in preproduction forever."
He waited while I moved over to him and he secured the strap around my wheel. He looked up at me and said, "Well I feel like I've been stuck on this route forever. I'd much rather be stuck in your fancy studios... What are they called again?"
I shook my head and watched as he returned to the driver's seat. "Steiner Studios."
"Right. Well I'd rather be there than on these same dirty streets all day." He started driving carefully through Brooklyn.
I glanced at my watch. I was actually running late for a meeting scheduled with the producer. Joe, the producer, was actually a good friend of mine from film school. He usually worked on projects in the city, while I stayed around Steiner because it was easy to get around. Before this project, it had been a while since I'd seen him. He'd gotten married in the meantime. Anyway, he was trying to get more support for the film because the budget was too tight for what we wanted to shoot. It wasn't anything crazy, it's just that you can always use more than the tiny estimate you start with.
My phone beeped, a message from Joe to bring coffee. I chuckled, good one. How was I supposed to carry it?
The bus swerved suddenly and came to a quick stop. I looked out the window to see a dump truck that had jack-knifed across the street in front of us. I gasped, trying to breathe.
"Sorry about that, Artie." Steve said, looking back at me. I barely noticed, I was still staring at the truck. It had a plow hooked on the front. Talk about tunnel vision, that's all I could see. "I know a shortcut. It's off my route, so don't tell anyone."
We only stayed behind the truck for a minute before Steve managed to squeeze around it and turn the corner. I tried to shake off the bad feelings, but I keep just staring into space. Thankfully Steve was a good driver... Thankfully we had enough room. I didn't know what to be thankful for. I thought back to that neverending winter 20 years ago. Had it really been so long? I guess I lost track... I never thought that would happen.
"Hey Artie," Steve was saying back to me.
I looked up at him. "What?"
"This is your stop." I looked out of the windows but only saw a huge snow bank. "Looks like they haven't shoveled yet. Hold on." He started driving again. To my surprise, he turned on his signal like he was going to turn on to Washington Ave. He stopped in front of the gate.
"You don't have to do this." My voice got caught in my throat.
"Hey Artie, let me see your badge for a second." Steve stood up and looked down at the guard. "Hold on a second."
He came up to me and held out his hand. I just looked at it for a moment. "Won't you get into trouble?"
He shook his head. "I can't turn in but the least I could do is make sure you get around that snow drift."
"I could manage," I mumbled. I hated that he just felt bad for me.
"Look, most people don't even bother to say thank you to me. I appreciate that you actually treat me like a human being. So let the guy open the gate and I'll drop you right inside."
I nodded and handed him my badge. He flashed it at the guard and pulled up a little, just inside the gate. I unbuckled myself and watched as he opened the ramp. As I made my way off the bus, I looked back at him. "Thanks, Steve."
He smiled a little. "See you tomorrow, on the regular route, I hope. And hey, watch out for the ice."
"I will." I waved at him a little.
I started towards the main office on the studio lot. It really wasn't as fancy as Steve guessed, but the glass building and the lot were cleaner than most other parts of Brooklyn. I passed a couple of graduate students who were shivering, setting up an early morning shot. I’d gotten excited when I first heard about the program, but luckily I’d gotten a foot in the door, so to speak, and I’d gotten a good gig. They didn’t even glance up at me, I guess they were too busy.
"This winter is never ending." Joe rolled his eyes as I entered the room. He seemed wide awake to me.
I just nodded, shrugging off my coat. Luckily I’d beaten the others to the meeting. I hated running late for things and it happened more than I would like, especially in this weather. I tried to unwind a little, loosen up so I could impress the potential sponsors. Just seeing that truck had really shaken me up.
I could feel Joe’s eyes on me. “Dude, you look terrible. Here, have a coffee.”
He went over to the machine before I could tell him not to and he made me a cup how I liked it, dark with a lot of sugar. I sighed as he handed it to me. “Thanks, man.”
“You OK?” Joe was staring at me.
“I don’t know. I think I’m just burnt out. It just keeps snowing and we aren’t getting anywhere with production…”
“Well, maybe now’s our chance.” He was smiling widely, nodding up through the glass window behind me. I looked up, the sponsors were coming our way.
I put on my game face just in time. They came into the room and one of them muttered, “I can’t believe it snowed again.”
Joe offered them coffee before we tag teamed through the summary of our film. It felt like we went on for hours. I tried to be excited, but I had already gone through every detail a million times. We were stuck in a rut and I didn’t have the patience to be rejected yet again. It felt like this deep freeze would never end.
Finally, the meeting ended. The sponsors were smiling as they stood up to leave. Joe showed them out and I just sat there, shuffling my papers. It had gone better than I expected, but there was still a long way to go. I really had to get my excitement back somehow.
