4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Hailey stumbles back as if I’ve just lit her on fire.
Her eyes are slightly wide and the flush on her cheeks assures me that she still thinks about it. I still do. I mean come on, it was only a couple of hours ago.
Seeing as it won’t be easy to avoid her, I can tell I’ll be thinking about her trembling beneath me for a very long time.
“Rules!” she splutters, returning to her desk. She takes a seat and points another angry finger at me. “I forgot to mention that there’d be rules now that we share almost every freaking thing here.”
“What – ”
She doesn’t let me speak. “First off, I need you to stay the hell away from me.”
“That’s funny considering our desks are barely 4feet apart and – ”
“I’m talking about personal space,” she interrupts. “Even if we have to work together, you have to be at least an arm’s length away from me.”
“I don’t exactly want to hang around you all the time, anyway, so that works.”
Hailey scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. Like you weren’t over the moon when Evelyn said we’d be sharing an office.”
“I was trying not to be an ingrate.”
“We don’t have to be confined here like a tin of sardines just because we have to work together. But that won’t matter to you because you were actively trying to make me look stupid in front of the others.”
Now that surprises me. Oddly enough, a part of me is offended by that statement.
I turn around and stare at her. “Excuse me?”
“What? Are you suddenly hard of hearing?”
“Does my presence here intimidate you that much that you formulate fake scenarios?”
I don’t get it. Why would I ever make her look stupid? And more importantly, why would she think that?
Hailey ignores my questions and continues with her list of rules.
“As I was saying. Rule number 2, you can’t peek at my notes or files. You’re not allowed to steal my ideas. Do your own thing. Keep your wandering eyes on your own work.”
I point a finger at my face and scoff. “My wandering eyes?”
But Hailey simply continues to dish out her rules.
“All discussions must remain strictly professional and/or related to the project at hand. No loud music like the ones you play at your place. You have no idea of the kind of headaches those songs give me. You can only approach my desk in the case of a crisis. For example, let’s say the printer explodes or your desk is suddenly on fire for some reason.
That’s an emergency, so I could grant you permission to cross over. ”
I search for any signs of humor on her face, but she is absolutely serious.
“And to be honest, the chances of that happening is zero to none. I believe we can seamlessly work together if we abide by these rules.”
I look away, hiding my smile from her. “And do I not have a say to any of these rules? It’s not just your office.”
I hear a frustrated intake of breath. “Unfortunately, it’s not. What are your rules?”
“Not rules. Just a warning,” I say as I ring the landline for Stephanie. “You can make as many rules as you like, Hailey. Just keep in mind that I’m not exactly one to follow the rules seeing as I’ve been breaking a lot of them lately. Take last night for example.”
Hailey stews in her chair. “I said not to talk about – ”
“Ah,” I interrupt with a raise of my finger. “I just broke a rule, didn’t I?”
I’m getting on her nerves and it’s working.
“Good luck working with me, Hailey.” I’m fake smiling at her as Stephanie knocks on the door. “You’ll need it.”
***
“I think we should focus on minimalism for our campaign,” Hailey suggests from her end of the table.
She’s sitting next to a guy I know as Matteo, and their interaction hints more at an existing friendship than a usual co-employee dynamic.
“Something sleek that focuses majorly on style of the sportswear and its performance-enhancing features, showing the athletes in intense, action-filled settings. Simple, yet provocative.”
Collective nods and murmurs of agreement resound amongst our teammates.
Yet, I don’t seem to agree with them. “I disagree.”
Hailey leans back against her chair with a subtle roll of her eyes.
“On the contrary, I think we should have a flashy campaign. Something that appeals with the trends on social media. It should feature bold color, you know? Lifestyle shots that can appeal to the athleisure crowd. We want to draw them in, not bore them to death.”
With a huff, Hailey says, “Oh, wow. I didn’t know our designated audience are Instagram influencers.”
“Right,” I nod. “Because sweaty close-ups of people panting on a track are so relatable.”
Hailey’s nostrils flare as she glowers at me. I, on the other hand, relax against my seat with a challenging grin.
Our teammates glance awkwardly between us as the tension skyrockets. Our meeting started over two hours ago and Hailey and I have been at each other’s throats from the opposite sides of the table for the better part of it.
