"You''re fired."
…
Wait. What?
I blinked, my brain buffering like a bad internet connection.
Mr. August Power—yes, that was his real name—stared at me with the dead-eyed exhaustion of a man who had seen too much nonsense in one lifetime.
His arms were crossed. His foot tapped impatiently.
I opened my mouth, but he beat me to it.
"Kid, you just made a child cry over a lollipop. A lollipo damn it!" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you know how much bad PR that is? Do you?"
"Uh—"
"You are single-handedly ruining the reputation of this fine establishment," he continued, gesturing grandly to the convenience store, which—let''s be honest—looked more like it belonged in a house demolition ad. Either that or the final stage of a horror game.
Flickering lights. Barely stocked shelves. A sad excuse of a slushie machine that made more noise than actual drinks.
"Sir, with all due respect," I said, finally finding my voice, "I''m pretty sure this place has no reputation to begin with."
Silence.
Dead.
Empty-store silence.
Mr Power inhaled sharply through his nose.
Stupid mouth of mine, I thought, followed by a sigh. Because I knew—that was the kind of breath managers and bosses alike take right before they either fire you or launch into a ten-hour lecture about "company values."
Then—
"HA!"
He burst into laughter, slapping my shoulder like I''d just told the greatest joke known to mankind.
"You got guts, kid. You really do!" He grinned—the kind of grin that was definitely a threat.
"But seriously," his face turned grave. "I''m not kidding. Make another kid cry, and you''re actually fired."
''Another'' kid.
Yes, you heard it right. That was not the first kid to cry over my face. Which, frankly, I don''t understand cause my grandmother said I was handsome.
So, middle finger to those damn kids anyways.
Another hearty slap on my back. Then he turned, whistling as he strolled out the door.
He paused.
"Be more like Lorian; why don''tcha?"
Ding.
The chime echoed in the empty store.
And with that, he was gone.
I stared after him.
Processing.
The buzzing fluorescent lights. The low hum of the register. The quiet ticking of the clock.
It all felt… strange.
Off.
Wrong.
Tick.
My fingers tapped against the counter.
Tick.
The register screen flickered.
Tick.
My reflection stared back at me.
…
I was trying to process the fact, that I just got fired, rehired, and then threatened in the span of what it takes a cashier to scan an entire trolly full of items, as they stare into the soul of that lonely child waiting for their mummy to—
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Ding.
The door chime rang again.
I thought it was Mr. August Power coming back in to change his mind, but to my surprise, it was a customer.
A shadow moved past the aisles.
I straightened up.
Footsteps. Slow. Purposeful.
Then—
A bag of lollipops was placed on the counter.
A thought ran through my mind.
"What''s with the sudden buzz of lollipops? Are they in style?"
I looked up.
…
And locked eyes with a deer.
No.
A deer-headed man.
In a suit.
I blinked.
He blinked back.
Silence.
A long, awkward, reality-defying silence.
"Just those, thanks." he said, voice very polite, very masculine.
…
I had so many questions.
So. Many.
But instead—
I just nodded.
Because apparently today was just going to be one of those days.
My hands moved on autopilot, scanning the candy.
The deer-man patted his pockets. "Sh*t. Where did I put my card?" He asked.
Then he looked up at me.
Big, glossy deer eyes.
Staring at me, like it was common for deers to lose their wallets.
"You take cash?"
I nodded.
"Great. I have a coin somewhere in here."
He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out the biggest bloody gold coin...I had ever seen.
Ever!
The thing was at least the size of my fist, and how he managed to just stroll around with that thing in his pocket like it never existed.
Beats me, as he just proceeded to place it on the counter.
Then, without another word, he grabbed his lollipops and walked out.
That was it.
…
That''s all that happened.
…
What more do you expect?
What more do you want me to do?
Because all I could do—and all I did do—was stare down at the coin.
Appreciate its fine, intricate engravings.
...
And slide it into my pocket.
What?
It wasn''t going to fit in the register anyway.
It looked like something straight out of the medieval era.
"Is this even… currency? Modern currency?"
But then again—
Do I have the right to question a gold coin?
When a deer-headed man just bought a bag of lollipops? With a giant gold coin?
...
Yes.
