Wake Up
She woke up.
She rubbed at her eyes tiredly, blinking the sunrays away and waiting for everything to come into focus. It did, after a moment, and she sat up.
Her head pulsed with agitation. She ignored it.
She had a lot to do today, after all.
She mustered what little remained of her backbone and stood, still rubbing the crusted sleep from her eyes. She stifled a yawn.
She had stayed up till daybreak last night running the shop.
And now she had to work the morning shift.
She sighed slightly, trying not to think about how long she had been doing this.
A dozen years.
She cracked open some can or other and sipped at it, smiling only the tiniest bit when it turned out to be ginger ale. That certainly wasn’t the worst it could’ve been, though she really could’ve gone for an ice-cold Brisk.
She stepped up after a long, hot shower, and grabbed her coat, slipping on the furry antique without a thought. She spent only the shortest moment in front of the mirror, flashing her reflection a sheepish smile and putting on a pair of colourful star earrings.
She stepped out with her brightest, fakest smile on her face, and tried to prepare herself for another day of helping customers and doing paperwork.