Existentialism - Chapter One
Title: Existentialism
Chapter: One
Author: Ash (nickers_lady)
Rating: PG
Pairing: Billie/Mike (eventually)
Disclaimer: here
Notes: Thanks for all of the encouraging comments on the prologue! It's been greatly appreciated :) Sorry if this part isn't as interesting as the prologue, but I hope it's a bit entertaining!!
CHAPTER ONE
"Get everything stocked! Day shift, you'd better stay here and get your shit done! I'm tired of you guys just running out of here as soon as shift change hits!" Billie called out to his crew a word of warning. People bustled around, making sure all sacks, boxes, plates, silverware, and condiments were ready for the night shift at the local KFC/A&W restaurant. Billie tucked in his black button-down shirt into his black slacks as his assistant manager, a Middle-Eastern man with olive skin and black hair named Kareem, told him about the impending CER.
"Kelly should be here either tomorrow or Wednesday, because we're due for the CER on Thursday," Kareem thought aloud.
"Yeah...and if we don't pass this one with flying colors, I'll have Corporate laughing in my face," Billie replied. "Kelly has told them over and over what a great Rest General Manager I am, and Corporate is going to want to see if I can still do it like I used to."
"What's a CER?" one of the new employees, 16 year old Lilah, asked.
"It's our inspection from corporate to make sure that, as a franchise, we're doing what we should and not doing things we shouldn't," Billie replied and pulled his belt tight.
"Oh," she replied quietly. "Are we doing things right?"
"Yeah. I'm not worried about it," Billie said.
"We just gotta keep things up like the dead times on the food and stuff so we can make sure everything's fresh," Kareem said. Lilah nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response she received. She turned and walked away. Billie laughed a little, amused with the worry his few new employees showed to the impending corporate inspection.
The door to the employee area opened, and Billie's friend, Mike, entered.
"Mike, what's going on?" Billie asked the tall, blonde man.
Mike shrugged and said, "Not much. I just walked out on my manager, though."
Billie, shocked, replied, "What? Why? You've never done anything like that..."
"I know," Mike said. "She made me so angry. She schedules me for double after double and my days off consist of a morning shift one day and a night shift the next day, so I get 24 hours to myself!" Mike threw his arms up in exasperation. "And, not only that, she cracks all these gay jokes and at first it was funny, until those jokes started to be turned into rumors, and guess who starred in all of them! Me!"
"Oh, Mike," Billie sighed and laughed.
"That's not even the worse part. A few weeks ago, these two other employees were horsing around, ran into me, and my hand hit the flat part of the side of the grill and it burned the rubber glove into my skin!" Mike thrust his right hand out to show Billie. All across the back of his hand was red and rough. "She didn't do a damn thing about it, Billie Joe! I just had to keep working in front of customers who saw my hand like this!"
"Damn," Billie said, still laughing.
"It's not funny."
"Actually, I thought the gay thing was really funny," Billie laughed. Mike shook his head.
"No, it's not."
"...and why not?" Billie asked.
"It's just...not." And with that, Mike promptly turned around and left as abruptly as he had come.
For the life of him, Billie could not figure out why Mike was so worked up over the rumor thing. He could understand the injury; he remembered Mike bitching to him over the phone about it and how he wasn't allowed workers' compensation if he had to take off of work because his manager considered him part of the horseplay when he had, in fact, just been trying to do his job around the horseplay.
"I think your friend has PMS," Kareem laughed.
Chapter: One
Author: Ash (nickers_lady)
Rating: PG
Pairing: Billie/Mike (eventually)
Disclaimer: here
Notes: Thanks for all of the encouraging comments on the prologue! It's been greatly appreciated :) Sorry if this part isn't as interesting as the prologue, but I hope it's a bit entertaining!!
CHAPTER ONE
"Get everything stocked! Day shift, you'd better stay here and get your shit done! I'm tired of you guys just running out of here as soon as shift change hits!" Billie called out to his crew a word of warning. People bustled around, making sure all sacks, boxes, plates, silverware, and condiments were ready for the night shift at the local KFC/A&W restaurant. Billie tucked in his black button-down shirt into his black slacks as his assistant manager, a Middle-Eastern man with olive skin and black hair named Kareem, told him about the impending CER.
"Kelly should be here either tomorrow or Wednesday, because we're due for the CER on Thursday," Kareem thought aloud.
"Yeah...and if we don't pass this one with flying colors, I'll have Corporate laughing in my face," Billie replied. "Kelly has told them over and over what a great Rest General Manager I am, and Corporate is going to want to see if I can still do it like I used to."
"What's a CER?" one of the new employees, 16 year old Lilah, asked.
"It's our inspection from corporate to make sure that, as a franchise, we're doing what we should and not doing things we shouldn't," Billie replied and pulled his belt tight.
"Oh," she replied quietly. "Are we doing things right?"
"Yeah. I'm not worried about it," Billie said.
"We just gotta keep things up like the dead times on the food and stuff so we can make sure everything's fresh," Kareem said. Lilah nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response she received. She turned and walked away. Billie laughed a little, amused with the worry his few new employees showed to the impending corporate inspection.
The door to the employee area opened, and Billie's friend, Mike, entered.
"Mike, what's going on?" Billie asked the tall, blonde man.
Mike shrugged and said, "Not much. I just walked out on my manager, though."
Billie, shocked, replied, "What? Why? You've never done anything like that..."
"I know," Mike said. "She made me so angry. She schedules me for double after double and my days off consist of a morning shift one day and a night shift the next day, so I get 24 hours to myself!" Mike threw his arms up in exasperation. "And, not only that, she cracks all these gay jokes and at first it was funny, until those jokes started to be turned into rumors, and guess who starred in all of them! Me!"
"Oh, Mike," Billie sighed and laughed.
"That's not even the worse part. A few weeks ago, these two other employees were horsing around, ran into me, and my hand hit the flat part of the side of the grill and it burned the rubber glove into my skin!" Mike thrust his right hand out to show Billie. All across the back of his hand was red and rough. "She didn't do a damn thing about it, Billie Joe! I just had to keep working in front of customers who saw my hand like this!"
"Damn," Billie said, still laughing.
"It's not funny."
"Actually, I thought the gay thing was really funny," Billie laughed. Mike shook his head.
"No, it's not."
"...and why not?" Billie asked.
"It's just...not." And with that, Mike promptly turned around and left as abruptly as he had come.
For the life of him, Billie could not figure out why Mike was so worked up over the rumor thing. He could understand the injury; he remembered Mike bitching to him over the phone about it and how he wasn't allowed workers' compensation if he had to take off of work because his manager considered him part of the horseplay when he had, in fact, just been trying to do his job around the horseplay.
"I think your friend has PMS," Kareem laughed.