Pepper parked his bike outside Rhino’s and made his way inside. Though he had skipped school once or twice in the past, this was different. There was a mixture of liberated freedom mixed with embarrassment.
He turned and was about to start browsing the aisles but stopped himself. He shook his head and knew he would be in there for hours daydreaming. He fought the reality that there was the golem he wished he could build and then there was the golem he currently had.
A frustrated sigh and slouched shoulders followed while he dragged his feet to the front counter. He gazed down at the counter display and looked at the golem parts that were showcased inside the glass case. One day, I won’t have to worry about scraping by on my golem builds. One day, Mala will actually be complete.
“Welcome to Rhino’s Supply Shop. Sorry to make you wa— Oh, hey, Pepper. I didn’t recognize you at first.”
He glanced up and saw Ryan Maxwell walking up to the front counter. Pepper immediately focused on Ryan’s shirt though. There, front and center on his chest, was a picture of a man. It was in the design of a classical oil portrait—a man in a military uniform adorned with medals. The expression was one of sarcasm, yet the man also had a demeanor of dead seriousness. Pepper felt judged by the portrait just for looking at it.
“Who is that?”
Ryan looked down at his shirt. “Oh… that guy? He’s only one of the most famous majors ever in military history. Hasn’t Mr. Dean taught you about him yet?”
Pepper blew a raspberry while shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure I would remember that facial expression anywhere.”
Ryan tilted his head and nodded. His long salt-and-pepper beard and hair always gave Pepper the sense that Ryan should have been a biker. Yet Ryan had the best golem supply store in their entire Golem League region.
Ryan adjusted his glasses and narrowed his gaze. Pepper immediately knew what he had homed in on. “It wasn’t from a fight.”
A stern look came over the shop owner’s face and he looked at his holodex. “Okay… and you’re still supposed to be in school…”
“I got in a fight.”
Ryan’s eyes squinted even more, and he crossed his arms. His head slowly rocked from side to side. “You got in a fight at school, but your shiner is not caused by a fight, but you’re now suspended from school because of the fight.”
“Pretty much.”
“Makes sense.” Ryan slowly nodded.
Pepper was taken off guard. “Wait… it does?”
“Of course it doesn’t, but… it certainly seems like you don’t want to talk about it, so I won’t pry.” Ryan’s expression shifted into a smile and he shot finger guns towards Pepper. He placed his hands on the glass countertop. “Well, now that we are past all of that, what brings you in, Pep?”
“I need to get some more clay to finish my golem off before our local club match.”
“How much do you need?”
“Just one container.”
“You got it.” Ryan turned and slowly walked to a back room. Less than a minute later, he returned with a large cylindrical container. “Okay, that is 325 Flex.”
Pepper’s mouth dropped open. “What? You’re joking, right?”
“Sorry, Pep, but our supply chain is running really low at the moment. There were portal attacks all over, and the government has been buying up a lot of resources to repair everything they’ve lost and then some. What that means for us small-time folk, we pay more or we get less. Sometimes both.” Ryan shrugged.
Pepper set his hat down on the counter and moaned while he rubbed his head and face. “Just when I thought I was gonna get to save a few extra Flex… this happens.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The shopkeeper appeared to be thinking for a minute and tapped his finger on his chin. “You know… I’m not sure if you’d be interested, but I could always use a hand in the back supply room. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to pay you more than minimum wage, but there’s certainly enough work to keep you busy. That and once you graduate, you could always come on full time. Heck, if things pan out, I might even be able to make you a manager.”
Pepper’s heart sank while his mind filled with dread. He mentally watched all his dreams ignite into a blaze, the ashes being blown away and fading into the distance. He saw an image of himself standing behind the counter. The routine of filling out forms and talking to others who were pursuing the same dream that he now had.
He shook his head and broke his mind free of the thought, giving a quick shake of his head. “Thanks, Ryan. That is nice of you to offer, but I… uhh, well, I got Rocket Burger and also competing…”
Ryan smiled and nodded. “Hey, Pepper, it’s all good. Let’s just put it this way. If you ever need another job or find yourself in a pinch, just say the word and I’ll do what I can to take care of you.”
