New York. The 11th state is a young man who's often confused for America due to their similar appearances. However, their personalities differ. He's known for his blunt remarks, often coming off as rude to anybody outside his home. His temper is especially well-known to where it's affecting his reputation, mostly in a negative light. To be fair, his temper has come from the stress of his vital role to America and the rest of the world. And one such role is his financial ties.
Ever since the Dutch introduce him to the trade, he has become one of the leading financial and trade centers of the world. Sure, Wall Streets has its critics, and York has come under fire for his ties to many of Wall Street's richest assholes. But without a doubt, he plays an important role in not only his own economy, but the nation's and the world's as well, forcing a ton of weight on his shoulders which can be much for one state to handle.
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"Yooooork!"
"What now, Cali?"
"Can you, like, stop working?"
"Only if you stop annoying me," he grumbled.
New York was currently busy filing reports on his desktop while scheduling business meetings on his phone. The workaholic was close to passing out if it weren't for his coffee, undeniably relying on caffeine like a blood fusion. Ah, coffee: You can sleep when you're dead.
While working in his home office, California was staying over at his condo during Fashion Week. Being the fabulous fashionista she was, she wanted to see the Spring/Summer 2016 collection, so she can pre-order the latest designs to wear for next year. Since her arrival, she had been a constant thorn to the Empire State, constantly chatting about gossip on celebrities and any recent episode of a popular TV show. If she were to mention Kylie Jenner one more time, York was going to lose his mind.
For some reason, Cali decided to pass the time in York's home office instead of, I don't know, anywhere else in York's apartment. She laid on a white couch about fifteen feet away from York's desk. She was browsing through Instagram, occasionally giggling at whatever she found funny on her rose gold iPhone's screen. Leia, Cali's pampered Kyi-Leo, was taking a nap on her owner's stomach while, Rosy, York's cute Yorkshire Terrier, slept at the other end of the sofa. Despite being constantly told to go away, the idling Californian had yet to leave the busy New Yorker alone.
She sighed. "Come on, York. Get that sore butt off that chair, and join me this weekend for Fashion Week. It'll be fun going together. What do you say?" she asked him for the eleventh time.
"Not interested," he muttered as he typed faster on the keyboard.
Saturday was a busy day for him. Ten hours full of work if he was lucky. As for Sunday, he mostly spent that time catching up on sleep. Honestly, his main priority is getting the job done. It was more important than watching a line of tall, gorgeous models stroll down a catwalk in random, trendy outfits. Then again, it didn't mean it was all the more attractive to do.
He sighed. "Look. I'm busy this weekend, so can you stop asking me that question?"
She puffed her cheeks. "Oh, come on! I swear you're always busy. Your eyes are going to turn white like a zombie if you stare at that screen any longer."
He stopped typing. "Uh-huh. Says the woman who watches meme compilations all afternoon," he noted in a sarcastic manner. "Just stop asking me that question. I have better things to do than check out clothes and models. It's a waste of time anyway."
"It's not a waste of time!" she stubbornly huffed. "As your best girl-"
"You're not my best girl."
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you're not. You're incredibly annoying."
"Stop being such a tsundere."
"I am not!"
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She smirked. "As your best...whatever, it's my job to make sure you don't end up being a complete loser like Texas. In this case, I'm here to get you out of this lame machine called work!"
He looked baffled. "Dude, I'm perfectly fine."
"You say that, but deep down you're a miserable piece of shit who craves for freedom, pleasure, and hella cute outfits for next year!"
"I think all those things describe you..."
"Anyway, call your boss, and tell them to give you the weekend off."
"No way." He shook his head.
"Why not?"
"There's no reason to call them. Even if I ask, they won't give me the weekend off for me to see a fashion show."
She scoffed, "What a wimp move."
"I'm being realistic."
"If you won't, I will! I'll call your stupid boss, and tell them to give you the weekend. I'll go so far as to hack their Twitter account, and post pictures of penises if they don't comply with my request."
"Do that, and I'll kick you out of my condo," he warned as he went back to typing on his computer.
Cali frowned. "Come on, man..."
York ignored her. He wasted enough time talking with the valley girl. In fact, he felt more jaded thanks to her. He cracked his fingers, stretched his arms above his head. His navy blue eyes scanned the binders and stacks of paper that laid across his desk. On the computer screen was a spreadsheet. Fifty out of a hundred rows were filled with personal information of many associates. Plus, he needed to call at least twenty more people before he could stop and get some sleep. He had been working on this project since two days ago, and he was only halfway done.
