Get it together.
A kid knocked into the counter. Hot chocolate exploded across the floor—sticky, spreading fast.
"Oh man, I'm so sorry?—"
"It's fine." I grabbed towels before he finished apologizing. Dropped to my knees and soaked up the mess while feet shuffled around me, voices continuing overhead like I didn't exist.
The floor stuck to my skin. My knees ached. I shoved the soaked towels into the trash and stood too fast—dizzy for half a second.
Another roar from the arena. Louder this time.
I glanced toward the hallway. Dark. Empty. Just shadows and exits I couldn't see clearly through the crush of bodies.
No one there.
Why do you keep looking?
Because I couldn't stop. Because every sudden noise made my shoulders lock. Because the crowd felt too big, too close, too unpredictable.
The register froze mid-transaction.
I stared at the blank screen. Panic spiked.
"Jenna—"
"Reboot it. Button on the side."
I found the button. Pressed. Waited through thirty seconds that stretched like hours while the customer in front of me tapped his credit card against the counter.
The screen flickered. Loaded.
"Thank God," I whispered.
Jenna shoved past me with an armful of cups. "You're doing fine. Keep going."
I wasn't doing fine. But I kept going anyway.
Another customer. Another apology I swallowed before it reached my lips. Another glance toward the hallway that showed nothing but empty space.
The game continued somewhere beyond the walls. The crowd's energy pulsed through the building—excitement I couldn't feel, joy I couldn't share.
I just had to survive tonight. That was all. One shift. A few more hours. Then I could go home, lock the door, and pretend everything was fine.
The final buzzer screamed through the walls.
Seconds later, the crowd noise shifted—half celebration, half disappointment, depending on who won. I didn't know. Didn't care.
The café drained fast after that. Stragglers grabbed last-minute snacks. Families shuffled toward exits. Within twenty minutes, silence replaced chaos.
I exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours.
"Survived your first game night." Ben tossed me a rag and grinned. "You're officially initiated."
I caught it and managed a weak smile. "Barely."
"Nah. You did good." He grabbed the broom and started sweeping crumbs from under the tables. "Jenna only yells at people she thinks can handle it."
"Lucky me."
