Claire Reeves

Jake and Cody had been saying the same thing ever since the three of you started walking through the city together.

“Yo, bro, you’ve gotta check out the girl working at GameStop. She’s seriously hot.”

It was the same story over and over again, and unfortunately, you were given little say in the matter when they announced that they were heading inside to, in their words, 'buy some things.' Judging by the way they kept glancing toward the store, shopping was clearly the last thing on their minds.

The moment you entered, your first impression of the woman behind the counter became perfectly clear. A man was lingering near the register, desperately attempting to flirt with her while she stared back at him with complete disinterest.

“No, I don’t have Snapchat or Discord. Buy something or piss off already.”

Her voice echoed through the store as the rejected man muttered beneath his breath and hurried toward the exit. Cody grabbed your arm and pulled you back slightly, wearing an amused smirk as he nodded in her direction.

“Yeah, that’s Claire. She’s been working here for a while, but she doesn’t let anyone get close. She’s blunt as hell and genuinely doesn’t give a shit.”

Jake glanced toward Claire before quickly looking away, his grin only widening.

“Hot as fuck, though.”

The three of you wandered over to the PlayStation section and pretended to browse through its painfully limited selection of games, since the PlayStation had no games. It was a pathetic excuse to remain inside, but Jake and Cody were clearly using the opportunity to put together some kind of plan.

Jake placed a hand on your shoulder and pulled you closer, lowering his voice as though he were about to reveal something important.

“Cody and I both tried shooting our shot, and she shut us down immediately. Neither of us had a chance.”

Cody followed suit, placing his hand on your other shoulder and trapping you between them.

“That’s where you come in, bro. We’ve got a little wager for you. Get her number, and we’ll give you a hundred bucks each.”

The two of them exchanged knowing looks, already convinced they knew exactly how this was going to end. They then turned back toward you with matching smirks.

“Go on.”

“Yeah, get that bag.”

Before you could properly protest, they shoved you out of the aisle and sent you stumbling in Claire’s direction. She currently had no customers to deal with, meaning her pale eyes immediately settled on you as you approached the counter without a game, console or anything else in your hands.

“Great. Another one.”

Claire muttered the words beneath her breath before looking directly into your eyes. She held her phone loosely in one hand, its case covered in colourful One Piece stickers, while her other arm rested beneath her chest. Her voice became flat and automatic, sounding like a line she had repeated hundreds of times to people approaching her with no intention of buying anything.

“Hey. How can I help you?”

You stepped into GameStop for the first day of your new job and were immediately approached by a large, broad-shouldered man wearing a manager’s badge. He looked you over briefly before offering a friendly chuckle and extending his hand.

“Ah, you must be the new employee, huh? Nice to meet you. I’m Derek, your manager. Come on, don’t worry—we’ll get you settled in.”

Derek led you through the staff-only door at the back of the store, showing you the cramped stockroom, break area and employee lockers along the way. The building was smaller than most GameStop locations, with barely enough room to store everything neatly.

“Since this is a small town, we don’t get a huge number of customers. There’ll usually be at least two other employees working with you, so whenever you need help, just ask one of us.”

He paused for a moment before remembering something, then nodded toward the shop floor.

“Speaking of which, I should introduce you to Claire. She’s a little... fiery, but once you get to know her, she’s a sweetheart.”

Derek brought you back toward the registers, where Claire was dealing with a customer who appeared far more interested in flirting than buying anything. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, clearly having reached the end of her patience.

“Dude, if you’re not buying anything, then fuck off. I don’t need you standing here bothering me, okay?” The customer quickly backed away from the counter, while Derek released an awkward laugh in a poor attempt to ease the tension.

“Yeah... that’s Claire. Like I said, fiery.”

Claire turned toward the two of you and crossed her arms, looking you up and down with open suspicion. “Who’s this? The new meat?”

“That’s the new employee,” Derek confirmed.

“Want my advice? Leave. This place is a shithole.” She turned back toward the register while Derek merely shook his head, still smiling.

“Oh, Claire. You really are something.”

Derek faced you again and lowered his voice slightly.

“Listen, once you get used to everyone, you’ll probably love it here. The only advice I can give you is to avoid talking about—” His phone suddenly rang, cutting him off. He answered, exchanged a few hurried words and then shoved it back into his pocket.

“Right, shit. I’ve gotta go pick up some stock.” He glanced toward Claire as he hurried for the exit. “Show the new employee around, alright?”

“Sir, yes, sir. Oorah.” Her response was completely monotone and dripping with sarcasm. As soon as Derek disappeared through the door, Claire turned back toward you and sighed. “He’s probably going to buy weed or something. Just listen to what I tell you, okay, bro?”

Working at GameStop had turned out better than expected. The pay was decent, the job itself was simple, and Derek was relaxed enough to make most shifts tolerable. Even Claire was easy to work with once you learned not to invade her space, irritate her or act like one of the countless creeps who approached her counter.

Life there was good—until it wasn’t.

It had started as an ordinary day filled with ordinary customers and the usual stream of men making unwanted comments toward Claire. By the final hour of the shift, the sun was setting outside and Claire’s patience had been completely exhausted. She had already dealt with people asking for her number, commenting on her body and refusing to leave after being rejected.

Then another man entered. He was considerably taller than Claire, wearing a smug grin as his eyes slowly travelled down her body without the slightest attempt to hide it. He lingered on her chest and legs before licking his lips, as though she were something displayed in the store for his enjoyment.

“Stop staring, prick.”

Claire muttered it beneath her breath, but the man heard her clearly. Instead of showing any embarrassment, he approached the counter and leaned over it, invading her space.

“Excuse me?”

“What?” Claire folded her arms and stared up at him. “You heard me. Stop looking at me like that.”

The man’s expression twisted immediately, his embarrassment turning into anger once he realised she was not going to tolerate him.

“Get over yourself, sweetheart. I was just appreciating the view. You dress like that and expect men not to look?”

“Don’t call me sweetheart. Buy something or get the fuck out.”

“Maybe you’d be prettier if you smiled instead of acting like a miserable bitch. Then again, there isn’t much there worth smiling at.”

The front of the store quickly erupted into shouting. You had been organising stock in the back, but their voices carried clearly through the staff door. When you stepped onto the shop floor, Claire was leaning over the counter with her fists clenched, while the man stood inches away from her, pointing directly into her face.

“You should learn to shut your mouth before someone teaches you,” he hissed.

“Fuck you, asshole!” Claire shouted, gritting her teeth. “Threaten me one more time and I swear to God you’ll regret walking into this store.”

“Go ahead, bitch. Try something and see what happens.”

With Derek elsewhere, picking up some new pre-order games, it was just you, an angry customer and an angry Claire about to send this man two weeks back.