Fighting a New World

5

Callum's POV

I was getting ready to strangle someone at this point.

I had been working at this coffee shop for a little over a week and I've already heard a lot of purely idiotic complaints, but this one takes the cake.

I had just got done putting a drink out for someone named Caroline. I didn't take the order, I was just the one making it so I didn't even bat an eye when someone came up and took the order but not even a second later, the person was talking to me.

"This isn't what I ordered," the woman said calmly as she put the drink back on the counter.

"What did you order," I asked as I looked down at the receipt for the order I just put out.

"I just ordered drip coffee." I force out a friendly chuckle.

"Then that's defiantly not what you ordered," I joked as I took the cup. "Just making sure, you're Caroline?"

"No, my order was for Kristy." I frown at that.

"Okay well this isn't what you ordered because this isn't your order." To my surprise my voice actually came out calm, even when I spotted the lipstick stain on the lip. Now I was going to have to remake it.

The woman scoffed at my answer as she reached over the counter and went to take the drink out of my hands.

"Well just give me that one. I already drank some of it anyway." I move my hand just as she was about to wrap her hand around the lid.

"Yea, I can't do that unless you go back and pay for it so give me just a few more minutes and I'll have your order out," I said as I turned back around, leaving the spoiled drink by the sink so I could deal with that after I finish these other orders.

"But that drink is just going to be wasted now," the woman said as she followed me from the other side of the counter as I started remaking Caroline's order. "Why can't I just have it?"

"Because it's against our policy. I can't let you have it unless you pay for it," I huffed out as I imagine myself talking to Ryder as I try to keep myself calm.

I actually had no idea if it was against our policy or not but at that point I didn't really care. It sounded about right and I didn't think anyone would argue with it so I figured it would be good enough.

Lucky for my sanity, the woman only gave a scoff as she moved away from the counter just as I finished the remake.

"Order for Caroline," I say louder this time. I catch myself watching the drink in case Kristy decided to come back until I get done with her actual order.

"Here you go Kristy," I say with a cherry voice now that I have had a few minutes to calm down.

"You know, I wasn't going to do this but this really just ruined my whole day. I want to talk to your manager." I don't even bat an eye as I wave Tanner over.

I figured this was probably going to happen but I still wasn't overly happy about it.

"Is there a problem over here," Tanner asked with his customer service voice and a smile.

"There is actually. This young man wouldn't let me have a drink that I wanted." Tanner hummed as he looked over to me.

"So what happened?"

"She drank an order that wasn't hers, then gave it back, then wanted to have the drink back, and when I told her it was against our policy unless she paid for it I ruined her whole day."

"Does that sound about right to you," Tanner asked nicely but his expression said he was already bored with this conversation.

"Well yes but that's just wasted product. It's already money down the drain, why should I have to pay for it if you won't use it?"

"Because then we could end up making the wasted money. Technically our policy is if you drink an order that wasn't yours you have to pay for it anyway," Tanner said but I could tell he was lying about that. "But since Callum here is new, he must have just messed up that part. I'd be more than happy to go ahead and charge the coffee to your card so you can have it."