By the time the lunch rush ended, the entire staff looked like survivors of a kitchen apocalypse.
Sasha sat on an overturned bucket near the mop closet, sleeves soaked, hair frizzed, hands red from washing dishes that weren't supposed to be hers.
Carla stood near the office door, talking quietly with the assistant manager, both of them glancing toward Sasha.
Luis leaned on the prep counter, eating fries like nothing happened. "You know, I heard they're talking about staff cuts."
Sasha looked up sharply. "What?"
Luis shrugged. "Slow season's coming. Fewer shifts. Management's gonna figure out who's pulling weight, who's not."
Sasha sighed. "Debbie doesn't pull weight. She drops it. Then walks out."
Carla approached, clipboard in hand.
"Sasha, can I see you in the office for a minute?"
Sasha's stomach tightened. "Why? I didn't do anything."
"It's not that," Carla said quickly. "We're… assessing some things."
Luis raised his eyebrows. "Oooh, 'assessing.' That's manager speak for 'watch your back.'"
Carla gave him a glare sharp enough to slice potatoes. "Luis, you're next if you keep talking."
Sasha followed Carla into the cramped office, trying not to imagine getting fired in a room with a flickering light and a smell like expired disinfectant.
Inside, Carla sat behind her desk.
"You've been here six months, right?"
Sasha nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"You've had… ups and downs. Some customer complaints. But you're fast. You show up."
Sasha crossed her arms. "Unlike Debbie."
Carla sighed. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Between you two, I've logged five incidents this month. Management wants to cut liabilities, Sasha."
Sasha's voice rose. "I'm not a liability."
"You're not innocent either. You've got two write-ups. She has three."
Sasha stared. "So what's the plan? Flip a coin?"
Carla leaned forward. "I'm giving you both one last chance. One more incident… and the higher-ups will make a call."
Sasha walked out of the office feeling like her feet were made of concrete.
Luis looked up. "Bad news?"
"She called me a liability."
Luis nodded. "Debbie's gonna flip when she hears that."