"You're fired."
You stared at your boss in shock. "I'm... what?"
"You're fired. You don't work here any more. Please turn in your hat, apron, and badge."
"But... why? Why are you firing me? I did nothing wrong?"
"You didn't show up for work the past four days."
You shook your head. "I requested those days off two weeks before, and you accepted. I did nothing wrong."
"I never approved anything. I never even got any paperwork on my desk about it."
You stood up from the seat you were in. "Sir, please don't fire me. I really need this job. This is the first time I've done something like this. Can you please just forgive me?"
Your boss shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "No can do. When you signed your contract, you agreed that when you mess up for the first time, you're automatically fired."
"I've been working here for six years. That's more than almost everyone here! Please, sir!"
He narrowed his eyes. "Please leave your things and get out."
You sighed, giving up. You took off your apron and hat, turned around, and left the coffee shop.
You walked down the street, kicking around tiny rocks. I just got fired from my job, you thought to yourself. What am I gonna do now? It takes forever just to find an available position around LA, let alone get accepted into one.
Your ringtone blared, and you quickly took your phone out of your back pocket, answering the call. "Hello?"
"(Y/n)!" Sabrina said in a chipper voice. "We haven't talked in twenty-four hours! How are you?"
You giggled, the happiness of Sabrina erasing your sad mood. "I'm pretty good. What about you."
"I'm great! My plane just landed at LAX, and for some reason I'm feeling excited, which is really rare when I'm in airports."
"At least you're not anxious." You turned onto your street.
"So, any plans today?"
"Yeah, actually. Ethan and I were supposed to go on a date tonight, but it turns out my parents are coming to town, so we're all going out to dinner."
"You, your parents, and Ethan?" You hummed, and she snorted. "Have fun with that."
You sighed. "It'll be hard to do that. My parents'll probably never let me talk, like always." You reached your apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "To top it all off, I got fired today."
"You did?" Said a voice that wasn't Sabrina's.
"Who was that?" Sabrina asked, hearing the voice.
You looked at the blue-haired man on your couch. "It's just Ethan. Hey, can I call you back?"
"Yeah, of course. Ttyl!"
"Bye, Sabrina." You hung up. "How did you get in here?"
Ethan grinned, holding up a key. "You gave me a spare key right before we left for Indy Popcon. Remember."
You sighed. "Yeah, I do." You laid down on the couch, resting your head on his lap.
"So what happened at work? How'd you get fired?"
"Apparently I didn't request Indy Popcon off, when I really did and he approved it."
He raked his fingers through your hair. "I'm sorry. Your boss sucks."
You giggled. "I know."
He grinned. "On the bright side, Mark told me earlier that he was looking for an editor and sort-of manager to help him stay on track."
You raised an eyebrow. "I thought Amy did that."
He shook his head. "Nah, Amy's just there most of the time. But he's working on a whole bunch of projects all at once. He needs help with everything."
You sat up. "D'you think I could get it if I tried?"
He nodded. "Of course. He trusts you."
"Could you talk to him for me?"
"Of course. Anything you need."
You smiled. "You're too nice." You felt something touch your hand, and saw Ruby nuzzling against it. You reached out to her and scratched her head. "Did you walk Max and Ruby while you were here?"
Ethan nodded. "And I refiled their food and water dishes, too."
You leaned your head on his shoulder. "You're the best. Thank you."
He kissed your hair. "You're welcome."
