tester story

The sound of the toaster popping wakes you back up from where you had been beginning to doze. Looking at the time, you're almost late, so there's no time for toppings as you dash out the door. Now you have to take your [[bike]] [[skateboard]]

It's kinda gross, but it's better than nothing. Looking at the time, you realise you're already late, so you quickly grab your [[bike]] [[skateboard]]

As fast as you can, you ride your bike to your work. The flickering sign for the grimy little petrol station blinks at you from the end of the road. Your sweat has gone cold from the cycle over, and you shiver as you lock your bike up and enter the store. Your manager is standing there looking rather pissed off. [[next]]

Going to grab your board, you remember that it had gotten snapped in half last week, and so you now return to your only option [[bike]]

They glare at you, and you begin to regret your decision of trying to be nice. "What time do you call this? Your shift started 15 minutes ago! You know I have a date tonight and I don't want to be late from having to sit around here waiting for you to get here" [[apologise]] [[flip them off and head to the back ->sneak into the back]]

You write your time in on the time sheet, as you watch your manager leave in a hurry. Do you [[sit around for a bit, it doesn't look like anyone's out there yet]] [[head to counter]]

They glare at you, looking at you like you're scum. "Learn to turn the hell up on time! Go clock in so I can get outta this dump, I've got a date tonight you know!" [[Head to the back->sneak into the back]]

They look at you with a softer look now. "Fine, just don't make a habit of it. Go clock in so I can get out of this dump" [[Head to the back->sneak into the back]]

You sit around in the break room for a bit. There's really not much to do except scroll on your phone. You do so for a bit, but remember that you're not getting a lift home so you really need to conserve battery life. Sighing, you put your phone away in your pocket and head out to the front. [[Head to the counter->head to counter]]

Now that your manager's gone, the station lies empty, save for yourself. It's lonely here at night, but the money's good so you stay. You need it deperately and this was the only place that would take you with your lack of qualifications. [[Whatever it takes to get out of this town]]

[[say hi]] [[sneak into the back]] [[sheepishly greet them]]

Jolting upright to your alarm blaring, you realise you've slept in as you now rush around your small room getting ready for your night shift at the petrol station. Your stomach growls, so you go to grab [[toast]] [[leftover pizza]]

Your eyes drift closed as time slowly crawls by. You're dozing off, but don't care as the likelyhood of someone actually coming in is low. For how long you've worked here you could count on both hands how many people have actually come into the station, let alone those who actually bought anything. Most people avoid the station, despite it being the only one in town, and you're that much happier for it. People tend to make you nervous and uncomfortable and you much prefer your solitude. That's the benefit of the night shift: no one disturbs you. The downside is that it leaves you alone with your own thoughts for far too long, something you generally try your hardest to avoid. [[...]]

You continue dozing, drifting into a place between dreaming and awake, [[.....]]

(transition: "shudder")[''BEEP BWOOP''] [[...->customer]]

The shrill beep of the door startles you awake. You hadn't expected anyone to be in for the night, let alone this early. [[...->customer2]]

You hear them shuffle around the shop, seeming to aimlessly pick up and put down items, not knowing what they came in for. It takes a few minutes for them to finally approach the counter with their items. [[...->crying girl]]

Her face is streaked with eyeliner dried in tear trails down her face. Her eye is puffy and she avoids looking at you as she pushes what she's decided upon towards you. [[Cheap wine]] [[Ice cream]] [[Carton of eggs]]

It's cheap wine. The sort you buy for a party with people you don't particulary like. [[Other items ->crying girl]]

It's slowly defrosting. She must've been walking around with it for a while. [[Other items->crying girl]]

The eggs are the thing that stand out the most to you from this selection of items. The other things are all the sort of stuff you'd expect someone who's upset, but you're stumped on the eggs. [[Enquire about the eggs]] [[Forget about it and scan the items]]

You jokingly ask about the eggs, trying to lighten the mood, as she finally looks up at you. Oh god, you now know why you thought she looked familiar as you see the face of your old bully from highschool. Except she doesn't seem to recognise you. "What's it to you?" She remarks [["Just curious is all"]] [["Nothing, don't worry about it"]] [["Why are you so upset?"]]

You scan the items for her, her eye never leaving the counter as you bag the items and tell her the total. She wordlessly tosses the cash at you before you can even ask for cash or card and shuffles away. [[That was rude.]]

You watch her leave and think to yourself if you recognised her. She reminded you of one of your old classmates, but you couldn't say for sure. Either way it's not your problem why she was upset. [[You return to daydreaming]]

You shrug at her as she glances over you. She really doesn't seem to recognise you, and that's probably for the better as she straightens up and sighs. "It's my boyfriend..." her eye waters as she starts talking "He told me he was working late, and I thought he was, but then..." [["But then?]] [[(Stay silent)]]

She glares at you as you finish scanning her items. You really don't want to be around her for any longer than you have to be, praying she doesn't recognise you, but she seems too caught up in her own issues to really care about who you are. [[Finish scanning]]

You tell her her total and she tosses the cash at you and grabs her items. You sigh in relief as she leaves, and flip her off behind her back. [[Now you can go back to daydreaming->You return to daydreaming]]

She takes a second to breath, trying to collect herself as she continues. "But then it turns out he was cheating on me with one of my best friends," she says with such anger that you almost take a step back. [["That sucks"]] [["So why the eggs"]]

She seems to brighten a bit at the reminder of why you were interested in the first place. "I'm going to egg both of their cars, that'll show them not to fuck with me" she says with such conviction, you're starting to get mad for her. You look down again at the eggs. [["You're going to need more than that if you're going to do both"]] [["Well good luck then"]]