i thought as i adjusted my name pin on my taco bell uniform. here i was. a nineteen year old woman working in a shitty fast food in mexico where i get harassed almost daily by middle age men and paid minimum wage.

i would quit if i was able to, but i needed to make money somehow. i didn't have any traits that made me skilled in the workplace and i didn't want to live with my parents forever.

"hello! what can i get for you today?" i greet a scrawny looking teenage boy from behind the register. he looked nervous, so i tried to seem nice for once.

"um a nachos bell grande combo with a regular sprite." he said in a rush. he was clearly white, and spoke the menu items like he didn't know what spanish was.

i nodded a smiled politely at him, as if i was reassuring him. "anything else?" i ask. he shakes his head in response. i ring up his meal and relay it to the kitchen. i go to help the next costumer and my smile immediately drops.

"what can i get you?" i ask, monotoned.

"geez do you ever smile?" some greasy old man asked me rudely. he peered over the register to see my name tag.

"what can i get you?" i ask again, not moving a muscle in my face.

"you're very scary, reyna. boys don't like that." he grins, reading off my name.

"if you haven't realized, we sell food here, so if you aren't going to order you're going to have to leave." i roll my eyes.

the man whistles at me. "damn. lemme get a black bean crunch wrap with a coke." he finally orders.

one more hour to go.

i climb into my car, gripping the steering wheel and hitting my head on it. taking off my dumbass hat i let it a short scream, not caring who heard.

i'm so fucking tired of living like this.

it's the same thing over and over and over again with the same shitty people. life was suppose to be fucking fun.

what the fuck is this.

i haven't had a genuine conversation with anyone for years. when will i get to live how i want to?

i check my phone, squinting to see my percentage past my shattered screen. i plug it in to the aux and shuffle my liked songs on spotify, hearing the intro for 'missing kitty' by Kreayshawn start to play.

i pulled out of the lot, heading to the walmart down the street. i needed canvases and the ones there were cheap enough. i turned into the parking lot, already struggling to find a spot.

after i found one, i parked and walked into the store, glaring at some kids that were staring at me. i wasn't in the mood for shit today.

i quickly bee line to the arts and crafts section, grabbing what i need and heading back to the register. not feeling small-talk, i head to the self-checkout and pay for everything. i swiftly pocket a package of gum before heading out of the store.

i sit back in my car and check the time. it was around 7, the sun was beginning to set and it flared directly in my eyes, frustrating me. i should probably eat, but i just paid my phone bill, so the pack of bubble gum would have to do.

money was very, very tight, but no way was i going to go back to my parents house. i had run away about a year ago, and out of pure spite, i refuse to go back. i could handle myself. barely, but i could.

i walked into my shitty apartment (that i only got because i promised the landlord not to tell the police about him dealing coke), and collapsed on the cigarette smelling couch.

i'm so tired of living this way, but i couldn't live any other way.

i decided to finish a commission so i could eat tomorrow. i really liked this request because all they asked for was something to do with eyes and mushrooms. they wanted a stoner vibe, and i digged that.

i had painted a bright, wavey, striped background. then i added the mushrooms. i did the iconic red ones with white spots, but made the spots eyes. i genuinely liked this painting, which was rare. i let it dry while i went to see what other commissions i had.

immediately, one of them caught my eye. i mean, it was hard not to when the guy was offering to pay ten fucking grand. this guy was definitely some old rich white guy.

i looked closer to see what he was asking for. he wanted "idk some cool shit on my walls".

what the fuck. who is this kid. i decided to dm him, going extra form the sole reason of the money.

hey saw your commission, can you elaborate please

there was no sense in being a bitch right off the bat, the guy just seemed confused. what would i even do with ten thousand dollars? why does he even have ten thousand dollars to throw away. i looked at his profile to gather a little more information.

his name was alex, he was under the age of 21, but over 18, and lived nearby. that was the only information available on the sight, and it baffled me.

how is someone my age getting this much money? i instantly thought he could be a 'performer', then i realized it wasn't my business. i respect the grind, though.

i got a dm back and i quickly opened it.

sorry, i have a wall in my house that's made from bricks

i wanted to decorate it

what do you have in mind?

i'm not sure

i know that doesn't help

i'm sorry

it's totally okay i get commissions like this all the time

we set up a time and he gave me his address. i was going to go to his house in a few days where i would paint his wall.

was i about to get kidnapped? probably.

was the risk worth ten grand? yeah.