“What in god’s name are you doing here?!” the editor-in-chief yelled the moment he found us in our corner space two months into our new work arrangement. Although I suspect it was less of him actually finding us, but more on a sneering blonde standing with her hands on her hips behind him and the teary-eyed red-faced Mary Anne behind the two of them. Of course, let us not forget the noteworthy outburst of the editor-in-chief; almost immediately we have garnered everyone’s attention to the lone space e have occupied for the last few months, forming a mini coliseum of audience.
“Is this where you’ve been for the past few months? We were looking everywhere for you, and your secretary had nothing to say other than you were out on an assignment when you’re just hiding away in the corners like this” the chief editor berated us, making sure to turn and point his finger at the already trembling Mary Anne.
“Don’t vent your anger on them, it was all my fault. It was me who put Mary Anne to cover for us, it was my choice to work here with Laura” Zander stood without hesitation straight up before the editor. Zander’s stance was more protective than offensive, but standing on equal grounds with each other, Zander was a good head taller than the editor, his physique much more robust. However, towering as he maybe, the editor was unphased and stopped whatever follow up he was going to say with the palm of his hand on Zander’s face.
“Not another word, my office, both of you” the chief editor marched ahead, his angry stomps creating fumes in his trail. Zander and I exchanged I eye contact before he ruffled his head in frustration but stepped back.
“After you” he said and waited for me to pass by him as we walked to the chief’s office. Our audience following a few steps behind us, probably thinking they were so slick that they can walk silently if they imitate a rat’s posture and that covering their faces with the blank paperwork they were holding appear as if they were working and not gossiping. The editor was not having it and shut his door behind us and drawing his office blinds close next.
“What is wrong with you? Day in and day out countless people look for you, asking about you. Heck even I almost thought that you were away on an assignment again. All this time you were just in this very office floor, and you didn’t even think to mention it to me. You made the decision of abandoning your functional office to this cramped corner for spares.” He began scolding Zander, who looked nothing short of a child caught in the act of doing something rambunctiously mischievous. He shook his head in disappointment before turning to me.
“Are you just that desperate to leave the publication?” his tone miles gentler compared to how he scolded Zander.
“No sir”
“Then why exactly are you not in your post” he exasperated putting his hands in his hips.
“I don’t sir. I apologize for how impertinent this may seem, but I do not have that, my desk and my office chair was spilled coffee on and was immediately taken away by maintenance to be replaced, I had reassigned her while I wait for the replacement” I reasoned, unlike Zander, I kept my head up and my posture straight.
“What are you talking about?” the editor rushed to the glass walls of his office and pushed the blinds to the side enough to get a perfect vantage point of the whole office. On cue, our audience followed his example and looked towards my desk, or rather where my desk was supposed to be. Instead, all they saw was empty air and the mismatched tones of the carpet floors where my previous post was before I was shipped off in the dark recesses of the office.
“That happened two months ago” I finished.
“Two months ago?” he exclaimed, removing his hand from the blinds so they can bounce back to their original arrangement.
“Yes sir, that is why I was stuck there using spare furniture, this forced Zander to position himself with me to not waste time crossing the office for a single detail. Though small, it was effective and time efficient, work was done, and deadlines are met. Mary Anne had no part in this she was just dragged along with our decision” I added as the editor-in-chief looked back at me then to Zander then to me.
“That will be all Laura, you may return to your post for the moment, Zander, a word” I nodded to the editor and made my way out. I made eye contact with Zander before finally shutting the door behind me. As soon as the door clicked shut, a person jumped me out of the blue and hugged me tight.
“Laura, I’m sorry, I am so so sorry” Mary Anne sobbed on my shoulder. I kept my mouth shut, as we were still in the center of attention, everybody was paying attention to every single thing we say or do. I patted Marry Anne on her back and walked her to out little quiet corner. There I sat her down and handed her the box of tissue.
“I didn’t mean to, but-but” Mary Anne tried to reason, but I stopped her from saying anything else by giving her a pat on the shoulder.
“Don’t sweat it, we were bound the be found anyway, and we’re not exactly hiding here,” I comforted.
“You should be” Another voice joined our conversation, a shrill voice that needs no turning back to know that it was Sarah Beth.
“You should be ashamed dragging Jay to work in this hole with you, do you even know how much trouble you got him into because of your selfishness. I thought you were different from all the secretaries, you’re nothing but a high-class tart with an accent who did nothing but climb taken men” Sarah Beth yelled at us, before I can even bite back, the emotionally compromised Mary Anne stood from her seat and paraded towards Sarah Beth.
“You pretentious manicured blonde! You are nothing but a bully who does not how to do anything but to get your nose into other people’s personal business and make other peoples lives miserable. You have done nothing but to miniscule and ridicule me from the very first moment I joined the publication! You appear nice and smile all kind but you’re nothing short of evil! And Jay is not taken, he is not yours and he will never be yours because you’re exactly the type of woman he doesn’t like! Women who have nothing to show for but their looks” Marry Anne burst out in Sarah Beth’s face. If she had her way, she would have also scratched her eyes out it was not for me pushing Mary Anne back to her seat.
“You are nothing but a mousy nerd, I don’t even know why Jay is working with you, he must have been a saint tolerated the way you look and the way you dress. I am not falling for the innocent act, you’re nothing but a streetwalker who wants to steal him from me” Sarah Beth insulted, trying to reach past me to reach for Mary Anne’s hair. This is where both women began to get violent as I struggled to push them as far as I can from each other. Thankfully, their cat fight was heard from the center floor and people rushed to help keep the two apart. As they were pried apart, both were still fuming and struggling to get a scratch or two against the other. I panted as I sat on my chair, this clearly was not how I pictured my day going when I first opened my eyes.
“What the hell is going on here?” the editor reached the commotion, towing Zander behind him.
“Are you alright, are you hurt” Without much regard for the onlookers, Zander swept to my side inspecting my disheveled exhausted self from injuries or any kind of discomfort.
“I’m fine don’t worry about me, it’s Mary Anne who got the brunt of it” I pointed out the shaken Mary Anne. Zander removed his suit jacket and placed it around his cousin’s shoulders. This action did not go unnoticed by Sarah Beth’s eyes of hawk.
“Mary Anne and Laura teamed up together to attack me” Sarah Beth accused, immediately went limp on the arms of the people stopping her from pulling Mary Anne’s scalp and began crying crocodile tears.
Bravo, if she does not make it here, she will probably make it big as an actress.
Immediately, her posse gathered around her wiping her tears away and comforting her.
“Is this true?”
“No sir, Sarah Beth started yelling all sorts of things at us then she began attacking me” Mary Anne.
“Please you have to believe me sir, I even have eyes witnesses” Sarah Beth countered. Seeing the office gossipers surrounding Sarah Beth, Mary Anne began to shudder. This exchange sparked another flame throwing between the two, until the editor burst out himself.
“Enough, both of you. This is a working office, not your fighting ring, now can anybody corroborate with what any of them are saying” the editor asked, and as practiced, Sarah Beth’s legion of blondes sided with her. Expectedly no one opposed this, as everyone was just as afraid of their group as Mary Anne was. After all they saw first hand how many lives they have ruined and how their victims were not hurt physically, but have their spirits broken by the group’s consistent harassment.
“That’s not true, Sarah Beth went and attacked Mary Anne and Laura as soon as they got here from your office” a small voice said behind the crowds.
“It’s true, I saw it too”
“And me”
One after the other, people who were not part of Sarah Beth’s polished posse began affirming Mary Anne’s statement.