The Cusp of 30 (Working Title)

Chapter 6: "I'm Going To Push For You."

(Author's Note: There are five rewritten lines of dialogue from chapter 5, in case you're just starting at this new chapter. The only significant change being that Antonella hints toward having a DUI despite Katie swearing she once saw her driving outside of a pawn shop. The lines are surrounded by *ND*--aka new dialogue--if you would like to reread them.)

Trish was stocking the milk fridge and knew I had caught her red-handed again. I had, on more than one occasion, politely reminded her to rotate the milks when stocking, and I knew she had once even been suspended for a week  by Don Sr. for not doing it. I wasn't a snitch, but I was still annoying enough for someone to not want me to catch them taking short cuts, so she smiled and pulled back out the newer gallons of milk she'd lazily shoved in, which was satisfying enough for me. I walked past her without saying anything.

"Hey, Katie," she said.

I turned around. "What's up, Trish?"

"Just letting you know everyone is going out to TavernX tonight for my birthday if you want to come out."

Trish had always wanted to get on my good side, which was super easy and really only required a decent effort during one's job. She had not been successful.

"Oh," I said, "happy birthday."

"Well, it was two days ago, but I wanted to wait for a Saturday since I just turned twenty one."

I painfully remembered my own twenty-first birthday, a fun night of holding my mother's hair back in the bar's single-stall bathroom while angry women who had to piss banged on the door for us to get the fuck out.

"Nice. Yeah, Saturdays are always more fun. I'll try my best to make it," I lied. Trish wasn't going to last here much longer anyway, so why make the effort/spend money I could use on real shit to drink with someone I probably would never see again. "Have you seen Don by any chance?" I asked.

"I think..." she said, hesitating, "he's in his office." Maybe she thought I was going to say something about her not rotating the milks, but I truly could have cared less what she thought. I had something more important to discuss with him.

Don Sr. sat in his office filling out some form. He looked stressed, like if he was desperately trying to make sure everything he could take care of was done before he passed the baton to, who he knew, was the most incompotent person for the job.

I tapped on the door while opening it. "Hey, Don," I said.

"Katie, hi." He put his pen down and smiled up at me, seeming happy for the distraction. "What's new?" he asked.

I took a step in and closed the door behind me. I thought about locking it so no one else could interrupt us, but realized that could easily give Don the wrong impression, causing either fear or excitement—but most likely just fear. "I wanted to ask you about something?"

"Shoot," he said, adjusting his weight in his chair to be more relaxed.

"Okay," I said. My throat began to feel dry, so I swallowed as much saliva as I could create. "I was wondering... for the new A.M. position, do I have to fill out an application online, or is it just more of a verbal application process where I make it known I want to be considered?"

He sat up straight, looking around his desk for something that wasn't there. "I had no idea you were interested, Katie," he said.

"Why not?" I said. "I've been here... going on five years in May."

"You just seemed happy with where you were," he said.

I bit my lip. "Making the best out your situation and being happy don't always go hand in hand."