"Crap, crap crap! I'm late!" She had woken up late, again, and rolled out of bed, landing flat on her face with a brutal thud. "Ow!! I-I need to make it on time!" Pushing herself up, she quickly ran to her closet, scavenging for her clothing.
She threw her clothes all over the ground until she finally came across her work uniform.
It had Stars Jr logo on front; an American fast-food restaurant chain she worked at nearly all her life.
She yanked the shirt over her head, hopping on one foot as she tried to pull on her pants at the same time.
Her reflection in the mirror caught her for a second with bedhead and dark circles under her eyes.
"No time to do anything! I can't even comb my hair." She groaned, trying to tame her hair with her fingers, but it only made it worse.
Grabbing her name tag, she sprinted to the kitchen.
There was no time for breakfast, so she snatched a piece of bread from her bread bag, bit down on it, and shoved her shoes on by the door.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
There was a message from her manager that lit up the screen.
[Manager]: If you're late again, don't bother coming in.
She could feel her heart sink into her chest.
"No, no, no! Please not today! I can't get fired, I'll lose everything!"
Shoving the phone back into her pocket, she burst out the door, nearly tripping over the steps as she bolted down the street, munching on the slice of bread.
The city morning was already awake with cars honking, people rushing to work, the smell of coffee shops she couldn't afford to waste time at.
She knew if she lost this job, she would have nothing left. Stars Jr. wasn't glamorous, but it paid her bills, kept her afloat, and without it, she was screwed.
"I can't lose this... I can't lose everything..."
She dashed down the sidewalk, weaving through the morning crowd.
A man carrying a briefcase shouted after her when she nearly knocked it out of his hands.
"Sorry!" She yelled over her shoulder while sprinting past a row of shops.
The crosswalk ahead was red, but she didn't slow down.
She bounced impatiently on her toes while her heart hammered as cars zipped by. "Cmon, c'mon! Stupid red light!" The moment the light changed, she bolted again, running down the crosswalk.
Eventually she could see the glowing yellow sign of Stars Jr. finally appeared in the distance.
"Almost there!" She wheezed, stumbling onto the parking lot pavement.
She pushed the glass door open with more force than necessary, nearly knocking over a kid holding a soda cup.
Everyone inside—the customers, the fry cooks, the cashier—turned to stare.
Bent over, gasping for air, she forced a shaky smile.
"M-Made it..."
From behind the counter, her manager, a middle-aged man with a sharp glare and a coffee mug glued to his hand—raised an eyebrow.
His voice was flat as always, and unimpressed.
"You're an hour late, Jill."
She swallowed hard before standing up, facing him.
"P-Please, I swear, it won't happen again!"
The manager sipped his coffee, not breaking eye contact. The silence felt like it could strangle her, but finally, he spoke again.
"Meet me in my office."
She widened her eyes, and stiffened her body before nodding repeatedly.
Exiting the lobby of the restaurant, she went back into the kitchen, and then through a door where his office was located.
"Jill, do you have any idea how many times you were late to work this past month?"
"Um... n-no sir!" She said nervously, staring at the computer screen he sat in front.
"Twenty times."
She gulped, lowering her head, ashamed.
"I-I'm sorry."
"I've heard that way too many times." The manager leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple with one hand. "Look, Jill... you're a good worker when you actually show up on time. But this? This is too much. I can't keep covering for you."
Her heart plummeted as she quickly looked up with wide eyes.
"N-No, please! I need this job! I'll change, I swear I'll be early every single day from now on, just give me one more chance!"
The manager shook his head—the kind of shake that already carried the weight of a final decision.
"I've already given you chances. Twenty of them. If I let this slide again, it's not just you, it's unfair to the rest of the team. I'm sorry, Jill. You're fired."
The word stabbed harder than she expected. Fired. It felt like her entire world was collapsing inward.
Her lips trembled as she spoke up again.
"But... I don't have anywhere else to go, it's hard to fine a job nowadays. Rent is due soon, and if I don't pay it... I'll get kicked out."
"I know." He said as his voice softened just a little. "And I'm sorry. But you need to get your life in order. Maybe this is the push you need."
Tears blurred her vision, but she bit them back, forcing herself not to cry in front of him.
Not here out of all places.
"...Can I at least finish today's shift?" She whispered in a saddened tone.
He hesitated, then shook his head again.
"No. Hand over your name tag. You're done here."
Her fingers froze around the name tag pinned to her chest.
She just stood there, unable to breathe, but finally, she unclipped it with trembling hands and sat it on his desk before turning toward the door.
