ˢʰᵒʳᵗ ˢᵗᵒʳⁱᵉˢ

The End

TW: Death, snakes, cursing, annoying man-bitch.

...

Walking on the boardwalk was usually relaxing, but it's a little different when a stupid insecure man-child has to ride along. He's been complaining the whole time, 'I'm too cold! It's too dirty! Are we almost there? Stop breathing so loud! Stop walking so fast! Stop walking so slow! Why is the beach so deserted?! I hate the smell of salt!'

The desire to punch his nose was strong. I had to clench my hands and push the feeling down. If I did inflict violence against him I would be fired from my job, and that would wreck all the plans I had for the next four years. I stuck my fists in my pockets and tried to walk faster. I just wanted this done with. The small window shops along the boardwalk helped a little, at least. Their windows were filled with food, souvenirs, or clothing. Colorful signs and doors drew me in, but taking a break wouldn't make my boss happy. I needed to be back at the office as soon as possible.

The man-child yelled from behind. "Hey! Stop waking so fast! You're not important!" I rolled my eyes and didn't adjust my pace. He had to do a little jog to catch up with me, his jacket flapping in the wind. He complained about how cold it was, yet he kept his jacket unzipped. Idiot. "Why the hell you walking fast?! We're not in a hurry." He did a little arrogant puff, his breath visible in the cold air.

"I'm in a hurry." I replied coolly, trying to not snap at him and escalate anything.

"To where?! Hell?!" It took all my willpower to not turn around and throw him into the sea. It's only been ten minutes, and the walk is thirty minutes long. He's not gonna survive this.

A small shop selling waffle cones caught my eye. No, I did not want a waffle cone, I wanted to know how long the line was. "Hey, Zoe, let's take a break." He was not too happy about pausing the walk, despite all his complaining, but he hesitantly followed me into the shop. The line was as long as the California coastline. It was perfect. Boss wouldn't mind if I delivered her favorite treat, right? I shoved Zoe into the line.

"Hey, the boss loves waffle cones. If we get her one she'll undoubtedly be in a better mood." I forced a smile, interrupting him before he could talk. "Stand in line and order her favorite while I go get the package." He of course tried to argue with me, but i shushed him and quickly walked out.

Wow, it was like the sun shined more when Zoe wasn't here. I sighed contently and walked down to the post office. The wind was now a soft breeze, like it was pushing me along. Solitude was the best.

The old door creaked and a rusty bell rung when I stepped through the door. The post office was quite old, with its burgundy tile floors and dirty yellow wall paper. I think it looked a little rundown even when it was newer. The line was average, as expected. I didn't wait long. The silence was nice compared to the wind in my ears. When I finally reached the front of the line, I was surprised to find a friend.

"Hey, Aradine! Didn't expect to find you here. Skipping out on work just to get a package? How scandalous of you." The friendly young worker greeted me with a big smile, like I was the most important person to see. I had to return it.

"No, the boss has an important package. I would love to skip work though, she's a good boss but she can be, well, a little high-strung." I sighed, exasperated.

"That's unfortunate to hear." The sweet worker smiled sympathetically at me. "Y'all do get breaks, right?" His happy eyes sparkled with a sort of light, like God himself was providing this man's happiness.

"Yes, of course." I replied hastily, I didn't want to smudge my companies good reputation. "We have our break rooms and such, the work is just stressful and many of us work overtime." Calling the work stressful was an understatement. I could definitely feel it taking a toll on me. I've been working harder than ever, and so has everyone else. A job had opened up in the company, which paid three times as much compared to our current pay. Everyone has been working their asses off trying to prove themselves worthy of a promotion, hoping the boss would notice.