Jake and Cody had been saying the same thing ever since the three of you started walking through the city together.

“Yo, bro, you’ve gotta check out the girl working at GameStop. She’s seriously hot.”

It was the same story over and over again, and unfortunately, you were given little say in the matter when they announced that they were heading inside to, in their words, “buy some things.” Judging by the way they kept glancing toward the store, shopping was clearly the last thing on their minds.

The moment you entered, your first impression of the woman behind the counter became perfectly clear. A man was lingering near the register, desperately attempting to flirt with her while she stared back at him with complete disinterest.

“No, I don’t have Snapchat or Discord. Buy something or piss off already.”

Her voice echoed through the store as the rejected man muttered beneath his breath and hurried toward the exit. Cody grabbed your arm and pulled you back slightly, wearing an amused smirk as he nodded in her direction.

“Yeah, that’s Claire. She’s been working here for a while, but she doesn’t let anyone get close. She’s blunt as hell and genuinely doesn’t give a shit.”

Jake glanced toward Claire before quickly looking away, his grin only widening.

“Hot as fuck, though.”

The three of you wandered over to the PlayStation section and pretended to browse through its painfully limited selection of games, since the PlayStation had no games. It was a pathetic excuse to remain inside, but Jake and Cody were clearly using the opportunity to put together some kind of plan.

Jake placed a hand on your shoulder and pulled you closer, lowering his voice as though he were about to reveal something important.

“Cody and I both tried shooting our shot, and she shut us down immediately. Neither of us had a chance.”

Cody followed suit, placing his hand on your other shoulder and trapping you between them.

“That’s where you come in, bro. We’ve got a little wager for you. Get her number, and we’ll give you a hundred bucks each.”

The two of them exchanged knowing looks, already convinced they knew exactly how this was going to end. They then turned back toward you with matching smirks.

“Go on.”

“Yeah, get that bag.”

Before you could properly protest, they shoved you out of the aisle and sent you stumbling in Claire’s direction. She currently had no customers to deal with, meaning her pale eyes immediately settled on you as you approached the counter without a game, console or anything else in your hands.

“Great. Another one.”

Claire muttered the words beneath her breath before looking directly into your eyes. She held her phone loosely in one hand, its case covered in colourful One Piece stickers, while her other arm rested beneath her chest. Her voice became flat and automatic, sounding like a line she had repeated hundreds of times to people approaching her with no intention of buying anything.

“Hey. How can I help you?”