“Hey, excuse me?”
I looked up, I hadn’t realized anyone was still in the room. I looked at the young man for a moment. His name was Jason, I remembered after a moment. I tried to put back on a professional demeanor. “Yeah, sorry, did you have a question?”
“Yeah, you’re that kid, aren’t you?” I had no idea what he was talking about. “You were in that show choir, right? I don’t remember the whole story, but I swear I saw you on TV.”
“Oh right,” I tried to smile, but I was disappointed. I’d forgotten we’d been interviewed on TV before our senior Nationals competition. “Yeah, that was me.”
“I knew I recognized you. I was a freshman in high school and I was having a rough time… Anyway, that doesn’t really matter. Man, what happened to you guys?”
I shrugged, thinking about my old friends from high school. It had been years since I talked to some of them. “Everybody’s doing something different. Some of us ended up on Broadway, some in Hollywood, some are in bands or are models… and as you can see I’m a director.” I had to smile. I still didn’t regret my decision for one second, even if I was going through a rough patch.
“That’s amazing. It seems like you all came a long way. Anyway, you know what, I’ll be honest. I inherited a huge trust fund and I have no idea what to do with it. Most people say invest it or donate it or something, but I don’t want to do that. I’d rather take a risk. I have to say, I think I just found the perfect way to invest it in this project.”
My mouth gaped open. “Are you serious?”
He was smiling away. “Yeah. I think you guys have some great ideas.”
It was too surreal. “Thanks a lot, it really means a lot to us.”
“We can discuss the details later…” He just nodded and started for the door. “Hey, you really brought me back just now.”
“Crazy.” I wondered if that memory had anything to do with his decision. I decided not to linger on that thought. “Anyway, yeah, thanks again. We’ll be in touch.” I tried not to keep talking. I just wanted to keep thanking him.
“Yeah sure,” he waved on his way out. As I watched him walk away, all I could think of was how he had completely saved our project. Over his shoulder, the sun was trying to peek through the clouds and I thought maybe spring was finally on the way.
Word Count: 1618
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Glee
Pairings (if any): none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): none
Summary: Artie is burnt out at his job, but maybe his fortune is about to change.
2024
"Hey Steve." I was freezing, but I tried to smile as the bus doors slid open in front of me.
The big bald man just shook his head at me. "You're heading in to work early."
"Yeah. I need to make some headway on this project. I didn't think I'd catch you this early."
He rose an eyebrow at me as he leaned over to pull open the ramp. "Oh yeah? Is this still the same movie?"
"Oh yeah," I sighed, rolling up the ramp. I watched him flip up the front seats on one side. There was no one else on the bus this early. "I feel like we've been stuck in preproduction forever."
He waited while I moved over to him and he secured the strap around my wheel. He looked up at me and said, "Well I feel like I've been stuck on this route forever. I'd much rather be stuck in your fancy studios... What are they called again?"
I shook my head and watched as he returned to the driver's seat. "Steiner Studios."
"Right. Well I'd rather be there than on these same dirty streets all day." He started driving carefully through Brooklyn.
I glanced at my watch. I was actually running late for a meeting scheduled with the producer. Joe, the producer, was actually a good friend of mine from film school. He usually worked on projects in the city, while I stayed around Steiner because it was easy to get around. Before this project, it had been a while since I'd seen him. He'd gotten married in the meantime. Anyway, he was trying to get more support for the film because the budget was too tight for what we wanted to shoot. It wasn't anything crazy, it's just that you can always use more than the tiny estimate you start with.
My phone beeped, a message from Joe to bring coffee. I chuckled, good one. How was I supposed to carry it?
The bus swerved suddenly and came to a quick stop. I looked out the window to see a dump truck that had jack-knifed across the street in front of us. I gasped, trying to breathe.
"Sorry about that, Artie." Steve said, looking back at me. I barely noticed, I was still staring at the truck. It had a plow hooked on the front. Talk about tunnel vision, that's all I could see. "I know a shortcut. It's off my route, so don't tell anyone."
We only stayed behind the truck for a minute before Steve managed to squeeze around it and turn the corner. I tried to shake off the bad feelings, but I keep just staring into space. Thankfully Steve was a good driver... Thankfully we had enough room. I didn't know what to be thankful for. I thought back to that neverending winter 20 years ago. Had it really been so long? I guess I lost track... I never thought that would happen.
"Hey Artie," Steve was saying back to me.
I looked up at him. "What?"
"This is your stop." I looked out of the windows but only saw a huge snow bank. "Looks like they haven't shoveled yet. Hold on." He started driving again. To my surprise, he turned on his signal like he was going to turn on to Washington Ave. He stopped in front of the gate.
