Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: False Start

"Good day everyone, welcome to today's lecture on entropy. Today, we will delve into the fascinating concept of entropy and its significance in the world of science and thermodynamics. Entropy is a fundamental concept that arises from the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of a closed system tends to increase over time. It is often associated with disorder or randomness, but its true meaning goes beyond these simplistic interpretations—"

["Yawn. What's the point of even trying to understand what you can't see?"] Stanley thought to himself. He silently tapped on his desk and let his eyes wander across the room.

Professor Darwin went on with his lecture in the background.

"Stanley?"

Stanley snapped awake. "Huh?"

There were a few chuckles from the other students.

The professor looked up at him from above his glasses. "Would you care to define the first law of thermodynamics?"

Stanley rested his head on his left hand. "Oh… the first law of thermodynamics states that energy is conserved in a closed system. It can be neither created nor destroyed, only transferred or converted between different forms…"

"That's exactly correct! Good work, Stan. Glad to see someone is paying attention in my class."

Stanley went into a daze again. He checked his phone, looking at a message he sent nearly an hour ago to his girlfriend, Heather; "Hey, checking up on you. You good?"

He sighed, putting the phone back in his pocket and allowing himself to fall asleep.

"Stan. Stan!"

Stanley jolted in his seat. He looked up at Professor Darwin who had woken him. "Y-Yeah, what is it?"

"I can't seem to understand how in the world you come in here just to sleep, yet you're grasping the concepts of our universe so well. You're my best student you know."

Stanley yawned. "Really? That's crazy."

"I'm serious, Stan. I think if you really put your nose down and applied yourself, you'd get pretty far in life."

Stanley looked around, noticing that he was the only student left in the room. He stood up and grabbed his backpack. "I uh, appreciate the thought Mr. Darwin, but thing is, I really don't like school. It's just something that I have to do, that's all."

Darwin had a pitiful frown on his face as he crossed his arms. "You're a gifted young man. You can do great things. I don't want to see you wasting away somewhere alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. See ya some other time."

Darwin watched Stanley leave the class. He took his glasses off and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

-

Stanley slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked solemnly down the university corridors.

Some girls that passed him by giggled softly to each other and whispered while looking at him. He stared straight ahead with a flatlined exhausted expression.

Stanley was a 19-year old college student. With his milk chocolate-brown skin and dyed-blue dreadlocks that stuck up on the top of his head, he easily stood out from the average crowd. He usually wore tattered white t-shirts featuring a stretched collar that never fit quite perfectly on his shoulders, and a pair of ripped black jeans that were just a little too tight. His white tennis shoes were always covered in dirt, and the deep creases on the toes were a testament to the hundreds of thousands of steps that were taken in them.

Stanley left campus, and caught the bus on the way to his apartment. He walked up the stairs and pulled out his keys.

click, click.

The door opened, and Stanley stared into a dark living room. He flicked on the light and dropped his bag by the door. "Heather? You here?" He looked around, seeing that all of the rooms were empty. When he walked into the bedroom, he saw several dresses and outfits laid out on the bed.

"What's all this for?" He checked his phone. No new messages. He dialed a number.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Four rings.

"Hello?"

Stanley's face brightened a little. "Hey! Um… where are you? You haven't been answering my texts."

"I've been out shopping. Sorry, I wasn't looking at my phone."

Stanley picked up one of the dresses on the bed. It was black, covered in fancy sequins from bottom to top. "Shopping? For what, some A-list party?"

"Stan, what are you talking about?"

"You left your clothes on the bed. And they're all designer. When'd you get these anyway?"

"They were on sale, I had to."

"I hope you remember that rent is due this week? You still gotta put in your half!"

"I know, Stan. I know. Just… relax, okay?"

click.

Stanley sighed. He shoved the phone into his pocket. "Where does she even get the money from? I'm the only one with a job…"

He went through his closet and pulled out a white-collared button-up and black trousers to change into. He looked in the mirror and tried to somewhat clean up his messy dreads that dangled every which-way. He gave himself a half-confident smile and left the apartment.

-

The sounds of cars and semi-trucks rolling down the street filled Stanley's ears. They gave him a feeling of peace, of serenity. It was home.

Stanley waited, standing at the bus stop . He scrolled through his phone, on social media, seeing constant images of young men and women with luxury sport cars, extravagant mansions, and private planes.

An alert popped up on the screen; "Low Battery, 10% remaining."

"Oh man… I forgot to charge my phone." he said, a bit disappointed in himself. He pocketed the device and took in the evening city air.

-

Hartworth Enterprises. That was the name of the company Stanley worked for. They were centered in a 36-story building located in the heart of downtown Lakesboro, in the country of Montclair.

It was the typical office building. Every wall was the same boring eggshell color, every room lined with desks where the employees worked the phones and computers day-in and night-out.