He made a groan he hoped Cali wouldn't hear.
'Maybe she's right,' he thought to himself. 'I'm currently working over ten hours a day, six days a week. I'm currently working at home trying to fix up some asshole's mistake, and I still have tomorrow's assignments to do. Ugh... What am I doing with my life?'
He banged his head on his desk, earning a weird look from Cali and the pups.
Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding!
'What now?' He lifted his head off the desk.
The doorbell continued to go off, sending Rosy on a yipping spree. The Yorkie hopped off the sofa, and made a mad dash out of the room.
"I'll get it!" Cali chirped.
She grabbed her pup, and placed her elsewhere on the couch. She got up, and skipped out of the room, leaving York alone to savor a peaceful minute to himself.
'Finally! She's gone!'
It was only for a moment, but a minute of silence was a blessing to his ears. Taking a whirl in his chair, the young man stretched in his chair. He was about to go back to his computer when he heard the ugliest sound he ever known.
"Man! Was traffic always this bad, Cali? I still can't believe anyone would want to live in this dump!"
York nearly snapped his phone in half recognizing that douchebag's accent.
'You gotta be fucking kid-'
A young man's head popped around the doorway to his office. He combed through his scraggly, scarlet hair, his smile somewhat friendly and sarcastic. Rosy barked and growled at the fiend, biting the bottom of the enemy's torn, skinny jeans. New Jersey tried to scoot the sassy pup away from him, but the terrier wouldn't let. Cali came around Jersey, gently picking up Rosy, and holding the dog in her arms.
"Easy, Rosy! Jersey isn't going to hurt you," she giggled.
The Yorkie's beaded, black eyes were still intent on murdering her owner's sworn enemy. "Arf, arf, arf! Arf! Arf!" it barked. Translation: "I'm going to fucking bite your toes off once this blonde giant puts me down! I dare you to touch me! I dare you!"
Jersey smiled at the pup, unaware of its hurtful intentions. "For a cute, little puppy, you sure are feisty."
He was about to pat her head, but Rosy snapped at him, making him retreat his fingers.
"What are you doing here?" York stood up from his chair, glaring daggers at the red-headed demon.
Jersey turned his attention to his neighbor. "Relax, dude! No need to fuss over my intentions. I'm going not going to harm you or your precious pooch!" He was about pat Rosy's head, but Rosy was having none of it.
It was already bad enough he had Cali as a guest. Another guest, especially one he absolutely loathed, would absolutely drive him up the wall.
"Either way, I don't care why you're here," he huffed. "Whatever business you have, I expect you to be on your way."
Jersey held his chest, mocking a saddened expression. "Oh, come on, man! No need to treat me as bad as Masshole."
"You're just as bad as Masshole. Accent and all."
"Settle down, York." Cali butted in between their tense rivalry. "He's only here for the weekend because of me, so this is only temporary."
"Temporary? I'm not letting him stay in my house!"
"Don't be rude! He's our fellow state and friend."
"Friend is too nice of a word to call him."
"Same goes for you," Jersey mumbled.
York was about to fight him, but Cali told him to knock it off.
"It's only for the weekend. We won't cause you anymore trouble. I promise," she pleaded.
He scowled. 'Why does she always think she owns my house?' he thought irritably.
As easy and enjoyable it would be to kick Jersey's butt, he wasn't in the mood to deal with him, especially after working at his desktop for nearly three hours.
York let out a deep breath before slouching back in his chair. "Whatever. Just leave me alone, and don't bother me," he grumbled as he went back to typing on his computer.
Cali smiled. "Cool!" She turned her attention back to Jersey. "Come on! I need you to help me decide what to wear for tomorrow." She skipped out of the room.
"I'll join you later. I want to deal with something first."
"Oh. Alright. You know where to find me." Her eyes went back to York's office. "Leia! Time to put you and Rosy to bed! Come on! Chop, chop!" She clapped.
Leia hopped off the sofa, and went to her owner as told. The three left the room, leaving York and Jersey alone in the room.
Jersey smirked. "So, you're probably wondering why I'm here."
York gave him the silent treatment. He continued to type as though he were alone.
He noticed York's behavior, and breathed out a disappointed sigh. "You know, I would've been fine with a 'leave me alone' or a 'fuck off'." He walked up to York's desk, gazing upon hundreds of intricately detailed documents. "... That looks like ass."
"Fuck off. Leave me alone," he muttered.
The Garden State chuckled. "Geez. Where's that temper of yours? You sound like shit."