As she stepped out, she felt the weight of everyone's eyes in the kitchen; coworkers pretending not to stare but failing.
Her face was burning with embarrassment as she lowered her head, rushing past them and pushing out the back door of the restaurant into the alley.
There, alone with the smell of garbage and the loud air conditioner units, Jill finally let the tears spill.
She had nothing left.
"I'm just a loser... I can't do anything right! Not even be on work in time..."
She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, though it didn't do much since her eyes still stung, and her nose was red.
Hugging herself tightly, she stood there for a moment before forcing her legs to move.
She began walking down the sidewalk with depressing steps.
Every car horn, every burst of laughter from people passing by only seemed to make her feel smaller.
"What am I supposed to do now...?" She muttered under her breath, kicking at a pebble on the ground.
Bills, rent, groceries—everything flashed through her mind like a cruel slideshow.
Without Stars Jr., she had no paycheck. And without a paycheck, she had nothing.
Her eyes trailed up as she passed another storefront. [Help Wanted.] The sign sat taped in the window of a small laundromat. She stopped for a second, staring at it.
"...Maybe..." She said to herself, trying to gather the courage.
The bell over the door jingled when she stepped inside. The smell of detergent and warm dryers quickly invaded her nose.
Behind the counter, an older woman looked up from folding clothes.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"Uh, y-yeah. I saw the sign outside. Are you... still hiring?"
The woman gave her a long look, as if sizing her up, then she offered a smile.
"We are. Do you have any work experience?"
Jill's heart skipped a beat as she nodded.
"Yes! I-I worked at Stars Jr. for years. I did cashier, cleaning, stocking, you name it!" Her tone was eager as ever.
The woman chuckled softly, smiling wide as ever.
"Enthusiastic, aren't you? Well, it's nothing too crazy. Mostly folding, cleaning, and keeping the machines in order. But if you're interested, fill out this form." She handed over a job application.
Jill snatched the paper like it was the most important thing in the world.
"Thank you. Really—thank you so much!"
The woman behind the counter nodded.
"No promises yet, but we'll see. Take your time filling it out."
For the first time all morning, Jill felt like maybe the universe hadn't completely given up on her from being a total loser.
She sat down at the little waiting bench with a pen from the woman and started scribbling her name across the top of the form with shaky hands.
Maybe this is it—maybe I can actually start over—she thought.
The bell over the door jingled again.
Jill barely glanced up, too focused on not messing up the form, but there was something off which caught her attention.
A man walked in—hood pulled over his head, one hand shoved deep into his pocket. His eyes looked around the laundromat before locking onto the counter.
Jill's blinked confusingly until she connected the dots.
The man yanked his hand out, and with it came a small black handgun.
"Empty the register." He shouted, pointing it at the older woman.
Her face went pale as she raised her hands.
"P-Please... we don't keep much cash here...! This is just a laundromat, nothing important!"
Jill froze as heart started racing.
She had never seen a real gun this close before, which caused her hands to clutch the form so tight it crumpled.
The man stepped closer to the counter, waving the firearm.
"Now! Don't make me say it again! Laundromat or not, I need the money!"
The older woman fumbled as her hands started shaking when she tried to open the register.
Jill's body moved before her mind could catch up.
"Stop it!" She yelled, standing up, unable to believe her own actions.
The man turned his head toward her, narrowing his eyes.
"What did you just say?"
Her legs were shaking so hard she thought she might collapse, but she forced herself to stand taller.
"J-Just leave her alone! Why are you robbing a laundromat out of all places?"
The woman behind the counter shouted, "Stay out of this!" but Jill had already taken a step forward, balling her fists, even though she had no plan, no weapon—nothing but reckless desperation.
The man smirked, taken aback by her courage.
"You think you're some kind of hero?"
Jill's heart screamed at her to back down, but she didn't.
"Y-Yeah!" She said with a trembling voice. "I won't let you hurt anyone. I'm tired of always doing things wrong... so maybe I can do what's right!"
The gun lifted toward her.
A deafening bang split the air as pain seared through her chest like fire.
Her knees buckled, and the world tilted sideways as she collapsed to the floor with the crumpled job application slipping from her hands and fluttering across the tiles.
The woman screamed as the robber bolted out the door, shocked by his actions.
Jill's vision blurred as her breaths became shallow and wet.
She stared at the ceiling lights above her as their glow faded in and out.
"...I... really... screwed up again... what the hell was I thinking?"
She whispered as darkness slowly swallowed her.
"I'm really... just a loser... bound by fate. Why does it hate me so much? Is this really how it ends?"
And thus, closing her eyelids, everything became black.