Once at the Rossi market, Ray stood in front of Edi.
"Seriously? You again?" Edi said, looking at him with a mocking smile. "I thought you wouldn't come. I figured you'd be shitting your pants or something."
"I… I need the job," Ray replied. "Please, tell me what I have to do."
Edi smiled maliciously.
"Alright… start by cleaning the floor. Then arrange all the drinks in the coolers. And don't drop a single one, or it'll be deducted from your pay."
Ray tried to do everything correctly, but Edi always appeared to mess things up, forcing him to start over.
He sent him to clean the bathrooms, sweep areas he had already swept, organize and reorganize the display cases in front of the counter. He even made him serve customers without any experience.
Edi's mission was clear: make Ray quit once and for all.
Just as he had done with everyone his mother had hired before, Edi wasn't willing to share his slice of the business with anyone outside the family.
Hours passed, and the day came to an end.
An hour before closing, Ray gathered his things to leave.
"Good night, Edi. See you tomorrow."
Edi raised an eyebrow.
"Tomorrow? You're seriously coming back?"
"Of course," Ray replied. "I already told you, I need the job."
Edi watched him leave and muttered to himself:
"Let's see if you can handle it tomorrow…"
The next two weeks were a nightmare.
Edi made his work harder at every turn. Fatigue and stress were starting to show at school.
His performance dropped slightly, but Ray stayed determined: the trip was worth every effort. He wasn't going to give up. He knew he could make it happen.
Cris and Tai, visibly worried, approached him in the schoolyard.
"Do you really have to do all this for the trip?" Cris asked. "You could just tell her here, the day before school ends. You're pushing yourself too hard."
"That's true, Ray," Tai said. "Look at yourself… you look like a raccoon with those dark circles."
Ray sighed.
"Guys… it's only for a month. I talked to Mrs. Rossi. With one month of work, I can pay for the trip and give the rest of the money to my parents. Don't worry."
Cris and Tai exchanged glances.
"Well," Cris said finally, "if you're going to work there with that idiot Edi… then we'll do it too."
Ray's eyes widened, surprised.
"What? Really?"
"Of course," Tai said. "We can't just let our friend walk around like a zombie all the time just because someone thinks it's fun to make him work more than necessary. Tomorrow we'll ask for a job too."
Ray smiled, moved to see how his friends cared for him.
Though deep down, he knew it was almost impossible.
Time passed.
After hard work and a lot of effort, there was only one week left before the trip.
Ray was on one of his last days of work, after nearly a month enduring Edi's mistreatment. This time, Edi left him at the counter while he pretended to sleep in the back of the store.
"Alright, Ray," Edi said lazily. "Today it's your turn to serve customers. I hope you don't mess up the change this time… because this will already be the fifth time this week."
Ray scratched his head.
"What? Five times? I thought it was three…"
He got into position and began cleaning the counter.
Suddenly, he heard a soda can gently placed in front of him.
Without looking up, he said:
"Welcome to Rossi's store. Will that be all?"
A familiar voice answered.
Ray slowly lifted his head, hesitating for a moment.
And there she was.
Hana, standing in front of him, buying a soda in a place she rarely went to.
Ray froze completely, taking longer than usual to ring her up.
"You okay?" Hana asked.
Ray nodded silently and charged her for the drink. She left, wondering if she knew that person.
When he saw her leave through the door, Ray sank into his chair.
"What an idiot…" he muttered, lightly hitting his head. "Why didn't I speak? I must have looked like a weird antisocial guy…"
"Idiot… idiot…"
From the back, Edi had watched the whole scene. He had never seen Ray behave so erratically.
"Ray, come here."
Ray got up slowly.
"You… know that girl?"
Ray got nervous.
"I… I… well…"
"You're in love, right?" Edi asked before he could finish.
Ray looked down.
"Yes…" he finally admitted. "That's why I work here, Edi. Because I want to go on the school trip… and tell her how I feel."
Edi was silent.
For a moment, he remembered everything he had made Ray go through.
And he also remembered his own story.
"Look, Ray…" he said finally. "At some point, you remind me of myself."
Ray lifted his head.
"When I was in high school, I was in love too."
Edi sighed.
"I practiced countless times how I would confess. I thought about it so much that sometimes my stomach would tie up, and I couldn't even eat."
He smiled, a little embarrassed.
"I practiced with stuffed animals… with my pillow… even in my dreams."
He paused briefly.
"But life had other plans. I waited so long to gather the courage that, the day I finally did… I saw her walking hand in hand with another guy."
Ray listened silently.
"Unrequited love hurts more than any rejection," Edi continued. "So don't be afraid. I'm sure you can do it."
He stared at him.
"But don't take too long. Don't let life pass you by… or you'll end up like me, always wondering what would have happened if you had tried."
Ray was speechless.
For the first time since he started working there, Edi didn't sound cruel or mocking.
Edi crossed his arms and smiled slightly.
"You have my support, Ray. I trust you can do it."
At that very moment, the cycle of the "evil boss" had ended.