I stared at him in shock. “Huh?”
Bobby shook his head. “Look, I know it’s rough, but we can’t have you workin’ here no more. If you can’t keep clean, it’s gonna be an ongoing issue. Can’t have unhygienic staff in the kitchen. Sorry.”
I realized that I misunderstood Bobby’s expression. He didn’t have empathy for me. He had pity, like I was some kind of charity case he’d just condemned. It was weird, and I didn’t like it. The repugnance he felt towards me was a thousand times worse than getting fired.
“Okay,” I said, because what else could I say? I glanced back at the grill. To add insult to injury, my burger was half charcoal. “Um, about my last burger...”
Bobby waved his hand. “Just take it with you.” He fished out his wallet, pulled out a twenty, and thrust it at me like he was paying off a problem. “Here’s your paycheck. See ya.”
I didn’t stick around long. I said goodbye to my coworkers and the grill, grabbed the blackened burger patty, then left.
Hey, at least I got twenty bucks and a meal.
For the second night in a row, I sat alone on a curb outside of a place that just told me to get lost. I munched on my charred burger. It was pretty good, burnt bits and all.
What could I do with the twenty? Since I had no more bills to pay, the sky was the limit. Well, twenty dollars was the limit. I could go to the dollar store and buy twenty things. But then where would I put them? My luggage was already full of clothes and toiletries, so they’d have to fit in my bag.
I took another bite, chewing slowly. My mind drifted to Chromatimaeus Island and the alpha dragons living there. In hindsight, their generosity was incredible. They’d fed us, housed us, paid for our flights and all travel expenses. All we had to do was show up. I felt lucky to be part of the first two seasons, and now an upcoming third.
Four months had passed since season two ended, when Thystle and Matteo found each other. The show had hit the ground running, and its popularity exploded with the second season.
But the most important thing was that my friends were happy. Taylor lost his grumpy edge when he fell in love with Crimson, and Thystle pulled Matteo out of his secret identity crisis. Both couples were perfect for each other.
I swallowed the last bite of my charred burger, then sighed wistfully. Being fated to a dragon sounded awesome.
My stomach growled. Even though my shift was cut short, it was a long one, and I was still hungry after devouring the patty.
Just as I thought about rummaging through garbage cans, I saw a familiar white-haired figure walking towards me.
“Poppy!” I greeted, leaping up from the curb.
He flashed a shy smile. “Hi,” he said softly, fidgeting with his backpack strap. “I brought the cookies.”
I gasped happily. With everything going on, the cookies slipped my mind.
“Pops, you’re amazing!” I cried.
A blush tinged his pale cheeks. “N-no, I’m not. They’re just cookies.”
“Uh, no. They’re Poppy’s Most Epic Cookies Ever.”
He huffed gently, then pulled a package out of his bag. The environmentally friendly wrapper was made of beeswax and cotton, and had cute little flowers on it.
He offered it to me. “Here you go. They’re not as fresh as they were yesterday, but...”
The package was hefty. There had to be at least ten cookies in there. Talk about a decent meal.
I grinned. “You know I love a little staleness in my cookies. Thanks, Poppy. You’re the best.”
Praise always made Poppy squirm, like he thought he didn’t deserve it.
I put the cookies in my bag to save them for later. If I scarfed them all down now, I’d regret it when I got hungry.
Poppy tilted his head curiously. “You’re not going to try one?”
Crap. I usuallydideat one right away.
Maybe one wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t want Poppy to get suspicious. I grabbed one from the wrapper and took a slow bite, savoring the flavor.
