Evan had a hard time at his shift today. Everything was supposed to be on damn schedule! The floor was mopped squeaky clean. The shelves and cashier desk were purged of each speck of dust and each cell of germ.
He even had a minute to spare before Cassandra was supposed to come in and take over. That's when two noisy delinquents stepped into the kiosk, ruining Evan's already irritable mood from overworking and overcaffeinating the last couple of months.
"Bwahaha! I told you not to get too close. You deserved getting smacked!"
"Screw off, man! I was a couple of feet away. How was I supposed to know she had the guts to smack me and scream before running off."
Two burly men entered the kiosk and snatched whatever snacks and beverages they could get their hands on.
'Damn it, I can't run late for the opening sales. Where the heck is Cassandra?' Evan lamented.
"Oi! You there. How much for these?" The tallest of the two men brazenly asked in utter disrespect.
'Signs of narcissism: check.' Evan judged.
He began scanning each item at the time, making sure he wouldn't screw anything up or somehow come off as ill-mannered.
"That will be 78 Crowns, sir." Evan informed, giving his best impression of a cooperative person.
"78 Crowns! Are you mad boy?!" The burly man cried. "Give me some slack, man."
'Penny pincher: check. Definitely not gonna make it to the sales: check.' Evan acknowledged.
"What was that? 50 is enough? Here ya go, boy." The man gestured and slammed a small bill on the desk.
'Shameless sociopath: check.'
A staring contest began. Would Evan give in to the bastard and let him off while being 28 Crowns short? Or would he speak up somehow without pissing him off?
Luckily the doorbell of the kiosk rang, signaling that someone had just entered, giving Evan enough courage to intensify his stare without coming off as too belligerent.
The other delinquent was getting impatient and curiously drew toward the desk where the staring contest was taking place.
"What the heck is taking so long?" He asked but immediately noticed the situation. It wasn't the duo's first rodeo. Thus he joined in on the 'fun'.
A battle of sore eyes had suddenly intensified into a two versus one. As the bizarre event continued, Evan began to lose ground. Letting the two assholes off meant that he had to pay from his own pockets. He wasn't about to let that happen.
Meanwhile, footsteps from the rear of the kiosk became more pronounced. A charming female figure entered the fray, taking her place next to Evan behind the desk, interrupting the stares of the two burly men, which eventually made them waver and blink.
'I win.' Evan inwardly grinned without physically letting it show.
Evan, now joined by Cassandra, gained momentum and kept staring at the two men.
Losing more and more ground, the pair of sociopaths had no choice but to back off. That was the unspoken rule when it came to staring contests. A lack of social compass didn't mean they accrued stupidity.
Once the two delinquents had no choice but to leave, things finally settled down as Evan removed his apron before giving Cassandra a solid fist bump and ran off.
"Thanks, Cassandra. Owe you one!"
"Don't mention it, kid. Buy me a drink when you get old enough," she winked.
Evan was almost caught off-guard by the casual remark but quickly shrugged it off. He had a freaking video game to purchase. The latest in the line within virtual reality, massively multiplayer, online role-playing games.
Soulbound Online.