"Do you want me to kick you out?" He glared.
He sighed. "Before you do, I want to tell you my reasons for coming to this filthy city." He smirked. "Well, besides joining Cali during Fashion Week, I'm also here to see Broadway."
York perked his ears. "Broadway?"
"Haven't you heard?" Jersey asked like York should've known.
Without a clue, York raised his hands up in frustration. "I had been busy working unlike Gossip Girl."
A sneeze was heard in the next room
"Huh. Weird." Jersey mumbled.
"What?"
"For being the center of the world, you sure are behind on the latest trends."
He scowled. "Get out of my sight before I change my mind."
"But I hadn't told you why I came here."
"Just go!" York looked back at his computer screen, ignoring the Garden State once again.
Jersey shook his head. "Man, do I feel bad for you." He smirked. "Then again, I'm sure the long hours are worth the salary to pay for the rent. I mean, I only work eight hours a day, and have the weekends off, all to myself. I may not be as rich as you, but, hey, I have the free time to go see Hamilton at least."
York looked up at him in amazement. "Hamilton? The musical?"
"You know the one."
He first heard of Hamilton: An American Musical ever since it was introduced at the First Public Theater. He planned to see the musical when it got to Broadway, but he never got the chance because he was either busy, or tickets to the musical were sold out before he could even blink his eyes. I mean, all the tickets for August and September were completely sold out. For a musical centered on one of America's most forgotten Founding Fathers, York couldn't believe how big a hit it was judging by the reviews he had read online. Having knew Alexander Hamilton in the past, the man who built his financial institutions, York really wanted to see the musical's portrayal of him. Sadly, the same financial institutions were also responsible for keeping York away from experiencing the famous hit.
What made the situation all the more ironic was Jersey, his archenemy, having the free time to go see the musical before him. Him! The state whom brought Hamilton, both the man and the musical, into the spotlight should be the guy to see all his Broadway musicals first; not some tanned, Soprano wannabe with a tomato fetish!
"Is that all? If you are, get out of my office. What you do in your free time is none of my business," he grumbled, turning his eyes back to the computer.
"What's with the cranky attitude? I thought you were going to spoil the musical for me like you always do. Or...have you not see Hamilton yet?" Jersey made a devilish smirk.
"..."
"Hehehehehe! I knew it!" he laughed.
"Shut up! It's not funny!"
"Have the banks been mean to you again? Is that why you can't see the musical?" he teased.
York huffed, turning his face away. "It's no big deal. I can always see it at my leisure."
"Sure you do." Jersey pulled out three slips of paper.
York's navy blue eyes widened. "Are tho-"
"Oh my god! Are those Hamilton tickets?" Cali, out of nowhere, butted into the conversation, eyeing those golden tickets like it was a rare sight. "No way! They're definitely real! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! How did you get these? I thought they were sold out." Cali turned to Jersey for an explanation. "In fact, why you got two of them?"
Jersey shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you see, I had accidentally bought three instead of two online. I was hoping to bring a date along, so..." he chuckled.
"And who would that date be?" Cali wagged her trimmed eyebrows with a twinkle in her azure eyes.
"Hmm... I don't know." He mused. "You see, there's this beautifully young, talented, blonde lady-friend who's way out of my league, but love to take with me to see the musical," he sighed, "but I hear she's busy with Fashion Week, so I doubt she would-"
Cali hugged him tightly. "I would love to go! Thank you! Thank you! Oh my god! Thank you!" she screeched like a teenage girl who just won backstage passes to a One Direction concert. "Aaah! I can't fucking believe it! I gotta tweet this to all my friends!" She took one of the tickets from Jersey's hand. "Tex is going to be so jelly when I rub this in her stupid face! Aaah (XD)!"
York and Jersey had to cover their ears to avoid hearing loss.
"You're welcome," Jersey giggled.
"By the way, what do you think of this dress? I'm hoping to wear it for Sunday." She showed off her black, glittery, long-sleeved cocktail dress that revealed her shoulders and most of her backside.
Both guys nodded their heads.
"You put every contestant on The Bachelor to shame," said York.
"You are the the definition of hot," said Jersey.
Cali giggled. "Why thank you." She curtsied. "Now if you excuse me, I'll need to decide on a evening gown when I go see the musical."
She skipped out of the room, leaving the guys alone once again.
"... You know, I still have another ticket with me." Jersey waved the extra ticket in front of York's face like a dog biscuit. "If you want, I can give it to you. What do you say?"
