*BEEP BEEP*

*BEEP BEEP*

*BEEP BEEP*

*BEEP BEEP* "Will someone please get that?"

*BEEP BEEP*

*BEEP BEEP*

*BEEP BEEP* "Damnit"

*BEE"Welcome to Barn of Tacos. How can I help your hankering?"

"Oh. Um...one minute."

Folks, working the drive-thru at a fast food joint can really stink. Oh you don't believe me? Then just take a gander at Courtney. She's been working at Barn of Tacos for a good 3 years now. She knows she should be in college, but she wouldn't be able to keep up with the bills she has if she was a full time student and working part-time wouldn't help at all. She works to pay for the car. She has the car to get to work. So she feels trapped. She's heard all the solutions, and all of them would work. But she's trapped inside also.

"Um, okay. Um...hello?"

"Yup, go ahead." Courtney takes her hand off the intercom button so the man in the car can't hear her anymore. "God, I hate this place."

She really does. Five hours later she's at her small one bedroom apartment, curling up on her couch. She's rented a nice romantic comedy so she can laugh and cry the night away. By herself. She has noone, and she feels, she is noone. Now me being the author, I pretty much have the power to make or break this character. I've always been a sucker for a pretty face, so we're gonna give her a little kick in the butt of life. Not because I have some great idea that involves this character excelling at life. Not at all. But I'm gonna give her what I wish I could have right now. A choice...and a chance.

*RING RING* "Damn!" Courtney puts her VCR on pause. She looks for the cordless phone under the pile of mail...mostly bills, and finds it.

(sigh) "Hello? Yes, this is she. No. No...I don't know anyone by that name, I'm sorry. Excuse me? Yes I work there. Are you sure? What? Yes, those people were my parents. Who is this? Huh, 132 Sylvan St.? 12 o'clock tomorrow? Um, okay thanks but who is this...*click* Um, bye."

She hangs up the phone. She picks it up again, and leaves a message on Barn of Tacos' answering machine, letting them know that she'll be coming in a little late tomorrow. Deciding that she's really not in the mood to finish the rest of her movie, she shuts the TV off, gets undressed, and heads to bed. She's got a long day ahead of her. She may not know that, but I do.