Hi, this is the first fic I've ever actually written down. I've been wanting to do a highschool AU for a bit but wanted to do it a bit differently and mirror the show a bit more in terms of the development/maturity of each character and this seems like an interesting period in Gail's life, where she's on the verge of change. Hopefully it's not terrible! While AU I do plan to have some parallels with the show, reworking different Golly scenes to make them cohesive with this fic, most RB characters will make an appearance too. Please let me know what you think ^.^
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Gail hisses sharply as the steam from the espresso machine lashes at her hand while she finishes off a customer's double shot soy latte to go. She bites back the expletives that threaten to bubble from her mouth, opting to chew down hard on her lip and shake the stinging sensation out of her hand instead.
"Gail we're getting a bit backlogged over here," her boss warns gruffly over his shoulder while he juggles taking a customer's order and preparing a sandwich.
Gail nodded weakly, trying to regroup her focus amongst all the distraction in the bustling cafe. She'd had this waitressing job for a few months now and was usually a gun at making coffees varying in degrees of ridiculousness but today she was majorly off her game and the just-before-closing-time rush was turning her into a frazzled mess. Gail Peck does not do frazzled. Wiping her hands on her apron Gail then attempted with shaky hands to pop the lid on the paper cup, her awkward fumbling causing her to spill a wave of light brown liquid down the sides of the cup.
"Dammit," Gail muttered as her boss barked her name somewhere in the background causing her to hastily wipe the cup down and hurry off in the direction of the girl who had ordered it. Gail scanned the small café before spotting the girl with the glasses and brown hair who was sat waiting with her eyes glued to some papers.
"Double shot latte to go," Gail more or less slurred as she placed the cup on the table and prepared to pivot back into the kitchen when she heard the girl gasp. Gail could feel a cold sensation of dread sink in her stomach, turning around and seeing the lid had not been on properly and the contents of the cup now drenched the girl's work.
"Fuck. Uh, I mean I am so sorry," Gail bumbled frantically trying to contain the spill with the dish rag that had been slung over her shoulder. The girl didn't say anything, just stared at the now disintegrating papers wide eyed, in a state of shock. Finally the girl spoke, letting out a long string of 'no's' before standing up quickly.
"I'll get you another one right away, on the house," Gail offered weakly, hoping the girl wasn't going to start yelling at her or worse, start crying.
"No," she said this time more firmly, "Don't worry about it, I have to go now anyway."
Gail watched as the girl stalked out of the shop and immediately felt her face flush, embarrassed that she had practically chucked coffee all over a customer and that she'd ruined her work too. She didn't have time to dwell on it though so briefly finished mopping up the mess she'd created before retreating back to the espresso machine.
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She released a loud sigh as she finished wiping down the last table after closing time. She lowered herself wearily onto a chair and arched her back, relishing in the sensation of her spine flexing after spending the afternoon hunched over making coffee after coffee. She kind of hated her job when she thought about it. She burnt herself a lot, was surrounded by food she wasn't allowed to eat and had to be polite and exhibit some degree of friendliness to hundreds of strangers. The way she felt right now after an all-round terrible further compounded her hatred for the job, a dull ache beginning to emanate from between her eyes.
Sure, the money was a nice incentive but it wasn't why Gail still borderline tortured herself three days a week. Coming home smelling like burnt coffee and cooking oil was worth it to see the flicker of annoyance on her mother's face, quite possibly serving as Gail's best method of revenge. For a woman who had planned out Gail's entire life from the day she was born to the day she's supposed to enter the police academy, her job at the café was something about Elaine did not plan and was pretty much unable to control. Gail could've gone down a more typical path of rebellion; drugs, skipping school or maybe a 28 year old boyfriend, but those would all be way too easy for her mother to shut down, give her too much ammunition against Gail. A job however made Gail appear responsible and capable and as long as it didn't make her school work suffer there was no reasonable way her mother could forbid her from doing it. She supposed it didn't make much sense; even Steve couldn't really grasp what she was trying to do, after all if she wanted money her parents would give it to her. Gail didn't really care if it made sense or not, at the very least it made her relish in her state exhaustion, reminding her of the autonomy and control she had over at least this small aspect of her life.
"You all done Gail?" her boss Tony inquired as he sorted through the day's earnings. Tony was a thirty-something and balding fellow, not quite what she would consider a 'hipster' but still sported a tame beard and glasses she wasn't quite sure he actually needed. He was nice enough, a little short with her at times and not much of a conversationalist but this suited Gail just fine. Plus he hadn't fired her yet even though she did things like spill coffee all over paying customers.
"Yeah, all done Tony," she replied standing up and tucking the chair in before going behind the counter to grab her bag, slinging it over shoulder which ached in protest.
"Alright, see you tomorrow," he said dismissing her without looking up from the cash register and Gail began to leave when he called her back suddenly.
"This important?" he queried, thrusting a bunch of brown soggy papers in her direction. Gail realised it was the customer's work she'd destroyed and quickly accepted it off him before he figured out what she'd done.
"Thanks, boss," she murmured, trying in vain to subdue the heat rising to cheeks as her brain began to reprocess the embarrassing moment from earlier. She stepped out into the cool air of the September night, grateful for its effect on her flushed face as she walked to the bus stop desperately hoping she had not just missed one. She just managed to make the bus, sinking into a seat toward the back before turning her attention to the paper in her hands which she realised must be some sort of university assignment judging by the cover sheet. She scanned over the University of Toronto logo in the middle of the page before her eyes landed on the top right corner.
Honours Bachelor of Science: Minor Thesis
Due: Thursday, 18th of September
Holly Stewart
"Shit," Gail murmured upon realising that the paper, which appeared to be a big deal, had been due that day. No wonder the girl freaked out and left. Gail felt even worse now, guilt creeping to the forefront of her mind and causing a heavy feeling of uneasiness to wash over her. She hoped the girl, Holly that is, managed to reprint the paper in time or that maybe she'd come back to the cafe sometime soon so Gail could apologise. Gail generally wasn't too fussed by the feelings of others, especially perfect strangers but she took no pleasure in screwing with somebody's work, in her final year of high school she knew all too well the internal panic that set in on due dates and that's without some idiot waitress destroying your work in front of your eyes.
Deciding there was no use fretting over it now, she placed the still damp papers in her bag, not really wanting to keep it but feeling a bit rude leaving somebody's weeks, maybe even months of hard work under a bus seat. Gail sat back in the crusty, worn out bus seat and pressed her scalded hand up against the cold glass window as she watched the city pass by in the night.