York stubbornly scoffed, "No way! Like I'll beg for a ticket to a musical I can easily walk to in my free time." He crossed his arms across his chest.
He shrugged. "Oh well. I guess you'll have to see the musical whenever you have a day off or something. Whenever that is." His last words were enough to push York over the edge.
He slammed both palms on his desk and stood up. "Out! Now! Get fuck out before I get my bat, and beat your ass back to Jersey Shore!"
Jersey backed away in a cautious manner, nervously smiling. "Now that's the Yorkie I know," he chuckled. "Alright, alright! No need to harm anyone today. I'll leave you alone to jack off your spread sheets-"
"That's it!"
York stomped forward. Jersey immediately skedaddled out of there before the New Yorker got a hold him. As soon as the "Jersey Devil" left, York slammed the door closed, locking it shut so no one could come in, and bother him again. He let out a sigh of relief. He looked back at his empty office, admiring how quiet it was now that two of the most annoying states were out of the picture. As much as he wanted to relax, he still had a lot of work to do.
He stared at his desk at the back of the room. He realized the stacks of papers and binders were about the size of Mount Everest from where he stood. Like, damn... He knew he had a month to complete them, but he didn't think there was that much of it to do. Not to mention the stupid spread sheet his incompetent coworker forced on him, he was really tempted to throw everything out the window. He let out a curse and a tired moan before ambling back to his chair, plopping down on the squished seat, and getting back to typing on his desktop.
Tapa, tapa, tapa, tap, tapa, tapa, clackle, tapa, tapa, tapa, tap, clackle, tapa, tapa, tap, clackle...
His fingers pressed every key. His navy blue eyes were plastered on the computer screen. His vision was slightly blurry, but that's alright. He refused to let them dart elsewhere, and waste another minute on distractions. This project needed to be done for tomorrow's presentation. If it wasn't done in time, then... then...
"Arf! Arf!"
York blinked his eyes. He checked the time at the corner of his desktop. It was 12:30 in the morning, thirty minutes passed midnight. Scratching noises and desperate whines came behind the door. The young man stood up, and went to the door. After unlocking it, he allowed the pup to come in. Rosy hopped up on York's legs, yipping happily seeing her owner.
He softly smiled. "Sorry. I know I should be in bed by now." He picked up Rosy, carrying the pup in his arms as he went back to sit in his office chair. "You did a great job going after that demon spawn." He rubbed her head.
Rosy returned his affection licking his hand. The two turned their attention to the paperwork on York's desk. The Yorkie growled at a stack of papers that was taller than her. He got the gist on what she was implying, getting a small chuckle out of him.
"Don't worry. After tomor- I mean, today, I'll be able to take a day off... My only day off..."
When was the last time he had the weekend off? In fact, when was the last time he had a vacation? York guessed a few possibilities, one of which wasn't really a vacation, but a power outage during a blizzard that forced him to stay home for three days. Still, the fact he couldn't remember the vacations he had outside the holidays made him ponder over what Cali and Joisey said.
"I swear you're always busy."
"I'm sure the long hours are worth the salary to pay for the rent."
'... Seriously. What am I doing with my life?'
Even with the prospect of a day off, it wasn't really a day off. Every Sunday, he always woke up around ten in the morning. The first hour would be spent doing his morning routine, and eating a small breakfast. After that, he spent two hours shopping for groceries and shit. After that, about twenty minutes was spent on lunch. After subtracting two hours before Monday for dinner and his nighttime routine, he only had about eight hour of free time to use, possibly less than that if he had personal errands or work-related stuff to do. By midnight, he should be asleep by then, getting around six hours of rest until his alarm would alert him to wake up for work. Ten to twelve hour work days followed. It was the same schedule every week.
Nothing interesting, nothing fun to do. In reality, he was anything but boring. He had a bunch of fun things to do, fun destinations around every corner in one of the most famous cities in the world. Yet, he was always stuck in some office or a cubicle, all day or all day night depending on his schedule. It wasn't like he was forced to work. He always thought about asking his boss for a long, needed break away from his desk. Before he could ask, he would always change his mind. Because deep down, he didn't want to be a slacker. He didn't want to be negligent of his work. He didn't want it to happen again...
Almost seven years ago, was it? There were many names for it. The Great Recession, the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008, the Stock Market Crash of 2008, he was responsible for it. People across the world suffered because of him. Not just them, America and the states suffered as well. They became sick for a long time, almost like that time in 1929. Even now, he still felt the guilt of the crisis over his head. If he were to slack off again, it could result in many people losing their jobs, his friends falling ill once again all because of his carelessness. He swore it would never happen again. He really meant it.
