Chapter 3

Feeling dead, I sat on my bed. I was in double trouble. First, I had in my hands the phone of one of the most influential women in town. It was just a phone, but dramatic acts were not extinct, and I would not be astonished if three billion helicopters hovered around my roof because they tracked me down.

I buried my face in my hands and scratched my head furiously like it was the root of my problems.

I could see it. Walking into the shop with my signature mop, my hair in a messy bun, my shirt not ironed.

I sat like that thinking, unable to sleep. Well, that inability lasted five minutes because I closed my eyes and let the cool wind take me.

*

My alarm clock was seeping its sound into my dreams, where Chad was in his office. He looked angrier than ever, his muscles hidden beneath his expensive suit jacket and coordinated shirt sleeves. For some reason, he was calling for me while ringing a bell. The bell kept chanting, 'you are fired.' The bell was my alarm clock.

Sluggishly, I drew my eyes open and banged the stupid old clock off. It had been a gift from the company, a dumb Christmas gift. I considered it an insult; it wasn't as if I was late to work that often. I didn't even know if I should bother with bathing. It did not seem necessary, but I chose to do it.

I put my hair up in a ponytail, and at the very least, it was neat. I tucked my sky-blue shirt into my navy-blue skirt and looked at myself in the mirror. I wiped at my freckle-littered face but thought I still looked fair enough.

Sighing, I picked up my turquoise blue handbag and headed for work. I wanted to look good on the last day so that when I was returning home from work, people would see me crying because I got hurt, not because I was some street beggar. I promised myself that I would grab a sandwich on my way to work for breakfast.

*

My desk was reasonably organized, and I sat there, waiting like a puppy, to be called upon by Chad. Just then, my phone beeped, and I picked it up. Tom. Well, finally.

I answered and put the phone up to my ear, "Nikki!" he chanted excitedly. "Oh my God, I was thinking of coming to find you at work. Look, I'm so sorry if I upset you. It wasn't my intention. I needed to calm my hormones..." He started his story, but I had no interest in it.

"Shut up, Tom, this is definitely not the time for this. I'm in bigger trouble. I'm on the verge of losing my job at any minute now," I groaned into the phone.

"What the fuck? Why?" he gasped.

"Just set up a warm bath, get me a large bowl of ice cream and popcorn, and two large coconuts," I ordered.

"Why?" he uttered in confusion.

"I'll be at your place any second. I need those to calm me down during my breakdown," I explained.

"What are the coconuts for? You hate them because they make you cough," he pointed out.

"Oh no, they're not for me; those are for you."

"Huh?"

"Let's just say I need to express my anger by throwing stuff at people. By the way, I mean you," I told him. Before he had the chance to respond, Chad Bush's voice filled my ears.

"Nikki!" He called for me. It was creepy enough that he was not that far away.

"I'll see you in an hour." I gulped and hung up on Tom. This was it, the end of my life, my existence. This was my downfall, the start of my extinction. I shifted uncomfortably in my desk and cleared my throat before standing up and heading to his office.

I opened the door and shut it behind me without looking up to meet his gaze. I walked towards his desk and stood in front of him, wondering why he was silent. Was he taking in my body's image? What if I looked dumb in the picture? I swallowed my gasp, remembering the fact that I had not shaved in six months. God, could my life be any worse?

"Did you get my message yesterday?" he asked. I managed to look into his eyes. I was trembling, and fear was written in my glassy eyes.

Chad furrowed his eyebrows at me in confusion as I bit on my small, tiny lips.

"I…Yes, I did," I stuttered. My voice sounded like I was choking, and my feet refused to attain enough balance to support my weight, so I teetered.

"Well, did you check your email?" he questioned, eyeing me up and down.

"I…I couldn't." I closed my eyes tight. I reopened them with tears slipping down my cheeks. "Sir, I didn't mean what I did. This is the hardest thing to do, and I know it's sad to even ask, but there's no harm in trying. Please don't fire me." I broke down completely. I was literally wailing.

"Are you okay?" Chad's voice was low, and surprisingly, for the first time, pitiful.

I sniffed and wiped my nose with the back of my hand, unable to answer his question.

