Agree to work today
From Create Your Own Story
You reluctantly agree to help Stefano disrupt the town with his new flyers and menus. After all, he was a good boss back when you actually worked at the shop part-time, and the extra money wouldn’t hurt. It’s only a couple of hours, the weather’s nice, and you don’t really have a good excuse to say no.
You hop in your car, and before long you’re pulling up outside the pizza shop. The place is still closed—metal shutters pulled down over the front windows—but the back door to the kitchen is propped open. You step inside, immediately noticing how different it looks from the last time you were here. The shop has had a full facelift.
“Jake!” Stefano calls out when he sees you. He throws his arms wide as he talks. “Thank you for helping out!”
You smile and shrug it off. “No problem.”
Most of the place is brand new, but it’s clearly still a work in progress. Boxes are stacked along the walls, storage bins sit half-unpacked, and the floor is cluttered enough that you have to watch where you step. Stefano weaves through the mess effortlessly as he keeps talking.
“The place looks fantastic, eh? New ovens, more space, no?” He grins proudly. “And menus—yeah—here.”
He hands you a box filled with freshly printed menus. On the front is a cartoon version of him, smiling wide and holding a pizza. “Good, huh?” he says, sucking in his belly slightly as he squeezes past another stack of boxes.
You glance around again. “What time are you opening tonight?”
“Not till six,” he says, flashing a confident smile across his chubby face. “Plenty of time.”
He nods toward the box in your hands. “With you and Oliver helping get the new promotion flyers and menus out, door to door, I know tonight’s opening will be great.”
“Oliver?” you ask, looking up.
“My new delivery driver,” Stefano says casually. “Since you left me to go off to college and all.”
In the back of the kitchen, half-hidden behind a tower of pizza boxes, stands a slim, ginger-haired guy about your age—maybe a little younger. He has a skinny frame and a pale face dusted with freckles. He’s dressed simply in jeans and a fitted T-shirt that shows off just how slender he is. His large blue eyes flick up to meet yours, and he offers a small, awkward smile before lifting his hand in a brief wave.
“Hi,” he mutters.
“I figured getting the two of you to take these bad boys around town would be better,” Stefano says, tapping a second box of menus with his knuckles. “After all, I ordered six hundred of them.”
“Yeah,” you say with a nod, then turn to the guy behind the boxes. “Nice to meet you.”
“Now, I don’t care how you split the work,” Stefano continues. “Go together, split up—it’s up to you. Just get my menus out to the masses, boys. And make sure you hit the houses up in Willowsmeek.” He gives you a knowing look. “Rich folks. They tip well. You know that, Jake.”
You and Oliver each grab a box of menus and head out of the shop, the afternoon sunlight spilling in as you step outside.
Once you reach your car, you pause for a moment, considering your options. You could split up and handle your half alone—or you could ride together, each taking one side of the street and might just knock the work out faster.
say goodbye to Oliver and work separately
Or