He worked endlessly to get the country and the states back up on their feet. And now, in 2015, the country was finally seeing growth for the first time years after the crash. Unemployment is low. The economy appeared to be back to normal. All seemed well so far.
After working for so long, York about the things he wanted to do, things he had missed in recent years. Occasionally, he would listen to Cali regarding the latest gossip and trends. However, he still felt like he had missed a lot. Either that, or a lot had happened to where it was beginning a blur to him. Planking used to be a thing, that he knew. And now, people are hurting themselves trying to get a bloated lip job. There was also the dress argument that happened earlier that year which he found ridiculous. I mean, it was obviously black and blue.
York was missing out on the fun and good in the world in the time between then and now. He, too, wanted to get in on the latest craze. Time within the office had left him feeling out-of-place, making him a sputtering cog in a rusty machine. He needed to stop, get some needed air, and relax.
York saved, and closed the finished spread sheet. He was about to shut off his computer, but he hesitated. Instead, he moved the cursor, and clicked on Google Chrome. He typed into the search bar, and pressed enter. He clicked on the first link, and waited for the page to load. After a few more clips, he gave off a disappointed moan.
"Sold out this month. I can't believe it," he muttered.
The young man then recalled Jersey's offer. He shook his head at the thought of asking the shady devil for a ticket. That would be humiliating! Not in a million years would he accept his offer. This is especially true considering the tickets he saw in Jersey's hands were for Saturday night. Could he get out of work on time to go see the musical on time?
York picked up his smartphone off his desk. He chose one of his contacts, and called their number. He waited until the call picked up.
"Hello?"
"It's me, sir."
"... Do you have any idea what time it is?"
York scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, sir, but I had something I need to inform you about something."
They yawned. "... Make this quick."
"Can I have Saturday off?"
"Why?"
"I just... I just need a long break from work. Just the weekend off. That's all."
"Sorry. No can do."
"Why not?" he irritably questioned.
"For one, you didn't notify me ahead of time. Two, many people are out, so the ones left, including you, must work in their place. Three, you still need to turn in that project, and hold a presentation. Plus, who's going to organize tomorrow's stocks?"
He scowled. "... I'm going to send you an email containing the files of the project. Don't expect me to show up to work tomorrow."
"... I won't pay you that weekend."
"Fine."
"But-"
York ended the call. Relieved, he was finally free to do whatever he wanted this weekend. Looking back down at Rosy, her wagging tail and excited demeanor made a smile appear on his face. He shut down his desktop, and got up from his office chair. He finally left the room, carrying Rosy as they head back to his bedroom to prepare for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. That's for sure. And for once, he couldn't wait for what's ahead of him once he woke up.
~
"I knew he would ask," Jersey teased as he and Cali giggled.
"Shut up! It's no big deal." York grumbled as they went down the red velvet rows to find their seats.
Even though he hated to be in Jersey's favor, York was still ecstatic to finally spend his day off doing something fun. And what better way than to spend the night watching a Broadway musical that'll have him hum the music for years to come.
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+ Wall Street is a street located in New York City that's known for hosting many financial markets. Its name has become synonymous with American capitalism, a key center of trade, economic power, and risk-taking innovation. Consequently, it has also become a symbol of greed, elitism, and deceitful practices, especially during recessions. Despite its negative image, Wall Street as an entity doesn't seem to be bothered by the criticisms. In fact, it embraces such values as a part of the business.
- Of course, it's important to understand the negative public image partially comes from a lack of understanding of the financial market. I mean, Wall Street itself sounds like a cold, menacing place to work at. Just the idea of learning the financial trade seems like a headache. I can't imagine anyone with a heart wanting to work at such a place. Either way, Wall Street should be given some respect for its major role in America's economy.
+ When I was creating my 50 States OCs, I had to wrap my mind around various stereotypes in order to make my OCs seem somewhat accurate as representatives of the states they personify. Unfortunately, there were some I had trouble making. One of them was New York.
- Compared to various New York OCs, I made mine seem more like the serious, business type due to the state's role in the nation's finance. By no means are all New Yorkers like this, nor do all New York OCs act like this. In some aspects, I wished I made my New York OC more outgoing considering the state (NYC in particular) is a pop culture hodgepodge. Either way, I hope to feature New York as being more than a businessman.
~
Feel free to vote or comment any thoughts on New York or the chapter here.