Collette

Chapter One - Modern Life

Georgetown, Texas
August 6, 2016

"Small chocolate cookie dough concrete and a double vanilla cone!" Collette called out through the ice cream shop's walk-up window. A young couple in the small crowd stood up from their seats and eagerly stepped forward to claim their sweet treats. They thanked Collette and then went back to their seats to enjoy the cool ice cream in the warmth of the evening sun.

Collette had been working at the same shop since she was sixteen, and that was three years ago. When she had first been hired on, she'd been a low-level, rookie treat creator. Her job at Hally's had been good to her, unlike many of the places where her friends worked.

At the age of nineteen, she was a shift lead, in the process of being trained to be a manager. She enjoyed her job, and she found delight in bringing joy to her customers.

The last hour of Collette's shift passed by quickly when it was filled with taking orders and making treats, using any free time to clean up and organize the prep tables. She often tried not to keep an eye on the time, knowing that the less that she looked at the clock, the faster her shift tended to go.

While she did like her job, she certainly did not want to be there all day, every day. She couldn't wait to go home to her cozy bed and nestle into her sheets with a good book, sipping on Chamomile tea to help her wind down for sleep. She'd found that her simple bedtime routine helped her get a good night of sleep and also helped improve her mental health. Anxiety preys on a sleepless mind.

Glancing at the old school black and white clock on the wall, Collette noticed she had reached the end of her shift. She grabbed the freshly made treat and handed it to the customer who stood near the front window since there was no one else on the patio at the moment.

Once Cheyenne took her place at the register, Collette headed to the back to take off her apron and clock out.

"Thanks for coming in a little early today, Collette. I really appreciated the help since Sam had to leave early. Have a good night. See ya tomorrow!" Ms. Carson cheerfully bid Collette goodbye as she dipped the custard for the treats being ordered through the drive thru. Multitasking was a must at Hally's; anything else would be too slow during a rush.

"No problem, Ms. Carson." Collette responded with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "He covered for me last week. I owed him one."

Ms. Carson replied with a motherly smile before turning back to her duties.

Collette picked up her bag and got out her car keys before heading out to her car, Shelly. Shelly was an old, dinged up, 2007 Toyota Corolla that her Aunt Sarah had given to her as a gift, once she had gotten her license in early 2013, a few months after she had turned sixteen. Shelly had definitely seen better days, but to Collette, all of her better days had been spent with Collette.

The drive to her apartment was a short one, taking roughly ten minutes. Collette parked Shelly in one of their apartment's parking spot. Since her older sister, Olivia, also owned a car, they'd had to buy another spot, since their apartment only came with one.

Collette glanced at the spot a few spaces to her right to see if Olivia would be home. Olivia's silver Honda Accord was sitting in it's spot. She was home.

They lived on the third floor. How Collette hated taking the stairs every single day, but the stinking elevator was almost always broken. It seemed as if every time the apartment complex got it fixed, it broke only a week or two later. Useless machine.

The two flights of stairs left her breathing a little harder, and she remarked quietly to herself, "whew. I need to start working out."

Which she had yet to actually do consistently. Working out required commitments and a proper schedule.