Burden

"You know, Sam, you really shouldn't eat raw cookie dough," Carly said as she watched her best friend take a bite out of a log of chocolate chip cookie dough. "The raw eggs in there can really do some wonky stuff to you. Plus-"

"Fine, Carly," Sam sighed, handing her the log. "I'll share."

"Yay!" Carly said happily, taking a bite. "Oh my God, this is good."

"Hello mom, Aunt Carly," Sam's fifteen-year old daughter, Ashton, said, walking into the living room with her twin, Emma, and Carly's daughter, Clarissa. "Aren't you both looking swell this afternoon."

"Look, can you make whatever you want quick?" Sam asked. "Extreme Knitting is on in ten minutes, and I'm not about to miss a show about five cranky old women in one room with a pair of sharp knitting needles."

"What makes you think we want something?" Ashton asked.

"Because you totally oversold your nice act," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I told you not to be so nauseating."

"Come on, guys, what do you want?" Carly smiled. "We don't bite, you know."

"We sort of need money," Clarissa said. "Forty dollars each, to be exact."

"Forty?" Sam repeated. "For what?"

"For these awesome new pearphone cases that just came out today," Emma said. "They're so cool, mom. They're waterproof, flame-resistant, have built-in speakers, and are scented."

"Plus they come in about a hundred different colors," Ashton added.

"Clarissa, I just gave you fifty dollars for new shoes last week," Carly said. "And thirty the week before that for that cute red shirt you wanted."

"But this is a phone case, mom," Clarissa pointed out. "Not clothes this time."

"And I just bought you a bunch of makeup chiz, Ash," Sam said. "And I bought you running shoes, Emma."

"But we need phone cases, mom," Emma said. "Mine cracked at track practice last week, and Tyler ran over Ashton's with his skateboard yesterday."

"Guys, come on, do you think we're made of money?" Carly said. "You know, when I was your age, I didn't have an unlimited flow of money coming in. Your Uncle Spencer gave me twenty bucks a week, and I had to make that last."

"Yeah, and if I asked my mom for money, she would laugh, and then tell me to ask the cat," Sam said.

"But how the heck are we supposed to get money if you guys aren't going to give it to us?" Clarissa asked.

"You guys could get jobs," Sam said.

"Jobs?" Ashton repeated. "You expect me to balance school and the burden of holding down a job?"

"Calm down, it would only be part-time," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, if you want money, that's pretty much your only option right now."

"I told you we should've asked dad," Emma mumbled to Ashton.

"Okay," Clarissa sighed. "I guess maybe working won't kill us. We'll go look for jobs now."

"Can we try to find something that doesn't really require too much work?" Emma asked.

"Good luck!" Carly called after the girls as they headed out of the room.

"Spencer gave you way more than twenty bucks a week," Sam grinned once the girls were out of earshot. "All you had to do was ask him in that sweet little Carly voice of yours and you'd be set!"

"Well that's because someone kept using my money!" Carly reminded her. "For her little shenanigans that would always either hurt Freddie somehow or get you insane amounts of food!"

"Ah yes, good times," Sam said.

"Hey, do you think we're bad parents for telling them to get jobs during the school year?" Carly asked. "I mean, that is a lot to handle."

"Nah," Sam said. "We're probably teaching them a valuable life skill…or something."

"Aw, look at them!" Carly smiled as her, Sam and Freddie walked into the Groovy Smoothie. "They look so professional in their uniforms."

They looked at Emma, Ashton and Clarissa, who were all busy behind the counter of the Groovy Smoothie, not noticing their parents.

"Yeah, it's almost sort of cute," Freddie grinned.

"Yup," Sam nodded. "Well, time to go give them some real work to do."

"What are you going to do?" Freddie frowned.

"Oh come on, it will be fun," Sam smiled as she walked towards the counter.

"Welcome to the Groovy Smoothie, can I-Oh, it's you," Ashton said as her mom reached the counter. "What are you guys doing here."

"Um, getting smoothies," Sam said. "Let's see…I'll have three kiwi-blueberry splats, extra kiwi, two orange jams, absolutely no pulp, five strawberry slams blended with no lumps left at the end-"

"Are you serious, mom?" Ashton frowned. "We can't make all that; it'll take forever!"

"Better get started then," Sam grinned.

"Mom, how am I even supposed to make an orange jam with no pulp," Emma, who was working the blender, asked. "It's all pulp! You're just being difficult on purpose!"

"Yeah, she is, Em," Freddie said, rolling his eyes at his wife as he joined the counter with Carly. "She'll just have her usual blueberry bananza, won't you, Sam?"

"Yeah, I was just playing with you," Sam sighed.

"And then I'll have a pineapple paradise," Freddie said.

"Oh, and I'll have a berry blitz!" Carly added.

"Okay fine, that's twelve fifty-two," Ashton said.

"Actually, Ashton, I think the correct total's eleven eighty-four," Freddie said. "You probably just added up the tax there twice. It's a common mistake with these cash registers; now that you work here, maybe you can finally convince T-Bo to switch to the newer models. It will save you an average of fifteen dollars a month in incorrect change."

Ashton glared at him.

"See, at least I'm not as bad as him," Sam said.

