The Lantern Rewrite

Welcome to your shift at The Lantern! It's been a couple of days since you've last worked. You've had a refreshing two days off, now you're back and ready to make some money! [[Continue on.]]

As you walk through the mostly empty dining room and into the kitchen, your favorite coworker, Emmy approaches. You stand at the computer to clock in and take your apron out of your purse. You tie it around your waist. "Hey!" Emmy yells. You smile. "Hey!" "How was your weekend?" "It was fine! Got caught up on some errands. How were things here?" "It was a bit busy." "Did anything new or exciting happen with anyone here?" She looks down at the ground. "Why are you always asking about drama?" "So something did happen." She looks up at you with a smile, but her eyes are guarded. Before she can say anything, Chef Joey starts to yell for a food runner. She runs to the window. You call out: [["Tell me everything."]] [["You can run but you can't hide."]]

Emmy stares at you as she trays up the food. She goes to walk out of the corner in a bit of a hurry and almost runs into the wall with the tray. "You okay?" another coworker named Victoria asks her. "I'm fine," she snaps, casting one last glance at you. As you avoid your coworker's confused stare, you notice that the tomatoes could be topped off for later. Your friend could also use you, as you know it's abnormal for her to snap at others. At least, this early on in the shift. [[Go find Emmy.]] [[Go stock up the tomatoes.]]

She sticks out her tongue at you and walks out of the kitchen with a tray full of food. You can't help but notice how weird of a situation that was. You want to know more, but know that Emmy will most likely come to you when she's ready to tell you. You have a job to focus on, but Emmy's weirdness keeps your full attention. You walk around the salad bar, checking to see if anything needs to be stocked up for later when it inevitably gets busy. You notice that tomatoes could use a top-off. But you really can't stop thinking about Emmy, who is clearly avoiding you since she hasn't come back to the kitchen. [[Go find Emmy.]] [[Go stock up the tomatoes.]]

You walk into the dining room, trying to find Emmy. You jump out of the way at the last minute when Victoria walks by with a giant tray of dirty dishes stacked up. You smile apologetically. You finally find Emmy who is chatting with a coworker. Your stomach does little flips as you're a bit nervous to talk to her. What if she doesn't want to talk to you? Only one way to find out. [[Approach with caution.]] [[Confront her.]]

You slide gloves onto your hands and take the half-empty container and go into the walk-in cooler. Another coworker is there, trying to cool down. You notice it's Chef Joey. He stands there, looking down at his phone. He goes to move and runs into you. "Oh, sorry, Chandler," he apologizes, catching your hand to steady you. Even in the dark, you can see that his eyes are sparkling. You look up at him and smile. "It's okay. How are you?" "I'm good. How are you?" "I'm also good." He smiles and it's a bit awkward. He goes to reach around you to open the door and he looks over his shoulder as he says, "I guess I'll see you back out there." You nod, as you can feel your heartbeat in your chest. You've liked him for a couple of years now, but he has no idea. You hope. [[Smile and flirt.]] [[Get back to your job.]]

You walk slowly over to her. Your other coworker walks away to talk to their table. "Hey, can we talk?" you ask. "I'm listening." "What was that all about back there?" She sighs. "I don't know, I just feel like you've been too caught up in the workplace drama lately." "Well, that's because this place always has some kind of drama going on." "I guess I was just hoping you'd be better than to get caught up in it." "You and I bonded because of drama. You've always enjoyed talking about it." "I guess things have changed, okay?" "What things?" Before she can answer, one of her tables calls her over. You also notice a line at the door, which means you're finally about to get your first table! [[Go to the host stand to help out the host.]] [[Stand there until you get your first table.]]

"Do you want to explain what the hell that was about?" you demand. Emmy stiffens. Your coworker that she was talking to quickly darts away. "Do you want to explain what you're talking about? Also, why are you starting something up in the dining room?" You've caught the attention of a table nearby. You smile a tight-lipped smile and go to grab Emmy's hand to take her to the kitchen. She moves out of your grasp and ditches you. You notice a line at the door. You're going to have to wait to talk to her until the shift is over. Now, it's time to make some money. [[Go to the host stand to help out the host.]] [[Stand there until you get your first table.]]

You run up to the host stand and take menus from the host. They smile at you and tell you to seat them in your section. You smile at the couple and invite them to follow you. Once they get sat, you take a drink order. You go to the kitchen and see Emmy who looks pissed off. "Is everything okay?" you ask, unsure if it's related to you. She crosses her arms. "They just sat down in my section." "Who?" "Damon and his stupid family. His mother decided to come in." Damon was her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart. You stand there, unsure what to say. "Will you please take them?" she asks suddenly. [["No, you're going to just have to suck it up and take them yourself."]] [["Fine, I guess."]]

"Chandler!" your manager Andrea yells. "I need you to help out instead of stand around." You look around for something to do. "Never-mind, just go home," she snaps. [[Start (Kathleen Boston)]]

"Yes, you will," you say with a wink. He chuckles awkwardly and runs away. Well, that could've gone better. You shrug it off and walk back out into the kitchen. The brightness of the lights shock you compared to the dim lights of the walk-in. You see Emmy, who looks at you and looks away. You try not to let that bother you, but of course it does. She's your best friend; the one who gets you through everything at this place. You lean on the counter once you're satisfied that everything is stocked up and ready for the night. Emmy approaches you. "Can we talk?" she asks. At the same time, your coworker Victoria approaches you. [[Talk to Emmy.]] [[Talk to Victoria.]]

