Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Angel
It’s almost Christmas time, and the world around me is full of snow and wonder while I’m crumbling inside. This is our first holiday without our parents, and my heart feels like it’s going to break in two. My budget’s tight, but I want to make it a special one.
“Ms. Scott, in my office now,” Mr. Cochran calls out loudly.
Damn, does he have to be so rude? My phone is right next to me, and his office is literally three doors away.
My heart and head are pounding because I have a feeling this isn’t good.
This man seems to have it out for me, and I was only one minute late this morning.
Due to the weather, there was a breakdown on the train, which delayed it by thirty minutes.
I was lucky I’d left early, even though my toes didn’t agree.
I stand up and walk to his office, hoping that he just wants to give me an earful and send me back to work, but I could never be that lucky. I quickly run back to my desk and grab my phone, hoping to press the video button in case he says anything inappropriate.
“Close the door,” he orders. Why? He didn’t mind when he was shouting my name down the hall. I do what he says and then stand in front of his desk. Immediately, I regret it because his eyes linger a little longer than is respectable.
I quickly take a seat to avoid his gaze a moment longer. “You know why you’re in here.”
“No, I don’t.” Other than being a minute late, I can’t see a reason for him to get on me.
“I just learned that you don’t have a boyfriend, Ms. Scott.” I raise an eyebrow, staring at him like, What the heck does that have to do with anything?
“Yes, and what does that have to do with anything?” I ask.
“You’re a liar.” That son of a bitch has a lot of nerve.
“No, I’m just a woman who doesn’t want men hitting on her.”
“You can call it what you want, but we know it’s not your only infraction. You have a bad attitude, and you can’t come to work on time.” My mouth falls open.
“What are you trying to say?” I question.
“You’re fired.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe this. You have been looking for a reason to fire me since the day I started.
Your excuses are weak. Six months later, you find out that I didn’t tell you the truth about my personal life, which is none of your business.
A minute late isn’t a big deal when I stay late almost every single day, but have it your way. You’re a terrible boss and a pervert.”
“A pervert? You haven’t seen a pervert, little princess. I could have you on your knees right now. You have no idea what I could make you do, but I guess you’re too damn stuck up to want to keep this job. Or I could give you a second chance.”
“Not in your wildest dreams. If you have to resort to threatening your employees for sex, you’re probably terrible at it. I’ve already suffered enough losses.”
I’m out of the chair and on my feet, giving him a final glare before throwing the door open and grabbing the things from my desk.
Luckily, I never made this place my home.
Cochran, like the dick he is, never made me feel welcome, so I reassured myself that it was best to be ready to have one foot out the door.
Too bad I didn’t prepare for a new job. I’m a fool.
I barely slide on my coat before he gets to my desk. “Don’t try to steal anything.” I fight the dirty look, but he doesn’t stop speaking and adds, “Your things will be searched before you go.”
“You will not touch my private property. I’m leaving now, and I’m not taking a damn thing other than what I brought with me.
There’s nothing I want, except my paycheck.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and look for a job where my boss isn’t a complete piece of shit.
” I nudge past him, and he grips my arm. It’s painful as he squeezes.
“You’d better watch who you’re talking to.”
“Let me go before I report you.”
“No one is going to do anything about it, little girl.” He loosens up just enough to dare me to act.
“I hope I never have to see your smug, arrogant face again.” I yank my hand away and walk out of the place after the jerk forced me to make a small scene.
Goodness, I hoped to leave with a hint of my dignity, but that is out of the picture.
When I get down to the lobby, I realize my phone isn’t in my pocket or my purse.
Shit. I had set it down on the desk while I put on my coat.
I walk back up to the front desk. “I need to get my phone. I left it on my old desk.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Scott. I was told not to let you up, but I can have it retrieved for you.” Damn it.
“Okay. Can you please hurry?” I ask, voice pleading.
“Yes, of course,” he says with a kindness in his tone that is the exact opposite of my boss. Within ten minutes, someone comes down from the office with my phone and frowns when they hand it over to me. “Sorry, but it was on the floor.”
