Gary didn’t recognise the other man’s voice. From the sound of it, it seemed like it was Tyler’s boss, or perhaps his manager. As he peeked around the corner, he saw a fat and sweaty man who he had never seen here before. Were it not for him wearing the uniform and talking down to Tyler the high schooler would have thought of him as just another customer.
“But, Sir, I was only handling the situation according to protocol since his card got declined! Should I have just given him the product?” Tyler argued, while his hands trembled from trying to stay polite. “How can you make me apologise when he nearly assaulted me and even spat in my hair?”
“I had cash on me!” The rude customer insisted. “You youngsters are so rude that you wouldn't even give me the time of day! Don’t pretend that you were the victim in all of this! What about your friend, huh? He’s the one who ASSAULTED ME!!! Yet here you are refusing to give out information on him! If he can’t pay me back, then you’re leaving me no choice but to ask you to compensate me! As an employee of this shop, they’ll be the ones who will have to pay for it!”
Now that Gary looked closer, he could see the man had some covering on his nose. The teenager couldn’t recall if he had hit the man so hard that it would break it, but even if that was the case, the drunkard deserved everything that had happened to him that day.
“I’ve already told you, ‘Sir’, I don't know his name. And even if I did, company policy forbids me from divulging our other customer’s personal data! I really don't agree to your actions that day.” Tyler was unwilling to bow down before the troublemaker.
“Fine, then, I guess you don't mind me talking to my friends in the Underdogs about this. If you don’t want to compensate me directly, I’m sure they can just do that after increasing your protection fees!” The drunken man pointed at him, before he turned around, with an evil smile.
To Gary, it was obvious that this man had no relations to the Underdogs whatsoever. Having worked as their Transporter for as long as he had, the green haired teenager knew how Damion’s group operated. They wouldn't ask, they would force.
If that drunk guy really knew someone from the Underdogs, they would have come to the shop on the very same day, teaching Tyler and everyone else involved a lesson. There would be no need for him to make such a show in front of Tyler’s superiors. Unfortunately, the fat guy seemed to fall completely for the little trick.
“Hang on! I’m sure we can come to an understanding. There’s no need to go that far. Our store will happily pay for your medical bills.” The manager stopped the man in a suit before he could leave. Then he turned around to his employee. “Naturally, all of it will be deducted from your wages, Tyler!”
“You can't do that! How am I meant to pay my rent? Or for my food? That has to be ille-“
In the middle of his sentence, the manager raised his hand and slapped Tyler across the face.
“You’ve already done enough. I will not allow you to put this shop into further jeopardy because of your actions. You will receive no pay this month.”
It was clear that Tyler was stunned by the manager's action, while the old man wasn’t even trying to hide his enjoyment about the university student’s treatment. His shoulders moving up and down.
“Sir, I have come on time every day! I have worked overtime whenever you have asked me, and this is how you repay me? You choose to trust this stranger’s word over me? You think just because I need this job, you can treat me like a dog?” Tyler raised his hand, about to slap the manager back, only to hesitate at the last moment.
The university student was furious, but he was also aware of the harsh reality. If he were to hit his manager, he would never get his money and lose his job. It was hard for one to even get a job these days, and if the fatso spread rumours about him it might be impossible to find another one.
While thinking of a way out, Tyler suddenly heard a large whack sound. The slap sound vibrated throughout the whole shop as his manager flew head first into the cigarettes.
“How the f*ck can you hit your employees like that?” Gary asked, still shaking with anger.
‘Damn it… I let my anger take over again. I only put Tyler in an even worse situation.’ Gary realised, but when looking at Tyler he didn’t look sad, instead he looked happy.
“You… i-it’s you!” The old man pointed with his finger shaking.
Gary took a step forward, but the old man immediately ran out of the shop, afraid for his life. By then, as well, it looked like the manager was coming too. Standing up, the side of his cheek looked like a giant balloon.
“Y-YOU! YOU’RE FIRED, TYLER! AS FOR YOU, YOU GREEN HAIRED PUNK, YOU’RE BANNED FROM THIS SHOP!!!!” The manager shouted in fury.
Leaving it there, the two decided to head out. A little down the street they sat on the edge of the pavement. Tyler had a couple of cans of pop in his bag and offered Gary one.
“I’m sorry about making you lose your job… and causing you so much trouble back there. You’re only in trouble because of me.” Gary sighed, taking a sip of the drink.
“Nahh, it's not your fault. Honestly, I never liked that Fatso. He was a sh*tty manager, and only came to bitch about everything. Besides, after what he did, I don’t think I could work there again. Also, the boss might fire him if I told him that he banned our most loyal customer. Without you, they’ll lose like half of their profits. It might go under without your help.”
The two of them laughed, but Gary still felt bad about what had happened, and he was wondering if there was a way he could fix things. When he saw a car drive by, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
“Say, Tyler, can you drive?”
“Yeah. I mean, I don't have a car, but I got a licence.” Tyler replied, wondering why the teenager had asked him that out of nowhere.
Hearing this, Gary decided to make a quick call. The former cashier was still confused about what was going one, but judging by the high schooler’s grin, it seemed to be something good.
“How would you like to work as a driver?”