You wander back into the kitchen to put the tomatoes back in the salad bar. You stride out into the dining room and watch as people file into the restaurant. It's showtime.

"Are you going to finally tell me why you were so weird earlier?" you ask. She grabs you by the arm and pulls you into a corner where the dessert station is. You busy yourself with the chocolate syrup, waiting for Emmy to talk. "I have a crush on someone here," she says. You squeeze the bottle a little too hard and some of the syrup lands on her arm. "What?" you demand. "Does our pact not mean anything to you?" "The pact that we made when we were drunk and heartbroken over some of the boys who no longer work here?" You gape. "That pact is the only reason I haven't made a move on Joey!" Emmy looks down at her arm. She grabs a paper towel and runs it under the sink. "Chandler, you and Joey have nothing in common," she says. "Guys!" your manager Andrea calls out. "Enough of this pow-wow. You two can talk later, we just had a pop at the door." [["This conversation is on pause."]] [[Help Emmy wipe off the syrup to buy some time.]]

You completely snub Emmy by turning to look at Victoria. "Hi, Victoria," you say. She looks between the two of you, realizing she might have walked into something weird. Emmy's fists are clenched and by her side. "I just wanted to say, I sat you at table eight," Victoria says. You nod and smile at her. "Thank you." She walks away. Emmy says, "Is it my turn to finally get your attention?" [[Ignore her.]] [[Talk to Emmy.]]

You walk away from her. "Real mature," Emmy grumbles after you. You run through the dining room, to the table that was just sat. You greet them and grab a drink order. They also give you an appetizer order. While in the kitchen, Emmy stands there. She has a frown on her face. "Are you okay?" you ask. "No, not really. I think you and I are in a fight, and now they've sat my ex and his family in my section. Can you please take them?" [["No, you're going to just have to suck it up and take them yourself."]] [["Fine, I guess."]]

She frowns. "I guess we do need to talk." "Grab a drink after work?" you suggest. "We'll see. I might have plans already." Your stomach churns with unease at that. Not only was Emmy blowing off your pact about swearing off the men from the restaurant, but she was potentially about to blow you off tonight for one of them. You offer her a tight-lipped smile. Victoria runs into the kitchen. She looks to the both of you. "Emmy, you've got table 25. Chandler, table seven." You both nod and look at each other, knowing the conversation isn't over between the two of you. You need to know what's going on, but it'll just have to wait. [[Go back to the dining room.]]

You grab another wet paper towel and start dabbing at her arm. She tries to keep a smile off her face, but can't. "Always looking out for me," she mumbles. You laugh. "This time I'm saving my own ass." "You should probably get back to work." "We need to talk later." [["I know."]] [["Why can't we just talk about it now and get it out of the way?"]]

She levels a glare at you. You shrug at her. "You guys broke up like a year ago," you say. "He wasn't the problem. She always was." Andrea, your manager, comes into the kitchen. She makes eye contact with you and races over to you. "Chandler, can you take table 25?" Andrea asks. Emmy looks triumphant. "They saw Emmy and the woman immediately requested a new server," Andrea explains. "Then why do they always ask to sit in her section?" you grumble. "They like the round table," Emmy says with a shrug. "Fine." [[Take your time getting to that table.]] [[Immediately race over.]]

"You'd know I'd do the same for you," Emmy says. "Depending on the day." "And the ex." You finish up grabbing the drinks for your original table. "Who's got table 25?" Andrea demands. "Chandler does," Emmy says. "They've been waiting for a while. They need to be greeted." "They just sat," Emmy argues. "I just found out I have them," you say defensively. "Guys, stop arguing," Andrea says. [[Take your time getting to that table.]] [[Immediately race over.]]

You walk toward the couple you just sat not too long ago and place their drinks on the table. You also notice you have another table in your section. You grab an appetizer order from your first table, walk by the other table in your section and promise you'll be right there. Finally you head to table 25. You brace yourself as you put a smile on your face that probably looks as fake as it feels. "Hey guys, welcome in —" "Waters for the table," she cuts you off. "Also how nice of you to finally show up." [[Lose your smile and show how annoyed you are.]] [[Keep your smile.]]

Walking at a brisk pace, you drop off the drinks to your first table. You glance over at table 25, and the woman already looks annoyed. This was going to be a fun time for you. You excuse yourself from your first table and go over to 25 to introduce yourself. Five people look over at you; the woman with her lips puckered. "About time you show up," she says. You put a smile on your face. "Good to see you too." "Waters for the table." "I'll be right back with those." [[Lose your smile and show how annoyed you are.]] [[Keep your smile.]]

