I don’t care what anyone says. 

Money DOES buy happiness. 

And even if it didn’t, at least I could be miserable in comfort. 

Seriously. Why should I enjoy a life of sitting behind a cash register listening to the whining of some asshole with so little power in their lives that they need to take it out on some service worker just going on about their day? 

It’s this: go to sleep, wake up, and then repeat the process. This is the “life” that people like me live. This is the “life” we’re told to just accept. A cog in the machine. 

“Hey…”

This is not a life. 

“Evelyn…” 

This is….trudging through mud in the rain…up a hill. 

“𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕪𝕟!” 

“Huh?” 

Standing over me was none other than my manager. He didn’t really look upset as much as he seemed irritated, standing there with his hand on his hip and tapping his feet against the hard floor.

“No slouching at the register.” 

“If I can’t sit, I have to slouch or lean on something.” I explained. 

“You need to be alert for when customers come in.” 

“I am alert.” 

“Then why did I have to call you twice?” 

“Twice?” 

He didn’t call me three times?

“Yes! If you have nothing to do then there’s a shelf in the candy aisle that’s empty. I need you to fill them up.” 

“You were back there this entire time, why didn’t you do it?” 

He scoffed. “I have more important things to do.” 

I simply shrugged before heading towards the aisle. I didn’t have the energy for this. Even with me being the only person here, my manager still felt the need to put on airs. It was beyond annoying. 

I wonder if people like him just enjoy the fact that someone like me has no choice in all of this. It’s either this or I starve and end up on the streets. And even then, not facing homelessness isn’t even a guarantee. 

I grabbed one of the boxes that were just lying around, opening it up revealing a group of neatly packed chocolate bars. 

With the empty shelves being on the bottom shelf, it was the perfect opportunity to sit and get the work done. Unfortunately, it also meant being more alone with my thoughts. 

It’s not hard to feel like this country is a social experiment to see just how much they can get away with putting people through. And to everywhere else, it’s a spectacle. 

It all feels hopeless. 

The line drawn only became clearer and clearer as the years went by. There’s the people drowning and there’s the people floating over the corpses in yachts. 

I don’t wanna be one of the people on the yacht. I simply don’t want anyone to be drowning to begin with. No one has to drown.

And if the yachts MUST stay then what’s the harm in letting people on?

All of these hurdles are a result of man-made greed but any talk of that and you’re regarded as if you’re some Soviet-union conspiracy nut. 

I let out an exasperated breath. ‘I need something to occupy my head.’ 

I pulled out my phone from the front of my work vest pocket, just below my name tag, along with my wireless earbuds. Plugging them into my ears with one hand as the other unlocked my phone. 

I immediately went to the streaming site that hosted a childhood show of mine. Granted, my friends and I shouldn’t have been watching it at our age but it was addicting. Trading cards, supplements, mugs, you name it. It was infamous for how much money it managed to make.

A simple period drama-romance show called Roll End Romance. It took place in a fantasy setting that had a 1920s-1930s aesthetic. 

About a Crown Prince and the daughter of a Baron who falls in love in spite of everyone’s rejection and fights for their love. Was it cheesy? Totally. Did it age well? Like a public pool filled with milk and wine. Was it the perfect thing to turn your brain off and watch? Eh…sorta. 

The rose-colored glasses were definitely broken when my friends and I went for an initial rewatch. 

For example, the show’s portrayal of other cultures was…questionable at best and down-right bigoted at worst. Not to mention it was very much filled with “not like other girls” nonsense and I do NOT like being reminded of that era of my life. It also had a very narrow-minded view of sexuality and gender so…yeah. 

That’s just inside the show though. It was always clear they were winging it with some of the plot lines for some seasons. Characters were killed off for shock value when certain actors were fed up with their lack of pay and it showed with unresolved plot lines. Not to mention the writer’s strike that happened back then. Roll End Romance was one of the shows that didn’t make it out ok. 

It’s amazing to watch the final product knowing just how much of it was held together with duct tape and a dream. Nowadays, most people rewatch it for the same reasons I do or to simply laugh at how bad it was in hindsight. 