Yes, I f*cking do.
I have every right to question everything.
Who?
What.
Why?
Why was there a deer-headed man casually buying candy from a convenience store?!
Was that even real?!
Why lollipops of all things?
I''M SICK OF LOLLIPOPS!
I glanced at my reflection on the register screen.
Dark circles. Sleep-deprived. A haunted expression.
…
Yeah.
No.
I must be really tired.
So tired I''ve started seeing things.
Or maybe—
Maybe something was seriously wrong with today.
DING!
The door chimed.
Another customer.
I slowly turned my head.
And froze.
What.
The.
F*ck.
Forget the deer. We have <i>bigger</i> problems now.
Yeah, no, the deer couldn''t even <i>compete</i> with what just walked in.
It was every teenage boy''s worst nightmare.
Or dream.
Depending on how you look at it.
"OHMYGOD—ISN''T THAT BOY OVER THERE, LIKE, SUPER CUTE?"
A girl''s squeal nearly shattered my eardrums.
I barely had time to process what was happening before I saw them.
A group of girls.
But not just any group of girls.
<i>The</i> group of girls.
The kind that every teen movie has. The ones who travel in packs, gossip like it''s their full-time job, and somehow have the power to ruin—or define—your entire high school experience.
And, unfortunately, I was now one of their victims.
<i>"Yeah, I tots get what you mean, girly!"</i>
Another girl chipped in.
The girls scattered around the store, giggling, whispering, and doing whatever it was that <i>girls like them</i> did.
And me? You''re wondering what I was doing?
I was dreading it. Every. Second.
Not only did I look like a sleep-deprived zombie, but I was <i>so</i> not prepared to interact with customers at <i>this</i> level.
No.
A mere cashier like me had no right to even be <i>looking</i> in their direction.
But you can''t blame me, boys.
Because I found myself staring at <i>her.</i>
She was different.
Long, dark hair cascaded down her shoulders like a scene out of a drama. Eyes like molten gold—sharp, but warm. Like she knew all your secrets before you even spoke. And lips that curled into the kind of smirk that made you question all your life choices.
I didn''t know her name yet.
But I would.
Oh, I <i>would.</i>
A mental note was made.
When that girl comes up to the counter, I''m asking for her name.
Easy plan, right?
…
Wrong.
Because by the time they got to the register, my palms were <i>soaked</i> with sweat.
And worse—
The girls approached, carrying what was essentially the <i>entire store''s inventory,</i> and dumped it onto my counter.
I swear, I could feel my hair turning gray.
I started scanning their items.
Lollipops. Of course.
Then, that moment came—
I locked eyes with <i>her.</i>
Her gaze was piercing. Hypnotic. A weapon designed to annihilate any man''s common sense.
My palms started sweating.
Sweat dripped down my back.
I recited my lines in my head.
''Hi, excuse me, but may I ask your name?''
No. Too formal.
''Ma''am, with all due—''
Absolutely <i>not</i>. I''m a cashier, not a medieval butler.
''You look gorgeous today.''
…
I wanted to <i>die</i>.
I was sh*tting myself.
But before I could rethink my life choices—
She was <i>here.</i>
Right in front of me.
Eyes locked.
Me.
Her.
Oh well.
Here goes nothing.
<i>You miss 100% of the shots you take.</i>
<i>Wait...</i>
That''s not it...
was it…
<i>You can''t miss a shot if you don''t shoot?</i>
No, that''s dumb.
<i>You can''t take a shot if you—</i>
F*ck it.
"Hi," I croaked.
…
Despite the voice crack,
I PREVAILED.
"Could me ask name?"
…
...
I <i>butchered</i> it.
Totally. Utterly. F*cked it up.
It was over.
Finished.
I braced for impact.
For mockery.
For giggles.
Anything.
But instead—
...
She smiled?
She SMILED!
A radiant, <i>godly</i> smile at that.
And to my absolute delight, she answered.
"Lara."
A single tear fell down my cheek.
And in that moment...
I was truly happy.
The girls left the store giggling.
And me?
I just stood there.
Staring at my register.
Trying to process the absolute rollercoaster I had just survived.
…
Maybe today <i>wasn''t</i> so bad after all.