“I’ll be okay. I’ll text you and check in this time so you don’t worry as much,” I say as I slide out of the car.
“Be careful,” he says, glowering at me as I close the door and wave.
Although there’s a hefty dose of nervous apprehension running through my system, I don’t let it deter me from doing my job.
“Hey, glad you’re here,” I say to Alex as I drop into my desk chair.
“Welcome back, you feeling okay?” they ask, apparently assuming I was out sick last Friday.
“Yeah, not bad, just a little off still,” I reply, not bothering to correct them. It’s the truth of how I feel, even if the implication isn’t accurate.
We settle into our morning routines, and my skin prickles constantly, but it never gets far enough that I’m worried about an involuntary shift.
Hooray for small positives.
I pull out my phone every hour to text a random emoji to Asher. I try to find the most ridiculous, random ones I can, then imagine the reluctant scowly-smile on his face when he sees them.
So far, I’ve sent him a squid, to which he sent a string of question marks in reply, then I sent a blue bucket and he replied ‘…’ back. He seems to catch on when I send a planet emoji, replying with an eye roll. I don’t let it deter me, sending the brown swirl ‘poop’ emoji next, which makes me cackle when I imagine his reaction as I’m eating my lunch.
Unfortunately, that’s when a most unwelcome visitor strides into the open workspace.
Chadwick steps into view, a fake smile on his smarmy face that some people seem to find charming. It makes me nauseous.
I avoid meeting his eyes, staring intently at my computer screen until he saunters away.
My shoulders slump and the breath whooshes from my chest. Just as I’m settling back into work, a new email—from Chadwick—pops into my inbox. My eyes flare with alarm when I see his name.
From: Chadwick Walton
Subject: Notice
Hello staff,
There will be a live press conference tomorrow, Tuesday, taking place on the steps at the front of the office building. The front entrance will be closed from 8:30am until 12pm, with live taping from 10am-11am.
All employees are advised to either arrive at theoffice before 8:30am, or to use a side or back entrance during the above stated times to avoid any delays in the setup or taping of the press conference tomorrow.
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you’ll tune in!
Regards,
Chadwick Walton, CFO
There’s also a link with instructions for how to view the live stream.
“Did you see this?” Alex says, leaning over their desk toward me.
“About the press conference?” I ask. “Yeah, I’m reading it now.”
“What do you think it’s about?”
“I have no idea.” I frown, then say, “The only thing I can think of is the Waltons taking over. What other news is there that would warrant a press conference?”
Alex shrugs, then looks at Kendall. I eye her, already knowing she’s not going to have an opinion.
“No idea,” she says, barely glancing our way before continuing her work.
“Guess we’ll see,” Alex says, leaning back into their own space again.
