You think this is some charity, huh? You want to play savior? Use your own damn kitchen. Buy your own food. Feed them on your own time.
Behind her, through the crack in the door, Amara could hear Eli's sharp intake of breath. Could sense him pulling Na back into the shadows, trying to make her invisible, trying to protect her the way he'd been doing since the night their world ended. Amara took a small step to the side, blocking Barlo's view of the door completely. "I’ll stop," she said. The lie tasted bitter in her mouth.
Damn right you'll stop. Barlo leaned in close. His breath was warm and hateful. You want to keep this job? You stop handing out freebies like your mother, Teresa.
You stop looking at me like I’m the bad guy for running a business. You stop acting like you’re better than everyone else in this town just because you went to college for 5 minutes before dropping out. The cruelty of it, the casual way he threw her broken dreams in her face, should have hurt more. But Amara had learned to carry that particular wound so long it had become part of her. "Next time I catch you," Barlo continued, his voice dropping to something low and dangerous.
"You're out. No warning. No two weeks notice. Just gone. You understand me, girl?" The word girl hung in the air between them.
Not her name, never her name, just girl. like she was less than human, less than worthy of basic respect. She didn’t answer. He barked louder now. Do you understand?
She nodded once slowly, hating herself for it, hating him more. Barlo stared at her for another long moment, making sure his point had landed, making sure she knew who had the power here. Then he turned and stomped back inside, letting the door slam behind him with a bang that echoed through the alley like a gunshot. Amara stood frozen, her hands still trembling. She waited until his footsteps faded, until she heard the walk-in cooler door slam, until she was sure he wasn’t coming back.
Only then did she turn to the door. Eli and Na were pressed against the wall, barely visible in the shadows. Na's eyes were wide with fear. Eli's jaw was clenched so tight she could see the muscle working. "I’m sorry," Eli said.
His voice cracked. We shouldn't have come. We're going to get you fired. We're going to ruin everything for you. No.
Amara knelt down, not caring that the alley was wet and dirty. You listen to me. This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. But he said, "I don’t care what he said." She reached out and took Eli's hand.
It was so cold. Too cold. You're not ruining anything. You're not a burden. You're just two kids trying to survive something that no kid should have to survive.