IF THERE WAS a ranking system of having the ability to convince others, Alexander would fall directly in the middle. Convincing people to do something wasn't a natural gift of his, but he wasn't too bad at it either. He was impartial with it, kind of like Goldilocks. He wasn't good, but he wasn't bad. He was just right.

Alexander and his father were stationed at the quaint, rectangular wooden table stationed at the side of their kitchen. Like his father, Alexander had a hot mug of fresh-brewed coffee laced around his fingers. The boy figured that he had to bring up the idea of his father paying for his Choral dues. As the days approached, so did the day of the choir's first performance. Dr. Terry's words couldn't help but haunt his brain.

If he didn't pay for the dues, he wouldn't be allowed to participate in their upcoming performances.

It would all be good work and practice for nothing. But that wasn't the point. Alexander enjoyed singing with the choir. It made him feel content on the inside. It gave him joy, which he hadn't felt in a long time. Choir was his everything, and he couldn't afford to take it all away from himself.

Alexander gaped at his mug of coffee, which he barely drank from. The misty steam hit his face additionally as he continued to gaze at it. Telling his dad about paying for the dues was a now or never situation. It's not that it was too late to pay for the dues — it really wasn't. But if he kept on reliving moments like these, his father would never know to fund his son and the choir. All the bad outcomes that came after that sequenced in Alexander's head over and over.

So, he cleared his throat.

"Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about," Alexander announced as he pushed his coffee away from him. The vapor on the steam was beginning to accumulate on his face, causing him to break a few sweats. It was only six-thirty in the morning, a half hour before school would begin. Because of this, he already knew that this would be a long conversation about finances.

"What is it, son?" His father, Jason, questioned as he typed a sequence of words onto his laptop specialized for work.

"It's . . . Well, you know how I'm in Chorus? For the past three years, you had to pay for my dues so I could participate in performances and events," Alexander backtracked as his face lightened up. "This year, I have to do it again and it's for eighty dollars. Can you please pay for it?"

"Eighty dollars?" Jason choked after a sip of his coffee. He set his mug down in a panic before it would potentially end up on the floor from shock and disbelief. "That's how much we spend on weekly groceries sometimes. There's no way I can pay for that. I'm very sorry, son, I really am."

"Please, c'mon. If you don't pay for it, I won't be able to participate in our first performance — or any performance for that matter. You know how much this means to me," Alexander begged his father. "I'll do all the chores I possibly can from this point on. I'll even do your laundry."

"Alexander, this has nothing to do with chores. I'm very short on money, you know that," his father reasoned as he shook his head. "Everything I pay for has to be absolutely needed, and this isn't right now. If you need the money so badly, you're going to have to get a job and pay for it on your own. I'll get you a debit card if that's the case, but you're old enough to get a quick, easy job, anyway."

There was nothing Alexander could say to that. He was seventeen, so he could easily get a job at a grocery store or fast food restaurant. Getting a job wouldn't be much of a problem in his eyes. The problem would be getting enough money to pay for his dues on time. Dr. Terry didn't say an exact date to which the paywall would close, but based on how soon their first concert would be, it would occur shortly. Who knows? It could be next week, or the week after. Somewhere in between that time frame, for sure.

"If you decide to get a job, please don't let it get in the way of school. Your education should be your top priority, first and foremost," Dad reminded as Alexander got up from the kitchen table. "Have a good day at school, son."

"Thank you," Alexander nodded curtly before swinging his black, heavy duty backpack onto his shoulder. He made his way out of the kitchen to the foyer, which led him out the front door. Alexander walked a short distance away to the sidewalk outside his house, near a corner which led up to a different street. It was safe to say that he was lucky enough to have his bus stop right outside of his house. In the case of him running late, he could just run out of his house and hopefully catch the bus.

Luckily, that didn't happen this morning. The screech of the bus' large tires rang through his ears, as well as the ears of the other sleepy students at the bus stop. They all filed into a line to enter the large vehicle, which frankly, no one liked. Especially Alexander, who was a literal senior and old enough to drive a car. Some seniors who had their driver's license were lucky enough to drive around in fresh, new rides, like Mercedes Benz's and BMW's — or at least a used car generously gifted from their parents.

That wasn't the case for Alexander, however. Because his father was tight on money, he only had two options, which were to walk to and from school or to take the bus. It sure was a downgrade, considering what other students had, but it was something at least. Alexander didn't mind all that much about riding the bus. It got him to and from school a matter of minutes. But that still didn't mean that he liked it. 

He made his way to the seventh seat on the right side of the bus. This particular seat was okay to Alexander, but the seat was all lumpy. It wasn't a flat surface, which reduced his comfort, but by all means, it wasn't too bad.

He wasn't in the seat alone, however. His best friend since freshman year, Jayden Craine was at the window seat, freshening up his natural, brown curls by forking his finger through them. The aroma of shea butter spread around through the process, which Alexander liked. It was a fresh scent to him, a scent that he didn't have. 

