Fat Freddy

Oh no, Fat Freddy. How could Kittie have forgotten?

Freddy was a fellow senior at her school, a tall, greasy, overweight, acne-ridden nerd with glasses and curly ginger hair. Kittie always saw him at lunch with his gross, pervy little friends. Back in junior high, after finding out she was a fellow reading enthusiast, he'd developed a years-long crush on Kittie. She'd always rejected the gross nerd's advances, making sure to put him in his place, but it never seemed to stop him from trying.

But there was one important thing she'd forgotten about Freddy: his father owned this McDarnold's store, and he was a manager. Freddy had bragged to her about it at school one day, but she'd completely shut him down. And now Fat Freddy towered over the dainty goth girl, his blue button-up shirt and khaki dress pants snug across his big body, with a condescending, pitying smirk on his greasy face.

"Well hello, Kittie. I thought I recognized your name on your application, but I didn't think it could actually be you."

Kittie looks up at the 6'4, 320 lb nerd, suddenly feeling a little intimidated by him. She'd spent years rejecting this freak's advances, teasing and bullying him and his friends just like everyone else. But today, he held her future in his hands.

"Freddy... hi!" She chuckles nervously. "I totally forgot you're a manager here. That's... really cool!"

Freddy looks unimpressed with her sucking up. "Mhm. That would explain why you bothered to show up. You know, when I told you about my promotion, I think you said it's 'the perfect job for a fat greasy loser' like me." Kittie looks at the floor sullenly, not wanting to look at Freddy. It sounded really terrible when you put it like that... but Freddy was totally a creep!

He looks at her with a look of triumph, of pure satisfaction. The look of a man who is using his power to put a bully in her place. "Sorry, Kittie. I just don't think you're the kind of team player we're looking for at McDarnold's. You could try Ballers across the street..."

He gives her a cruel smile, suggesting she look for a job at the sleazy sports bar down the road. It was a place known for degrading uniforms and rowdy customers.

"I think you've got exactly what they want."

As Fat Freddy drives a knife into her ego, Kittie stares up at him in shock. Only a few people had dared to speak to her in that way, and none of them were as pathetic as Fat Freddy. But despite her anger and her eagerness to verbally eviscerate the big pimple-y ginger in front of his employees, Kittie was in no position to say anything at all.

Kittie began to feel true dread. Freddy wanted to teach her a lesson, and she wouldn't be going home with a job. In fact, she wouldn't be going home at all tonight if she isn't employed. Karen was going to kick her out of the house. Kittie would be homeless. She'd probably have to drop out of high school. She wouldn't get her inheritance, and she would be a vagrant for the rest of her life and die in a gutter. She could see it all. Kittie desperately needed to salvage this situation, any way she could.

She clears her throat and looks up at Freddy with the most innocent face she can muster, trying her best to win the fat nerd over. "Freddy, I'm so sorry for how I've acted towards you. You're a... very sweet person... and I shouldn't have been so mean. I'd really like this job and I can be a team player if you need me to. I'll do whatever you want, but please let me work for you." Kittie felt absolutely disgusted with herself for being so apologetic to him, pleading to this greasy perv for a job. But her life might literally be on the line.

Freddy was starting to walk back to his office triumphantly when Kittie changes tactics. He turns back and stops to listen to her groveling, grinning the whole time as the hottest girl he knows debases herself in front of him inside *his* store. When she finally finishes, he leans down to look into her blue eyes, trying to decide if this is some kind of joke or bullying. He decides to put his goth classmate to the test.

"Are you actually apologizing? I'm not sure what's going on, but I can see that you really need my help. So I'll make you a deal. I'll hire you on one condition..."