CHAPTER SEVEN – THE DATE WITH THE DOCTOR

Later that evening, Joan arrived at Miles Pizza for her shift, still feeling down about her quiz performance. Her mood didn't improve when she saw the chaos inside the restaurant. Mike, her manager, looked frazzled as he rushed to greet her. "Joan, thank goodness you're here. We're seriously understaffed tonight. Two people called in sick, and it's busier than usual." Joan tied on her apron, already feeling overwhelmed. "Okay, where do you need me?" "Everywhere," Mike said with a grimace. "Can you start on register and then jump to pizza prep when there's a lull?" Joan nodded, steeling herself for a hectic night. For the next few hours, she was in constant motion - taking orders, making change, tossing pizza dough, and trying to keep up with the never-ending stream of customers. Just when she thought things couldn't get more chaotic, disaster struck in the kitchen. Joan was reaching for a pan of breadsticks when her coworker, Alex, bumped into her from behind. She stumbled forward