"Well, I do apologize for the wait," you say. She looks up at you. "You're not Emmy." "Correct." "We wanted her." "From my understanding, you didn't want her. Only the table." She frowns. You excuse yourself before she can say anything else. Before you can cross the threshold back into the kitchen, Victoria taps you on the shoulder. "Can you take table five?" she asks. "Hurry up with those waters," you hear from across the dining room. You look over at table 25. She's standing now with her arms crossed. "Never-mind," Victoria mumbles. "I can," you say. "Tell them I'll be a minute but I will be right there." [[Search for Emmy to complain about table 25.]] [[Grab the drinks.]]

"I'll be right back with those." "And send Emmy out. We usually have her to take care of us." You ignore that little jab and walk by your other tables. You grab another drink order and head to the back. Before you can cross the threshold, Victoria taps you on the shoulder. "Can you take table five?" she asks. "Hurry up with those waters," you hear from across the dining room. You look over at table 25. She's standing now with her arms crossed. "Never-mind," Victoria mumbles. "I can," you say. "Tell them I'll be a minute but I will be right there." You now have four tables, one being the devil herself. You quickly grab the drinks you need and walk into the kitchen to see if you have any appetizers up. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Joey talking to someone. It's Emmy. [[Approach them.]] [[Ignore them.]]

"Is this what you've been needing to tell me?" you demand. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out," she says. "Whatever. I have a job to do anyway." Chef Joey just gives you a grin. "Your work bestie is something else." "Yeah, she's great," you mumble. You can't believe your best friend would have something with the guy you've been crushing on for years. Granted, he didn't know. And now he never will. [[Go back into the dining room.]] [[Go to the bathroom to collect yourself.]]

You calm yourself down. Just because the two of them are talking doesn't mean anything is going on. Coworkers talked all of the time. However, you see Emmy going for a kiss. You slam a tray down onto the other trays and the two of them pull back. "Chandler, you scared me," Emmy says. She then realizes what happened. "Chan—" You simply walk up to the window and place plates on a tray. You take it out and hand it to the server whose food it was. "Thank you," they say. You nod and keep walking throughout the dining room to check on your tables. You finally approach table 25 again. "About time you showed up," Karen says. You smile at her. "Are we ready to order?" "No." "I think we are," Damon chimes in. "What can I get you?" [[Take out your pad and pen.]]

She stands in front of the window where the food is, looking puzzled. You walk up and start to help her get the food ready. "Where is Andrea?" she grumbles. "Probably out there talking to table 25. I'm sure she's already complaining." "Thanks again for taking them." "Remind me, is Karen actually her name?" "No, it's Elizabeth. She just acts too much of a Karen to not be one." [["Well, I should probably get out there."]] [["Can we please talk later?"]]

You race back to the table, trying to limit the things that Karen will inevitably complain about. You set the plate of lemons down in the middle and start to hand out all of the glasses. Karen goes to grab one of the glasses off your tray, leaving you unbalanced. One of the glasses falls onto the carpeted floor, spraying Karen with water in the process. "What the hell?" she demands. [[Keep your cool and apologize.]] [["Well, you shouldn't have taken that drink off my tray."]]

You find your section is full. You go to greet every table. You grab drinks and get your tables started with appetizers. A party of five shows up at the door and they look familiar, although you don't know why. You assume they must be regulars who come in often. Emmy runs up to you, in a panic. "They're being sat in my section," she says. "I don't get along well with them. That's Damon's family." "I thought you guys ended on good terms." "His mother is a menace. Can you please take them?" [["No, you're going to just have to suck it up and take them yourself."]] [["Fine, I guess."]]

"No... but can you do me a favor?" you ask. "Sure, what's up?" "Just drop off this dessert for me to table eight." She nods and takes the sundae from you. You run into the bathroom, relieved to see no one else was in there. You turn on the faucet and pat your face with cold water. You feel silly for getting so upset, but she knew what he meant to you. You also have no one to blame but yourself. You made it a rule for yourself to not date coworkers. Even before the pact. The door opens and Emmy comes running in. "Chandler! Listen, I'm so sorry you found out that way." [["I guess I had to find out somehow, right? You clearly weren't going to tell me."]] [["How long have you guys been a thing?"]]

"Good luck with them. I hope the others are nice at least." "They haven't spoken. And you know how I feel about enablers. They just let her talk to me like I'm nothing." "I'm sorry." You walk away with the drinks. However, you can still feel the tension between the two of you. You really want to talk it out. [[Go back to look for her.]]

She nods. "I think it's necessary." "You're my best friend and I don't want anything to change that." "I agree." You go to awkwardly walk out of the kitchen with their drinks. However, you then remember you need to grab something for one of your other tables. [[Go back into the kitchen.]]

You carry the tray of drinks in your hand. They're getting heavy, but you couldn't not say something to Emmy. That was one of the things you hated about working in a restaurant: unbearable tension that stemmed from unresolved conflict. "Emmy?" you call out. No answer. [[Drop the drinks off.]]

You set down each water glass carefully and place the lemons in the middle of the table. Karen points at them with disgust. "What is that?" she asks. "Lemons," you answer, baffled. "We didn't order those." "Well, they don't cost extra." "Remove them at once." "Mom, I want a lemon," Damon says, taking one out of the bowl. You suppress a smile. "Has everyone decided what they'd like to eat?" "No," Karen says. "Come back in a few minutes." You nod and walk away. You run and check on a few other tables and then head to the back again. The ice cream is gone, but you need some for this dessert you have to make. So, you go to the freezer. You're not alone. There are two people in the freezer who are in the middle of a make-out session. They pull apart and look back at you. It's Emmy and Joey. [[Grab the ice cream and run.]] [[Confront them.]]

