Started From The Bottom Now We Here

Not too long ago, you were broke and barely able to afford rent. You had a job as a trainer at a local gym in Long Beach, after moving there from Atlanta, dreaming of being discovered by some modeling or acting agency, like so many others. But the gym had to close down when Covid hit, and after that it was a struggle to find something new.

You kept in shape, of course. Living in bare minimum conditions allowed you to afford the supplements and food needed. But you literally had nothing else; no TV, no smartphone, nothing. For training equipment, you had to make do with whatever you could find and improvise. Your favorite exercise was pulling a huge truck tire across the sand at the beach.

One day, as you were running along the shore, there was a commotion involving a couple girls and some light-skinned dude. The girls were shrieking and basically throwing themselves at him. They seemed a bit on the younger side, but the guy was relishing the attention nonetheless. Until what appeared to be the dads of some of the girls showed up. They were both middle-aged but reasonably jacked.

The guy was getting defensive, trying to avoid a fight while also looking around for someone, glancing in the direction of a nearby tiki bar. Even though you knew these guys were just trying to protect these girls, you decided to step in. This light-skinned dude had done nothing that would justify a beating.

You defused the situation easily, something you're accustomed to. When you show up to a fight, people usually lose interest in ****. The angry dads dragged their screeching daughters and their friends away from the scene.

Shortly after, another man came running and planted himself between you and the light-skinned guy. This man was muscular and tall, but still smaller than you. His threatening aura was somewhat diminished by him holding one of the girliest cocktails you've ever seen.

The light-skinned guy was furious. He grabbed his drink and berated the man, calling him useless and the "worst bodyguard in history". You winced at him hitting a hard R whenever using the n-word, and involuntarily scanned his features, scrutinizing how black this guy really was. Understandably fed up, the bodyguard just quit on the spot and walked off.

The light-skinned dude eyed you up and down, and introduced himself as Aubrey Graham. He asked if you were interested in a job. Seemed like a weird guy, but you needed money bad, so yes, you were interested.