His face went red. “That’s?—”
“Accurate? Yeah. I thought so.”
She grabbed her tray and walked away before he could respond, dumping her uneaten lunch in the trash on her way out.
In the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall and pressed her forehead against the cool metal door, breathing hard.
This was what Maggie had been afraid of.
Not the suspension. Not the investigation.
The whispers. The judgment. The way people would look at her differently, wondering if she’d earned her place or just slept her way into it.
And Evie was living it now.
She straightened, unlocked the stall, and stared at herself in the mirror.
Her reflection looked tired but defiant.
Good,she thought.Let them talk. I’m still standing.
By the time Evie got home, exhaustion had settled into her bones.
She dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her shoes, and stood in her kitchen staring at the empty counters. She should eat. She should shower. She should do literally anything productive.
Instead, she picked up her phone.
The text thread with Maggie stared back at her.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Today was hard,she typed.
Deleted it.
Daisy asked about you,she tried again.
Deleted it.
How are you holding up?
That one she kept. Sent it before she could overthink.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Maggie:I’m okay. How was your first day with Patel?
Evie exhaled slowly.
Evie:Fine. Different.
Maggie:She’s excellent. You’ll learn a lot.
Evie wanted to scream. Wanted to type:I don’t want to learn from her. I want to learn from you.
Instead, she wrote,People are talking.
Long pause.
