Drugs and Candy

Chapter 1-Amari

 Two minutes.

Two more minutes of mind numbing boredom.

Two minutes and she wouldn't have to set foot into the blue and pink candy cane striped store for three days.

The clock seemed to slow as her eyes flicked between the door and the excruciatingly slow-moving hands.

Maybe she could close a minute early? Not that it would matter. How many customers could come in one minute?

She shakes her head, leaning against the back wall of the bakery. She was already walking on thin ice with her higher ups, she couldn't afford to give them a reason to fire her.

The second the clock showed 9:00 she was at the door, locking it and changing the blue 'open' sign to the red 'closed' one.

She couldn't keep the smile from erupting onto her face.

She ran around for a few minutes, cleaning anything that had been forgotten.

She whipped down the magenta booths and the light beige tables, unable to stop her building excitement.

The moment the clock had stuck nine a balloon inside her had burst. She was overflowing with the red's and yellow's of a summer sunset and she was sure anyone leaving the mall and passing by the window of Cupcake Creations could see it as well.

She ducked behind the almost-empty show glass, ripping off the light pink apron and throwing it onto the nearest surface.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she set the alarms, rushing out the door.

She passed a few other shop's closing for the night, the employees giving her looks of confusion and amusement as she ran through the almost deserted mall.

Running out the front doors, she unlocked her silver bike jumping on and pedaling as fast as she could.

Rivday mall was just outside downtown Haven, meaning it would take her about twenty minutes to reach The Rusty Tap.

The bar was almost on the other side of the city, making her already tired mind go into overdrive.

The Rusty Tap was run by a sweet elderly couple, and one of the best known bars in the city.

Dropping her bike by the entrance she takes note of the glowing red Y in the bar's name beginning to slip and short circuit.

She would have to come fix it later and hope Pop's didn't find out and try to fix it himself, last time ending in disaster as he fell off the ladder he was using, thankfully he wasn't more than two meters in the air.

Bursting into the bar, she caught sight of the short old man working behind the bar.

"Well someone's in a hurry." She hears a slightly shaky voice behind her.

She turns to see Alice leaning heavily on her crane, lightly pushing her glasses back up her nose.

"Happy birthday Amari deary, we wish you luck." She says smiling warmly.

Amari bends down and pulls the old woman into a hug.

"Thank you" She whispers.

Alice lightly pat's her on the back.

"You should be going, you don't want to be late, Griffin will skin you alive." she chuckles.

Amari chuckles with her, letting the old woman go and waving at the old man behind the counter.

A shaky, wrinkled hand waved back.

With an even bigger smile than when she entered the bar, Amari ducks behind the counter.