“What the hell?” I gasp, looking at my completely smashed phone. “This is bullshit. He did this on purpose. I would like to speak with the actual owner of the company. I’m so tired of Cochran.”
“I’m sorry, Angel, but the owner rarely makes an appearance, and his former manager just left.”
“Former manager? I’ve never met him, have I?”
“Yes, it was that man George Colombo. He should be back tomorrow.” Oh, I remember him. He gave me lecherous looks. Maybe I shouldn’t meet with the owner. With the way they all act, he might not be any better.
“Okay. Maybe I’ll check in with Mr. Colombo then and file a report.” I tuck my broken phone in my bag and wrap my scarf around my face before walking out of the building.
I leave the office building angry and defeated.
With no choice, I have to find the nearest AT&T store and get a replacement phone with the little money that I have.
Luckily, there is one down the street, and I’m able to go in and wait for an available employee to assist me.
It takes about half an hour after he finishes with his last customer to help me.
“Hello. My phone was stepped on,” I answer, my lips clamped together in complete fluster.
He looks at it with a questioning gaze. “How many times?”
“I’m not sure. I wasn’t in the room when it happened. I just need a replacement ASAP, please.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He runs my account and sees that I have a protection plan in place. “Okay, so we can replace the phone with a slightly newer model for a slight fee, and you’ll be right back to normal. Let’s remove your SIM card and SD card, if possible, to check if they’re viable.”
Once the slot opens, we see it’s empty. My heart sinks when I see that my SIM card and memory card are missing. I can feel every single teardrop build up before they fall, filled with anger and pain, and then let loose. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay.” A worker grabs a tissue box from the front desk and hands it to me. I gratefully take one and wipe my face.
“Do you need me to call someone?”
I don’t have anyone to call other than Officer Fields, the same man I’ve been dismissing every time we meet.
He’d generously stopped by twice and taken me for coffee.
Each time, I felt like he wanted more, and a part of me almost felt like accepting just because he was pushing, but I’m not ready for dating, and he was trying too hard.
“Can I have my same phone number?”
“Yes. We’ll just give you a replacement card. Do you know what happened to the cards?”
“I do, but I have a feeling it’s going to get complicated.”
“It’s a crime, but I need to cancel your old sim card. We’re going to load your new one, and you can log in to your account to transfer any existing backup data. Hopefully you have backed up data on the cloud.”
I smile and thankfully send up a silent prayer for the accidental error I made last year when I lost a homework assignment and promised myself to always have backups. I nod.
“Just give me a minute and we’ll get the ball rolling.
” An hour later, I’m leaving the store with my new phone up and running.
Most of my old videos and memories of my parents are still intact, and my contacts are still in place.
Now, it’s on to the next problem: finding a new job before my life spirals way out of control.
I get back to the house hours before Noah gets home, and my phone rings.
It’s Officer Fields calling again. It’s like the third time he’s checked up on me in two days, and although I’ve turned him down for dinner, I may have to accept.
I said yes to coffee before, but now I’ve had an awful fucking day, and I don’t know how I’m going to manage.
My boss just fired me, so I need a meal and someone I can bounce ideas off of.
“Thanks for taking me out,” I say, stepping into the restaurant near my apartment.
“No problem. I’m just checking on you guys. You look wonderful.” We are quickly seated and handed menus and glasses of water.
“Thank you.” It’s a tiny little Mexican spot that doesn’t require any fancy attire. I want to keep it less formal because I get the idea that he thinks we’re dating or at least seeing each other. He isn’t in his uniform and he looks handsome, but something about him is different.
“How’s your brother?” he asks, trying to break the tension he must sense rolling off me. Before I can answer, the server sets down chips and salsa.
I take a chip and dip it in, trying to avoid the question.
He does the same, and once I finish it, I finally answer, “He’s doing better.
The teachers haven’t had a problem with him, and school’s out in a few days.
” I cross my fingers and send up a silent prayer that I don’t have any more issues.
Luckily, all the charges have been dropped and he was given a slap on the wrist.