Accidental Kiss✔️

09 Two Cans of Beer

Third person pov

In a dingy concealed alleyway filled with overflowing garbage bins and one flickering streetlight, a small figure of a girl lumbers around while trying to move away from dirty puddles. Her eyes are glued to the murky sky mirroring her own grey wounded heart. Her tousled blond locks are everywhere and her once radiant face is smudged with mascara and the remnants of her favourite lipgloss, her work attire rumbled and her blue press-on nails missing a few in each hand.

A few feet away is a small corner shop where she's going to seek refuge. Its red and blue LED bulbs cast warm hues to the gloomy place. The girl slams the door open, her head hanging low.

The young cashier inside the store jolts at the sudden sound and lifts her head to take a look at the intruder. Soon, the quiet store is overtaken by her loud screech as her eyes land on the wobbling figure walking inside. She reaches out for the closest weapon she can find. In this case, an old broom she uses to chase away stray dogs.

"Stop right there!" She warns but the figure doesn't heed her warning as it wobbles its way to a nearby shelve, taking out two cans of beer before continuing to the counter.

"It's...it's me." The figure chokes out, its voice hoarse.

"Mandy?!" The young woman gasps and throws the broom aside. "Goodness girl, what happened to you? Did one of those stray dogs attack you again?"

"N-no, let...let me get drunk first and...and then I'll tell you everything."

The young cashier nods and heads up to put up the 'closed' sign on the door. She then walks back and leads the wavering girl behind the counter where a small room is. She helps her sit on an old grey sofa and opens one of the beer cans for her which the girl gobbles down in a few seconds.

Once she's halfway through the second can, the young cashier decides to break the silence. "So...who died?"

"Me," Amanda says as she sinks back into the sofa. "My relationship has died, my freedom has died and soon my reputation will die. Bye-bye to my green land." She starts sobbing. "Doris, what do I do? My life went downhill in a heartbeat."

Her friend Doris doesn't find the right words to say to her. She can't decide on anything until she hears the full story. Instead, she puts her purple shoulder-length hair up in case the drunk girl ends up vomiting all over the place. She gets up to get them some snacks, making sure Amanda doesn't drink on an empty stomach. Over the five years they've been friends, she has never seen Amanda in this state so she doesn't know how to react.

The next hour is spent on Amanda venting and complaining about the new-found hardships in her life while Doris sits back and listens eagerly, holding a bucket in her hand in case of an emergency. Despite feeling bad for her younger friend, she can't help but want to laugh. Something about Amanda being blackmailed is comedic. She never even dreamed of seeing Amanda so defeated and done with life. Especially not because of a boy.

"I don't know when my earrings came off or when I attacked her." Amanda sobs. "What if I get fired? I need this job."

"It's your first time acting up. I'm sure they'll leave you with a warning this time."

"I hope so. They said we'll talk about it on my next shift."

"It'll work out." Doris comforts her friend. Suddenly, she leans closer to Amanda, a wicked grin kissing her lips. "So," she says, her eyes coated with malice, "who won?"

Amanda smirks. "Who do you think won, big sis?" Doris claps her hands proudly. As if though her younger friend has done a noble act. Amanda giggles. "If I look like I've been attacked by a stray dog, she looked like she wrestled with a bear." They giggle for a while, high-fiving each other.