He nodded. “Good. Then, you can give me your number and we can go from there.”
I dug around in my purse until I found one of my bent, crumpled-up business cards. “There. It’s my office number as well as my cell number. Enjoy.”
He took it from me. “I think I will.”
I dipped down into my car and watched in the rearview mirror as Bender made his leave, and the second he turned the corner I couldn't crank my fucking engine quickly enough. I sped through town, weaving in and out of traffic to try and make it to my boss’s office on top.
And as I stormed through the open-concept office space, all the way up the stairs to his office, I slammed myself inside.
Before I flopped into the seat in front of his desk. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
Randy blinked. “I should fire you right fucking now for going over my head and pursuing this story when it was explicitly told to you not to do so.”
I shrugged. “Do you really have the authority to—”
“Yes I have that authority. However, I’m not going to take that step yet. Instead, I’m placing you on the graveyard shift for the forceable future.”
My jaw hit the floor and I stood to my feet. “What? Why!?”
Randy shrugged his shoulders just like I had before. “Because you disobeyed a direct order from me. Your job is to stay here at the station, not run around town getting the latest story. As much as you want to be a reporter, you aren’t. You don’t have the experience to even attempt to do a live news broadcast. Leave it to the professionals to get those stories.”
My face reddened and I became so flustered I could barely form a coherent sentence. “So, you just—I mean,—you—what?”
He peeked over at me. “What, did you think you were special? Did you think that by just working a few days you would immediately end up on-air? No, you aren’t special Aria. You are just girl fresh out of college that has no idea what the hell she is doing. And since we have a three-strike policy here at KTTB, I would suggest you tread very carefully.”
I shook my head. “That isn’t fair. We’re supposed to report the news, not—”
He lunged to his feet, startling me so badly that I dropped back down into the seat in front of his desk.
“You’re already on two strikes, Aria. Once for the shit you pulled last night and another one for this shit right now. You want three strikes? Go ahead. Just know that three strikes here comes with a blacklist. You don’t get to go over my head and get away with it. That kind of rumor travels with you your entire career. So, if you want any sort of career as any sort of journalist, you’ll learn your place, and quickly.”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”
He eased himself back down into his office chair. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
I started to stand up from the chair I was sitting in but anger started to bubble in my chest. Sure, I wasn’t a fucking reporter but there was still a news story here. I could feel it deep in my gut. Something happened at the club and I knew I wouldn’t sleep until I found out what really happened.
Before I could stop myself, I opened my mouth again.
“You really should report on what happened at Heist. It makes this station look just corrupt for not reporting on something big that happens. Like that club has people paid off in this place. Bender even told me—”
His eyes snapped in my direction. “Who told you what?”
I blinked. “Bender. One of the guys from the club? He told me—”
Randy swiveled his chair in my direction. “You talked to them?”
My eyes darted around. “I thought we had already established that.”
He placed his hands into his desk and pressed himself upright. “I knew you were at the police station trying to post their bail. I didn’t know you had talked to them.”
My stomach hit the floor. “Randy, don’t. I’ll leave it alone. I can—”
“You’re fired,” he growled.
“Please, don’t do that. I can do better. I will do better.”
“You’re fired!” he roared. “Get the fuck out of my office!”
