The Invitation 2022- (inspired fanfiction)

"Routines"

It's cold. I must've left the window open. As I rub my eyes, I'm hit with crisp cold air and sunlight on my back, soon after realizing the time. It's unusual for me to be this clumsy, I think to myself.

 Oh Shit! I'm late for work. I check the time on my phone and It's already 10:30 am, Cheryl's absolutely going to kill me. I quickly find myself some clothes and rush out of my apartment. These past few weeks have been difficult for me to keep up the pace. My head is constantly ringing and headaches are unruly common, almost like my body is telling me to take a break. My rent is due and I'm barely earning enough as a waitress and a freelance artist. I've really got to get myself together or I'll be out on the streets.

 I take the train towards my workplace in a metropolitan area filled with drunk university students in southern France. I know, what a dream right? It's not like I'm any better. While life might be a struggle right now and money is tight, it's a lot better than how it was before and I'm getting better at it. At the very least, I'm getting a hang of it and actually living.

 I get off the cramped train and sprint towards the coffee shop. I take my apron with me and head to the kitchen, ultimately grabbing the pot of coffee and a few menus to take orders. The shop is filled to the brim right now, with a diverse number of customers but few servers. I see Alice, my coworker, getting flustered over a rude customer across the room. 

You're so incompetent the customer screamed. I've already told you before that I like my coffee sweet! Did you even add any sugar to this bitter excuse of a drink? I don't understand you've asked me for a black coffee, and I did add sugar exactly two packets miss, says Alice. Why is it impossible for you to accommodate me? I thought this was a fine establishment but you clearly can't follow orders nor address my concerns. Alice offers to bring back the sugar to the table so that they may serve themselves but the customer refuses at the thought of hard labor. I've asked you to make me a proper coffee but you only repeat it to me, rude child! Alice breaks down in tears and I realize it's time for me to step in. 

Oh Evie! She exclaimed. A sigh of relief is let out. I let her know that I'll take over the situation and confronted the customer. Seeing me, let all hell break loose. They didn't like that the first server "wasn't owning up to her mistakes" and I'm here to back her up. Uneventfully, I lost my temper and threw her out of the shop. This is not a place where she can mistreat people and get away with it. She angrily stomped off and pushed over the glass on her way out.

 All the ruckus wakes up my manager, Cheryl, who's been sleeping in the service area this entire time. I hear her coming and I start to panic. Cheryl, my 50's something manager is old school and doesn't have much heart for me. "You ungrateful whore, you come to work late after sleeping around and mess with my customers." I try to tell her what's happened but she believes I should apologize, she orders me to find the customer and set things right. I disagree. It's completely unethical and I do have dignity, I'm a person with dreams, ambition, and pride. Why should I have to go out of my way to apologize when I'm morally right and have done no wrong? I can feel her anger burning, and she turns into a red onion. Well, she fires me. I get kicked out of the shop immediately and I'm told that she'll make sure that I never find a job elsewhere. 

I go down the alleyway and try to figure out what to do next. Although I dread that job and I hate working with rude customers, I needed that to sustain my life, which I've completely compromised. I feel like I've completely torn my dreams apart, how am I supposed to save up for my degree now? Alice spots me breaking down on my way home and apologizes because she caused the scene. We both cry together and I feel my throat painfully closing up. It's not our fault, I said. We're just severely underworked and underpaid, we don't deserve this kind of treatment. I smudge her tears across her face and invite her to a night out. A little break from this exhausting mess of a workplace. She happily agrees and said says she'll get ready after shift.