This is a good chapter because I didn't have t write Deborah being mean.
Next Chapter: Wesley meets Fred.
Wesley fixed his hair and buttoned up the buttons on his short-sleeved button-up. In cooler weather he wore sweaters but in the summer he wore button-ups, tank-tops when he was working out. He had a shift this morning in the cafe, and this afternoon, he had an interview with Fred Frederickson.
"You're not going to get it," he muttered to himself as he fumbled with a button.
"You just need to show up and be professional. But you're not going to get it. You're not living up to your potential, Wesley." He snorted, still angry about the conversation from the evening before.
"Khary!" He called through the house, knowing his parents were at work.
"Yeah?" Khary popped his head out of his bedroom, which was right next to Wesley's room. He looked like he'd just woken up.
"I'm going to be gone all day. You know you can hang out around the house or walk around the city but stay away from Good Luck Alley, you can have leftovers for lunch or you can come to the cafe and I'll buy you food, come to the cafe for anything, actually, but my shift ends at two, and I have an interview a little later so I won't be home until maybe after dinner but don't forget that you are required to be home for dinner at 6. Remember that you can call me or come to the cafe if you need anything, and stay safe and be careful. Don't use the stove."
Khary laughed, "You go through the same spiel like every day. I know, Wes. I'll be fine. I'm a teenager."
"You're still a kid." Wes had a tendency to parent his little brother a bit.
"Did you tell Damon about your cool new job?"
"I haven't gotten the job yet, Khary, just an interview. Nothing is set in stone."
"Say hi to Tadashi and Mochi for me! Oh! And Fred! Say hi to Fred! And get his autograph!"
"I will bud, I will." Wes reached over and ruffled Khary's hair before heading out. Khary could take care of himself, but Wes didn't like leaving him alone. Before Damon had moved out Wes had spent a lot of the time out of the house because he didn't worry about Khary being alone but now he was the one that Khary turned to for advice and protection, etc. So Wes spent more time at home when he could, going a bit stir-crazy, just to make sure Khary would be okay. But Khary was always okay, and that was just as hard to come to terms with. Wes was glad that he would be able to move out without causing problems for Khary, but it was hard to think that his baby brother was growing up and wouldn't need him for long. Those were the kinds of things he thought about when he drove to work.
"Good morning Cass, good morning Mochi, Khary said hello."
"If you're going straight home after work you can bring him one of my new muffins," Cass Hamada said with a smile as Wesley gave Mochi a nice petting and then washed his hands and tied on his apron.
"I invited Khary to drop by for lunch, so maybe he can try one of your new muffins then if he comes. I actually have plans later today though," Wes hesitated.
Tadashi spoke from behind, startling him, "Aww, really? That's a bummer. I thought we could hook up the old projector in the garage, it's been forever since we had a proper movie day."
"Sorry, Tadashi, I, um," he looked between the two Hamadas, "I really love it here, but I applied for another job. I have an interview after work today. I'm so sorry." He worried he was being a bad employee, worse, a bad friend.
"Oh, Wesley," Cass chimed in, "we want what's best for you! If you need to get a better job I completely understand. You'll still always be welcome here."
"Thank you, Cass." He began tidying up for the opening and Tadashi leaned against the counter with a grin.
"Details."
"Ah, it's nothing, I probably won't get the job."
"Not with that attitude, dork. Come on, tell me. Unless you're embarrassed. Wesley!" Tadashi's eyes widened and he leaned in close, conspiratorially, "are you stripping for cash?" Tadashi put his hand over his heart in mock surprise as Wesley's face turned bright red.
"What's stripping?" A small voice from behind Tadashi asked. Now it was Tadashi's turn to blush.
"Nothing, Hiro! Just joking with Wes!" His younger brother shrugged and grabbed a croissant from the case, heading towards the garage.
"I swear, he's like a ninja," Tadashi muttered, his blush not fading yet.
"I envy you, man. Khary is so loud all of the time. I love him to death, he just has no inside voice, he learns that from his favorite YouTuber."
"Fred Frederickson?" Tadashi guessed.
"Yeah. Does Hiro watch him?"
"No, actually, I kind of know him. We're sort of friends."
"Then maybe you can help me because he's the dude I have an interview with."
"Oh yeah, I saw he was looking for a production assistant. That's awesome, man! Fred's a total sweetheart, he's gonna love you. Listen, you'll crush this interview. You can even drop my name if you want."
"How have I never known you knew this rich kid?" Their conversation paused as Wesley took care of the first customer of the day. Then he filled himself a cup of coffee and turned back to Tadashi to continue their stop-and-go chat.
"He's more than just a rich kid, he really is a good dude, Wes. We met when we were little like I met you and Leiko. But you and Leiko aren't exactly joiners. I think he would've been a bit much for you to meet back then. So… I never introduced you. I guess I probably should've."
