Chapter 4: Fired and Desperate

Sabrina's POV

"You're fired."

My mouth hangs open in shock. This is not how I thought I would start my shift today. I had been asked to come in early, but I thought that was due to being short staffed. I wasn't expecting to hear those two words as if I was on Donald Trump's reality television show.

"What?" I stammer, "Why?"

Dan looks down at me, his tattooed arms folded across his chest. He is a very intimating man, but I can't look weak in front of him.

"I've had too many complaints about you in the past several weeks from angry customers," He mumbles, his bald head shining under the fluorescent lights, "I've reached my boiling point with you."

"What happened the other day was an accident!" I exclaim, stress slowly taking over my body, "The man who I spilt the coffee on didn't care."

"He wasn't the paying customer," Dan snaps.

My eyes divert to the floor when he raises his voice, scared to look him in the eye.

"We've had too many problems with you, Sabrina" His voice is firm; there's no changing his mind at this point.

"I'm going to have to let you go," Dan says, trying to make eye contact with me, "I'm sorry to spring this on you, but you've caused too many issues around here."

I nod my head in defeat, "I understand. Thank you for allowing me to work here all of those years."

Dan sighs, his arms drop to the side, "You're such a hard worker, but I think you have too much on your mind to fully be present here. Work on yourself, Sab."

As much as I hate this job, Dan and the rest of the team have always been there for me during my lowest points. I'll be forever grateful for the life lessons I've learnt here and the friends that I've made.

"I'll pay you for today, of course," Dan says, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, despite how large his palm is.

I force a smile, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

My movements through the store a re sluggish. Leaving this place after so many years is harder than I thought it would be. I've made some incredible memories and have so many regular customers I'm going to miss.

I know for sure I'll never see Atlas again, which weirdly hits me harder than anything else.

I wave goodbye to Dan and Daisy on my way out, walking with my head down. I watch the ground move beneath my feet, not caring if I bump into people and they yell abuse at me.

My life has now hit rock bottom. I have no friends, no partner, and no job. My life has no meaning anymore.

It takes me awhile to open the front door, my limbs refuse to move under my command. The door swings open without me touching it; Dylan stands before me, a look of confusion on his face.

"Why are you home already?" He frowns, looking me up and down.

A stray tear escapes my eye, "I got fired."

Dylan covers his mouth in shock, "Stop it! Is this because of what happened the other day?"

I shrug, moving past him to sit on the lounge, "Among other things."

"Oh, baby girl," He whispers, rubbing my shoulders from behind the lounge, "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now."

To keep the tears at bay, I take a deep breath, "How am I going to afford college now? I can't be jobless."

Dylan lays his head on mine, "I can help you with the job search. The best thing to do is to get back on the horse as soon as you can. The sooner you find another job, the less stressed you'll be financially."

He has a point. I can't sit around the apartment and feel sorry for myself. I need to find a job, outside of hospitality, as soon as possible so I don't have to live without a paycheck for too long.

"We may as well start now," I announce, standing to my feet, "If I don't start now, I'll never get on that horse."

Dylan claps his hands together, "Excellent! Grab your phone and I'll get the laptop."

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Dylan and I have spent hours on the internet filtering through multiple job sites looking for any listings that appeal to me. I refuse to take a job in hospitality because that's the only qualifications I have. If I don't branch out, I'll never get the experience I need.

Dylan found a couple of receptionist jobs for a dentist, paper company and a real estate office. I applied for those positions as soon as I could, hoping my resume appeals to them. If I don't find a job by the end of the week, I'm f*cked.

As I'm searching through retail positions, a small flyer is slipped under the door. Frowning, I move to the front door and retrieve the small piece of paper.

It's an advertisement for a company that designs and markets technology porotypes, like a new vacuum or a cooking appliance. It says they're looking for a secretary for the CEO of the company.

I hold the piece of paper up to Dylan, my eyebrows raised, "Look at this."

Dylan leaves the lounge, rushing over to read the paper. I watch his eyes skim the words on the paper before they raise to me.

"You have to apply for this!" He exclaims, "If the CEO is hot enough you might be able to sleep with him."

The wink he sends my way is enough for me to slap his shoulder. I don't know why his mind goes directly to those types of thoughts.

"The company sounds very high tech," I mumble, flipping the paper over in my hands, "What if I'm not qualified enough?"

Dylan waves me off, "You said that about the last eight job s you applied for. Email them your resume and see what happens. There's no harm in trying."

I nod, agreeing with him, "You're right. I can't back out now."

We move to the lounge and I apply for the job. I put the paper on the side table, but I can't seem to take my eyes off it. I have this gut feeling that this advertisement found me in a time of need.

"Are you sure you won't sleep with the CEO?" Dylan breaks the silence, peeking over at me from across the lounge.

I laugh, rolling my eyes at me, "I highly doubt it."