Petulantly, she stared at the rusted shop sign hovering over the run-down convenience store. This was the tenth time she'd come to pick her wages up. It would be no surprise if she was told to 'come back later'. Tapping her ankle boots against the concrete pavement, she carefully debated her approach. She was done being nice to these people. Peering her head through the open door, the store seemed empty. This was a good sign.
Sighing irritably, she stomped in and stood in front of the wide-eyed cashier, awaiting the excuse. He was barely a man, with a frayed hoodie than hung loosely off his gaunt shoulders and a face covered in acne and pimples. She'd met him before several times - he was her replacement. Without an awkward introduction, she wrapped her thin jacket around her waist and gazed wearily at him. He glanced at her with clear discomfort.
"What's the excuse going to be this time?" She sighed.
He cleared his throat and wet his lips, bony arms trembling at her angry presence. "Malik...Malik told me not to give you the money. When you left, the shop lost a lot of money while he was re-hiring. He told he he'd already texted you about it."
She stared at him in disbelief. "I received no such thing! This is ridiculous, Damien. I worked here for 6 months - and you know that's impressive for this store." She sauntered up the counter, placing her finger tips next to his and leant into him. "Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" Her kohl-rimmed eyes pierced his, dark irises absorbing the surrounding light.
His cheeks flushed, and he swallowed before responding. "There's nothing I can do Elena. I do what Malik tells me. You're not my boss." He glanced at the cash register. "I can't give you the money." He summarised.