I guess there was another reason to watch it though. 

The wealth porn was the best thing about the show. 

They made everything look so appealing. 

Lavish parties, extravagant fashion, and the most amazing and delectable-looking food you could imagine. Watching the characters eating cupcakes, chocolate & fine cuisine when all I had at the ready was some instant noodles did something to me as a kid. 

What? I’m human. 

I even remember going to a friend’s RER-themed birthday party. Thankfully, none of our parents knew much about it so they didn’t put their foot down when it came to us watching it. 

“Elvira Khanna the Fifth, you have been accused of the attempted murder of Camila Blythe. Your punishment…shall be the guillotine. Any last words?” 

The voice of Solomon’s actor, Raphael Lennon, echoed in my ear as he did his best imitation of a Mid-Atlantic accent. 

This episode was the end of an era, as it was the death of one of the villains of the story: Elvira Khanna the Fifth. She was Solomon’s bratty fiancé who went out of her way to torment Camila once she realized the romance that was blossoming between her and Solomon. 

Her family wanted her to marry into the Conwyn family so they could slowly push them out of power in favor of the aristocratic nobles. Nobles who got their status through their businesses and monetary gain rather than the royal nobles, who got their status through birthright. The Khannas were famous chocolatiers from the kingdom of Solaan. 

However, for as much of a mean girl as Elvira was, she was iconic in her own right. But her evil was nothing compared to her best friend, Faye Zhao. Solomon’s cousin. 

However, Elvira is the one that dies in this series. Brought to a breaking point and straight up attempts to kill Camila by poisoning her. Camila survived though. 

“Please, my prince! I was only doing it for you!” Elvira pleaded with tears in her eyes. “She was poisoning you against me! I was saving US!”

“THERE IS NO US AND THERE NEVER WAS! You’d gift me a necklace of razor blades if you knew you could get away with it. You’re an evil woman and it’s high time everyone saw you for what you are. I can only hope that you’ll have a soul in your next life. My love is with Camila and Camila alone. Use these few moments left of your life to remember that.”

The emotion in this scene was a highlight as up to this point, Solomon had been portrayed as a brooding individual whose heart was only softened by Camila’s love. 

Solomon waved his hand, signaling for the executioner, who released the rope he was gripping onto, allowing the sharpened blade to fall. A sea of frightened screams filled the gallows area as everyone watched Elvira’s head come tumbling down.

“𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘~” 

“Huh?” 

I yanked out an earbud and quickly turned around only to see no one behind me. But that voice sounded so clear and definitely did NOT sound like it was from the show. 

“Hey, Evelyn!” My manager called out. 

“Yeah?” 

“It looks like one of the carts got loose. I need you to go out and grab it before it hits someone’s car.” 

“And you can’t do it because…?” 

“Someone has to watch the store.” 

I rolled my eyes. 

Whatever. 

I paused the episode and put my phone and earbuds back before heading outside. The outlet mall had a few stores that were seeing more business than us. 

The Chinese food place to our right and the thrift store to our left. Beyond our neighbors were an abandoned phone tech store, a Chicago-style pizza place, and an insurance place.

There I saw the lone cart with the bright green rubber covering on the handle. It was just chilling in the middle of the parking lot waiting for the wind to push it forward into someone’s car and cause a whole mess. Though, realistically speaking, it probably wouldn’t even make a dent. But no one in this town can afford to take that chance. 

I casually walked through the quiet lot. Only a few cars littered the space and none of them had drivers. The only sounds being emitted were my footsteps against the asphalt, the occasional bird, and the few cars that passed by in intervals. 

Nothing was happening. 

And then I grabbed onto the handle and realized it was one of the ones with a shitty wheel. 

“How is it you know how to run off with a wheel like this? Make it make sense.” I chided with an eye roll. 

“ℕ𝕠 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤” 

“Huh?”

Once I began to turn the cart, that’s when I suddenly heard it. The blaring roar of a truck’s horn that seemingly manifested out of nowhere and charged towards me like a bullet. 

The shock of its sudden appearance rooting me in place as the darkness between the grills grew bigger and maybe in this shocked delusion I could’ve sworn I saw menacing teeth before I saw nothing. 

