~Loud rock music playing….
Verse:
I had to grip my pride and head to the brothel,
Spent my last dime on an old hag whore.
Never felt this low, but I had to let go,
Man's gotta bust when the pressure starts to show.
Backup:
Just got my check, my July wages—
Spent it fast, like I'm tearing through pages.
Chorus:
It sucks to be a construction worker,
Hard hat on, but the grind keeps getting tougher.
Sweat and dust, no dreams to discover…
"La~ la~ la~ na~ nana~ dumdum~"
The hums and melody of a young man in his early thirties drifted through the air. Bobby was resting under a rickety shack, shielding himself from the relentless, scorching sun. His cheerful voice conveyed as he listened to his favorite countryside song, Bimp Got Laid.
Clutching his Bluetooth DBL music player tightly to his chest, Bobby grinned. The little device was the only thing he'd managed to buy for himself this entire year, and the year was nearly over. It wasn't much, but it was his, and he treasured it.
In a strange way, the song mirrored his life. Every lyric of Bimp Got Laid hit too close to home, as if it had been written just for him.
"You're lying under this shack again, Bobby?"
A familiar voice cut through the melody, and Bobby lazily raised his head.
"Urgh… DAVID?"
"Yeah, it's me. Why're you looking so drunk—wait a minute. HOLY HELL, did you gulp down a bottle of Fireball? Are you CRAZY?! WE HAVEN'T EVEN CLOSED YET!"
David stormed toward Bobby, equally furious and concerned. Spotting the empty bottle lying nearby, he crouched down to check on his friend.
"You okay, man?" David asked, his anger softening when he realized Bobby was fine. Then his ears caught the familiar song playing from Bobby's speaker.
"I thought you said you were done listening to that song and drinking alcohol?" David chuckled as he flopped down beside Bobby.
"Man, it's so hard to quit," Bobby muttered. "Besides, didn't you also tell me you were going to quit taking meth?"
The comment sent both men into a fit of laughter, their voices echoing through the dusty construction site.
David had been Bobby's closest friend since childhood. They had dropped out of college together, diving headfirst into the grueling world of construction work. Both of them were losers scraping by, living paycheck to paycheck, and crashing in brothels when things got particularly grim. Somehow, though, David had managed to claw his way out of the cycle. Bobby, on the other hand…
"I still can't believe what you told me this morning," David said after their laughter died down. He stretched out, supporting his head with his hands as he gazed up at the shack's makeshift roof.
"Which part?" Bobby asked, feigning ignorance.
"How you blew your entire year's savings, man. It's unbelievable. And not even on a chick you got to sleep with!"
"It all happened so fast," Bobby sighed, his voice heavy with regret.
"Wasn't it that Hawk Tuah chick?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Damn it, Bobby! I told you to stop watching her podcasts. I never liked her. You got pissed when I said guys were simps for giving her attention. Now look! She played you with her crypto scam, and you're back to square one. I don't even know what to say anymore." David shook his head, covering his face with his hands.
Bobby leaned back against the shack, his smile faint but filled with resignation. "What's done is done, man. No point crying over it. Besides, I'm happy for you. You're getting married next month, you've got a baby on the way, and you're finally leaving this godforsaken job. You're moving on."
David glanced at him, seeing through the small smile to the sadness Bobby couldn't hide. It was all there, etched into his friend's face—the pain, the regret, and the longing for something better.
When David realized he'd been too harsh on his friend, he let out a deep sigh, the weight of guilt settling in.
"Look, Bobby, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I guess I was just pissed because that girl didn't even spit on your thang, let alone anything else." David shook his head, a smirk forming on his face. "But honestly, it could've happened to me too. We're both womanizers, after all—birds of the same feathers, huh? Anyway, after thinking it over, I came up with a plan. Next week, we're both quitting this damn job."
Bobby's eyes widened. He shot up from his resting position, sitting upright to make sure he hadn't misheard.
"Wait, what? Come again?"
"I said," David repeated with a grin, "I've got a plan for the both of us to leave this shitty job. Since you lost all your money, I'll give you ten thousand dollars from my savings to cover your upkeep. But listen—this is just the start. My fiancée and I have been working on something behind the scenes, and it finally paid off!"
Bobby leaned in, his heart pounding as he hung on David's every word.
"I landed a job for both of us. It pays up to five thousand dollars a month—and six if we do overtime! I was actually planning to tell you this morning before you dropped that bombshell about the crypto scam," David said, his smile beaming with pride.
The words hit Bobby like a bolt of lightning. Without thinking, he threw his arms around David, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"WE MADE IT! WE FINALLY MADE IT!" Bobby roared, his voice cracking with emotion as tears streamed down his face. For the first time in what felt like forever, he saw a glimmer of hope, a miracle, even. And Bobby wasn't the kind of guy who believed in miracles.
David chuckled, patting his friend on the back. "Yeah, man, we made it. But don't you think this is a little weird? Two grown men hugging it out like this? If anyone saw us, they might think—"
"Shut up!" Bobby barked, quickly pulling away. To cover the moment, he extended his hand for a firm handshake instead, the corners of his mouth twitching into a sheepish grin.
David laughed, shaking Bobby's hand. He knew his friend well enough to understand the sudden switch. Bobby's "masculinity" was his pride. No matter how poor or down on his luck he was, Bobby clung to the idea that he was a true chad. And hugging another man? Well, that just didn't fit the image.
But for all his posturing, Bobby's gratitude was unmistakable. David had given him something he thought he'd lost for good; hope.
__________________________________
Bobby and David returned to the construction site as their break ended, signaling another group of workers to take theirs. Resuming their task of digging trenches, the duo worked in silence until sudden shouts shattered their momentum.
"HEY! GET OUT OF THERE!"
"MOVE! RUN!"
They paused, raising their heads in confusion at the frantic voices. Glancing up, they spotted a crane losing control, its hydraulic system gushing oil. The crane's load, which is a heavy slab, strained under its own weight, hurtled downward at a terrifying speed.
Panic set in, and they both bolted. But as Bobby tried to run, his foot snagged on a pile of rebars, sending him sprawling. David skidded to a halt, reaching to pull him free, but time betrayed him.
The slab crashed down with mer
ciless force, turning Bobby into a gruesome smear of flesh and blood. Death claimed him instantly.
===========
Hello, dear readers! This is my entry for the 2025 W.S.A. Honestly, I don't have high hopes of winning, haha, but hey, even a bronze would be nice, right? Who wouldn't want to win? Your support with Power Stones and Golden Tickets would mean the world to me. Thank you!