One Heated Ice Cream, Please

The day the store manager pointed her finger in my face and called me useless, I had just been hit with a customer complaint for refusing to heat up an ice cream cone.

To make matters worse, she fired me on the spot and refused to pay me for the last month's work.

The next morning, I pushed open the store's door and walked straight to the counter.

When the manager looked up, I stared her dead in the eye and said, "I'd like one heated ice cream cone, please."

"Ma'am, what did you say?"

I held up the ice cream cone, certain I had misheard.

The woman in front of me enunciated each word with chilling clarity. "I. Said. I. Want. It. Heated."

"Ice cream can't be heated, ma'am."

"I'm on my period; I can't have anything cold! Just heat it up! You're just a damn server, stop being so difficult!"

With a sigh, I found a cup, placed the ice cream inside, and confirmed with her one last time. "Heating the ice cream will turn it into soup. You're okay with that?"

"No!" she shrieked. "How am I supposed to eat soup? I want hot ice cream! The shape and texture have to stay the same!"

I screamed internally. What kind of insane request is this? I'm just a summer temp! Please, universe, don't mess with me like this!

I shot a desperate look at my coworkers, but they were all in the weeds, gritting their teeth and shaking milk teas like their lives depended on it. A price war between the delivery apps had us spinning like tops.

"Kate! What are you dawdling for? Can't you even scoop an ice cream cone? Are you trying to slack off?" the manager's impatient roar echoed from across the store.

Sweat beaded on my forehead. "Ma'am, I really can't fulfill your request. How about I refund your order and you can have the ice cream for free?"

I held out the cone, just wanting to get this crazy woman out of the store.

The words had barely left my mouth when I felt a sudden cold, sticky sensation on my face.

She had thrown the ice cream at me.

"For free? This piece of junk?" she sneered. "Am I a beggar to you? Who do you think you're looking down on!"

The entire store fell silent. The delivery drivers and customers crammed inside all turned to stare.

My eyes burned. I had never been so humiliated in my entire life.

I lowered my head, silently wiping the sticky mess from my face as I processed the refund. "Your request to heat the ice cream cannot be met. Your order has been refunded. Please come again."

The customer was practically hopping with rage. "Who told you to refund it? What gives you the right to cancel my order?"

I ignored her and started working on the next ticket.

That made her even angrier. "What's with your attitude? Playing dead, are you? I'll report you, you'll see!"

The other customers in line couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hey, what's your problem? Can't you see they're swamped? Stop making trouble!"

"Are you buying something or not? If not, get out! There's a long line here, don't waste our time!"

"Is order 985 ready? It's about to be late, hurry up!"

Amidst the chorus of complaints, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I never imagined that later that day, I'd be the one facing a formal complaint.

The store manager, Bianca, stormed over, her phone in hand, her face darker than the bottom of a burnt pot.

"Kate! Look what you've done! A customer complained about your terrible attitude and for refunding her order without permission!"

"Manager, you were right there. She was being unreasonable, demanding I heat up an ice cream cone. I just followed procedure and issued a refund"

"Procedure?" Bianca slammed her hand on the counter, her finger practically touching my nose. "The customer is always right, you get it? If the customer wants a heated ice cream cone, you find a way to make it happen!"

I was so speechless I almost laughed. "The customer still has to obey the laws of physics, right? Not even a god could heat ice cream without it melting!"

"You're lecturing me on physics?" Bianca sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, right, you're the precious university student. So educated, you know all about physics! We're just a bunch of illiterate grunts! We're all idiots, and you're the only smart one here!"

It finally clicked.

No wonder Bianca had been picking on me since my very first day, giving me the hardest, most grueling tasks and leading the others in ostracizing me.

It was all because of something the regional supervisor had said. "Kate just got into a top-tier university! She's different from us."

Bianca had been holding a grudge ever since.

But she was still the manager, so I swallowed my pride and tried to explain. "Manager, I didn't mean it like that. But the customer's request was just impossible. I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do it?" Bianca rolled her eyes and raised her voice. "So the so-called star student is just another useless waste of space! If you can't do it, then get out! Stop being an eyesore!"

My anger flared, and I stopped holding back. I pointed at the ice cream machine. "Since you're so capable, why don't you show me how to make a hot ice cream cone?"

Bianca was momentarily stunned, her face flushing a deep red before twisting into a mask of fury. "You Kate! What is this attitude? Are you trying to start a rebellion? You get a complaint, and you still have the nerve to talk back to your manager! That's it, you're fired! Pack your things and get out, now!"

"Fine!" I ripped off my name tag and threw it on the floor. "Pay me my wages!"

"Wages?" Bianca laughed as if it were the funniest joke she'd ever heard. "You got a customer complaint! You should be grateful I'm not making you pay for the damages! You want your wages? Dream on!"

"You're docking my pay?"

"Docking? Don't make it sound so ugly. The damage from one complaint costs the store more than your pathetic salary. Since you're a student, I'll be merciful and waive the rest of what you owe. Now, get out!"

I was shaking with rage. I came in an hour early every day to prep ingredients and stayed an hour late to clean. I worked over ten hours a day, so exhausted I'd collapse into bed the moment I got home. For an entire month, I hadn't taken a single day off, hadn't slacked for a single minute. And this was my reward? My entire salary, gone?