"Aw, come on guys, cheer up," Carly said. "Having a job's not that bad. And in no time you'll have enough money to buy those pearphone cases you want and maybe some cute outfits, some earrings, make-up-"

"Mom, you're the one who said the one day you had to work here when you were my age was the worst day of your life," Clarissa said as she helped Emma with the blenders. "Why would you make your own daughter suffer?"

"Oh, I was just exaggerating," Carly said as her, Sam and Freddie sat down at their usual table. "It wasn't the worst day of my life." Then she turned to Sam and Freddie. "It was the worst day of my life!" she hissed.

"Yes, Carly, you've told us about fifty times," Sam said.

"You know," Freddie said. "They actually don't seem to be having too hard a time with this job."

"Yeah, it looks like they're doing fine," Sam said as she watched the girls prepare the smoothies. "I mean, other than being wazzed off at us for making them work here in the first place."

"Hey, any of you want to try some sushi?" T-Bo asked, walking over to the three with a stick with raw fish on it.

"Um, we're good," Carly frowned. "So, how are Clarissa, Emma and Ashton doing?"

"Better than you did when you worked here," T-Bo said. "My fancy blender still doesn't blend right!"

"Thanks again for giving them jobs," Freddie said. "They just really needed to learn the value of a dollar."

"Oh hey, that reminds me," T-Bo said, digging in his pocket. "Yo, you three! I've got your paychecks!"

"Sweet!" Emma said, running over. "Give me my money!"

"This is so exciting, our first paycheck!" Clarissa said.

"Yeah, we have to hit the mall after work today," Ashton said as the girls began opening the envelopes T-Bo handed them.

"Now girls, maybe it'd be smart to put away a portion of your paychecks," Freddie said. "You know, save for college, put something away for a rainy day…"

"Oh, it's their first paycheck," Carly smiled, rolling her eyes. "Let them have fun with it."

"Whoa, we earned almost two hundred bucks this week!" Clarissa said.

"What?" Carly exclaimed, grabbing her daughter's paycheck. "T-Bo! When I worked here I barely earned thirty bucks in one day! How could they earn this much in just four days?"

"Hey, times have changed since you worked here years ago," T-Bo said.

"It was not years ago," Carly mumbled, crossing her arms. "You're making me sound so old…"

"Wow, that's some first paycheck," Freddie said.

"Seriously," Sam nodded.

"Wow, you know, working isn't as bad as I thought," Emma said, smiling down at her paycheck. "I get a buttload of money to just sit around and push buttons on a blender. You guys made it seem like working was going to be this huge responsibility."

"I know," Ashton said. "Working's easy!"

"Then where's my smoothie?" Sam asked.

"It's coming," Emma replied. "It's in the blender."

"What? You aren't supposed to leave the blender unattended!" T-Bo said.

"Okay, fine, we'll go back behind the counter now," Clarissa said. "Just let us-"

But just then the blender gave a loud sputter and the lid flew off, spraying the entire restaurant with smoothie.

"Aw man, now I'm gonna have to get out the mop!" T-Bo said. "I haven't used that thing in years!"

"Gross, I have smoothie in my hair!" Ashton said as her and Clarissa hurried over to the blender to turn it off.

"Yeah, and it's not even melon mango!" Emma said, licking some off of her fingers. "That's my favorite."

"Looks like you guys are working overtime," Sam said, wiping the smoothie off of her face.

"What? But the mall closes in an hour!" Clarissa said.

"And this will take at least four hours to clean up," Emma said.

"My fancy blender would've never done this," T-Bo said, glaring at Carly.

"Well guys, this is what work is," Freddie said. "See? It's not so easy."

"Yeah, see, it's hard working at this place!" Carly said, turning to Sam and Freddie.

"Fine," Clarissa sighed. "I guess we can just go to the mall tomorrow. Come on, let's start cleaning this mess up."

"Yeah, okay," Ashton nodded, grabbing a towel. "Come on, Emma. You clean off the windows."

"Eh, you know, I think I'll pass," Emma said. She turned to T-Bo. "I think I'm through here. I quit."

"What? You only lasted a week!" Freddie said.

"Yeah, I know," Emma shrugged. "And now that I have a little bit of cash in my pocket, why do I need to keep working? Besides, cleaning up smoothie gunk? Not really my thing."

"So you're just gonna leave us to clean up the mess?" Clarissa said.

"That's right," Emma smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do at Don's Novelty Emporium. I'm gonna get me an oversized spatula."

"What are you even gonna do with an oversized spatula?" Ashton frowned.

"I don't know, but I want one," Emma shrugged. "See ya!"

"Wow," Freddie said as Emma walked out of the Groovy Smoothie.

"I know," Sam said. "I didn't know Don's sold huge spatulas. I want one!"

"Well with two of us, this mess will take even longer to clean up," Ashton moaned. She glanced over to the adults. "Any chance of you guys helping us out?"

"Pfft, please," Sam said. "You don't see T-Bo paying us two hundred bucks a week."

"Yeah, and I promised myself I'd never get behind that counter again," Carly said. "Ever."

"Oh hey, and when you guys finish cleaning up here, you need to clean the urinals in the men's room," T-Bo said.

"What?" Ashton and Clarissa exclaimed.

"So, what was it you guys were saying about work being easy?" Freddie said, smiling.