EVERETT
"Hey, how are you doing, buddy?" I speak over the static as I pour myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. I was up late last night talking to my boyfriend talking about things he'd like to do to me. After I fell asleep during the call, the first thing I thought about in the middle of the night when I woke up to pee was the promise I made to my brother at the beginning of this week. I texted him that I would call him. Then I kicked myself for not calling him during the entire week. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Evie." My brother's voice is crisp and void of emotion, as it has been since we lost our parents last year during a tragic car accident. He hasn't shown much emotion or talked about anything more than was requisite. I can't blame him. "They told me you're behind on paying my quarterly fees." There's a gruff intonation to his voice. "The counsellor suggested I talk to you and sort the payments out. Are you going to pay my fees soon?"
"Yeah, buddy, I think I will be able to pay it by mid-next week." I run a hand through my hair. "There was a change in authority these past few weeks at the office. I mean, there were some changes in management, and because of that, all of our payment information got mixed up. They've been sorting everything out this week, and I think I'll be paid by Wednesday, so yeah, I think I can pay your fees then."
He blows out a breath of relief.
"Okay, good."
"You didn't say that you were going to try out music? Your music teacher sent me some forms about your joining the school's drama and music club. I'm so happy you're getting back into something you enjoyed before--"
"I'm not-I didn't want to, but Ms Maurice wants me to play the next Romeo in the adaption of Romeo and Juliet they are putting up for next spring." He scoffs. "As if I'd get caught playing some dumb romantic hero who wants to save the girl of his dreams." He goes quiet for a minute. "There's no such thing as saving anyone. Especially from death."
These words from my fourteen-year-old brother's mouth shake me to the core. Why is he talking like this?
"Hey, don't say that, buddy. It's good to take things easy and not take yourself too seriously. Especially when you have to participate in a school production. After all, it's a light-hearted part you have to play for a small school club. There's nothing to be ashamed about."
"I'm not ashamed of it." He goes quiet again. "That's just me pointing out that you can't save people."
"Okay, Jesus, lighten up."
"Is there anything else you'd want to tell me?"
"No. There's not." I search my head for anything new I can tell my brother concerning my life, but nothing comes to mind. "It is the same old, same old shit."
"Fine, then." He ties up the conversation. "I have classes in about thirty minutes, and I need to get to them."
"Okay, take care."
My brother hangs up on me.
What's gotten into him this early in the morning?
***
"What the fuck is this?" Kyra throws the file I gave her before leaving for home last night on my office's table, and I catch it before it hurts me in the ribs. "The boss sent this back saying there are a bunch of endless mistakes in the document. Were you dreaming, Everett? Do you want to get fired and take me along for the ride?"
"No." I shake my head. "That's not something I'd want to do, not at all." I take the file and set it in front of me. Then I flip through the pages to parse out details and take a quick look at the potential mistakes I have made. "Is he sure? Did he take a thorough look through it? I mean, what's the point of contention in these papers?"
Kyra puts a hand on her waist and stares me down with a defiant glance.
"Would you like to ask him that?" She raises both of her eyebrows. "You know what? Why don't you go see him in his office right now and ask him about what's wrong with the papers? I'm sure he'll clear that right up. . ." she showers me with mock tenderness, "before firing you."
I bite my lower lip, thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong with the report I made yesterday. There could be many that would have potentially crept in since I was all hot and heavy from the call with my boyfriend, but as per usual, he didn't get me off. My sexual frustration is now affecting my work.
I want to hold my head in my arms and cry.
Well, that was the only thing missing from my life.
"Go on, girlie." She laughs. "I'm sure he'd like to meet you in between the innumerable things he has on his plate."
"No." I suck on my lip out of pity for myself. I can't believe I have gotten myself into this mess. "I'll look at the document and fix it for you. Maybe you can ask him to look at it again. Run your casual charm on him as you do with all these male colleagues who are after you in this office?" I offer a small, kind smile. "He would like that, won't he?"