"Ah, no, I get it. It probably would've been a bit overwhelming." Speaking of overwhelming, the cafe got busy and Tadashi hopped the counter to help, and for a while, they had no time to exchange a word except maybe about needing the whipped cream or not forgetting certain allergens.
Finally, the rush cleared up a bit and they had time to catch their breath.
"Good work boys," Cass said encouragingly, "you want a snack?"
"Oh, no thank you-" Wes started.
"We'll take a snack, thank you, Aunt Cass." Tadashi wrapped an arm around her and gave her a hug. Wes smiled at them before glancing away. He didn't hug his parents the way Tadashi hugged his aunt. He didn't really hug his parents at all.
"I feel like Fred is going to hire you on the spot," Tadashi declared as Wesley began to clean up behind the counter.
"Khary seems to think that too." He checked his watch. 11. Halfway through his shift. If Khary was coming for lunch, he'd be coming soon.
"Your little brother is very smart, then."
"I just don't know. There's no way I could match Fred's energy."
"Oh, no, only small children can match Fred's energy. But that really isn't what Fred is hiring for. He's looking for someone smart, capable, responsible, and organized, just like you. It really doesn't hurt that you've got a killer taste in shirts." Wesley rolled his eyes.
"You're such a dork, Tadashi." His friend laughed.
"You let me know how that interview goes, okay, Wes?"
"You'll be like the third, fourth, fifth person I tell."
"Right, right, because you have to tell all of San Fransokyo before your best friend."
"Don't worry, I'll tell my best friend before all of San Fransokyo. Leiko will think it's crazy." Wes smirked as Aunt Cass came out of the back with two intricately decorated cupcakes.
"That's low, even for you. Don't give him that cupcake, Aunt Cass. He's mean."
"My favorite employee, mean? I doubt it. Here you go, Wesley."
"Thank you, Cass."
Tadashi was able to maintain his pout until he took a bite of the cupcake, then he let out the happiest sigh.
"Oh, this is so good, you've outdone yourself, Aunt Cass."
"Thanks, Tadashi." The door above the bell rang and Wesley stowed his half-eaten cupcake for later. A smile lit up his face as he saw that it was Khary.
"Hey, bud! Everything okay? No emergencies at home?" Khary made a big show of examining himself for injuries before flashing a thumbs up. Wes grinned
"What would you like, good sir?"
"1 turkey sandwich please, Mr. Server, sir." Wes chuckled.
"Hey there, Khary! Want to try out my new muffins?" Cass asked, smiling at the younger boy.
"Yes ma'am, thank you. Can I hang out with Hiro after?"
"Of course, he's in the garage. Try to keep him out of trouble, okay, Khary?" Tadashi laughed and Khary nodded solemnly. Then Tadashi and Khary went through the motions of their secret handshake.
Khary pointed at his brother, "Keep him out of trouble, Tadashi."
Tadashi laughed again, "I'll try my best. He's a bit of a wildcard, though." Wesley rolled his eyes.
"Oh sure, Tadashi, I'm the wildcard in this relationship."
Tadashi chuckled, "We both know Leiko's the real wildcard. We've got to all get together soon, have that movie day. Princess Bride."
"Sounds perfect. But we all have work, all the time."
"I know… Ugh. Growing up is the worst."
"Amen to that. But I know that you're going to help so many people, Tadashi. So, you've got to grow up." They talked about their dreams a lot.
"You're going to do great things too, wildcard."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Wesley handed his brother his sandwich and rang it up, paying for it, full price.
"You're supposed to take off the employee discount."
"It's not fair for me to use the employee discount on whatever I want," Wes argued.
"That's the whole point of the employee discount!" Khary was oblivious to the whole argument.
"I get so much free coffee I don't even deserve an employee discount," Wes said.
"Oh, whatever. You're garbage at accepting generosity. You've gotta get better at that."
"Oh yeah, why?" Wes crossed his arms.
"Because otherwise, you're not going to have a good time with Fred Frederickson. I'll bet you twenty dollars that you don't walk out of that interview today without at least one new free thing."
"I'm not going to take that bet. I'm sure I could accept a free thing if someone offered it to me."
"Alright, well let me ring you up correctly this time, with the employee discount." Wesley bit down hard on his lip to keep from protesting. He let Tadashi take over the register and hand him back the correct change. Wesley thanked him and immediately dropped it in the tip jar to be split between the three of them.
"I don't even know why I try with you." Tadashi shook his head before making the rounds to check on customers.
Khary left soon after to go hang with Hiro and the rest of his shift remained uneventful until the end when Aunt Cass insisted that Wesley take Fred a box of four muffins.
"Your brother gave them a seal of approval, so I'm confident Fred will enjoy them. And these will leave a good first impression. Good luck, Wesley!"
"Thank you," Wes nodded, accepting the box and heading with growing dread to his interview.