Chelsea

Alice is filling bags with fresh popcorn when she catches her eye.

Chelsea!

("What is she doing here? What does she want? Why doesn't she just go to the new big movie theater like everyone else?") Alice thinks to herself.

But since she's working alone today, she can't ask anyone to take Chelsea for her. Because this Chelsea and her friends have been bullying her for years.

So Alice hands the gentleman in front of her his popcorn and then turns her attention to Chelsea, who is already at the cash register.

"Hey Alice," she says quite loudly and friendly, so the guy who was waiting for his popcorn until just now catches on.

He turns his head, smiles, seemingly happy that this poor girl behind the counter seemed to have a girlfriend after all, and walks into the movie theater.

Just as he is out of sight, Chelsea changes her tone. She now becomes much less friendly and speaks more softly.

"So my friend was right about you working here loser," she says,

"What do you want?" Alice asks as confidently as she can with her current anxiety.

Chelsea starts laughing contemptuously and says. "I wanted to see for myself if you were really working here in this dump. Suits you!"

"Please, leave me alone. I'm working." Alice tries to appeal to Chelsea's sense of reason.

"No! I've let you get away with this for far too long! What did you bring to eat today?" Chelsea asks menacingly.

Alice has known this question from Chelsea since middle school and it always ended with Alice handing over her food, or Alice ending up lying in the dirt and Chelsea taking her food.

So Alice decided years ago. It's the easiest and painless way to just give Chelsea what she wanted. So Alice wordlessly goes to her backpack behind the counter and pulls out a bag of bread she took for the day and hands it to Chelsea.

Chelsea is about to take the bag when another movie guest arrives. Chelsea lets him go ahead at the box office and pretends that Alice is her best friend.

Alice serves this customer, too, until he disappears contentedly into the movie theater. Chelsea starts talking again.

"There's not much going on in this crappy movie theater. What else you got in your bag?" At this, she simply reaches behind the counter and pulls out Alice's backpack. Alice still wants to hold it, but realizes pretty quickly, as usual, that she doesn't stand a chance against Chelsea.

"Please, give it back to me," Alice pleads.

"I think that's really good! Here, you can't just run away like you did at school. Here, you're all mine!" She then walks back a few feet with the backpack and sits down on a small bench in the value area, where she closely examines the backpack's contents.

Alice is still standing behind the counter while she does this, just looking helplessly at Alice's keys, her cell phone, her wallet, books. EVERYTHING of Alice is in this backpack.

At that moment, a customer comes in and blocks Alice's view of Chelsea.

But while Alice is serving the lady, Chelsea comes up to the counter and says in an angelic voice.

"Hey Alice sweetie. The stupid phone locked again, help me out here please."

"I can unlock it for you in a minute when I'm done here," Alice says, glad that Chelsea can't make her do it now in the presence of another person.

"Oh, just tell me the PIN now. Then I won't have to keep interrupting you while you're working. I'm really trying to get this virus off your phone for you eventually my dear friend." She says and winks at the woman.

"Uh, I'll unlock it for you in a minute, just wait." Says Alice, hoping to have now attached Chelsea from this idea.

"Is there something you don't trust me with?" Chelsea asks with feigned bewilderment, glaring at the customer.

"There you are trying to help your best friend, and she doesn't even trust you!"

The customer looks at Alice rather disdainfully until Alice finally gives in and gives Chelsea the PIN to unlock her phone. With a

"thank you," Chelsea says goodbye back to the bench.

The customer had just a few too many wishes for Alice's taste, because she couldn't possibly see what Chelsea was doing.

Only when she, too, has been served and is walking towards the cinema hall, does Alice dare to leave behind her counter and approach Chelsea to retrieve her things.