The awkward silence is killing you. It's never been this quiet with Emmy before. Something must really be bothering her. "Are we okay?" you ask. "I guess that'll be up to you." Your heart races at that. You really don't like the sound of that. "Are we getting a drink after this?" you ask. She nods. "I think that'd be ideal." [[Run some food that was in the window.]]

"Well, our manager just came back here and yelled at us for not working. So, I'd say that's a good reason." You laugh. "Getting in trouble was never something that bothered you before." She shrugs. "I guess I've changed." Andrea comes to the kitchen again. "Guys, seriously. Let's go." [[Run some food that was in the window.]]

You grab a plate of lemons and hear a loud cackle. It sounds like it's coming from down the hallway. You frown to yourself, slightly jealous that you aren't having as nearly as much fun. You poke your head down the hall to see who it was. Emmy was coming out of the freezer. Her smile vanishes as soon as she sees you. "Having fun in the freezer?" you ask. There's an edge to your voice. "I—" "Can you help me run some food? I'm kind of busy since I'm taking tables you're pawning off on me." Before she can reply, you turn on your heel. You walk up to table 25 and start passing out the waters. Karen goes to grab one of the glasses off your tray, leaving you unbalanced. One of the glasses falls onto the carpeted floor, spraying Karen with water in the process. "What the hell?" she demands. [[Keep your cool and apologize.]] [["Well, you shouldn't have taken that drink off my tray."]]

"I'm so sorry," you say automatically. You go to grab napkins from the credenza to help her wipe off the water. Someone else hands you a broom and you sweep up the broken glass. "Are you going to take our orders at some time tonight?" she demands. You stop sweeping. "Let me just finish cleaning up the broken glass and then I will. Have you guys decided?" "Well, obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking you to take our orders, would I?" Victoria comes up and takes over sweeping. You silently thank her and take out your pen and pad. "Alright, what can I get for you tonight?" you ask. "You guys go ahead," Karen says. "I'm not ready." She smiles at you. You ignore her and get the others' orders. Finally, it's her turn. [["What can I get you?"]] [["I hope you finally know what you want."]]

She stares at you. "Excuse me?" You fake a polite smile. "I'm just saying, next time you go out to eat, don't reach for anything off any server's tray." "Your job is just //so// hard, isn't it?" You go to grab napkins from the credenza. You hand some to Karen and start to wipe off the table. "So hard to find good help these days," Karen continues. [[Ignore her. She isn't worth it.]] [["Listen, unless you’re secretly a witch, a little water won’t hurt you."]]

"Okay, so what can I get started for everyone?" you ask.

Karen's husband chuckles under his breath as Karen stares at you. "Excuse me?" she demands. "Honey, let's just order food," her husband says. "Yes please," Emmy's ex, Damon, agrees. Karen's eyes narrow. "I'm not ready." "You have time to figure it out as the rest of us order." You take your pen and pad out, ready to write. Each of them order and finally it's Karen's turn. She looks up at you, her eyes still narrowed and lips puckered like she just swallowed a lemon. [["What can I get you?"]] [["I hope you finally know what you want."]]

Karen places a finger on her chin. "I don't know, nothing is sounding very good to me. I want a cheeseburger, but no cheese." "Okay, great. So you would like a hamburger?" you ask. "Did you want lett—" "Did you not hear me? I said a cheeseburger." "Yes, but you said no—" "I think I know what I said. You know what? Never mind. I'll take the salmon bowl. But no salmon, I want chicken." "Okay, so you want our chicken bowl. It's the same thing, just different protein." "Oh my God, you're really not getting it." You close your server book and try to smile at her. She sneers up at you again. "Are you okay? Did you not sleep well last night or something? The chicken bowl and the salmon bowl are two very different things." [["Let's look at the menu together."]] [["You're just going to have to trust me on this. I work here, you don't."]]

You run out of the freezer without looking behind you. Even then, you know she's following you. "Chandler!" she calls out. You make your dessert in silence and put the ice cream away. You walk out of the kitchen. "Victoria, can you do me a favor?" you ask. "What's up?" "Can you drop this dessert off at table eight for me?" [[Go to the bathroom to collect yourself.]]

"Oh, so this is what you've been needing to talk to me about?" you demand. "Chan—" "Forget it." You grab the ice cream and run out of the freezer. Emmy steps on your heels as she runs out to follow you. "So, I've been taking tables for you, all so you can have a make-out session in the freezer?" you ask. "You took one table for me. Get over that." "No, they're ruining my night. And so are you." "If that's how you wanna be then fine." She storms off. Victoria walks up to you. "Is everything okay?" You shake your head. "Do you want to talk about it?" [[Confide in her.]] [[Go to the bathroom to collect yourself.]]