Richard, a fellow teammate standing in front of the whiteboard, awkwardly clears his throat. “Uh – I think we can do both. I think we can do the campaign in a way that showcases both performance and style. Right?”
The team agrees, so we reluctantly move on.
“Next,” Richard continues, crossing off the previous line. “We have the celebrity endorsement deal.”
Hailey perks up on her seat again. “We should partner with a rising star athlete. You know, someone who’s still a new face in the world of sports but is making waves already. It gives our brand an authentic feel and focuses on real talent.”
Someone speaks up. “No offense, Hailey, but I think we already have that taken care of.”
Hailey blinks. “We do?”
“Of course, we do,” Nash says beside me. “We have the Matthew Pierce sitting among us. He might be retired now but he remains a football legend.”
“True,” Another lady speaks up with an admirable grin. “Besides, he was the face of Flux Wears. No offense, but he was the main reason why we stayed in competition.”
Smirking, I wave it off. “No offense taken.”
Hailey chuckles. To others, it may sound like she’s in tune with the humor.
But I’ve heard that laugh one too many times to know that she’s about to say something snarky.
“In the grand scheme of things, Ascent Athletics is a new company,” she says.
“We need a new face, people. A new vision. You said it yourself, Matthew. We need something that is currently in trend. No offense, but I think we’d thrive better with my idea than using an almost forgotten quarterback.
I’m a firm believer that the population is tired of seeing Matthew Pierce’s face everywhere. ”
“Offense desperately taken,” I hiss, leaning forward with a scowl. “Almost forgotten? Do you think I earned my title for the fun of it? I’m not one to brag, Hailey, but you and I and everyone else in this room knows that I’m a fucking legend.”
Right now, we’ve crossed every line of professionalism possible. And she pulled the trigger when she uttered those two words.
“Whoa,” Richard quickly interrupts before Hailey can speak again. “Would you look at that everyone? It’s way past our closing time. I think we can carry over the rest of today’s agenda to tomorrow. What do you guys think?”
I get up first. “Absolutely.”
And then I leave the office while Hailey’s piercing glare burns a hole into my back.
A thunder rumbles outside the windows of the office as I grab my bag and keys. I exit the office in hopes of not running into her again.
I’m a little annoyed with myself for my outburst in the office. Hailey was simply trying to step on my toes like she always does, but I’m more annoyed at the fact that I easily let her get to me.
I like to be on my best behavior, especially around unfamiliar people.
Now that Hailey and I have piloted our team as cat and mouse, I can’t help but imagine what they must think of whatever pent-up dynamic is between us.
Almost forgotten. Those words feel like flames scorching my skin.
They’re not true and I shouldn’t be bothered about it. But the fact that it may end up happening sometime in the future, makes me frigid with anxiety.
The thought of my career as an athlete becoming another forgotten story and the soul-crushing injury that shot me out of the football field just becoming another tale makes me want to spew out my guts in the elevator.
Keep it together, Matthew. Hailey has no idea what she’s talking about.
A brunette walks into the elevator with me and I only mindlessly return her greeting when I recognize her face from the team.
“For the record, I don’t agree with what Hailey said,” she grins coyly.
“You’re an inspiration to many athletes out there.
Non-athletes too. Hailey’s just salty over the fact that you’re also in line for brand director.
She’s always felt so entitled to it. It’s refreshing to take orders from someone else now, you know? ”
The sudden urge to defend Hailey threatens to claw its way out of my throat. But then I remember that I’m pissed at her, so I stop myself from doing it.
“Thanks…” I trail off and she finishes it off with a flirty smile.
“Liza.” The doors open on the ground floor. “See you tomorrow.”
By the time I slide into my car at the company’s garage, my phone buzzes with a notification from a weather app, signifying an impending storm.
As annoying as it feels, the first thing I think of is her. Hailey.
We live in the same building—I’ve never seen her with a car. She’ll have to take a taxi home or ask one of her friends for a ride.
That’s right. There’s no reason for me to wait.
But then my mind changes when I drive out of the garage. The rain begins almost immediately, and it pelts down with a sudden force that sounds like tiny rocks slamming against the roof.
I slow down by the sidewalk and check the window for her. Three cars drive out while other people with umbrellas try to hail cabs.
Two minutes later, I spot her rushing towards the sidewalk. She doesn’t have an umbrella, so she’s shielding her head with her handbag.