The dark clouds filled the sky, making a normal day seem eerie and strange. Ireland was particularly pleasant in the spring and summer, so it was a bit odd to see a gray sky. School was beginning soon and everyone was rushing to the stores to get supplies and uniforms. This included a poor little kid named Frisk Gallagher McCarthy. Their mother yanked on their arm as she paraded through the streets. They wanted to be at home in their room instead of being outside with this maniac they had to call their mother.
The bell connected to the door rang as Mrs. McCarthy stormed inside, still holding onto Frisk. The whole shop smelled of cigarette smoke. Ugh. "I need a uniform for my son," She said sternly to the cashier at the front. The sound of the word "son" made Frisk cringe. They weren't a son. They weren't a boy. They didn't have a gender at all. They were a kid. Just a kid. A human.
The young cashier looked at Mrs. McCarthy. Frisk noticed how tired he looked. He had dark rings under his eyes that made his freckles stand out. The smell of the shop was very easy to identify: A smoking ashtray laid on the counter in front of the boy. Frisk felt bad for him. He only looked to be about nineteen and he was already smoking.
"Yeah, yeah. Bring your son back here, I'll get my buddy to size him up.." The cashier led Frisk to a room in the back. Another young man came into view. He looked to be much happier, with a well rested expression and a big grin, which revealed buck teeth poking out. His hair was styled into a quiff, with blue highlights in between. For some reason, the cashier seemed more at ease back here. "Hey there, kiddo! Step right on up, don't be shy! I won't bite!" He said with a loud, cheery voice. They stepped onto a footstool that sat in front of him and put their arms up in a T-position.
A loud thumping sound was heard above them. Both of the employees seemed to know what it was, since they looked at the ceiling with wide eyes. "Uh oh. Darren, I think you should get back to the counter. The boss won't be happy to see you away from your stand!" The blue haired kid exclaimed. The other boy; Darren, apparently, nodded and ran back to the front. Frisk looked at the remaining employee in the room. His name tag said "Phil". Phil looked back at Frisk and resumed his cheerful expression. "Eh, don't worry about that! It's just our boss," He said, picking up a tape measurer.
Phil started carefully pulling the tape measurer this way and that, mumbling numbers to himself. "So, you're going into secondary, right? Pretty cool!" He said in his eager voice. "Do you like school?" He added. Frisk looked at the ground sadly. "...No," They mumbled. He stopped, looking at them in the eyes. "...Well, why not?"