You hesitate. "She can be pretty scummy," Victoria says, looking at the ground. "You have a problem with her?" She nods. This surprises you, as Victoria is known for getting along with everyone. "I'll tell you my problem if you tell me yours," Victoria offers. [[Tell her about Joey.]] [[Excuse yourself from the conversation.]]

"That's so unfair. You know I said I had something to tell you." "Oh, so now this is my fault?" She scoffs. "That isn't what I meant and you know that." Victoria comes running in. "I thought I saw the two of you in here. Chandler, table 25 is looking for you." [[Go to table 25 without looking at Emmy.]]

She stares at your reflection in the mirror. She looks stressed and is cracking her knuckles again. She keeps fidgeting and finally breaks the eye contact through the mirror. "It's only been a few days," she hedges. You get a feeling that's a lie. "A few days?" you ask. She nods. "Yeah. Neither of us know what it is exactly, which is why I haven't told you." "You're my best friend, though. Shouldn't I still have known?" "It's hard to tell you when I don't want to hurt you." [["Well, it's too late for that."]] [["I still wish you would've told me. Instead, I had to walk in on you."]]

"Well look who decided to show up," Karen says with a smirk. Andrea is already at the table and she's frowning. "Chandler, why would you give them lemons if they didn't ask for them?" she asks. "I asked for them," Damon says, speaking up. Why was he lying on your behalf? You don't recall asking if they wanted lemons, or if they said anything about wanting them. You just gave them out without really thinking about it. Andrea looks at you. And back at Damon. He smiles at her. "She's doing great," Damon says. Karen scoffs. "I would hardly say that. We've been waiting forever to order." "Well, I apologize," you offer. "Can I take your order now?" [[Take out your pad and pen.]]

You tray up a few plates and go to walk the food out, assuming your coworker was busy with their other tables. However, to your dismay, they stand in the middle of the dining room on their phone. You frown at them. "Here you go," you say, going to hand them the tray. "Can you walk it? I'm busy." You scoff. "You're busy on your phone?" "It's an emergency. You're already carrying the tray anyway. Please?" [[Sigh and walk it for them.]] [[Set it down on the credenza next to them and walk away.]]

"You got me there. I'm sure they'd give me a job here though if I applied." "Well, they do hire just about anyone. It is a restaurant after all." "Are you even qualified to do this?" You shrug. "I'm not sure anymore." "I think I can answer it for you." You plaster a fake smile on your face. "Let's walk through this menu together. See the heading where it says, 'bowls'? You can choose a protein. In your case, you want chicken. That is listed there. It comes with everything that a salmon bowl—" "I don't want salmon." You close your server book with a loud snap. She glances up at you. For the first time, she looks a little scared. [["Just trust me, okay?"]] [["I'll make sure it ends up how you want it."]]

She sneers at you. "Yes, because this is totally rocket science." "I believe for some of us, it is." You walk her through the menu and show her that the bowl comes the same, regardless if she wants it with chicken or salmon. When the two of you finally get to be on the same page, you stride over to the computer to ring in the food. Emmy approaches you. "What the hell, Chandler?" she demands. "What?" "I was really hoping you'd be mature about this." [["I was hoping you'd be able to confide in me about things. Guess we were both wrong."]] [["I don't have time to talk right now. Talk later?"]]

"Don't be like this. Our friendship means so much to me." You scoff. "Clearly not that much. I'm sorry, but I really do need to get back to work." Victoria runs in. "I thought I saw you guys in here. Chandler, I just want to let you know that Andrea is talking to table 25. You should probably go back out there." You thank her. You run out of the bathroom and grab your apron from the credenza and tie it around your waist. Sure enough, Karen is smirking and Andrea looks unhappy. "I hear we're ready to order?" you ask, trying to hint. "They've been ready," Andrea chastises. "Where have you been?" Karen's eyes widen. "It's not like she's busy. The restaurant is dead." You look around at all of the tables that are currently full of patrons. You look at Andrea with a head tilt, trying to convey the trouble she's been causing you. "Just get their order," Andrea says and walks away. [[Take out your pad and pen.]]

"I know—" "Others also knew, didn't they?" "Well—" You storm out. [[Walk away.]]

"Let's just say, I have a crush on a guy who only has eyes for her," you say. "She didn't tell me though and I had to walk in on it myself." "Oh, damn. I was just going to say she stole my good pen and then lied to my face about it. So, you know about Joey and Emmy now?" You stare. "Does everyone know about them?" "They were caught together in the freezer a couple of weeks ago." "Wow. That's... wow." [[Go back out into the dining room.]]

You frown. "I don't really feel like gossiping about my best friend." "I wouldn't consider it gossiping. It's just venting. I can tell something is bothering you. Something is also bothering her." A noise makes you jump. Something Joey said made Emmy cackle. That cackle was normally reserved for you and you alone. You frown again and excuse yourself from the kitchen. [[Go to the bathroom to collect yourself.]]

Emmy hangs by a credenza, clearly waiting for you. You avoid eye contact with her and head towards your table. It was time to finally get their order. The sooner you got their order, the sooner you could get them their food. And the sooner they could leave. You were over this night. Before you can get to table 25, another one of your tables flag you down. You walk over and check in with them. You hand them their check and they hand you cash and tell you to have a good night. You can't even fake a smile before you hear your name being screeched. Table 25. Karen stands there with her arms crossed. "Are you planning to take our order at some point tonight? Or do we have to wait until tomorrow?" You walk over, your patience is running thin. [["What can I get you?"]]