"Alex! Hey, man," Jayden finally removed his hand from his hair and placed it on his lap. "What's good?"

"Nothing, really," Alexander grimaced as he shook his head. "My dad won't pay for my Chorus dues. I don't know how long it will take for me to get eighty dollars to pay in time just by getting a job."

"Well, you gotta get a job ASAP then. We can't afford to lose you. You're one of the choir's best singers," Jayden persisted. "My parents paid for mine last night, and according to the app, the paywall closes next Friday, so you have over a week to get the money."

"That's the hard part. If I don't hurry up and apply for a job so I can start working, I won't be able to participate in the Chorus' performances," Alexander sighed as he shook his head.

"We can work something out. I can convince my parents to pay for your dues, as well," Jayden suggested as his face lit up. "I'm sure they won't mind that much once I tell them what's going on." 

"No, no. I can't do that to you, Jay. It just doesn't seem right," Alexander shook his head with rejection. "After school today, I'll just go to Dollar General and apply for a job. It shouldn't take long, hopefully."

"Okay, good luck. I'll even go with you for extra support," Jayden insisted with a smile.

"You don't have to do that, Jay, but I won't stop you," Alexander chuckled.

The school day went as slow as a tortoise trying to cross a street. Every minute felt like a day passing by, so Alexander was looking forward to applying for his potential new job at Dollar General, a store that contained many discounted, affordable everyday items. Jayden decided to tag along with his best friend, who promised to be Alexander's emotional support and personal cheerleader.

It wasn't how he expected it to be, however.

"I said brr, it's cold in here. There must be an Alexander in the atmosphere. I said oh-ee-oh-ee-oh, ice, ice, ice!" Jayden exclaimed the Bring It On reference as he threw his hands up in the air. It was a movie Alexander and him finished watching before school started back up, which they both enjoyed, even though cheer didn't interest neither of them. But in his head, Alexander didn't think his best friend nailed the popular cheer like Gabrielle Union did in the movie.

"I appreciate the support, but I didn't even apply yet. I don't want to get our hopes up too much," Alexander insisted with a chuckle. "And you really have to work on that cheer. You look so goofy right now."

"You know I was just joking with the cheer, just to get you smiling a bit. You look so stiff," Jayden nudged Alexander's shoulders. "It's not a good look."

"You're right," Alexander nodded as he pulled out a folded paper out of his back pocket. It was his application, which was completely filled out in advance. During lunch period that day, he managed to get to the school library, find the latest version of Dollar General's job application, and print it out for ten cents, a dime which he retrieved from his pocket. He figured if seemed a little prepared, it would leave off a good impression as an organized and prepared employee, even if he only planned on getting a job that morning.

The checkout area of the store was silent. One employee was focused on his phone, while another, a middle-aged man, was standing around in the back. Alexander waved as he approached the employee, taking a glance at his badge. His name was Fritz, and he was the manager of the store.

"I'm Fritz, the store manager. How can I help you?" Fritz questioned with a genuine smile.

"I want to apply for a job here, if that's okay," Alexander informed as he handed the manager's job application, containing all necessary information to apply for the job.

As Fritz read his way through the boy's application, his face lit up as he nodded his head with approval. He extended his hand under the counter for a manilla folder, which he placed Alexander's application in.

"You seem like a good candidate for the job. We've been short-staffed around here for months and no one has applied lately, so the job is all yours," Fritz nodded his head.

"Really? You don't want to interview me or anything first?" Alexander questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"That won't be necessary. Like I said, we've been desperate for new workers, and you seem to make the cut already," Fritz insisted with a smile. "When can you start working?"

"Today, actually. Thank you so much for this," Alexander acknowledged as he extended his hand to shake his new boss' hand.

"Thank you for applying. I'll get you started on training," Fritz nodded curtly as he motioned Alexander down an aisle. Jayden and him followed the manager out back, practically squealing to themselves like little girls who found out they were getting some kind of doll house for Christmas.

"Looks like you got the job. I knew that you'd get it," Jayden exclaimed as he patted Alexander's back. "Looks like my work here is done. I'll let you get started on your training. See you tomorrow at school."

"Thank you, man. See you tomorrow," Alexander extended his arm to pat his best friend's back before he disappeared around a corner. He then followed his boss to the breakroom and warehouse area of the store, where Fritz showed him a variety of things left and right. Earlier that day, Alexander did research on his position as a store clerk. His job was to assist customers, keep track of inventory, and stock shelves.

It didn't sound appealing, especially since he'd only be paid around ten dollars an hour. But just working four hours for two days would get him enough money to pay for his dues. For Alexander, his hard work would eventually pay off, which is what he looked forward to in his new, first career.

He couldn't help but see a bright future in Chorus ahead of him. 

a/n: hi loves!! my baby Alex is now working to pay off those dues. i'm so proud of him!! do you think he'll be able to pay it all off in time? :)

what was your first job? or what do you want your first job to be? 

like always, thanks for reading!! 💗