With some little cash left inside her purse, Riley paid for a taxi drive to the club where she worked as the toilet cleaner.
She entered through the backdoor as she always had, a voice stopping her.
"Hey, Riley!" She froze in her feet. Tightening her fingers around the handle of her suitcase she gulped down nervously and turned.
Her boss, looked furious. His nose flailing, eyes brows knitted together.
"Where were you yesterday! This place was so messed up and you were nowhere to be found!" He spat, his eyes turning to the suitcase behind her.
"And what is that behind you?"
"Ummm...," she cleared her throat, "I'm sorry boss. I was busy yesterday and had lost track of time. I promise it will never happen again! My suitcase won't be here tomorrow. I'm just coming-"
"Enough with the silly excuses," he cut her shut, hands in the air.
"Last chance, Riley. If you do not want this job there are thousands of people waiting on the line for it. I won't tolerate this shit next time. One more mistake and you're out." He eyed her like she was some kind of dirty scum and left.
Hewwww! She finally breathed properly. Her hands rubbed her chest in soothing circles.
She quickly assembled her suitcase in one corner of the changing room and quickly changed to her working outfit.
As the club toilet cleaner, Riley's job was a bit hectic because every 30 minutes to an hour she cleans the toilet/ restroom.
With her cleaning tools and detergents, she began cleaning, the sinks first, retching a bit at the sight of seeing messed up soggy tissues and people's thrown up contents plastered on the sink, staining the white sink and tiles.
"How could people be so disgusting?" She thought, thanking God she had worn her mask.
Riley made the skin squeaky clean, even sprayed some disinfectant and burnt a vanilla incense stick.
She proceeded to clean the floor and just as she was at the door side, the door pushed open with full force causing her to trip and fall on the slippery tiles.
"Ouch!" She cried out in pain, her working trousers stained at the knee side with blood.
She was bleeding! Oh heavens! Tears stained her eyes but she quickly sucked them in.
It was probably just a bruise. Nothing to cry about.' she told herself.
She pushed herself up from the floor just to be kicked down back.
"How dare you!" A lady wearing a strapless shiny short dress snickered. Her tone was shallow, filled with rage.
Two girls were by her side each of them in an orange dress.
"What do you mean! Why did you throw a kick at me like that!" Riley was furious. What had she even done?
No words. Just a sound as the lady threw her right hand across Riley's cheeks.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? How dare you talk back to me, you fucking, cheap cleaner."
She walked closer now, her heels resting high above Riley's bruised knees.
Riley's hand was holding her swollen cheeks. Tears stinging her eyes as they free fall.
"You fucking made my wrist hurt. Why the hell were you standing by the door? Why could you wait until the club was empty to clean the restroom. You're such a a fucking annoying shit of a cleaner." She dug her knees right on Riley's swollen and bruised knees. Twisting and pushing down on the heel.
"Ahhh... Ouch ouch..." She cried out, her heart scraping out of her ribcage.
Just then her boss walked in.
"What's going on here?" He asked no one in particular, but turned to the lady.
"Are you okay Miss?" He asked her, not looking once at Riley whose knees were twisted by the lady's heel.
"Oh no... No I'm not...." Her tone now changed to a smaller one, faking hurt.
"I don't know what I did to her but she just came at me for no reason. And when I tried asking her she just slapped me." She sniffled nothing, "I'm sorry for hurting her.... I never wish I did but how could I have protected myself without making her feel the pain she caused me?" The lady faked her tears, turning to the two of her friends as they consoled her.
"It's okay, Jessica. The bitch will surely be fired, right sir?" One of Jessica's' alleys said, allowing her to cry on her shoulders.
Riley chuckled, tears down to her jaw and into her shirt.
Of course, she was Jessica, Mia's best friend. But she didn't notice at first because of the heavy makeup that made her look more mature and older.
Jessica was just like Mia who had just attacked her for no reason and her boss?
He's a weak spine who wouldn't dare question Jessica because of the money she brought to the club.
Right from when she had turned sixteen with her sister Mia, they had been sneaking around lately, faking their ID's and going places they shouldn't but Riley didn't rat them because she had just thought they were living lives and would surely reset back to normal.
But she was mistaken. Her sister influenced deeply by Jessica was now out of control.
"Of course, girls... I promise she will never step foot inside here again."
Riley's mouth dropped, ''Am I getting fired?"
"But that's a lie, sir. I didn't even touch her or do anything. See..." She pointed to her reddened and swollen cheeks "I am the one who got slapped by her..."
"Enough of your excuses, Riely. You always lie." The man screamed at her. He jacked her up by her arm, ignoring the hurtful whimpers that left Riley's lips.
Without hesitation or asking for her own point, he threw her outside the club, alongside her suitcase.
Words failed Riley. There was no point begging because her boss was a rugged man who never believed her. And since his decision was influenced by Jessica, she knew that his decision will heavily not be changed because Jessica was like his money machine.
When she came around, money just flowed easily, but when she didn't come, the income will be way lesser that night but Jessica had been coming consecutively and he wouldn't want to cut his ATM loose.
Suddenly, the cloud colour changed, thunder cracking in the sky as it began pouring.
Riley stood in the rain, letting it hit her harshly as it mixed with her tears.
Her eyes were swollen and tired, bones weak. She didn't know where to go.
Her initial plan was to spend the night at the club, then look for a solution the following morning but she wasn't a lucky girl.
Life has never showed her mercy, instead it poured frustration all over her.
When she felt her head rolling, and eyes twitching, she didn't want to fight it. What would be the gain?
Instead, she let the rain pour on her, allowing herself to wallow in self pity as she let the darkness consume her.
Her eyes clicked shut and her head dropped to the ground with a very loud thud.