"You don't have to do this." My voice got caught in my throat.
"Hey Artie, let me see your badge for a second." Steve stood up and looked down at the guard. "Hold on a second."
He came up to me and held out his hand. I just looked at it for a moment. "Won't you get into trouble?"
He shook his head. "I can't turn in but the least I could do is make sure you get around that snow drift."
"I could manage," I mumbled. I hated that he just felt bad for me.
"Look, most people don't even bother to say thank you to me. I appreciate that you actually treat me like a human being. So let the guy open the gate and I'll drop you right inside."
I nodded and handed him my badge. He flashed it at the guard and pulled up a little, just inside the gate. I unbuckled myself and watched as he opened the ramp. As I made my way off the bus, I looked back at him. "Thanks, Steve."
He smiled a little. "See you tomorrow, on the regular route, I hope. And hey, watch out for the ice."
"I will." I waved at him a little.
I started towards the main office on the studio lot. It really wasn't as fancy as Steve guessed, but the glass building and the lot were cleaner than most other parts of Brooklyn. I passed a couple of graduate students who were shivering, setting up an early morning shot. I’d gotten excited when I first heard about the program, but luckily I’d gotten a foot in the door, so to speak, and I’d gotten a good gig. They didn’t even glance up at me, I guess they were too busy.
"This winter is never ending." Joe rolled his eyes as I entered the room. He seemed wide awake to me.
I just nodded, shrugging off my coat. Luckily I’d beaten the others to the meeting. I hated running late for things and it happened more than I would like, especially in this weather. I tried to unwind a little, loosen up so I could impress the potential sponsors. Just seeing that truck had really shaken me up.
I could feel Joe’s eyes on me. “Dude, you look terrible. Here, have a coffee.”
He went over to the machine before I could tell him not to and he made me a cup how I liked it, dark with a lot of sugar. I sighed as he handed it to me. “Thanks, man.”
“You OK?” Joe was staring at me.
“I don’t know. I think I’m just burnt out. It just keeps snowing and we aren’t getting anywhere with production…”
“Well, maybe now’s our chance.” He was smiling widely, nodding up through the glass window behind me. I looked up, the sponsors were coming our way.
I put on my game face just in time. They came into the room and one of them muttered, “I can’t believe it snowed again.”
Joe offered them coffee before we tag teamed through the summary of our film. It felt like we went on for hours. I tried to be excited, but I had already gone through every detail a million times. We were stuck in a rut and I didn’t have the patience to be rejected yet again. It felt like this deep freeze would never end.
Finally, the meeting ended. The sponsors were smiling as they stood up to leave. Joe showed them out and I just sat there, shuffling my papers. It had gone better than I expected, but there was still a long way to go. I really had to get my excitement back somehow.
“Hey, excuse me?”
I looked up, I hadn’t realized anyone was still in the room. I looked at the young man for a moment. His name was Jason, I remembered after a moment. I tried to put back on a professional demeanor. “Yeah, sorry, did you have a question?”
“Yeah, you’re that kid, aren’t you?” I had no idea what he was talking about. “You were in that show choir, right? I don’t remember the whole story, but I swear I saw you on TV.”
“Oh right,” I tried to smile, but I was disappointed. I’d forgotten we’d been interviewed on TV before our senior Nationals competition. “Yeah, that was me.”
“I knew I recognized you. I was a freshman in high school and I was having a rough time… Anyway, that doesn’t really matter. Man, what happened to you guys?”
I shrugged, thinking about my old friends from high school. It had been years since I talked to some of them. “Everybody’s doing something different. Some of us ended up on Broadway, some in Hollywood, some are in bands or are models… and as you can see I’m a director.” I had to smile. I still didn’t regret my decision for one second, even if I was going through a rough patch.
“That’s amazing. It seems like you all came a long way. Anyway, you know what, I’ll be honest. I inherited a huge trust fund and I have no idea what to do with it. Most people say invest it or donate it or something, but I don’t want to do that. I’d rather take a risk. I have to say, I think I just found the perfect way to invest it in this project.”
My mouth gaped open. “Are you serious?”
He was smiling away. “Yeah. I think you guys have some great ideas.”
It was too surreal. “Thanks a lot, it really means a lot to us.”
“We can discuss the details later…” He just nodded and started for the door. “Hey, you really brought me back just now.”
“Crazy.” I wondered if that memory had anything to do with his decision. I decided not to linger on that thought. “Anyway, yeah, thanks again. We’ll be in touch.” I tried not to keep talking. I just wanted to keep thanking him.
“Yeah sure,” he waved on his way out. As I watched him walk away, all I could think of was how he had completely saved our project. Over his shoulder, the sun was trying to peek through the clouds and I thought maybe spring was finally on the way.