“Let me know if you need anything,” she offers with genuine kindness before leaving.
“It’s awesome that you know ASL,” Oliver notes as he guides me to our next destination. “It’s not exactly a requirement, but almost everyone in the company does. There are eight people who are deaf or hard of hearing working here, so the company offers free ASL training to anyone interested. How did you learn it?”
“My brother was born deaf, so I know American and Mexican Sign Language.”
“Mexican, too?”
“Yeah. Rafa wanted to show our mom that her side mattered as much as our father’s, so he insisted we speak both languages, as any mixed family would.”
“That’s so cool of him. I love that.”
“Me too. My brother is the reason why I’m so invested in this new job. I want to be part of the team that helps make the world more accessible for people like him.”
“Well, you’re part of it now.”
I am. All I need to do is remain diplomatic enough to not be fired by my obnoxious boss.
My suspicions that I’ll fit right in are clearer than ever when we come back from our tour. The guys are debating about who is the best Batman. I end up settling the argument when I mention my personal favorite, Kevin Conroy, fromThe Animated Series. That’s one they can all agree on.
Mason and Joseph give me my tasks for the morning, and I easily breeze through them. So far, working for Kelex isn’t proving as challenging as I worried it might be. Aside from my boss, of course.
Then, as if I need more proof that I’ve found my people, lunch break comes. That’s when I accept I’ve landed in heaven. These nerds play first-person shooting video games in their downtime, and I decide this job is the best thing that will ever happen to me.
“We usually playCounter-Strike,” Oliver explains to me. “You in, young Padawan?”
“I haven’t played it in ages.”
“Are you worried you’ll lose?” Brian snickers.
“I’m sure I can still kick your ass.”
I haven’t prepared anything for my lunch, so I buy a few things from the vending machines to eat during the loading screens. I set my name as She-Hulk, so everyone knows it’s me. After a few rounds, I’m happy to see myself in second place—behind Grizzly, Steven’s alias. As the game progresses, I get more comfortable and gain on him. That is, until a player named Luthor joins us. He quickly rises up to my score with his impressive skills. Because of this new player, my team gets slaughtered round after round.
When Luthor kills me for the fourth time in a row, and with a perfect headshot at that, I groan and frustratingly take a bite of my Snickers bar. “Who the hell is that?” I ask, angrily chewing as my patience runs thin.
Oliver laughs before sending me a compassionate look. “It’s the boss.”
Really? But why—
Lex.Lex Luthor. Oh, that’s clever…
I’ve been comparing him to Superman when, all along, he’s been his nemesis. The man assimilates himself to an evil genius, which should be enough to quench my curiosity about him. But maybe I’m a little twisted in the head because I kinda like the idea.
We keep playing, and when the lunch break ends, I sourly stare at the final scoreboard. I’m close to Steven but still far from “Luthor.”
Joseph gives me a shoulder tap, so I turn to him. “Don’t worry,” he signs. “You’ll beat them in no time.”
“Thanks. I may have a chance with Steven but not much with the boss.”
“He barely ever joins us. You’ll have to settle for second place when he does.” His kindness brings a wide smile to my lips.
I work for about an hour before receiving an email from someone in the HR department. They forgot a document I needed to sign for my benefits, so I decide to sort it right away.
On my way to the stairs, I pull out my phone to check my messages. In our family group chat, my parents wished me luck, while Rafa told me to be normal for once and not bomb this one. Kate also texted, saying that since she didn’t get any desperate texts from me, I probably wasn’t fired on the spot, and she hopes it’s going well. As I climb up the stairs, I respond to my family and invite Rafa to go fuck himself with a separate message, making sure I don’t trip on a step and fall on my face.
When I reach the twenty-eighth floor, I push through the door, a cheerful smile on my face as I answer Kate. We’ve been friends for mostof our lives. She’s the sister I never had, and I’m hers. Since we keep no secrets from one another, I decide to tell her about my misogynistic BILF—boss I’d like to fuck.
Just as I send it, I violently bump into a firm, warm, and broad body. My phone slips from my hands and falls on the carpeted floor with a dull thump.
