The Zenith System

Chapter 009

Zack stands outside the store, still reeling from an encounter with Mason and Sophia. He can’t believe what he just witnessed — his ex-crush openly admitting to cheating on his boyfriend and showing no remorse for it. And Mason, who has already given up on Celeste and is now fucking a cheater and a whore.

His mind is racing with questions. How can Mason do this? Is he really that desperate for Celeste’s attention?

But as Zack continues to mull over the situation, a loud commotion from inside the storage room snaps him back to reality. He rushes in, only to see a furious Mr. Thompson.

“What’s going on?” he asks breathlessly.

“You think I won’t find out?!” he yells at Zack. “You think you can get away with this?!”

Zack’s heart drops. He looks around frantically, trying to figure out what he is angry about. Did he forget to arrange something? Any missing stocks, perhaps?

“What is it?” Zack asks, his voice trembling.

Mr. Thompson storms towards him, his face red with fury. “I can’t believe you would do something like this!” he yells at him.

“W—what did I do?” he asks, panicked.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Mr. Thompson booms. “I am not an idiot! I know you've just had sex here!”

Zack feels a lump form in his throat as he stares at his boss in shock and disbelief. He can feel himself turning red from embarrassment.

“It’s not me, it was Mason and his... girl, and—”

“Shut up! You’re fired!” Mr. Thompson cuts him off.

“What? No way!” Zack protests, his voice shaking.

“You heard me,” Mr. Thompson says sternly. “I have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior in my store!”

Zack’s mind races as he tries to come up with a defense, but before he can even speak, Mr. Thompson continues shouting at him.

“I can’t believe this is how you will repay me for giving you a job!”

Zack hangs his head in shame, feeling like a complete failure. How did things escalate so quickly? “But Mr. Thompson, it really is not my fault...” he tries to defend, but he feels deflated already.

“Mason doesn’t have a key to the back store!” he yells, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“But you left it open in a hurry earlier, that’s when they—” Zack tries to explain, but Mr. Thompson interrupts again.

“And now, you’re saying it’s my fault?!”

Zack feels like he’s drowning. He knows he didn’t do anything wrong, but how can he prove it when his boss won’t even listen?

“I’m sorry, sir,” he says instead, feeling defeated.

“I want you gone from this store today!”

He looks up. “But my last pay—”

“Your last pay will be used to clean up this place, and for all the damage you’ve caused during the robbery. You are even on the negatives with me!”

Zack cannot believe it, and even when he’s back to the cashier, he doesn’t know what to do or what to think anymore.

He is fired, and now, he is gathering his things like a meek little thing who won’t amount to anything. He walks out of the store with his head hanging low. Now, how will he explain this to Celeste and his family?

************************

“Zack! What are you doing up there? I’m hungry!” Celeste calls from outside his room, shattering his reverie.

Right, what was he doing? He looks around his tiny room. He is lying on his bed, holding his phone, while waiting for Mason’s reply. He is asking him to come visit so they can play some games, but he leaves it on seen mode.

It seems like, now that Mason has given up on his cousin, he has also given up on their friendship.

“Zack?”

He groans. Celeste just came from work. It’s the first time they meet after that robbery, and now, her voice is annoying him again.

“Zack?!” she calls again. This time, there is a knock on his door.

“Coming!” Zack shouts back.

He gets up from his bed. Besides, it’s their agreement that Celeste will take care of the bills while he takes care of the cleaning of the apartment and cooking for her. Basically, he is her all around servant.

He gets out of his room and sees her outside, her arms crossed against her chest.

“You look like a mess. What happened to you?” she asks, looking at his injuries.

“Nothing,” he responds as he walks past her.

She follows him to the kitchen as he prepares for their dinner.

“Hey, I want fried chicken tonight,” she comments as she watches him take out potatoes from the fridge.

He sighs and puts the potatoes back. “Okay,” he answers, reaching for the chicken instead.

“You should thaw them. I bought them yesterday.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he answers, trying not to sound annoyed. “Hmmm, we are missing ingredients. We don’t have a breading mix.”

“Seriously? But I specifically asked you to buy some yesterday!” Celeste exclaims.

“I know, but something came up at work and I forgot,” Zack explains.

“Why do you always forget things?!” Celeste mutters under her breath as she glares at him.

Zack can feel her disapproving gaze and it only makes him feel much worse. But he doesn’t say anything in return. What can he say? That he was fired because of a stupid mistake that wasn’t even his fault?

“Anything else you want to eat?”

She groans. “Just cook anything, as long as it is with chicken.”

He wants to groan in exasperation, but keeps it in. He obeys and continues the preparation.

“So whatever happened to your face?” she asks again. “Why do you look like you’ve been mauled by some beast?”

Zack freezes for a moment before continuing with his task. “I... there’s a robbery,” he answers vaguely, hoping she would drop the topic.

“Robbery?!” she exclaims, slamming hard at the table. “You should have told me!”

“But I—”

She groans. “I will call your parents!”

“There’s no need, I—”

“Shut up!” she says, and then she’s gone. She’s probably going to take her phone or something.

Zack groans again and continues with his task of preparing dinner. This is the reason he doesn’t want to meet her while his injuries are still healing. She will start being a pain in the ass.

After a while, Celeste returns to the kitchen. “Here, your mother wants to talk to you. In the meantime, I will just take a bath.”

“Yes?” he asks on the receiver.

“Zack? QuickFix has been robbed?”

“Yes, ma, but I am okay.”

There is a pause on the line and then his mother says again, “You might want to consider moving out and finding a place of your own? You’re becoming a burden to Celeste.”

‘The robbery is not my fault!’ he’d like to say, but he keeps mum.

“Zack, your cousin can’t support you forever. I heard she also buys your groceries, pays the rent and your utilities. You’re already too old to depend on her.”

Zack’s heart sinks as his mother’s words hit him like a ton of bricks. He knows she’s right. He can’t keep depending on Celeste for everything. But where will he go? What will he do? How can he support himself? He doesn’t have enough money to pay for rent and bills. And now he’s fired.

His mother sighs on the other line. “I think it’s time for you to start being independent. You’re already twenty-five and you’re still living with your cousin.”

“I know. I will figure something out,” Zack promises, even though he has no idea how.

“You better do,” his mother replies before ending the call.

Zack stands there for a moment, feeling helpless and lost. What can he do now? The job market is tough, and he doesn’t have a degree or any special skills that could land him a decent paying job.

He shakes his head and continues with dinner preparations. After a while, Celeste comes in.

“Is the dinner done?” she asks.

“Yes,” he answers, placing the food on the table while Celeste waits eagerly in her seat.

“Hmmm, that smells good,” she says with a smile as she takes in the aroma of the food. “Ah, right! I almost forgot to mention. I will be on vacation for the coming weeks. So, you will be alone for a while. You don’t need me to buy additional groceries right? You can buy them once you get your salary.”

Zack freezes as he looks at her, processing the information. Celeste is going on vacation? That means he will be left alone in the apartment for a few weeks. Panic starts to settle in as he thinks about how he will survive without her. There are groceries, but it won’t last him for over a week, and he doesn’t have any salary.

But before he can even voice out his concerns, Celeste continues, “And don’t forget to clean up after yourself. I don’t want to come home to a messy apartment.”

He nods absentmindedly, still trying to think of a solution. He can’t let her know that he’s worried about being left alone and unable to take care of himself.

“Remember,” Celeste says sternly, interrupting his thoughts once more. “I don’t want any wild parties happening here while I am gone, okay?”

Zack nods quickly, not trusting himself enough to speak without revealing his worries.

“Good,” Celeste says with a nod. “Now, I can’t wait to eat!”