𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓⁰²ʰᵉᵐᵐⁱⁿᵍˢ

ㅤㅤㅤ ii ──true to north

asari
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My shoes grit on the asphalt as I sprinted across the street, untied laces slapping back and forth my foot and the ground as I jumped between busy walking bodies on my way to my destination.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Excuse me!" I threw out the apologies into the air as I ran down the sidewalk, my backpack swaying left and right and rubbing against my back.

I felt the sweat on my hairline and in my palms, running through the heat of summer and hoping that I didn't look like some crazy person.

First day at work and I was already late. I was meant to clock in twenty minutes before but I got a little lost trying to find the right bus to get on, which led me to wander around in desperation trying to catch another bus - the right one that time.

Much to my luck, that bus didn't stop anywhere near where I was supposed to work, so running was the only option to get there quicker.

I counted it as great luck that I'd somehow managed to get a job only after a week of arriving in LA. I inquired multiple cafes, book stores, restaurants, and anything that only needed so little, about jobs that paid in cash upfront, and I was turned down by everyone except one diner.

I'd been walking home after being rejected by twenty or so places, finding myself drawn to a rather sizable diner with red neon letters glowing in the evening. True To North, it spelt out, the lively setting that I saw within the windows seeming to pull me towards it even more.

I pushed past the front door and heard the bell ringing, signalling my entrance and making multiple pairs of eyes turn my way.

My body stood still for a moment, frozen in the spot as I became highly aware of their stares, digging into me like sandpaper on baby skin.

"Asari, you're late," The manager, Beatrice Harmon, approached me from my side, smiling awkwardly at one customer who seemed to be quite taken by my messy state. "It's your first day, Asari, I thought you'd take this seriously,"

She put her hand on the small of my waist and lightly guided me into her office across the kitchen, giving the customers we passed by a large managerial smile.

"I am taking this seriously, I just missed my bus," I said once we were inside and the door was shut, letting go of a breath that I held in for far too long. "Beatrice, I-I'm sorry for any inconvenience I've caused in my tardiness. I'll... um, try and not miss the bus tomorrow," I kept my head down, clutching my fists close to my stomach.

My first day and the very possibility of getting fired was already near. Good job.

I heard Beatrice sigh, and when I looked up, she'd been rubbing her thumb and pointer to the bridge of her nose. "God, what does it take to get some decent employees here?" She muttered under her breath before rolling her eyes and turning to grab a folded cloth from her desk. "Your apron," She huffed, opening the door.

She poked her head out into the hallway and called for someone. "Michael? Where is he?"

After a minute, someone else came in, a guy with a black beanie and pale face, donning a rather baggy black attire behind the juxtaposing red and pink checkered apron.

Immediately, unlike Beatrice, his smile was pointed towards me, iced bluish-green eyes turning out a smile from me.

"This is Michael, he'll show you how everything works. Shift sheet is behind the kitchen door, break's one to two," Beatrice informed us in a rather dull tone, making her way to sit behind her desk and deciding to shift through some paperwork. "You can go,"