sampaguita72:
You’re still up?
Did you drink too much? I told you, you should alwaysstop drinking by 9 p.m. if you want to get a good night’s sleep
She’s still there.
Mark Winterson snores loudly again beside me.
There’s no way I’ll ever marry him. I have to face it: This won’t be what frees Mom from Slack, and I have no clue what will. I’m going to have to end this charade. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to tell her this isn’t going to work.
Chapter
46
The next evening, I’m home again, drumming my fingers on the kitchen table, putting off the conversation I don’t want to have.
The company retreat is in a couple days. Greg won’t ever ask me to get more information—he doesn’t want to take advantage of this situation he hates—but the mood in the group chat is tense. Everyone is stressed about the trap, and how little they know about it.
I have to ask Mom for help again. And I can’t think of a good way to spin this that lets me avoid telling her what’s really going on.
ruby.ocampo:
Mom, can you look something up for me?
I need to know if Mark has been saying anything strange in one of the private Slack channels
I cringe after I hitsend.And then the messages come popping up, fast and furious.
sampaguita72:
Ruby, tell me the truth
What are you doing?
Are you in trouble?
How can I help you?
You never tell me anything
You have to talk to me so I can help you
Ugh, God, I don’t know how to explain this. Mom is going to peek inside that channel where he’s setting the trap and see some of TKCORP’smost ambitious employeestalking about the company retreat and the union. I can’t think of a lie this time—I’ll have to be honest with her.
I start typing:Mom, things at work are…
I pound the delete key on my laptop.
sampaguita72:
I can see you typing! I know you’re there!
I’m sweating now. If I tell her the truth, she’s going to accuse me of exploding my lifeall for Greg! For that boy who doesn’t have any ambition! Dragging you down and making you just like him!She’ll turn it into another speech about how she was right all along and he’s a bad influence.
But Mom is messaging me again, impatient with the long silence.
sampaguita72:
