A New Day (2)
Mike walked up the stairs past the arcade toward Roxy’s Raceway. There was a salon nearby modeled after the animatronic, likely for kids and teens to hang out while getting their hair and nails done. The style, while covered in neon and 80’s patterns had a retro checkered floor that helped the building stand out. Mike assumed that Roxy would be similar in personality to Toy Chica, sassy but maybe malicious. They just seemed to have that vibe.
“Hey new guy!” Someone came jogging up to Mike sporting black curly hair and a Roxy pin on their shirt. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jacob, Roxy’s handler, any pronouns are fine.”
“Likewise, Mike and uh he/him is fine.”
“Great! Anyways today we’re supervising Roxy’s Raceway. Standard fair for ride attractions: Make sure kids are tall enough to play, safely locked into their karts, and check the track and karts to make sure they’re not dirty or bugged before starting. You also have the right to report any customers being rude or difficult to Roxy or Atkins, you’ll encounter them sooner or later.”
Ah yes entitled people trying to kick and scream to get their way, not much has changed… The animatronics had more class than some of the negligent customers they sometimes dealt with at Freddy’s. Parents let their jerkwad kids do whatever they want and then blame the employees for their behavior.
Regardless Mike’s train of thought stopped upon seeing the huge racetrack. It was decorated with go-karts, Roxy décor, and a scoreboard keeping track of laps and times for each kart. Frankly it was a marvel to see.
“Hey Jacob! This marshmallow the new guy?” ‘Roxy’ Roxanne Wolf was giant, standing heads above Mike with her signature flowing white hair, tail, and purple leopard-skinned appendages. Her claws were painted purple and teal-ish green to match her colored streak of hair, with a bold red cropped rockstar outfit.
“It’s Mike and I’d appreciate it if you called me that.” He crossed his arms with a slight glare.
“Don’t worry she doesn’t mean it in a mean way. She usually gives nicknames as a sign of affection, used to call me Pidgeon when I started working here for being so skittish.”
“Yeah! Besides your head is so square and you got a firey spirit, reminds me of a smore.”
It was odd how much knowledge the new animatronics apparently had but talking wouldn’t get the day over any sooner. Jacob and Roxy quickly walked Mike through some of the procedures before guests started coming in. It was honestly… refreshing to see kids having fun without the potential fear of another accident. Not like his… Everything was going relatively smoothly though; one little kid even gave Mike some stickers which he took with a smile.
But eventually, some teenagers came in that immediately set off alarm bells in his gut. Mike knew the kind of look they had; he’d seen it on other jerks before. The kind of look that showed they thought they could get away with anything. Mike kept an eye on them for some time, but when he looked away once and back, he saw they were harassing a kid to get out of the kart. Jacob was busy cleaning, no way in hell were they gonna continue.
“Hey! You three with the hoodies! Mind telling me why you are bothering this kid?”
“Oh no sir you misunderstood, he’s our friend! We’re just playing a friendly game of Simon says, isn’t that right Dale?” The kid in the red hoodie put his arm around the kid’s shoulder and plastered the most fake smile at Mike while the kid in the kart nervously looked at the ground.
“Uh huh… what about you kid? Are these guys really your friends?”
Dale looked like a deer in headlights, nervously looking at Mike and trying not to look at the other teens. He reminded him so much of when he first met Jeremy, too afraid to speak up… “U-uh yes sir um, t-they’re my friends…” Mike knew that fearful look in his eyes, the look of a kid being bullied. It was already obvious from the hooded teens’ attitude, but the way Dale kept trying to rub and cover his right arm said everything. But… Mike couldn’t legally help a kid that didn’t want it. All he could do is offer a space for support-
“Hey punks, mind coming with me?” Roxy appeared towering behind them, holding a dark growl from erupting. “I managed to capture everything on video and you three are repeat offenders of harassment and bullying in the Pizzaplex. Not to mention I saw you in the blue trying to damage the kart with your keys, that’s attempted damage to company property which is a criminal offense. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”
“Oh yeah? What can you do old hag?! You’re not even human!”
Roxy’s eyes glowed a dark purple as she took the red hooded kid’s arm. “I may not be human, but I have more empathy and understanding than picking on the weak and vulnerable. You disgust me and I hope your mothers too.” She pinched all three of their ears and dragged them away to be dealt with. Mike was flabbergasted at the scene, no animatronic had ever been so… authoritative or active in prioritizing protection, not even the Toy Animatronics. He quickly called Jacob on his Fazwatch and soon enough all the customers went back to their things. Mike stayed with Dale for a bit while Jacob handled the karts, at least to make sure he was safe as he sipped on a FizzyFaz.
“Hey mister…”
“Just call me Mike kid.”
“Ok uh… Mister Mike? Thank you for doing that.”
“It was the right thing to do kid, you shouldn’t have to feel afraid here.”
“The truth is… they were my friends. We grew up together since we were eight, but sometime right before middle school Harry got mean. Kirby and Derek didn’t know what to do so they just followed him like sheep, leaving me behind… I don’t know if they even feel bad for what they do but I’d be lying if I said I miss what we used to have.”
“…You wanna hear a secret kid? I used to have a friend like you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he was bullied pretty hard throughout his life by his peers and parents, never supporting his dreams or choices. It wasn’t until we meet at… a job that he really changed. Though instead of becoming mean, he became stronger. He pushed back against those who hurt him, but he still chose to be kind to me and all the new friends he made. And guess what.”
“What?”
“We’re still friends today, and he’s the best person I’ve ever met. So don’t lose hope, it’s ok to mourn over a friendship ending but it also lets you more freely explore yourself and make new friends.”
“Wow mister… you sound old.”
“Wh- I’m not that old! I’m not even in my 40’s.”
“Mmm still old, but that’s not a bad thing.” Dale’s mom called him and he left waving back at Mike. It was the first time in a while Mike didn’t feel like absolute shit after a shift… maybe this time Fazbears’s wouldn’t be so bad…
“Gotta say newbie you did great for your first day! I knew they chose the right guy to be here!” Roxanne came up behind him attempting to ruffle his hat before he pushed her off out of surprise.
Jacob came over shortly with a pep in his step. “I know they said you had the experience but man you handled that situation well before Roxy showed up. It’s important to be authoritative here because most teens like to come for the track, but the way you supported that kid melted my heart.”
“Haha! Who knew marshmallow was softer than we thought?”
“Alright alright I get it no need to rub it in…”
“Anyways I know you’re on trial, but we’d love to have you here permanently for employment. If you do, you can help us plan tournaments and get a coupon for free hair styling at the salon. Think about it alright?”
“Yeah yeah, see you tomorrow.” Mike briskly turned around and left for the center of the Pizzaplex hoping to meet up with everyone else. Hopefully they had less eventful first days...