The Master Programmer

Jason Cross… That name carried weight once. However, that was the past. 

That was the name of an ordinary man from an extraordinary family, the youngest of the Cross Family a dynasty known throughout the city for their multimillion-dollar empire.

He was supposed to be someone special, someone destined for greatness. But now, standing behind the counter of a dingy convenience store, that was not the case anymore. After all, what was the weight of his name now? Everyone saw him as Nothing. A Social Outcast, a Parriah, A Useless Bum.

And to an extent, they were right. At least it felt like that to Jason.

He wasn't even supposed to be at the till. He worked in the back, unseen, forgotten, hauling boxes and restocking shelves. Today, however, he found himself at the register, doing extra shifts, for a few extra bucks. 

It wasn't much, but it paid the bills. And this time, Jason was looking forward to cutting back on that processed garbage he normally ate on most days. That was survival mode food. Today he wanted real food. That was what kept him going the whole day. The promise of real food on his plate. The more he worked, the more his stomach growled at the thought.

"Welcome to the Hall's Stall, how may I help you?" Jason spoke without lifting his gaze from the counter. He barely expected a response as most customers just threw whatever they were buying forward, ignoring him like he was just another fissure or ad poster in the store.

"Hey, Jason," came a soft voice causing him to glance up and his eyes to light up.

She had black hair that cascaded down her face like the blackest night. Her eyes, unlike their flighty nature, were deep and expressive, always genuine, always radiating concern and empathy. 

"Emily…" he said in pleasant surprise. She was the shy girl from his apartment complex, and after placing the bottle of green tea on the counter, she smiled, bringing a genuine smile to Jason's face.

Emily had always been kind to him. Even when no one else was kind, she was always there, the silent observer. Jason appreciated that the most about her.

"Two dollars," Jason said, ringing it up.

Before Emily could pull out any money, a shadow loomed over the counter and Jason immediately knew who it was. Mr. Grayson, her father, stepped between them, his expression hard as stone. He shoved two dollars at Jason and snatched the tea off the counter.

"You better have the rent for this month. I won't have any more nonsense from you again, you hear me? If you don't have the rent by tomorrow night, I'm throwing you out," Mr. Grayson growled this out, his eyes full of contempt. He thrust the tea into his daughter's hands before turning to leave.

Geez… That guy… He's gotta be sexually frustrated, because how the hell does someone have a perpetual scowl on his face? How does it happen?! There was no way. 

Emily flashed Jason a quick, apologetic smile, mouthing a silent "sorry" before hurrying after her father. Jason said nothing, He never did when it came to Mr. Grayson. After all, he was the landlord, and the place he was staying at was relatively cheap for its price. 

That was why it was totally not worth it. Not when the man held so much power and control over his already fragile life. Jason knew that his disdain for him came not from Jason himself, but from the fact that Emily, his daughter, had a harmless crush on him.

And how did Jason know all this? Well, that was too simple.

Stealing glances whenever she could, The nervousness when she was around him compared to other people she had known for a long enough time, the blushing when she was in his vicinity and he did something small…

Ever since Jason had started working in this convenience store, she had started coming here more often too, just to see him and be around him, even though there was a convenience store closer to her home. She would also have casual conversations with him, hearing him out and making him feel like a normal human even with all the flaws that he had. 

Jason was no Mentalist, but he was more observant than a normal person. It had always been a trait of his, something that set him apart from his peers, putting him in a league of his own.

He had used this trait to avoid trouble so many times before, and sometimes this trait had made him blind too… That was how he had managed to notice all this. And Jason of course took his distance, never actually making a move for obvious reasons, one of which being he really did not have time to entertain the thought of a relationship.

Who could really blame her? Jason knew just how attractive he was, having inherited his good looks from his mother. His mother… his father… 

Thinking this far, Jason's chest tightened. There it was again, that familiar feeling, that ache of loss. It was creeping in again. His mother and father had both been lost in a car accident, and they had left behind a legacy… Unfortunately, they had also left behind a son who could not live up to the legacy.

Their deaths had set everything in motion. Their deaths had led to the unravelling of Jason's once-promising future. But Jason didn't hate the world for it. On the contrary, he hated himself for his helplessness. He was a weakling who could not change his fate, who could not affect his present. How weak.

Jason sighed. That was something he seemed to do a lot these days. He wished he could stop, but there was just something about the weight of it all… It had been three months and yet… It still felt heavy, maybe even heavier than before.

But he needed to stop sulking. After all, he had to man up since everything fell apart. Now it was time to man up and take control of his future, no matter how bleak it seemed.

Pushing everything aside, and checking the time, noticing it was 5:30 pm, which meant it was time to check out, Jason got up and made his way to the back of the store where a coworker was supposed to be finishing up the stock work. 

Jason had agreed to cover his shifts at the register in exchange for a small payment, but as he entered the storage room, he saw a guy slouched on the corner, scrolling through social media on his phone.

And then, looking around, Jason noticed the exact thing he had hoped to not see… Nothing was done.