Tick-tock... The time was ticking slowly... It was almost six, and that meant that their shift was soon ending.
"Alright, everyone gather up!"
Woodrow clapped his hands.
While the night shift workers were just walking by, Nebula, James, Kylie, and Devon stopped what they were doing and gathered around Woodrow.
They had already changed out of their work clothes.
"I am sure the four of you have heard about the Talent Draft. I expect that all of you applied, correct?"
Woodrow asked.
Nebula, James, and Kylie all nodded, but Devon stood with his arms crossed, as he was the only one that didn’t.
"If you are one of the chosen ones selected, then I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck.
"The results should come out later tonight. The Esports Federation really didn’t give a lot of time for the applications.
"Just one day!
"I suppose they want to get this rolling as soon as possible.
"Your work contract, if you’re chosen, will be terminated, but if you want to get the job back once you’ve returned, that can be arranged."
Woodrow said.
"Thank you, boss."
Nebula, James, and Kylie all said.
While the pay wasn’t the best at the game center, the staff truly enjoyed working here, as it was a stress-free environment and, quite honestly, fun.
They, occasionally, were even allowed to play games during their breaks.
"You all can head home now."
Woodrow said with a smile, and they all thanked their boss and then took their backpacks and headed out of the front door.
"Kylie..."
James called out to her, but she had already climbed to her bike and started pedalling away, as she wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say.
He was only going to ask her out for one more time.
"See ya, boys."
Nebula yawned loudly, waved his hand, and then zipped up his jacket and walked against the cold wind.
It really felt like it was late autumn with winter around the corner because of how cold it was, and how the leaves were starting to fall off the trees.
"Cya."
James said goodbye to Devon with his two fingers raised—like it was his way of doing a ’cool goodbye’—and then he started running.
He had a bus to catch.
Devon slipped his hands inside his pockets, as it was quite cold, and he started walking back home.
He reached a corner of his home street and walked inside the convenience store—which happened to be quite close to his home.
Whenever he left work, he always visited a convenience store to purchase some food that he could make for himself and for his mother.
Since he was working and his mother couldn’t, they didn’t have a crazy amount of money—quite little actually.
With the rent and his mother’s medicine, he still had some left for food, but not that much—so he didn’t have room to spend money on anything else.
’I feel like making my mother happy today. She loves fish. I could make her some fish stew. I am sure she’d love it.’
Devon went through the different fish selections, took few minutes to decide, and finally picked out some salmon.
Then.
After picking up other ingredients for the stew, he grabbed some milk, WC paper, and a loaf of fresh bread.
Then paid for all of it in the checkout line.
With a bag of groceries in hand, he headed straight home and soon arrived at the apartment complex.
The apartment complex was a two-story tall brick building. Hallways were open to outside air. A parking lot was located in the front of the building.
It had just about fifteen apartments—all cheap and poor-looking—and the garbage bin over at the front was always overflowing with trash.
Smell, as one would expect, was horrible.
That’s why it was a really bad idea to ever open a window inside the apartment—unless you wanted your whole place to smell like trash.
Devon climbed to the second floor, pulled out a key from his pocket, and then opened the door to his apartment.
Immediately closed it behind him.
"I am home!"
He kicked his shoes under the coat rack.
Devon didn’t hear his mother’s usual—"welcome back"—shout that he had gotten used to hearing.
With a frown, he walked to the living room, and he saw his mother sleeping on the couch with a blanket draped over her.
It was slightly dropping off the edge of the couch.
’She is never asleep around this time.’
Devon thought, and then he moved the blanket so that it covered her completely, and then he took groceries to the refrigerator.
"Ah... You’re home..."
In that moment, Adele mumbled with a gentle smile and turned to lie on her back and not on her side.
"You’re tired?"
Devon asked while stuffing the stuff in the refrigerator.
Even though he asked that, he knew that it was her illness that was making her constantly fall asleep.
She was always low-energy and sleepy.
Before her sudden illness, Adele was like a sunshine. Always smiling, and always managed to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Whenever Devon was upset, she knew how to cheer him up—and now, even though she was hurting all the time, she managed to put up a smile on her face.
Just so that Devon wouldn’t feel sad.
"I was watching television, and I became a little sleepy... Hehe, and I just happened to fall asleep on the couch."
Adele giggled, and then she smelled something good in the air, and her eyes started sparkling like that of a child.
"Is that fish I smell?"
"That’s correct. I am making your favorite fish stew."
Devon said with a smile.
It brought up a genuine smile from Adele, and she then looked towards the clock in the wall and saw that it was almost seven.
"When are the results of the Talent Draft coming out?"
"Around nine, I think. Why?"
Devon asked.
"...No reason."
Adele said, but she looked nervous for some reason.
Devon thought she was acting strangely, but he just shrugged it off and started to make the food—because he was feeling hungry and believed that so was she.