Stanley, was the errand boy.

"Hey Stanley! Where's my coffee?!"

"It's coming right up!"

"Stanley! I thought I asked for two donuts, not one!!"

"Sorry! I'll get it in a second!"

Stanley scrambled from room to room, cubby to cubby, desk to desk, delivering coffee, water, tea, and donuts.

After two hours of slavery, Stanley finally set down the last cup in front of a woman. "All good?" he asked in between breaths, wiping the sweat from his brow.

The lady took a sip and gave him a half-hearted smile with a short nod and got back to her computer work.

Stanley walked away, completely drained. He went to the break room and leaned against the wall, taking his own drink of cold water.

"Ahh~" he sighed, feeling replenished.

"STANLEY!!!"

The deep voice boomed, clearly being heard even over the busy noises of the office workers.

Stanley hurriedly ran out of the room, past the workers, and into a small office where his boss, Saul Grunt Sr., worked.

Saul was a large man. Overweight, but one could tell that he was physically strong. He dressed in a suit, like anyone else would in such a profession, with his suit jacket hanging over his leather chair, and his shirt sleeves rolled up. His thick, bushy, black eyebrows flatlined over his glare.

Stanley stood straight as a wooden board. "Is everything alright sir?"

Saul, without breaking eye contact, used his left hand to motion towards the cup of coffee in front of him. "What's this?"

"Coffee, sir."

"Coffee, right. How do I like my coffee, Stanley?"

"Medium roast, two creams, two sugars, and a light caramel drizzle."

Saul slammed his hands on the table. "A light caramel drizzle!! I knew there was a brain in that nappy head of yours!!" He slowly leaned forward menacingly. "So why isn't there any goddamn caramel in my coffee?"

Stanley didn't dare look away. He was extremely nervous. "T-There wasn't any. I had to tell everyone else the same thing!"

"Everyone else? Does 'everyone else' in this building cut the checks to chumps like you?!"

"N-No sir!"

"Then why would YOU speak to ME like you would everyone else?!! Where's the damn caramel Stanley?! My evening coffee sets my entire mood for the whole shift!! If the coffee's bad, then I'm in a bad mood, and if I'm in a bad mood, WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE A VERY BAD NIGHT!!!"

Stanley shut his eyes, startled by the yelling.

Saul sat back down in a huff. He put his hands together and calmed down. "Go buy us some more caramel Stanley. The market isn't far, you can walk."

Stanley opened his eyes. "W-Wait! I don't have the money right now…! My rent is due soon and I haven't gotten paid in a while…"

Saul looked at him, clearly annoyed with the response he was given. "If I don't get my caramel, that means you can't get me the coffee I desire. And if you can't even bring me the right damn coffee, THEN WHY ARE YOU WORKING HERE?!"

Stanley backed away. "I… I've been working here since my freshman year in high school. I've been your errand boy for more than five years now. Don't I deserve at least a little… respect?"

Saul frowned deeply. He stood up from his chair, planting his hands firmly on the table in front of him, and said calmly; "You're fired."

Stanley's eyes widened. He was staring at the floor. "Wha— huh? Wait, what about my rent, it's due this week!"

"Figure it out. Get out of my office before I call security."

—

Stanley walked the streets of Lakesboro alone. He stared off at the night sky, walking aimlessly amongst the civilians in the busy crowd, who became nothing but blurred streaks in his peripheral vision.

He passed by a small nightclub. The members-only kind that required a reservation to get into.

Just from bare curiosity, Stanley looked through the main window. He immediately locked eyes with his girlfriend Heather, who was being coddled by some obviously wealthy man wearing an expensive blue suit. The expression on Heather's face was horrified.

Stanley nodded to himself and slowly continued walking. "I'm gonna get kicked out. I'm homeless."

The rich man inside of the club noticed what Heather was looking at. He stood up and hurriedly walked out of the door. "Hey! You must be Stanley. Heather told me all about you."

Stanley continued walking as the man caught up to him. "It's okay, I don't care anymore."

"Sorry kid, it's just that, Heather wanted to know what it was like on the… other, side of life. You understand?"

"Yeah, whatever. Hope she's happy."

Heather ran out of the building. "Stan! It's not what it looks like! I was just… trying to make some extra cash…"

The noise was being drowned out. Stanley refused to listen.

[ "Why is she trying to convince me that I didn't just see her all close and personal with this guy…? What a life I'm living." ]

Suddenly, the voices became clearer again.

"That's right! Leave! Keep walking! I never loved you anyway!"

"You heard the lady."

In a sudden fit of anger, Stanley grit his teeth, turned around, and slugged the man right in his face, knocking him out on the spot.

•

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"Oh my god!! What did you do?!"

•

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"I'm calling the police!!"

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"Consider your life over."