"This is the first time I've seen you genuinely remorseful about something you've done wrong. Well, it's no problem. I don't have much work for you to do, plus, I was unable to send you the second attachment because my phone died after that text, and I didn't have time to charge it because I had someone over," Chad told me, pulling his phone out of a drawer. "Which is why I called you here," he started, handing his phone over to me, "please get this charged and start editing the first attachment."

I could not believe my ears and eyes. Chad had not seen my image after all, and he was handing his phone to me willingly.

A smile formed on my face. I sniffed again and dried my tears gladly. "I'll get that done. Thank you for..." I stopped to chuckle a little and then tried to bite back my laughter, "thank you for forgiving me for not editing the attachment. I'll get that done right away."

He stared at me like I had a newly sprouted head and shook his head pitifully. I turned around on my heels to leave with his phone.

I got to the door and turned the doorknob. At the same time, someone from the other side took the same action simultaneously. The door swung open and slammed me right against the wall.

"Shit, Jesus!" I exclaimed, putting one hand up to my forehead, securing Chad's phone in my other hand.

Rebecca Black walked in and stared at me, same time as Chad. Both kept their eyes on me with no sort of emotion. No remorse, nothing. Chad slowly diverted his eyes on Rebecca. "Rebecca? You're here? I didn't know you were coming to the office."

"Yeah, I wasn't going to." She walked in with her high heels creating a pattern in my ears as she made her way towards Chad. He stood up to hug her.

Really? Nothing? Okay.

I rolled my eyes, rubbed my forehead, and decided to step out since I was now as good as invisible.

"I left my phone at your house, I think, so I came to let you know. I'll be there by ten, so I can get it," she informed Chad, and my eyes went wide. I almost dropped Chad's phone, but I managed to catch myself. I gulped and closed the door behind me. I needed to find a way to get her phone back to his house without getting caught.

Work ended by seven; if I got home and changed, then headed back to Chad's, there'd still be enough time before it was ten.

I sighed and took a deep breath in, reminding myself to calm down. "Chill, remember in life that most of the things we worry about actually never happen," I told myself.

I sighed, sat down at my desk, and plugged Chad's phone in. I wasted no time switching it on, and the first beep was a notification from my text message. I clicked it open and deleted it, sighing in relief.

My head was hurting after banging it on the door, and I scoffed. Fuck you, Rebecca. You're nothing like that woman in the bible, bitch.

I brought my phone out and attempted to dial Tom. He answered almost immediately. "Hey potato, never mind all that I said. I'm fucking good."

"What is going on?!" He sounded frustrated. I could only laugh teasingly at him.

"I'll explain everything later, chill," I said.

"Oh, okay, later then, I'm off to school," he informed me, and I nodded—the 'not perks' of having a younger boyfriend who was still in college.

"Bye," I said dismissively and ended the call, resuming work.

*

I was worried as I pulled my red hoodie over my head. I wore a matching beanie and a pair of black pants, coupled with black converse. I hadn't even showered or anything, nor did I bother with food. All I did was change my clothes and take the fastest means of transportation to Chad's house. The bus. I really needed to demand a raise so I could afford my own car.

It was a few minutes after nine p.m. when I arrived at Chad's house. I took a deep breath in and knew that everything would work according to my plan again. I had no plans on going as far as his bedroom. I had decided I would just drop it on the floor of the living room.

The gate was wide open, and I wondered why. There was no one in sight at all. Maybe I had been wrong to think that Chad was a security freak. It was like he was more of a private person.

I took it as an advantage and sped up.

I pushed open the main door, and it budged. I was tempted to do a little victory dance. There was not a single fly in sight, and I wondered if there was even anyone in the building.

I placed the phone on one of the massive, probably million-dollar, white couches and brought my phone out to capture myself in the essence of beauty. I knew Tom would go crazy about it when I showed it to him.

The statue of the white horse beside the stairs caught my eyes. I walked to the top of the stairs, and when I was at a height that I could hop on its back, I climbed on it and brought my phone out to tape myself. "Check it out, Tommy, rich people madness!" I giggled, and just at that moment, my leg slipped, and I screamed. I screamed like I had never done.

I closed my eyes tight and waited to hear the sound of broken bones, detached limbs, cracked teeth, but nothing happened.

Slowly, I opened them, and the first thing I saw was Chad's face. He had caught me.

"Nikki, what are you doing here?"