Broken Carts ✔️

Aisle 12: Coexistence

"Look at us. We're like a couple of teenage girls doing our makeup before prom."

"Har, har."

We were sitting in Lynette's car five minutes before our shift started with the mirrors pulled down. I was dabbing at my neck with a makeup sponge covered in super pale, almost translucent liquid. "It would be helpful if you saw the sun once in a while," I grumbled, wondering if I was obscuring my hickies or just putting a spotlight on them.

"Can't. Vampires are allergic." She put the finishing touch on one of her own speckled marks. "How do I look? Passable?"

"It's like Millie was never there." I indicated my neck. "What about me?"

She cringed, then took the sponge out of my hand. "Let me try to fix it. I think your blending is off. Or you put too much on. Or not enough."

I groaned and peeked at the clock on the dash. "Three minutes."

"Don't worry, I got this," she assured me.

"Two minutes."

She attempted one final, rough rub at my neck, then threw the sponge at her backseat. "You're fine."

I sighed, staring at my splotchy reflection. "Well, time to face the music."

"Wait!" I looked over at Lynette. She was gripping a small plastic bag. "We could do lines before work. That could help."

Startled, I gazed blankly at the bag. "You're joking," I said after a second.

There was a moment's pause before Lynette cracked a smile. "Of course I'm joking." She put the bag in her purse and took out a piece of gum instead.

Luckily, Nadia wasn't at Vita-Mart that day, but I faced enough scrutiny from customers who gaped at my uneven skin-tone. I figured I was home free when I clocked out for the day, but just as I was about to pull on my coat, Ryan made a surprise appearance.

"Milo!" he exclaimed, extending his fist to me. I gave him a half-hearted bump. "Heard you're gonna be hangin' in the back next week."

"You heard correctly."

His gaze flittered back and forth from my face to my neck. "Great, great. You excited?"

"For the shit-load of money I'll be making? Yes." I rapidly started buttoning my coat.

Ryan laughed. "Fuck yeah, dude. Good for fuckin' you. I'm excited, too." I raised an eyebrow. He smirked. "I'm excited 'cause I've never had my own personal bitch before."

"Bitch?" I sputtered. "Who said I'm going to be your bitch?"

The entrance to Vita-Mart clattered open. Ryan extended his arm toward the door, conceited smile unfading. "Look at that timing– hey, Nadia!" She walked to us. I quickly flipped the collar of my coat up to protect my neck. "Isn't little Milo gonna be working under me?"

"Yes. I thought he knew that." She turned to me, scanning my face. I hugged the coat closer to my body. "Ryan will be training you to work in the back, since he's been here the longest of all the morning employees. You'll report to him starting Monday. Questions?"

"Been here the longest?" I asked. "Longer than Ezra?"

"Four years longer than him," Ryan proudly informed me. Talk about a loser, I thought.

Nadia nodded. "That being said, if Ryan can't make it to work one day, report to Ezra. He's second-in-charge." Ryan laughed through his nose. When Nadia shot him a look, he got pale. I walked out of Vita-Mart knowing I had to prepare myself for the shit-storm looming in the distance.