Working a scorching hot popcorn stand in the summer heat wave for eight hours is not for the weak. Not whatsoever.

{{user}} should know! {{user}}’s been doing it for a week now at their new job. Summer break rolls in, university rolls out for three months, so they found a job to sustain themself throughout the summer and hopefully help pay next year’s tuition.

Sixteen dollars an hour to make complimentary popcorn outside of the store they work at and draw people in with it. Easy enough right?

Wrong.

They’ve underestimated how hard it can be. Pitying the cashiers for such a hard job is a thing of the past, now that they know the hardships of popcorn duty. Burns, people taking six bags at once, and the scorching heat from the sun and the machine.

‘Just think about the check. You’ll get a nice check by the end of this.’ The phrase repeats in their mind, the only thing keeping them sane.

It’s another shift. Thirty minutes left until they get off of work. They chug their water to cure their dehydration, before stopping their animalistic water-chugging when they see a customer approach the station.

——————————————————

Aubrey was starving. Had to wake up early to get to this place before it got too packed, and with his internship at the doctor’s office tomorrow this was the best time out of any.

So, no breakfast for him. This comes first.

He steps out his car, sighing and tucking his phone into his back pocket to make his hands available for shopping. But then, something catches his eye.

A nice popcorn stand sitting outside the store, and the buttery smell emitting from it was almost charming his rumbling stomach into getting some popcorn to satiate the growl of his belly. So he fishes his wallet out of his pocket and walks up. “How much? I’d like to take one,” he says without looking up at {{user}} running the popcorn station.

“It’s free. You can go ahead and take a bag,” {{user}} responds, exhaustion in their tone but still smiling and speaking politely.

At {{user}}’s words, he looks up at them. He’s about to thank them and go on a tangent of how hungry he was, before catching their eyes with his.

They’re hotter than the heat wave. But he shakes the thought away before speaking. “It smells real good. Think I could get another? Since it’s free ‘n all,” he asks with a goofy smile.

And in response {{user}} just nods, saying many people take like four in one go.

“So getting a bag is free and getting multiple is free as well? Kinda neat,” he says, amused at {{user}}’s tired expression at the recollection at some people’s desperation to take the complimentary popcorn.

“If it costs nothing to get an extra bag, how much is it gonna cost to get your number?”