The soft hum of the ongoing refrigerators along with the bright lights of the convenience store was a hefty combination that Alice had gotten used to for a while now. Blinking, she glanced up when she realized that she was zoning out for too long.
Alice was sitting behind the register with her phone in her offhand that was hidden under the countertop and an open textbook on the other side so that customers walking in wouldn't see when they came in, but she wouldn't have to wait and do nothing for eternity.
She had been doing this for ages since her parents thought that it would be a good idea as well. Then again, in the store, there was never anything to do after she had done the checklist for each shift besides cleaning and manning the counter. She was waiting for the stock list to get back to her after her mother checked it.
But her mother left the store two hours ago and still hasn't come back. With a sigh, Alice leaned back in the cushioned chair that she persuaded her parents to buy since people failed to realize that having a chair nearby for support was more than enough rather than not since it was tough standing for long periods of time.
It was something that she wanted for the comfort of the workers at the store as well, and Alice slid her gaze up when the glass doors opened to greet the people coming in. The long golden hair was a dead giveaway underneath the sunglasses that engulfed Claudia's face, but if Alice pointed it out, Claudia would be like 'It's the style!'
Alice slid the bell over from the register out to the front of the counter so that customers would be able to ring the bell if needed. She flipped the little fence gate from the wall to walk out, and she waved over at Claudia who slid her sunglasses up her face and into her hair, pushing her curtain bangs back out of her face.
There were still some customers in the back taking their time to look for food, and Alice kept an eye on them as she greeted Claudia who decided to swing by after their long day at school. They had their sleepover a couple of days ago, and Alice got back home with Claudia dropping her off due to the crazy amount of bags that she needed to bring back.
When Alice went over to Claudia's place, they tended to declutter Claudia's wardrobe leading to Claudia dumping a ton of clothing that she didn't wear or didn't reach for to Alice leading for her to bring home even more bags. But Alice was now set with clothes for a while considering all that she got.
She wasn't even sure if it was all going to fit in her closet, but Alice was going to make do. It was funny seeing her mother's reaction at the door with Claudia still in the driveway since she was in her pajamas and didn't want to get out. Her mother raised an eyebrow at Alice, and Alice gave a hopeless shrug.
Jane kissed her daughter's forehead before walking out to the driveway to hug Claudia through the window. Alice waved at Claudia one last time before she drove off with her mother coming in to help Alice grab all the newly bought items through the doorway before letting all the bags drop to the floor in the middle of their entryway.
"I thought you said you had a budget," Jane accused.
"I did," Alice responded with a laugh. "I bought a lot of things that I needed and some that I have wanted for a long time, so it was a bit of a splurge. Some bags are Claudia's that she gave to me."
Jane squeezed her daughter's cheek. "You already have enough clothes in your closet."
"Well, now I have more," Alice said slowly with a cheeky smile. "I'm sorry. I did use my own hard-worked money with a lot of it saved to the side. You don't have to worry much about my spending habits."
"I'm starting to think that I should," her mother said as she glanced up at Alice after seeing a price tag.
"No, no. Trust me," Alice laughed.
Her mother patted Alice's cheek. "Did you have fun though?"
Alice nodded. "Of course."
"Don't be going too wild now."
"Yes, Mother," Alice drawled out before separating the bags into what was needed in her room such as the new clothing and makeup while the rest were left in the living room that she would come back for later since it dealt with items that needed to be built and some that just stayed in the other rooms.
She went up the stairs to her room and sighed as she jumped into her bed to feel the familiar mattress that was just exactly as she liked rather than Claudia's mattress which was a bit too soft for her liking. Staring up into the ceiling, Alice smiled to herself content that she and Claudia had a fun night just talking.