Sakura was awoken by the sound of birds chirping, which in her opinion seemed very cliché. The birds seemed much too cheery compared to Sakura's attitude. She was having another bout of depression.
It was almost 7:30 when she finally got the motivation to move. With a sigh, the pink haired teen rolled out of bed. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. She needed her coffee. Badly. She wasn't in the mood to dress up, so she pulled on a loose T-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. Makeup was too much of a hassle.
She was looking forward to a steaming cup of Joe, but when she pressed 'Brew' nothing happened. The coffee maker seemed to be broken.
"Shit," Sakura cursed softly. The coffee maker had been broken for weeks. She had been planning on fixing it, but it seemed like lately she didn't do much at all. Sakura pulled open the pantry and settled on an expired poptart. She hadn't cleaned out the pantry either.
It was almost 8 when she left the house. She drove to her least favorite place on earth. It was filled with nasty food and nasty people. She especially hated Saburo, her boss. The IHOP manager didn't seem to be too happy to see her either.
"Miss Haruno, may I speak with you in my office?"
She followed the tubby man into the storage room he'd claimed as 'his office'. His desk was shoved between the mops and the buckets, and the room smelled strongly of Windex.
He gestured for her to take a seat in one of the two chairs that fight in the tiny room. The room made her sick. She was claustrophobic and despised the smell of Windex. Saburo sat down in the remaining chair and let out a dramatic sigh.
"Sakura, I don't know what to do with you." She frowned.
"Sir, have I done something wrong?" She could predict his response.
"No, and that's just it. You haven't done anything lately. Actually, no. Not just lately. You've been an anti-social blob for almost a year." Sakura blinked, unsure of how to respond. "I sat down with a couple of your co-workers and tried to sort this out. There seems to be only one option."
"What is it, sir?" Saburo frowned and opened the top drawer of his desk. He handed her a pamphlet of some sort. She didn't need to open it. Sakura knew what it was. She was given the same pamphlet by her psychologist a week prior. There was no way in hell Sakura was attending a group therapy camp. Saburo seemed to notice her defiance, and with one sentence he crushed it.
"Sakura, if you don't attend this camp for at least two weeks, I have the Regional Manager's permission to fire you on the spot."
Aw, fuck. She needed this job. Without it she had nothing. No one would hire a high school drop-out in this economy. She could move back in with her parents, but that was pathetic. Group therapy was a nightmare, but she couldn't be unemployed.
"Okay, Saburo. I'll attend the camp, but-"
"Yes, Sakura?" She gulped.
"Is there an entry fee of some sort?" He snorted.
"The company will take care of it. Now get the hell out of here, you're scaring away our regulars." She glanced at the man, confused.
"Does that me-"
"Yes, Sakura. I'm giving you the day off. I'll even pay you for it. The camp starts tomorrow anyway, you need your sleep." She gave the man a small smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
"Oh, and Sakura? I know you took a syrup packet yesterday. It's coming out of your paycheck." Strike that, the man was an asshole.
