I’m Over It: Why Quitting Feels So Right

One of the first jobs I ever had was at a now obscure ice cream store called Carvel. My twin sister, Lys, and I were 15 at the time and diligently trying to save up enough money to buy the “nice” cheerleading jackets with the purple and gold leather sleeves. We managed to buy the plain wool jackets and the rest of our uniforms, but we felt out of place and what a teenager wants most in the world is to stand out in the ways that matter to them like being pretty, desirable, and well-liked. What a teenager doesn’t want is to stand out in any way where they themselves can’t control the narrative.

Being from a poor single mother household wasn’t exactly something we could hide when 99% of our peers had two parents and could more than afford tacky cheerleading jackets. And after the hardship of middle school where we were taunted for not having the right designer labels, Lys and I were even more dedicated to staving off any sideways glances, spiteful jibes, and the not-so-subtle laughter behind our backs.

So, we did what all teenagers do — we got jobs. It was ok at first. Mainly I worked with an older guy named Ravi. He was very patient in showing me how to make all of the items on the menu including this special ice cream whipped cream, which we used to make (the now iconic) cakes like “Cookie Puss” and “Fudgy the Whale. I scrubbed down the counters a…