Abandon Me

October 31: Don't cry on my first day at work❌

I finally did it. I got a job.

Lily kept nudging me to work as a waitress just like her because I always complained about not having money or being bored, so I actually listened to her. Having the pressure of a job was scary, and I got a sick feeling every time I thought about talking to that many people. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I got their orders wrong? What if there's some really bitchy person and I can't help but be impatient with them? What if I got fired? What if I let Lily down?

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Tori asked as we walked to the car. She was going to take me there for my first day, and Lily offered to take me on most days after that because we ended up with a similar schedule.

I walked along the brick path, and stepped on the white ones instead of the red ones. I alternated between colors each day. "I'm nervous, and no pep talk of yours will change that."

"How about a cheesy joke?" She asked as we got in the car.

"Fine."

"You're acting kinda chicken." She held eye contact with me, waiting for laughter.

I didn't expect it to actually be funny, but I burst out laughing automatically. For context, the restaurant wanted all the servers to dress up in costumes because it was Halloween. Lily was going to wear her cheerleader outfit, and even though birds terrified me, I dressed up like a chicken.

A fucking chicken.

I thought Lily would get a kick out of the chicken suit, so wearing the stupid thing was worth it. "That joke was much better than a lecture," I said with a hint of laughter still in my voice.

She smiled as we started driving. "That's good, because I don't have any top tier advice. I was fired from my first job, and I wasn't nervous about it beforehand, so I'm not sure how you're feeling."

I had a hard time picturing her acting out to the point of being fired, although, Tori did say she was like me when she was younger. "Why were you fired?"

"My first job was waitressing too, and I was great and very patient with the customers, even the rude ones. However, my temper is not as stable as my patience. This middle-aged man was hitting on my friend, who was only 18. He grabbed her ass, so I poured iced soda on his head."

She was brutal. I loved it. "That guy got what he deserved, if you ask me."

"That's not the point, Spunky. If you're in a similar situation, notify an adult so they can take care of it appropriately." I wondered if I would be saying stuff like that when I'm older.

"Fine, fine."

I was a little less worried than before. Now all I had to do was be patient, act like a normal human around Lily, and not be a failure, all while pulling off this petrifying chicken suit.

Easy, right?

The first person to greet me when I walked into the restaurant was a tall guy dressed as a vampire. He seemed to be around my age, and it looked like he put a great deal of effort into his costume. His hair was neatly slicked back, his black cloak thing was fancy, and he wore pale makeup with fake blood around his eyes. "Hello!" He exclaimed with a made-up accent. "You must be the new girl I'm training. It's nice to meet you, I'm Travis the vampire!"

I pointed at my name tag and said, "I'm Sam the chicken." I put as much energy into my smile as he did with his character.

"Alright, Sam the chicken. Let's get to work!" Usually, I would be annoyed with that much enthusiasm, but this guy was the exception.

First, we went to the main kitchen, which was more difficult than you might think. The restaurant, which was called Lenny's, was unbearably hectic. I felt like I was strolling in an obstacle course. I also had to strain my ears to hear Travis because although the rock music was fun, it was deafening. However, I could definitely get used to the mouth-watering smell of burgers constantly being grilled. I hoped I got some sort of discount for this place.