"Ah, you're so quick to commit to your mistakes, aren't you, Everett?" She clears her throat. "But hey, wouldn't it be easier if you actually run down the hallway, ride the lift, get to the eighth floor, knock on his office's door, and put your foot down asking him what was so blatantly wrong that he gave me an ass-kicking mouthful before I have had my morning coffee?" She smiles at me cruelly. "Well, that needs some clearing up between the departments, don't you think so? And what would be better than you asking him about his concerns face-to-face since you were the one who worked on this report?" She slaps me on the back. "Now, you have to go. And I'll go get myself a cup of coffee."
"It's alright, Kyra." I smile at her again, trying to diffuse the tension with a warm smile as if it has ever worked in these sticky situations I get myself involved in frequently. But I try nonetheless. "I'll do my best. There's no point in me going and annoying him any further. Let me try to fix it for you."
Kyra slams her hand on my office desk.
"You have two hours to fix it." She laughs a mean laugh. "Then you're the only one who's taking the report to him, not me."
"But I'm not the head of this department?" I cough. "I'm a lowly assistant."
"Then you better shut up and listen to what the department head wants from you." She pats my back thrice. "You're going. It's decided."
She pivots on her feet, and I hear her heels click on the soft white marble.
"But, Kyra---"
"You're going, Everett. The sooner you finish the report, the better." She turns around to give me another menacing look. "Or I'll fire you myself."
With another glowering look in my direction, she leaves the room.
WAYLON"You wouldn't believe how much damage-control I had to do at work this week?" My breath comes out in spurts. "They are hopeless, completely hopeless. How come my dad didn't fire half of these useless assholes?" I stare at Finn's hands as he fidgets with a stress toy sitting at my desk. "I almost wish-I wish I had a calmer head on my shoulders because I can't deal with half of this bullshit.""Whew, Way, you need to learn how to relax." He throws the duck towards me, and I barely catch it before it hits me in the face. "I know your dad has been cruel to you, keeping you away from partying and women. . .but cut the guy some slack. He knows you better than you do." He clicks his tongue. "That's how he gets to push all of your buttons." Then he centres his gaze over me. "Don't you think?""Hey, whose side are you on?" I thin my lips. "Mine or his?" I fold my hands over my chest. "Because from my field of vision, you're blatantly on his side. And I'm not surprised.""Why doesn't it
EVERETTHe's such a jerk!What an insolent jerk!I'll fire you in a flash because that's my management style.You made the kind of mistake that gets people fired.Oh, I'm such an asshole because I love firing people, ha, ha, ha, ha.The moment I turned my back on him and left his spacious office, I let myself feel my anger steaming under my skin. How do people get away with being such a pain in the ass of their employees?His style can kiss my ass.Gosh! Why do all the assholes sit in all the top positions in this company?First, I only had Kyra to deal with, and now him?Waylon Thorne, from the gates of hell himself?As soon as I get in the elevators and watch the doors shut in front of me, I yell loudly inside the thick metal-enclosed walls. I yell, yell, and yell, till I can't anymore. It looks like this is how I will be processing my emotions from now on.What else I'm supposed to do?Does he think he can bother me? He can be the goddamn president of all the successful multinati
EVERETTSomeone orders a large red velvet cake for their twenty-fifth anniversary as they are busy having the three-course meal in the restaurant. My eyes glaze over the decoration as I remember I have to pipe out the names when I bring the cake to their table. Whether I like it or not, the fast-paced work atmosphere at my marketing job and the exhaustion I have from toiling in it are finally catching up with me. I find it hard to spell the name, Lina. It's a simple name, but I struggle to design the alphabet with the frosting.I also hold back a big yawn that threatens to fan the icing on the cake and spew my germs all over it.A loud scream rends the air, almost sudden and quick. It feels like something comes crashing down on the floor, or it might be a man in the background working through his pain from a paper cut."What do you think you are doing?" When I finally look at the woman sitting at the table across from me, I see that I have piped the icing all over the back of her hand
