Strictly Breaking the Rules

Come Join the Pity Party

It was almost closing time, and people that came in to see movies had left, my lines only consisted of one to three people every two hours. The rest of the time I spent cleaning my station.

"Hey, sorry for keeping you guys late."

Melissa was sitting on top of the candy counter, eating from a bag of Twizzlers. Her dark brown was a little bit past her chin. She was in her her normal casual clothes, despite the fact that we hadn't technically closed yet.

"It's okay." I grabbed a broom. "I just don't feel like dealing with my parents when I get home."

Melissa's face scrunched up, but her face fell and she laughed. "I already called and told them."

I raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Melissa rolled her eyes and sighed. "My older sister told me how I was 'immature and irresponsible' I am."

I snorted as I swept the floors. "Is that all?"

Melissa grabbed more candy from under the counter. She popped it in her mouth and began laughing. "No. Richard chewed me as well. You know, you guys should come live with me! I wouldn't be as strict as your parents."

As much as that offer sounded wonderful, it was too good to be true. If I lived with her, Richard would not only hate me forever, but he would completely cut me off. I want to go to college one day, and living with Melissa would just screw it up all my plans of getting away.

A sigh escaped Melissa's mouth. "It's okay. I know what you're thinking. But if you ever need someone..."

"Yeah, yeah." I nodded as I swept. "I know where to find you."

Adrian groaned as he came out of the kitchen. "It's a pig pen in there."

Melissa laughed. "Well you did it. You clean it."

"You don't pay me enough to do this." He grumbled.

"As much as you work, I shouldn't pay you at all."

The other candy stand workers laughed as Adrian turned beet red and wiped down the counters. I giggled silently while Melissa looked at him triumphantly.

"She burned you bad man!" A guy thay looked at least seventeen said. He had shaggy blonde hair and I couldn't see his eyes.

"Shutup Chris." Adrian attempted to ignore him.

"How many people have actually finished their work in order to go home?" Melissa asked.

The loft area fell silent. Exactly.

"Alright!" Melissa got into her serious boss mode. "If you aren't doing something, go do something! Count inventory, stock up, don't just sit around. I don't run a playground, do I?"

Everyone whispered incoherent words under their breath as they returned to their stations. Melissa eyed me suspiciously.

"I finished all cleaning." I answered her, I knew what she was thinking.

She raised her eyebrows and looked at me dubiously. She directed her attention to the trash cans. "Oh really?" Then go take out some trash, make yourself useful."

I immediately placed my finger on my nose, it was the way of deciding who would do something. It was simple really: the last one to put their fingers on their nose, had to do the task at hand. I turned around to see that everyone else had their fingers on their noses as well.

"Sorry Maddie, you're it." Damen, a guy just a year older than Adrian said.

I averted my look to Melissa, who didn't even have her finger on her nose.