My fists clenched. "Withholding wages is illegal! Are you daring to break the law? Do you think I won't report you to the labor board?"

"Report me? Go ahead!" Bianca scoffed, her face a mask of contempt. "Let me tell you, I'm not someone to be messed with! What a joke. You read a few books and think you're hot stuff."

She threw my bag out the door and then turned to the silent staff, roaring, "What are you all staring at? Get back to work! Anyone else who causes trouble will end up just like her!"

I bent down, picked up my bag, and walked out without another glance at her twisted face.

You want me to leave? Fine. Bianca, you just watch me.

In the labor arbitration mediation room, Bianca sat across from me, her chin held high, an arrogant smirk on her face.

"Mediator, please take a look," she said, calmly pushing two documents across the table. One was the Employee Rulebook, the other, a list of my violations.

"During her employment, Kate committed multiple serious violations, causing significant losses to the store."

The mediator picked up the list, his brow furrowing deeper with each line he read.

I couldn't help but lean in. The moment I saw the contents, I felt the blood rush to my head. The list was a dense catalog of my supposed "crimes."

"July 1st, spilled pearl tapioca, $20 fine."

"July 5th, failed to promptly replace a torn glove while cleaning the ice machine, $50 fine."

"July 6th, added an extra swirl of whipped cream, $5 fine."

"One minute late, fine"

"Omitted one word from the standard greeting, fine"

"Cleaning rag not folded neatly, fine"

The list went on and on, each item more shocking than the last.

Bianca's voice was calm. "Mediator, every single one of these deductions was made in strict accordance with the employee rulebook. Kate's monthly salary is $3,000. The total fines amount to $3,550. Not only does she not get a penny, but she also owes the store $550."

She paused, looking at me with a pained expression. "Kate, I didn't even ask you for that $550, considering you're a student. And yet you turn around and bite the hand that feeds you? It's truly heartbreaking."

I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the rage boiling inside me. I couldn't believe it. Bianca had gone through hours of security footage to fabricate this long list of "crimes" and this unheard-of "rulebook."

"This rulebook is a fake!" I shot to my feet. "Mediator! I have never seen this document before! She made it up just to steal my wages! A $50 fine for a torn glove? A $5 fine for an extra swirl of whipped cream? Is that reasonable? Bianca did this on purpose! She forged this rulebook to find any excuse to take all my money!"

"You're lying!" Bianca slammed her hand on the table. "Mediator, don't listen to her nonsense! Every employee signed and acknowledged this rulebook upon hiring! She was sloppy and didn't follow the rules, and now she's trying to frame me? The audacity!"

She then produced a stack of signed rulebooks. "See? Every single one of our employees has signed it! She was a summer temp, so she didn't sign, but this rulebook has been posted in the employee break room the entire time! I have photos as proof! And it was covered in her training. The other employees can all vouch for me!"

Make the employees vouch for her? Under her tyrannical rule, who would dare to say no?

"Miss Miller," the mediator began, his tone gentle and a little weary. "You claim this rulebook is a forgery. Do you have any evidence? Like a copy of your contract?"

Contract? I was a summer temp. I never had a formal contract.

"I worked there for over a month and never once saw that rulebook! It was never posted in the break room! Bianca fabricated it to steal my wages!"

"Kate, you're still trying to argue?" Bianca held her phone up for the mediator to see. "Mediator, look! Every single fine was confirmed by her. You can't say I'm framing her now, can you?"

I glanced at the screen, and my blood ran cold. My heart skipped a beat.

There, on the store's management system, was a detailed list of my fines. And next to every single one was my employee ID, confirming my acceptance.

It all made sense now.

No wonder Bianca always rushed me to tap a "Confirm" button on her phone when I was at my busiest.

"Kate! HQ is doing a random check on employee status! Tap this 'Confirm' button! Quick! Don't hold things up!"

There was no explanation on the screen, just a single button. As a new hire, how could I dare to question it? I was terrified that a second's hesitation would get me labeled as "uncooperative" or "insubordinate." Every time, I did as she asked.

Now I understood. That "confirmation" wasn't for an attendance check. It was me acknowledging the penalties.

Bianca had planned this from the very beginning. From the moment I first stepped into that store, she had set this trap. She had used the most despicable means to steal a month's worth of my blood and sweat.

I walked out of the mediation room, my head hung low in defeat.

"Look at the pathetic loser!" Bianca followed me out, sneering. "Still trying to sue me? What an idiot!" Her long fingers poked at my chest. "A star student from a top university? I still had you running around like a dog! And in the end, you even have to 'thank' me for being merciful and not making you pay me back! It's hilarious!"

"Sue me? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror! You're not worthy! Kate, you should be thanking me for giving you an early taste of how cruel the real world is!"

I leaned against the cold wall, my body trembling uncontrollably.

Bianca laughed coldly. "Can't take it already? And you wanted to go to labor arbitration? Useless."

Her footsteps faded away.

I slowly straightened up, wiping away a tear.

Bianca, you think you've won? You're so naive. Even if you fired me, I still have ways to deal with you.