Karen from table 25 stands, talking to every employee who walks by. One of them being your manager. You can hear her complaining from across the dining room. You quickly walk over. "There she is!" Karen says harshly. "Chandler, they've been waiting a while," Andrea chastises you. "They're ready to order." "I know you haven't exactly been busy. You have no tables." "I think I have about five at the moment, actually," you reply. "Chandler! You can't talk to her like that," Andrea says. "Now hurry up and take their order." "Thank you," Karen says. [[Take out your pad and pen.]]

"Who would like to go first?" you ask. Damon orders his food first. You jot down everything he wants and move onto the next person. Finally, it's Karen's turn. You look at her and she looks at you with an out of place smirk. [["What can I get you?"]] [["I hope you finally know what you want."]]

You walk over to table 15. You greet them and pass their food out to them. They ask you for more cocktail sauce for their shrimp. You walk up to your coworker and tell them their table needs more cocktail sauce. "What? You can't get that?" your coworker demands. You raise an eyebrow. "I just dropped their food and now you want me to grab the sauce? I might as well just take it then." "You're so annoying today. It isn't my fault that Joey and Emmy clearly —" "It's not about them. Just do your job and get off your phone." [[Walk away.]]

"Chandler! Seriously?" they call after you. You ignore them and check on your own tables. You can hear your coworker grumbling. "Don't ever ask me for a favor," they snap. "Wouldn't dream of it." As you walk around, checking on everyone, you see Andrea walking over to table 25. Karen is currently standing, waving every employee down. You know this isn't good, so you walk briskly over to them. "There she is!" Karen says accusingly, and points at you. "Is everything okay?" you ask. "Chandler, they've been waiting to order," Andrea says. "Oh, I'm sorry." "I know you haven't exactly been busy. You have no tables." "I think I have about five at the moment, actually," you reply. "Chandler! You can't talk to her like that," Andrea says. "Now hurry up and take their order." "Thank you," Karen says. [[Take out your pad and pen.]]

"It's hard to be honest with you when you overreact about every little thing." "Really? You're gonna go there?" "How can I not? You really went to Victoria to bitch about me?" You scoff. "You act like you don't vent on a regular basis." "I vent to you. My best friend. Or who I thought was my best friend." "Whatever." You send in the order for table 25 and go to the kitchen. You start to make a salad when Joey tries to get your attention. "What?" you snap. "I just wanted to ask you about table 25's order." "Sorry. What about it?" "Did you mean to ring in a chicken bowl? We haven't sold one of those in forever." [[Scream.]] [[Calmly answer.]]

"So you had time to talk to Victoria about me?" You pause. "I had to vent." "Well now it's my turn." "Later." You send in the order for table 25 and go to the kitchen. You start to make a salad when Joey tries to get your attention. "What?" you snap. "I just wanted to ask you about table 25's order." "Sorry. What about it?" "Did you mean to ring in a chicken bowl? We haven't sold one of those in forever." [[Scream.]] [[Calmly answer.]]

She nods, without saying anything snarky. You let out a breath. "I'm sorry. You've just been frustrating me all night. And there's other things going on. But please. Don't talk to me in that condescending way anymore." "I'm sorry." [[Accept her apology.]] [[Laugh it off.]]

"Don't add anything special to it," she warns. You smile. "I'm not quite sure what that means." "You know exactly what it means." You walk away to the nearby computer to ring in the order. Emmy approaches you. "What the hell, Chandler?" she demands. "What?" "I was really hoping you'd be mature about this." [["I was hoping you'd be able to confide in me about things. Guess we were both wrong."]] [["I don't have time to talk right now. Talk later?"]]

You can't seem to help it. You let out a scream. Everyone looks at you, and Joey glares. "Yes, they really do want a chicken bowl!" you yell. "I was just trying to make sure you rang in the right thing before we started cooking it," he shoots back at you. "When was the last time I made a mistake with ringing something in?" "Everyone makes mistakes. Even you. Especially you." "No, the only thing I made a mistake with is who I trusted." You storm out of the kitchen with a salad. You go back to table 25 and Karen gives you another look. "What?" you yell. Andrea comes running over. "Why are you constantly looking at me like that?" you continue on. "Nothing I do is good enough for you. And every time you come in, you feel the need to give your server attitude. I'm so over it!" Andrea pulls you to the side. "What has gotten into you?" You don't answer. "Chandler, go the hell home. You're fired." You lost your best friend and your job all in one shift. [[Try again?->Start (Kathleen Boston)]]

"Yes, Joey. Trust me. She wants the chicken." "Okay, I was just checking." Emmy walks into the kitchen and the conversation immediately halts with Joey. Chandler walks up to the window and starts twirling her hair as she talks to him. You ignore the situation and go to take the salad out to the table. Once again, Karen sits there with a disgusted look on her face. "That looks disgusting," Karen says. "Good thing it isn't yours then," you reply, setting it down in front of Damon. He looks up at you. "Thank you. This looks great." You smile. "Food will be out shortly guys." [[Walk back to the kitchen.]] [[Go into the other dining room to sit down.]]

