It was now lunch break. Kelly and Ken stretched their arms as they took out their lunchboxes and headed downstairs. On the way there, the two spotted Richard sulking near the water cooler. As he was getting another shot of water, Ken went over to greet him.

“Hey there, are you doing alright?” Ken asked.

Richard noticed him and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“We saw your fight earlier.” Kelly showed up to the conversation and pointed out.

“Oh.” Richard looked down at the floor, showing no trace of emotion behind it. “Sorry, you had to see that in full swing.”

“It’s alright,” Kelly replied. “Even so, that reaction was uncalled for.”

“Wait, are you on her side?”

“We’re not on anyone’s sides,” Ken said. “Look, we understand why you’d be upset with her. Mindy’s way of thinking and acting…” He hesitated a bit. “It's hard to get behind.”

“Not saying you were wrong, but you need to understand how Mindy feels,” Kelly added. “You don’t know much about both of their lives.”

“But...” Richard’s grip on the paper cup tightened as he bit his lip. “I want to know why they’re so harsh to one another. I want to help.”

“There’s a reason for everything.” Ken said. “But it’s difficult to get the answers you want or need.”

“And sometimes you never find or figure it out,” Kelly added. “I mean, how would you like it if we asked you personal questions?”

After thinking about it, Richard’s face lit up. He gulped the entire drink and tossed the cup in the trash. “You’re right, I messed up and went overboard.”

“Nice to see you realize that.” Kelly gave him a smile. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to find Mindy and talk to her. Hopefully, I’m not too late.”

“We can talk later if you want.”

“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The group waved as they went their separate ways for now. Ken and Kelly felt optimistic, but also feared they could go off the deep end. Hopefully, Richard can handle this by himself.

.-.-.-.

Richard walked around the halls, hoping to find Mindy and make amends before he potentially lost his only job. He overheard a muffled conversation from the walls. Mindy came out from one room and sighed. She turned, noticing him watching from a distance.

“Oh, you again?” Mindy walked over to him and asked. “Did you need something from me?”

“Did you...” Richard hesitated for a bit. “Already talk to the boss?”

“That’s correct.”

“Oh.” Richard lowered his head. “Does this mean I have to turn in my uniform? Can I at least say goodbye to—?”

“No need to do that,” Mindy interrupted. “You’re not fired.”

“Really?” Richard raised his head as his ears perked up. Did he hear that right? Whatever happened to her wanting to get him fired? “Does this mean I’m off the hook?”

“Not quite. Although your punishment differs from what I intended, the boss put you under an overnight shift.” Mindy explained. “Hope you don’t have any plans later tonight.”

“Oh, now that you mention it...” Richard’s eyes shifted to the floor as he scratched his cheek. “Um, can I make it up—?”

“Too bad, you need to do this now or else.”

“Why are you so hostile towards me?”

“Well, I am still upset with you.”

“Look, about that...” Richard sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about—”

“Sorry, but I don’t have time right now,” Mindy interjected. “I’ll be supervising you after work, so you can tell me then if you wish.”

Richard glanced at her as she walked away. A smile crept on her face from the corner of his eyes. Even though Mindy failed at what she set out to do, she seemed content for some reason. But why, though? Did Charlie bribe her with something greater? Was the night shift strenuous to deal with? He couldn’t stay focused on that for long, as he had to get back to work.

He met up with Ken and Kelly and told them about what happened. The duo told him to hang in there and do his best. Eventually, it was closing time, and all the other workers left for the day. Richard had to stay behind to fulfill his promise and avoid getting fired from the job. This would be a story to tell. Hopefully, Fawn had news to share regarding their goal.