EVERETT"What were you thinking was going to happen, Everett?" Juan speaks to me with anger lacing his words. "Was that the best way to get rid of a problematic customer?" He shakes his head. "How many times I have told you to not get into a verbal confrontation with an angry jerk? They always deflect blame, but you end up putting your physical safety and dignity at risk." He puts some more distance between us. "What if he had hurt you?" He glares at me. "What if I hadn't stepped in at the right moment or if I wasn't around?"Priscilla steps into the conversation, breaking his line of thought."This situation is entirely your own making, Juan." She scoffs. "How are you any better than that asswipe you just threw out minutes ago? You're the pot calling the kettle black.""Don't interrupt me like that again, darling." He runs a hand to the back of his head. "I'm just trying to put some sense into Evie's head. She keeps getting herself involved in physical altercations. Some day she's go
WAYLONThere is a painful bind in my lower back, and I put my fingers to massage the pinched nerve straining heavily on my spine. I exhale as I try to relax in my bed. Twisting to my sides, I stretch against the mattress. My fingers reach for the TV remote as I turn on the television to watch some mindless show playing at a low volume in the background.My phone rings on the nightstand, sending vibrations across its wooden surface. Exhaling a long breath, I reach for it. I have a faint idea who's calling me at this hour."Hi, honey." The woman on the other side of the static whispers seductively. "I haven't seen you around my bar lately. Where have you been?" She chuckles. "Are you ignoring me?" She takes a beat. "Do you think it's a good idea to ignore me?""Andie, why are you calling me at this hour?" I take a beat. "Have you seen what time it is?"She laughs, not even fazed by my hostility."Sweetie, have you checked what time it is?" She mimics my question. "I have called you, lik
EVERETTThe noises are coming from the door. Someone opening and closing it over and over wakes me up at once. I sit up, yawning and running my fingers around my face."Hey!" Caiti talks. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry about it if I did. I didn't mean to make such a ruckus coming in through the door."I stretch my arms behind my back as I sit upright, resting my neck on our waterfall backrest of the couch. I run my fingers on the cushioned seat and then the pleated arm, hoping the friction against my palms would awaken me completely."Hey," I say, licking my lips. Then I fix my wavy hair behind my ear, wiping the spit from the corner of my mouth. "Where did you go? I waited for you so long that I fell asleep here on the couch.""Oh, Evie!" She sits down right next to me as I'm still waking up and then side-hugs me. "You didn't have to do that!""I know I didn't, but you know what I am like, right?" I stretch some more against the backrest. "My mind goes to places without wanting it to
EVERETTWhen I get into the washroom, I wipe my knee with clean tap water from the sink. I fish for a bandage and then put it on the mouth of the wound. Thankfully, there aren't any rips to my beautiful skirt, and I glide the fabric against the wind to recheck it. It looks fine.Phew!Now I won't have to hurry home after work to change again.I wasn't lying when I told the boss of my boss that I didn't have a spare change of clothes on me. Maybe admitting that would not have made him care about me snared up in a predicament like the one I saw myself mired in the lobby.After I called the maintenance to retrieve and remove the art installation, I came straight here. I had to because I was so nervous about what had happened and needed a quiet moment to catch my breath.Now that I'm here, I can see that my makeup needs a bit of retouching.So, I search for my makeup bag in my purse and luckily see I have it on me because of my date later tonight. I take a moment to set it on the counter
WAYLONMs Fischer knocks on my door. I wave her in with my free hand while I flip through a file with the other. As she walks in, she throws a look in my direction. It makes me sit up straight and take notice of her face.Did she hear all that went down with Andie over the phone?Why wouldn't she?I literally sent Ms Fischer into a madman's cave to retrieve something I could have easily replaced if not for how I wanted this to play out. At least, with this extra effort, Andie got the hint, and her psychotic episodes are doomed now if she still tries to pursue me.Here's hoping she'll leave me alone."Did you get my card?" I question her as soon as she stands opposite my desk. Then I follow up with another burning question in my mind. "Did Andie give you any trouble?"Ms Fischer runs a hand through her forehead, wiping some sweat off her brow. Then she brushes her hand on her skirt then reaches in her purse to produce the black card for me. She gazes at me as she swipes the card agains