Chapter 1: Convenience and Problems

Andrew stepped out of the car, the cold night air hitting him hard. He patted his jacket, searching for his pack of cigarettes. His fingers found the crumpled box, but it was empty.

Just my luck, he thought, annoyed. No smokes when I need one the most.

He looked around and saw a small convenience store down the street, glowing under a flickering neon sign: GLIMMER Open 24/7.

Weird name. Probably some wannabe hipster running it.

He walked up to the entrance, the automatic doors swishing open. The cashier, a striking figure with sharp eyes and long dark hair, stood behind the counter, tapping away on a phone. Their face was calm but stern—Andrew couldn't help but stare for a moment, taken aback by their looks.

"Good evening," the cashier said without looking up. "What are you buying?"

"Uh… yeah, one pack of Marlboro Reds," Andrew stammered, still a little thrown off.

"ID?" they asked, finally glancing at him with an eyebrow raised.

Damn. Andrew fumbled through his pockets, knowing full well his ID wasn't there. "Uh, I forgot it at home. But come on, I'm old enough. Can't you make an exception?"

The cashier sighed, their expression unchanging. "No ID, no sale. Store policy."

Andrew's stomach sank. "Seriously? Can't you just let it slide this once?"

"Nope," they replied curtly, already looking back at their phone. "And if you're not buying anything else, get out of the way. You're holding up the line."

Humiliated, Andrew nodded and backed away from the counter, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Alright, alright. Do you at least have a restroom?"

"Employees only," they said without missing a beat. "If you need to go, there's an alley out back."

He muttered a quick thanks and hurried out, heat rising to his face from the embarrassment. He made his way to the back of the store, finding the dark alley. As he leaned against the wall after relieving himself, he thought, Could this day get any worse?

First, he'd gotten laughed at by a group of classmates for sharing his love of anime, and now he couldn't even get a cigarette to calm down. What a disaster.

After a moment, he spotted a nearby bench and sat down, resting his head in his hands. Just when he thought he'd have a moment to himself, he heard footsteps approaching.

The same cashier—now out of uniform and with their hair tied up—stood in front of him, lighting a cigarette. The neon lights from the store reflected off their face, giving them an almost ethereal glow.

"You look like you're having a rough day," they said casually, blowing smoke into the night air.

Andrew blinked, surprised. "Wait… aren't you the cashier?"

"Yeah," they said with a shrug, taking another drag. "My name's Rei, by the way."

Andrew frowned, still processing this. "Wait, so you own the place?"

"Something like that," Rei said with a small smirk. "Want a smoke?"

Andrew's eyes lit up, grateful. "Hell yeah. You have no idea how much I needed one of these."

Rei handed him a cigarette and a lighter. "What's eating at you, kid?"

Andrew sighed, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag. "Everything, I guess. School's been a nightmare. I tried to talk to people, share my interests, but they just think I'm a freak. And now I can't even get a smoke without an ID."

Rei chuckled softly, leaning against the wall beside him. "I get it. Life can be like that sometimes. But you can't rely on cigarettes to numb it all. It'll catch up to you."

Andrew frowned, blowing out a puff of smoke. "You really sound like one of those motivational posters."

"Maybe. But here's the thing—people bond over cigarettes. Strangers become friends, just like that," Rei said, snapping their fingers. "And now we're talking, aren't we?"

"Huh. I guess so," Andrew muttered. "Still, today's been a disaster."

Rei glanced at him, their expression softening. "You need help making friends?"

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno. I just feel like an outsider most of the time."

Rei looked thoughtful, then gave him a playful nudge. "Tell you what—why don't you swing by here after school tomorrow? I'll give you some pointers on how to deal with people."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You? What are you, some kind of life coach?"

"Nah," Rei said with a grin. "Just someone who's been around long enough to know a thing or two."

Andrew chuckled. "You've got nothing better to do?"

Rei smirked, flicking ash from their cigarette. "I run this place. Got all the time in the world."

"Wait," Andrew said, squinting at them. "You really own this store?"

Rei grinned. "Yep. GLIMMER's all mine."

Andrew burst out laughing. "I thought the owner would be some, like, soft-spoken hipster or something."

Rei gave him a playful punch to the arm. "Watch it, kid."

They both laughed for a moment before Rei straightened up. "By the way, you looking for work? I could use some help around here—stocking shelves, checking inventory, stuff like that."

Andrew blinked, surprised by the offer. "Wait, you're serious? You'd give me a job?"

"Why not? You said you need something to do, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect this." Andrew stood up, a grin spreading across his face. "Alright, Boss Rei. I'm in."

Rei rolled their eyes. "Don't start with the 'boss' stuff. Now, come on. Let's move some boxes in the back."

The two of them worked together in the dimly lit store, Rei showing Andrew the ropes. To his surprise, the work wasn't bad, and it gave him something to focus on, something that didn't involve school or his problems.

As they finished, Rei handed him a cold soda from the fridge. "Good job today. But listen, Andrew—about the smoking. It's just a crutch. You'll need to face your problems eventually."

Andrew took a sip, glancing at Rei curiously. "You're really deep for a convenience store owner, you know that?"

Rei shrugged, smiling. "Maybe. But think about it."

As Andrew lay in bed later that night, Rei's words echoed in his mind. Something about them stuck with him. He wasn't sure if quitting smoking would solve his problems, but for the first time in a while, he felt like someone actually gave a damn.

Maybe things were starting to change.