I noticed her ever since I walked into the grocery store. Pale skin. dark eyeshadow, eyeliners, black lipstick, piercings followed up throughout the entire rim of her left ear. Two piercings on the sides of her bottom lip. Black nail polish, black outfit, black wristbands. The only thing that was strikingly colored was her brown apron and red hair.

She looked so, annoyed. Demotivated. Emotionally frustrated somehow through her tired eyes and judging by her torn backpack on the floor behind the cash counter she seemed bitter. Sitting there. Waiting for her shift to end.

I only needed to get tea, cookies, and chips. The main thing my brother wanted me to get was definitely anything that would taste good for a hot drink to brace the coming winter.

When I got what I needed, I thought of doing what the locals do. Self Check out counter. But I was shy and embarrassed I might make a fool of myself or hold the line for taking too long struggling with the new technology at the time. All the other lines were long, except for hers. It was empty.

I had nothing against with how she looked like. I was just wondering why no one went to her counter. So I went.

I placed my basket on the counter with my brothers' money in one hand. I smiled at her. She didn't smile back. She just had a dead facial expression. Before I decided to look away, she spoke in a very uninterested manner.

"Hey...Hows it goin'?" checking the items along the way.

"Good. Fine, thank you. Erm...How are you doing?"

She stopped and placed the chocolate milk carton on the counter and looked up at me with a disgusted frown forming a unibrow. I was prepared to just change my personality as the quite Asian if she were to shout at me. But instead, she said...

"URGH! Terrible. It's such a slow day y'know? I've got like..another hour to go but it feels like it's been taking forever. My class starts at eight. I could be catching up on my assignments instead of sitting here slowly dying, y'know?"

she continues to scan the chips and tea.

"Huh, yea I hear you. Plus I hear its gonna be -4 deg tomorrow ay?"

"Yea I know right? oh, how I miss summer. Love going down at Cottesloe there and just lay in the sand."

"I go there too. Love it there."

"Yea? Great innit? Beautiful. Alright, so that's 12 dollars and 50 cents. You want a bag with that?"

"Nah it's ok. I got it."

I placed my backpack on the counter, and to my surprise, she helped grabbed the items and put it in my backpack.

Still, during the whole conversation, there wasn't a single smile cracked on her face.

I zipped it up and sling on one arm.

"Thank you. Hey, I hope everything goes alright for you. Don't let the clock kill your dreams."

"Yeah right on ya mate! See ya."

As I walked out of the grocery store, I looked back at her and saw her wiping off the counter with a damp cloth.

Smirking, to herself.