I felt nothing. 

I thought it would feel painful to get by a car. A truck even. 

Didn’t even feel a searing pain. 

I guess that’s good, right? 

No one wants to die a painful death. 

But now I’m stuck in nothing. 

Just a black void. 

“𝕊𝕒𝕕 𝕖𝕟𝕕.” 

A voice called out to me. 

“𝕊𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕪.” 

“Sorry?” 

“𝕄𝕪 𝕓𝕒𝕕.” 

“Your bad… you did that to me?” 

“𝕆𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪.” 

“Opportunity? Opportunity for what? To feel what it’s like to get hit by a f*cking truck? What is wrong with you?!” 

“𝔹𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕕.” 

“Bo……bored?” 

“ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘?” 

I didn’t respond, waiting for the voice in the dark to finish. 

“𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖.” 

…

“𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕚𝕟.” 

“….what’s the catch?” 

“ℕ𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖?” 

“No, there never needs to be a catch. Doesn’t change the fact that there always is one.” 

The voice let out a soft chuckle. 

“𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕖. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙.” 

Then a rainbow of particles fluttered above me like a visualizer accompanying a soft melody. 

“𝕐𝕠𝕦. 𝔸𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣. 𝔸 𝕤𝕡𝕪. 𝔸 𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕜𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤.” They spoke with a whimsical tone to their words. 

“I’m neither of those things.” 

The particles fell down to the dark floor, revealing I was standing atop dark waters, the water showed my reflection only slightly different. I died in my uniform and was still currently wearing it but the reflection showed me in something else and I kneeled down for a closer look.

I was wearing a beautiful floor-length lavender silk evening gown. One with spaghetti straps with a back opening that dipped down to the back of my waist and a front that dipped just a bit between the valley of my breasts. 

The look being adorned with a few pieces of silver. A necklace with a rosary-like design. Silver dangling earrings and a duo of silver bracelets. Each piece is enhanced with a bit of amethyst. 

I felt like a starlet. One of those old Hollywood starlets.

I looked beautiful. I never thought my body could look beautiful in something like this.

“𝕐𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥.”

I’m in awe. 

“𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪.” 

“Ready for what?” I asked, still entranced in my reflection.

And then it was like another snap.

And I was in a room I did not recognize. 

Curled up against the door of a darkened study sitting atop muffled music. While the room didn’t look completely abandoned, it certainly didn’t look like it was being used frequently. 

I picked myself up, instinctively straightening my clothes only to realize that I was no longer in my work uniform. 

No, I was in the dress. 

Spotting a floor-length mirror seated near a window with the moonlight caressing its wooden frame. I quickly moved over to look at my reflection. Yes, it was certainly the same dress. 

It was still me but this dress…looked familiar. 

!!

The supplements! 

Roll End Romance made bank off of the supplemental material. Many of them showcase architecture and fashion. One such dress was labeled Elvira’s Engagement Dress. The dress she wore for her engagement party. Solomon had told her it made her look like a floozy. 

But this dress…

Looked perfectly fine. 

Maybe it was because I was from a time when this was considered more classy-looking, but this didn’t even seem that bad. 

That wasn’t the major issue though. If I was in the dress then that could only mean one thing. 

A calm knocking on the door caught my attention. 

Shit.

“Elvira, are you in there?” 

Oh, this is baaaaaad…

Before I had any time to act on anything like hiding or even jumping out of the window, the knob turned, and in stepped in a character I knew well: Faye Zhao, Elvira's best friend and the one of the trio that was really mean as the show showcased.

To put it best. Ginny was Karen Smith, the most innocent of the mean girl trio and maybe a little airheaded. There was no mistaking that Elvira was the Regina George. However, if Elvira was Regina George that meant Faye was Gretchen right?

Wrong.

If Elvira was Regina George then Faye took it a step further by being Heather Duke post-Chandler death. That's what made her scary.

A fear that only amplified as she gave me a shocked expression that turned into mild anger and maybe some despair.

"You're not Elvira." She said.

.....

"Wait...what?"

Does she....recognize me?