As I packed the last of my stuff into my bag and grabbed my lunch bag, I heard someone clear their throat beside me. I looked up to see the section manager standing there, arms folded across her chest. I wanted to roll my eyes so bad, but instead, I plastered on a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes before giving her my full attention.
“Hey, Gwen. What’s up?” I asked, even though I already knew where this was going.
“Why is it that you’re always the first one to go at the end of the day?” she asks, like she doesn’t already know the answer. “Everyone else around you is serious about their jobs and knows that sometimes you have to stay a little late to meet deadlines, but you’re never tuned in to that mindset.”
“Gwen, I get paid to be here from 7 am to 4 pm. I don’t get paid to stay any later than that, and I don’t plan on starting that habit,” I reply, getting more annoyed by the second. “Just because everyone else in this section wants to go above andbeyond, even though they don’t get paid to, doesn’t mean that I want to do the same. I have a life outside of this job, you know?”
“And you’re saying your coworkers don’t?” she asks, her voice dripping with attitude. I could feel the eyes of my coworkers around me, and I hated every second of it. “You think that you’re better than them or something just because your little dance video is trending? You think you’re hot shit now?”
I’m taken aback because that’s the last thing I’d expect her to bring up. We stand there staring at one another. She seemed to be waiting for me to answer her, but I was waiting for her to spew more bullshit that I knew would be coming soon. I was so sick of people in my life thinking they could walk all over me just because I held my tongue.
“What? You’re not going to say anything?”
“Gwen, what the fuck do you want?” I snap. “Every other day, you find a reason to come stand up in my face and work on my damn nerves!” The room goes silent, and even the people in the nearby sections were peering over their cubicles to see what was going on. “No, I don’t think I’m better than anyone, but I know my worth, and I refuse to continue to let you think you can talk to me any kind of way. It’s played out! You’re almost forty. Grow up!”
I could hear whispering all around me, and I’m sure that she was about five seconds away from popping a blood vessel by the way her vein was showing in her forehead, but I didn’t care. I don’t know why she disliked me so much, but I was over it. I was tired of giving a shit about what others thought about me. I was tired of playing nice so that I wouldn’t upset people.
I was done being the same ole Raine that smiled through the hurt.
“You’re fired for being insubordinate, how about that?” She finally says, and all I can do is shrug. “Oh, so you don’t care?”
“You know what? No, as a matter of fact, I do not,” I reply. I step closer to her. “Fuck you and fuck this stupid ass job.”
I packed up all the things on my desk in the large printer paper box I had yet to dispose of, and pulled off my badge, tossing it towards her. After grabbing the box, I walked out the door and headed straight to the elevator. My head was spinning as the doors closed behind me, and I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. I’d never flashed on anyone like that before. Even back in college, when my classmates and so-called friends took advantage of my kindness time and time again, I didn’t say anything. I just distanced myself and pretended like I didn’t care.
But I was tired of living like that. Ever since I started working here a couple of months ago, Gwen has been on my case. She reminded me so much of Myra, and I think that’s also why I reacted the way I did. In a way, she was a surrogate for my sister, and I told her stuff that I was too scared to say to Myra, but she deserved it just as much.
Now, if I could only use that same energy to let Myra know how I really felt…
Yeah…one day.
“Damn, girl, what took you so long?” Ginger asked as soon as I stepped off the elevator and into the main lobby. Although we worked in the same building, she worked on a different floor in a different department. “I thought I was going to have to leave you.”
“Sorry, I was busy getting fired,” I sighed as we exited the building.
She stopped in her tracks and looked at me in shock. “Fired?! Why?!” She exclaimed. “Was it that bitch, Gwen?”
“Yeah, she got mad that I refused to stay overtime like the others and started talking out the side of her neck as usual. So, I told her ass off.”
“Whoa, okay, baby girl!” She cheered before jumping up and down. “I’m so proud of you! I mean, it sucks that you lost your job, but you stood up for yourself like I always knew you could. We should go celebrate!”
“Ginger, I literally just got fired,” I point out, but she waves me off.
“Yeah, you were too good for that job anyway,” she says as we continue to walk to the car. “You getting fired was just a sign that a greater opportunity is coming your way very soon. For now, you relax and enjoy not having to work.” She pats my hand lightly. “Oooh, want me to quit my job too so we can spend time building up your dance portfolio?”
“What?! Ginger, no! You can’t quit your job for me,” I reply frantically. “Don’t you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s cool, but you know I don’tneedto work,” she giggles. “The house is paid off, and my parents pay the other bills anyway, remember? I was only working because I was bored. I’d much rather spend my free time with my best friend, helping her live out her dream. I can be your social media manager! You have enough followers to monetize your content now. Why not lean into that? This is your chance to take control of your future. Let me help you, okay?”
I wanted to argue with her, but something inside told me this could work out. So, instead of ignoring that feeling, I decided to give in to it and agreed with her. She squealed once more and pulled me over to the car. I was taking a leap of faith, but for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t that scared, especially because I knew I had someone in my corner who was genuinely rooting for me.
August 16th, 2025
It’s been about four days since I started taking the social media posting seriously. Thanks to Ginger’s unmatched video editing and social media management skills, all my content looked so good. My newfound fanbase was eating it up and supporting me like never before. It felt surreal to have this many people looking forward to my art, but I knew that I deserved it.
I was feeling happy about my decision until Myra showed up out of the blue, demanding to know why I’d quit my job. I wasn’t even sure how she found out, but when I told her I was actually fired, she went off, telling me how irresponsible I was. Even after I’d explained what went down, she still blamed me for not doing all I could to keep my job.
“I swear, it’s like looking after a child!” She’d shouted as I sat there on the couch. “You had a good-paying job, and you messed it all up so that you could shake your ass on Instagram? Be so for real, Raine!”
