Work Text:
It was an average day at work.
Nicole works as a cashier at a 7/11, really nothing big or anything. Minimum wage and hated by their manager (ooh nonbinary character). The type of hatred that burns with a passion. Their manager would take any chance to get them fired.
Now, Nicole has a son. Little Timmy, who needs a procedure for his poor poor failing heart. For you see Little Timmy has a heart condition. If he didn’t get this operation done- and it needed to be done within the next month- Little Timmy was set to death. So Nicole needs this job.
It was a pretty fast day, and mistakes are made. For the first time Nicole accidentally gave back too much. They mixed up the dollars and handed the group of four back a hundred dollars too much.
This was their first mistake, and it was only once. It was a decently large business, no big deal. Right?
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The four teenagers, Starry, Akio, Coffin, and Mustard rushed out of the store, blissfully unaware that they had taken a hundred extra bucks. Mustard making a random noise and Akio doing a random meow.
They walked to the car, Starry having decent common sense counting the money.
“Hey uh guys?” Starry spoke nervously.
“Yes?” Mustard says.
“...They gave us too much by like..Maybe a hundred?”
“Keep it.” Coffin said, followed by an “Agreed” from Akio now in the back seat. “A hundred bucks is like.. Cheap in this economy.” Akio continues. “We need it for rent.”
The four started to bicker about whether they should or shouldn't. Mustard didn't care, Akio voted yes, Coffin voted yes, and (surprisingly) Starry had enough morals to say no.
Outvoted Starry, the eldest of the four got into the front seat and drove off. Blissfully unaware of the horrors the group's action would have for the POOR single mother.
Oh well, the group that lived together was struggling financially and their rents cut off date was soon. They needed it about as much as the single mother needed it.
Which was a lot. The four were about to go to the streets. Akio was too young to get a job at the age of 12 with shitty grades and the others weren't old enough for even minimum wage paying jobs. Starry the oldest of them had just graduated highschool. And they'd rather not- it was hardly spring and freezing afterall.
They'd use whatever money was left for groceries later, seeing as they had most the rent payed off and barely enough food to keep Akio from being underweight. Star hardly ate anyway so it was even more of a struggle.
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Nicole realized her mistake when a client needed a hundred bucks in change and they didn't have a singular hundred dollars bill given by a previous buyer.
Fuck.
That's probably gonna be taken from their upcoming paychecks. Or worse, get them fired. For as aforementioned their manager hates them. and is right beside them. The transphobic bitch watched her employee as she gave back two fifties instead.
“Two fifties? What exactly happened to that hundred you had hm?”
“I-I don't know!” Nicole practically yelped.
“You're fired.”
“No please I need this job I-I'll do better!” tears silently streamed down their face thinking of their poor poor son. “I-I need this job my son-”
“I don't care about your son. Get out of my establishment.”
Nicole sobbed running out of the 7/11 they had worked at unlocking their car and sobbing knowing that the deadline for their son's procedure is next week. There was no way in hell they were able to get the money in time.
They decided on spending as much time as possible with Little Timmy knowing he'd be dead soon.
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The group of four got out of the car, Akio deciding to speak what was on stars mind the entire drive.
“What if that lady gets fired..?” Akio said, shifting position so star wasn't leaning on Mustard so much and could speak better.
“I'd doubt it unless this isn't the first time. Don't worry about it.” Coffin responded in their usual monotone voice, hair swaying as the nonbinary teen turned to face the kid in the backseat from their position in the passenger seat. “Plus remember what you said? A hundred bucks is cheap in this economy.”
“Yea, that's true.” Akio said.
So the kids went into their apartment they barely managed to fit in (those comfortable shared rooms while one got a room to themself and the other took the couch.) and paid off their rent with seventy to spare.
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Nicole picked up her son from day care looking at him smiling in the back seat.
“Let's go to the- LITTLE TIMMY NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” they screeched as Little Timmy had a heart attack in front of them.
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From that dreadful day everything went downhill, their house turning into that of a hoarder home.
The cats Fluffers and Sterling were locked in the bathroom, litterbox not cleaned in god knows how long. Fluffers got so sick that Nicole ended up taking him to go get executed by the vet.
Sterling died on her own from starvation. Nicole screamed and cried as they found her. At least she still had Peanut Butter.
They tried to care for Peanut Butter, taking him for walks and feeding him properly unlike her cats. But Peanut Butter was old and soon it was his time.
Nicole, now all alone, neglected themself. Soon evicted from their home they ran off into the woods. They foraged for food or begged for money and bought water and chips.
They knew foraging was risky but they needed the food badly and just took the risk. Not like there was much anything better to do.
Nicole was malnourished and on the streets. A stranger picked them up taking them home.
The stranger, Ava, fed them and cared for them. Shortly later the pair started dating. Nicole and Ava were happy together, Nicole got therapy and lived life for the first time in months.
And for the first time in a long time
They knew everything was gonna be okay.