"Thank you for apologizing." She nods, still without saying anything. You notice they need drink refills and they tell you to just bring them out with the food. "Speaking of," you say. "I'm going to go check on that." [[Run to the kitchen.]]

You laugh. "Let's make sure that apology gets put in the tip, shall we?" She tries to laugh with you, but it comes out completely forced. Her husband looks at you and nods with a wink. "I'm going to go check on your food," you mumble as a way out of there. [[Run to the kitchen.]]

Andrea stands in the window, sluggishly dressing the food. You sidle up next to her and start putting butter and sour cream on all of their baked potatoes. You start putting together the dressings for Karen's bowl. You get a moment of panic as you realize the food is finally going to come out. Which means you're probably going to have to deal with Karen's wrath again. She was being too nice earlier and it was concerning. "Emmy, do you have time to follow me with that tray?" you ask. She scoffs. "Are you going to be nice to me now?" You glare at her. "I'd help you out if you needed it. Oh wait, I did. This is table 25's food." She glances over at Joey, who has an unreadable expression on his face. "Whatever the two of you have going on can wait for after work," Andrea insists. "Emmy, you clearly have time. Help." You lead the way to the table. Emmy follows, trying to talk to you under her breath. You can't understand what she's saying, but it doesn't sound pleasant. You ignore her. You set down Karen's in front of her last, knowing she's likely to have an issue with her food. "Um, I ordered a cheeseburger," she says. "But without cheese. What is this garbage?" You stare at her. [[Handle it professionally.]] [[Start yelling.]]

You walk into the other dining room. It's almost empty compared to the one you've been serving in all night. There are plenty of dirty tables, but you pick one in the very back corner. You finally sit down after a few hours of chaos. You take your phone out to just scroll through for a minute. It's peaceful and quiet. Andrea slids into the booth across from you. You jump and put your phone down. "You're really on your phone right now?" she asks. "When there's so much that needs to be done?" You sigh. "I'm just taking a breather. Table 25 has been relentless and I've been running food for others. I'm taking a minute to myself. All of my tables are fine." "Table 25 was just complaining to me about their salad." You laugh. "Was it the one who was actually eating it? Or was it the woman?" "She said there was a hair in it." "It wasn't her salad." "So it wasn't her hair." You shrug. "If you're going to be like this, you can just go home," she said. "And don't bother coming in tomorrow." You just lost your friend and your job all in one shift. [[Try again?->Start (Kathleen Boston)]]

You take a deep breath to steady yourself. You need to calm down before you get into trouble, or even lose your job. They've been firing people a lot lately, as management hasn't had much patience for poor service. "Ma'am, you ordered a salmon bowl, but with chicken," you say. "I think I would remember what I ordered." "You began the night wanting the burger, but then decided against it." "It's true, Mom," Damon says. "Whose side are you on? I know you're paying the bill and I'm trying to get us a deal," she whispers. "By screwing over our server?" You clasp your hands in front of you, so you don't start acting a fool with cheering. A guest standing up for you against another guest hardly ever happens, but when it does, it feels great. Karen frowns. "I guess I did order this." "Can I grab anything for anyone else?" you ask. They all shake their heads. However, you then remember the drink refills. [[Go to the drink station to grab them.]]

You take a deep breath in. You wait a few seconds before replying. "Ma'am, we specifically went over all of this," you snap. "You said you wanted that at first, but then you said you wanted the salmon bowl, only you didn't want it with salmon. You wanted it with chicken." She stares at you as you continue to pop off. Your manager pulls you to the side and demands to know how you could talk to someone like that. "That's it, you're finished," Andrea snaps. "You've been acting up the whole shift and you haven't been doing what you needed to be. You've also received the most complaints out of everyone. Just go home." "It's no surprise she's received a ton of complaints," Karen grumbles. "Been waiting for over an hour for food and didn't even get the right dish." You lost your temper, your job, and your best friend all in one shift. [[Try again?->Start (Kathleen Boston)]]

As you scoop ice into each glass, Emmy approaches. This makes you a bit wary. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry," she begins. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I'll admit, I didn't handle it the best way, however, now my feelings are hurt. How could you talk to Victoria about me? Now everyone in the restaurant knows about Joey and I and we didn't want that." You frown. "It seems to me that people already knew about the two of you when they all caught you in the freezer a couple of weeks ago." "Who said that?" "Victoria," you both say at the same time. "Can we please get a drink after work so we can talk about it?" she asks. You nod. "I think we need to. It will be just us, right?" "Of course." "I need to deliver these drinks. I'll be back." [[Take the glasses to the dining room.]]

