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Chapter 5

Chapter 5

       I was waken up abruptly when someone poured cold water on my head. I sputtered the water out of my mouth and sat up, wiping the water away and opening my eyes to see my mom standing by my bed with a scowl on her face. "You could have killed me!" I said.

       "Oh, stop being dramatic," Mom said. "You're late for work. Again."

       "What? Oh, I must have slept through my alarm."

       "Did you even set an alarm?"

       "....Objection."

       Mom sighed irritably. "Daniel, you are twenty-years-old. You need to start being responsible, like showing up on time for work. It doesn't matter if it's a family business. One day, you're going to have another job and I won't be waking you whenever you're late."

       "Well, it's not my fault I get away with it," I said. "You know what will help me learn my lesson? If I get fired."

       "Not happening," Mom said. "I can give you extra hours, though."

       "Now that's cruel. I'd rather be fired."

       "I know you would, which is why you're not going to be fired. But if you're not in The Gold Mine in fifteen minutes, your father will give you extra hours."

       "....Shouldn't you be at the school?"

       "I have a prep for first period, remember?" she said. "I technically don't have to be there at the start of school. Now hurry up."

       She left my bedroom, closing the door behind her and I sighed before pulling myself out of bed. Why did I have to work so early? I didn't mind night shifts since I stayed up half the night anyway. I would rather sleep in, though.

       After I was ready to leave, I grabbed my keys and left the house. I started making my way to The Gold Mine, but I stopped when I saw Destiny rush past me. "Destiny?"

       "Can't talk, I'm almost late," she said, yet she stopped and faced me.

       "I can see that," I said, eyeing her outfit. "Nice choice of pajamas you have there."

       Destiny furrowed her eyebrows and looked down. "Oh no....No no no."

       "I'm sure you'll be fine if you go get changed now," I said. "You live, like....right there." I pointed to the house right beside mine.

       "I can't," she said. "I'll be late for sure and my teacher said if I was late one more time, I would have detention after school but the auditions are after school....Oh, no, I can't audition in my pajamas!"

       "Can't you go home for lunch?" I asked.

       Destiny sighed and shook her head. "No, because I have a meeting with the principal. About being late. The auditions are right after school and there is no way I'll have time to get a change of clothes and if I audition like this, I won't be taken seriously and people will laugh and that will make me mess up and...."

       "Destiny," I interrupted. "Relax. I'll go to your house and bring you some clothes when my shift ends. You'll have time after school and before the audition to get changed, right?"

       Destiny nodded. "Thank you so much." She then reached into her backpack and pulled out her house keys. "I owe you big time."

       "Ooh, your house keys," I said. "You must really trust me."

       "Okay, one, I really have no choice," I said. "And two, if anything's missing, it would obviously be you."

       "True. Just text me the clothes you want me to bring. But you should really get to school."