***
“What do you mean you can’t work tomorrow? You’re the one who literally asked me for more hours, Larry,” KT said.
Pepper had made his way to the back office and was eavesdropping on the conversation.
“I adjusted the schedule to give you the hours you wanted. The hours you requested. You know I try to treat everyone here like family, but you just affected the family in more ways than one.”
This might actually play out in my favor, Pepper thought to himself.
“Fine… I guess you’re right. It is what it is.”
Pepper heard a loud sigh come from KT. He counted down from fifteen and then made it seem like he had just arrived in the doorway. A playful smile was plastered on his face, but before he could say anything, KT cut him off.
“I know you were standing there the whole time, Pep.” KT had a hand against her head and was scribbling away on the paper schedule.
“Wha— how?”
KT still did not look at him but pointed with her pencil at an angle off to her left. “I could see you in the mirror the whole time.”
Pepper quickly turned around and saw she was right. The mirror that was attached to the ceiling to help them see around the corner was in her view through her office window. Smooth, Pep … real smooth.
“So, let me guess… you got suspended from school and want to pick up some more hours?”
Pepper huffed. “Something like that.”
“Did you forget that you kids post everything on your League Chat, and for some unknown reason many of you decide you want to send me all the videos of what you all are doing?”
His mind was fading into sadness. He felt like his chances of succeeding in getting his wishes were now diminished. At that moment he felt like he probably shouldn’t have turned Ryan down on his job offer. “Pretty much.”
She plopped the pencil down on the paper in front of her and sighed. Her gaze turned towards him and she narrowed in on his injury. “Well, I know you didn’t get punched during the fight, so what happened there?”
“Nothing.”
KT shook her head and wagged her finger quickly, then ended by directing him with her finger to have a seat in her office. “You know better than that, Pepper Walker. Now sit your butt down and spill the beans.”
Look at what you got yourself into now, Pep. His heart was sinking into his stomach. He started to grind his teeth and bite the inside of his cheek as the nerves took over.
Pepper knew there was no point trying to wait KT out. She is relentless and will wear me down either way. Best to try to appease her and say what happened. “I slipped and fell.”
She shifted her jaw and nodded. “And what were you doing just before this slip and fall?”
Pepper chuckled. How does she always know exactly what questions to ask? Oh, wait—mom instincts. “I was sleeping.” He refused to look at her, but that didn’t work.
“Pep.” He didn’t respond to her, so she chipped away. “Pepper.”
“Yeah,” he conceded and looked at her. Eyes of empathy gazed back at him, and she pressed her lips together. She took her glasses off and placed them on her desk.
“Everyone has night terrors. It’s something we all struggle with. There’s no shame in saying it, but I understand. I get it, Pep. It’s certainly not an easy thing to deal with, especially at your age. Most kids should have nothing but positive goals and dreams to look forward to. Instead you have portal attacks and the constant question of what if. It’s okay to just say “I am having a bad day,” week, or even year. Just don’t give up, okay?”
Pepper couldn’t stop the emotions that overwhelmed him. Tears filled his eyes, and he felt them rush down his cheeks. He balled his fists as embarrassment was now added into the mix. “KT, I don’t feel like I’m scared of the demons, you know, harming me personally. I’m scared of leaving Meg. What if I actually get into the Golem League? Who is going to be here to watch over her?”
“You’ve got a lot going on inside there, love,” she said softly. “You know, the night terrors can do a lot to mess with our emotions. Sometimes we just need to take a moment and breathe. Have you had a chance to do that yet?”
“I thought I did…”
“Pep, here is what we’ll do. You go home and take some time to rest. If you want to work, you just show up when you want. Don’t worry about the schedule, hours, all that nonsense. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, KT.” Pepper wiped his face free of the tears. “What about Mr. Leanord?”
“You leave him to me. He may own the place, but I’m the manager and I will do what I feel is best.”