You carefully set them on the credenza so no one will be tempted to take from the tray. You set them onto the table and a man from another table goes to take the last one. "Hey, what are you doing?" Karen demands of him. "I need water," he replies. "That's my water. Back off." "It's not just about you in the restaurant. In case you haven't noticed, there are other people around." You attempt to suppress a smile. You aren't sure who you'd be rooting for in this moment. "Sir, I'll get you a glass of water in a moment, okay?" you ask. He glares but sits back down. You hand Karen the water and she has a hint of a smile on her face. The first one of the whole night. "I really thought you were going to make me wait for it," she says. You shrug. "We all think things. Maybe we should stop." The man continues to glare at you and you sprint to the kitchen. [[Tell Emmy her guest needs more water.]] [[Just fill up a pitcher.]]

You go to find Emmy, who's busy talking to Joey again. The two of them laugh at something that Joey said. Joey makes eye contact with you and abruptly stops. She turns to look back at you. "We'll talk later," you promise. You continue to walk to the drink station to grab another water for her table. You realize you haven't seen your work bestie excited about anyone in a while. If it happens to be Joey, so be it. [[Go to the dining room.]]

You sigh and just grab a nearby pitcher. It's almost the end of the night, but you need to do what you need to do. You drop off the water pitcher out in the dining room on the credenza after filling up the man's water. You walk over to table 25, which luckily was your last table of the night. You ask if anyone wants to order a dessert. Thankfully they say no. You drop the check off to Damon who had insisted on paying. You hand the others boxes and they start to file out. "Thank you," you say as Damon hands you the check with his credit card. You run it through the machine and hand him the receipts with a pen. He fills it out and gives it back to you. He didn't tip on the credit card and that weighs you down a bit. He then hands you a crisp $100 bill. "Keep it," he says with a wink. "Thank you for your awesome service. I know my mom can be a lot to handle." [[Hug him.]] [[Thank him professionally.]]

You walk back into the dining room. After filling up the man's water, you start to clean some of the empty tables. There were only a few tables left in the whole restaurant, and you were excited to get the hell out of there. Normally shifts weren't this complicated here and ran smoothly, but tonight threw a lot of curveballs at you. Damon approaches you with his credit card. You smile at him and ask if they need anything. He answers that they need boxes. You hand him a few and he goes back to the table. You drop off the receipts at his table. The others start to file out and you thank each of them. Only Karen doesn't acknowledge you, but that's okay. You look at the receipt that Damon had to fill out and notice he didn't leave you a tip on the credit card. That weighs you down a bit. And you try not to cry out of sheer frustration. Before he leaves, he hands you a crisp $100 bill. "Keep it," he says with a wink. "Thank you for your awesome service. I know my mom can be a lot to handle." [[Hug him.]] [[Thank him professionally.]]

You can't resist. You throw yourself at him in a hug. He chuckles, stunned for a second but hugs you back. "Come back anytime," you say with a laugh. He laughs with you. "We'll be back." "Thank you so much. Truly, for everything." He leaves and Emmy comes rushing over. "Were you just hugging my ex?" she asks. She doesn't sound mad, but intrigued. You laugh. "Yeah, but only because he gave me $100." She grins. "Looks like drinks are on you tonight." "Guess so. Let's go!" "We need to finish closing up." [[Blow off side-work.]] [[Be extra about doing a good job.]]

You give him one of the most genuine smiles you've given at this job. "Thank you so much. I truly appreciate it." "Of course. I know my mom can be a lot to handle. For what it's worth, I think you did a great job with it. Maybe we'll ask for you next time we come in." You laugh and cringe at the same time. He laughs at the expression on your face. "I'll see you next time," he says. "Thank you again." "Thank you. Have a great night." Emmy comes rushing over. "What did they leave you?" You show her the bill in your hand. She whistles. "Looks like drinks are on you tonight!" "Guess so. Let's go!" "We need to finish closing up." [[Blow off side-work.]] [[Be extra about doing a good job.]]

You wave your hand dismissively. "No one else does much of anything around here. I think it'd be safe for us to just leave." Emmy gasps dramatically. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Chandler?" You shrug. "I think it's time for us to put in the same effort that others do. Don't you agree?" She links her arms with you. "If that's what you want, then let's go." "I missed you, friend." She grins. "I missed you too." "I'm so sorry," you both say at the same time. You realize that everything will be okay. Your friendship with Emmy is much stronger than your crush on a guy. If he's the one that Emmy is meant to be with, for any period of time, then you'll just accept it. Emmy has always had your back at this place, and you don't count on losing her. Ever. [[Start (Kathleen Boston)]]

You salute Emmy. "I shall see you in a few minutes then. I just really need to vacuum up my section." "Let's help each other." "We always do." A few minutes go by and you're under one of the tables in your section. A child decided to leave a giant mess under it and the parents hadn't cleaned it up. "Chandler?" Emmy asks dramatically. "Where oh where did you go?" You poke your head out from under the table. Emmy jumps. You laugh. "Ready to go?" she asks. "Just need to finish this one last table. A child had a meltdown or something." "I feel that." You stare at her quietly. She looks back at you with a look of remorse on her face. "I'm sorry," you both say at the same time. You both smile at each other, almost shyly. You realize that everything will be okay. Your friendship with Emmy is much stronger than your crush on a guy. If he's the one that Emmy is meant to be with, for any period of time, then you'll just accept it. Emmy has always had your back at this place, and you don't count on losing her. Ever. [[Start (Kathleen Boston)]]