i hold my cards to my chest
and laid my life on the line
--

The soft beeping of the small alarm clock next to where you slept barely registered for a couple seconds before you were rudely awoken by a barrage of nope. Your head rested comfortably on one pillow, while you kept another one over your head to dim the effects of the morning light. That latter pillow was yanked unceremoniously off of your head and was then right back in your face with a prominent 'smack'.
"Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty," the teasing, sing-song voice of your childhood best friend rang through your ears as you finally opened your eyes, accompanied with a few squints to adjust your vision. You made no effort in an attempt to throw the pillow at him, and it brushed against his arm like a feather touch when you lazily flung it away from you.
The pillow hit the back of your head again. "Ow, fuck," you murmured.
Devon grinned, chuckling. "You missed."
"Ugh, I'm awake," Rubbing your eyes and finally sitting up, Devon handed you a tall cup of milk and two sandwiches, mainly because- according to him- you were just too lazy to get out of bed first thing in the morning.
You then noticed his attire. "Oh shit, you broke out the suit," you proclaimed in a scratchy whisper, wiggling your eyebrows to humor him. "Something big and fancy's happening today, ladies better watch out."
His laugh was disguised as a scoff, but you knew the truth. "I've got this deposition for the Life Foundation today," he told you, picking a couple of beige folders off the nightstand. "Important case, apparently. You better let me know how that meeting of yours goes too, by the way."
Wait. Pause. Meeting? What meeting.
Then it hit you.
"Oh right. That meeting... shit," you grabbed a sandwich off the plate. "Thanks for reminding me."
"Someone's gotta keep your brain in check," Devon tossed back with a smile.
You rolled your eyes, returning the expression. "Ha ha, funny."
It was then you noticed that even in his proper business attire, a familiar gold chain hung loosely around his neck. The same necklace from the set you two had gotten as kids, with circular charms that read either, "no matter where" and "no matter what". He had one, you had the other.
"Hey."
Your soft call made your friend twist around to face you.
"Love you, man."
Devon smiled from ear to ear at your platonic affection. "Love you too, idiot. Remember to feed the dog, okay?"
A thumbs-up was your only response, but he grinned either way and walked out the door, leaving you to your sandwiches and other devices until the day began.

--


San Francisco was a beautiful city. Thriving, alive, and full of everything to bring new experiences. Perfect for you.
The April air was crisp and fresh, which made the motorcycle ride to work all the more enjoyable. It was only a few miles to the building you worked at, but you still passed by the Golden Gate bridge, several small, local stores, and then the busier part of town with the food outlets and shopping centers- after you passed by the pier, that is.
You made a note to yourself to bring Devon out for dinner at one of the restaurants there sometime this week.

A quick stop into the small parking spot for your bike at the front doors, and a few minutes waiting for the elevator later, and you were seated in the chair in front of your boss. He had mentioned a new potential interview for you, and you weren't one to turn down any opportunity.
"The view up here never gets old," he mused quietly, though you could still hear him. "It's one of the main reasons I love it up here."
You mustered a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of your neck. "I, uh... heh, I'm not really fond of heights that much."
Your man in charge moved from his position near the window to join your eye level in his chair on the other side of the desk. "Anyway, I got you the big fish. Exclusive report chance here."
Now you were interested. "Who's that?"
"Noah Crawford. Life Foundation leader."
You had almost inched forward in your seat, but now sat back a little. "Noah Crawford?" you repeated, no longer sounding as excited as you thought you would be.
"The man's a visionary, [name]," was his response, as if to remind you of how big of a name he apparently was. "He wants to talk about his rockets. Assure the world that they're safe and that the crash from a week ago was just a rare mishap."
One of your hands reached up to gently play with a strand of your hair, desperately trying to keep your mouth shut. "If you ask me, there's something kind of off about him."
Your boss linked both of his hands together on the desk. "I'll level with you," he started quietly. "With his funds, Crawford could buy this building and our entire business with his damn pocket money. Could turn the place into his personal rocket garage."
You freely rolled your eyes. Great, the guy was rich as shit. Big deal.
"All you're gonna do," he continued, "Is ask him about the rockets and space programs, thank him for his time, and wish him a nice day. Simple as that, okay?"
With the silence in the air, you nodded, then paused, tongue poking at your cheek. "He's a douche," you flatlined.
That was one thing your boss loved about you, but also hated about you- you didn't sugar-coat your thoughts or lie about anything. You voiced your opinion, popular or not.
He sighed, leaning back in the chair. "[name], you know we adore your work," he mused to you. "Your reports and interviews for someone your age are incredible, but no one is above the network. So try and do me a favor, be the professional you, and don't start any shit."
You put your hands up in a sign of defeat, letting a long breath escape your lips. Nothing was easy, was it?

"Fine. I understand. I'll do it."