10Faux Pas
I knew today would be one of the worst in my life. I just didn't know it would start this early.
I didn't speak to anyone over the weekend. Not after that fiasco Friday night. Phoebe, obviously hasn't even attempted to contact me (although I really can't talk, I haven't contacted her either) and Allegra texted me once telling me that Mom had lost my phone number and was looking for me.
I dreaded coming into work today, but if I asked for a sick day, everyone would know why and it would be twice as awkward when I did come back. I had to face everyone now rather than later.
When I got into the elevator, it was blissfully empty. That didn't last long - as the doors were closing, Jackson comes around the corner. Would it be too bitchy to let the doors close? Considering he's my boss, probably, right?
So I hold the doors for him, like a good little employee. He blushes when he realizes it's just me in here. Why so embarrassed, Jackson? It's not like I saw you drunk and grinding with my sister a couple nights ago.
The elevator ride lasts ten times longer than I remember. Jackson refuses to even look at me. He scurries out when the elevator stops on our floor. Slowly, I follow, dead-set on walking straight to my cubicle with no contact.
Phoebe is actually here - usually she makes a point to be late, like she's hanging onto her last chances at rebellion. She brushes past me deliberately, like I should be surprised she's not talking to me. Well, bitch, I'm not talking to you either. Take that.
After I've settled down in my cubicle, I stand to go make some copies. Unfortunately, my ex and his slut are doing some heavy petting in that area. Really, people. This is why Ben and I never worked - I didn't let him grope me in public establishments.
I clear my throat obnoxiously loud. Leanna looks at me and rolls her eyes cattily. Like, how dare you interrupt me and my boyfriend. We happen to enjoy letting people watch us make out, thank you very much.
She giggles at Ben and he smirks at her, like aw aren't you adorable. Which I strongly disagree with, especially when she glares at me as they leave to go have sex in a more appropriate place. If I am supposed to feel inferior because she now possesses my sleazy ass of a boyfriend, she is clearly missing the point.
I decide to pay a visit to my last ally in the office – my dear sister. When I arrive, she doesn't seem thrilled to see me – I thought our sisterly bonds were stronger than that.
"Angie, I absolutely cannot believe you. Are you aware that everyone who attended that party despises you right now?"
I sigh. "You don't need to remind me."
"Including me, Angie." I raise my eyebrows at her. "I mean, everyone thinks I'm just trying to sleep with Jackson, but I really, really like him, honest. And Friday night was the most comfortable he's ever been with me."
I look at her incredulously. "Maybe the high percentage of alcohol in his system had something to do with that, Leggy."
She just glares, going back into that classic Allegra look she developed at age seven. "No, really, Ang. I was getting somewhere, finally. And you had to go and overreact and ruin everything. You knew that it was our first date; did you even think about that?"
I am so not in the mood to do this right now. "No, I did not think about you, I was thinking about myself and how I never wanted to have a party in the first place. Did you even hear what Phoebe was saying to me?"
She ties her hair back haphazardly with an elastic. "Angie, yes, I heard all that shit. About you calling her a desperate whore and her calling you a jealous slut. It was pretty by the book, if you ask me." I glare at her ferociously. This is not what sisters are for.
"You know what I mean, Ang. I mean, in reality, she started it. She doesn't think things through before she acts. She shouldn't have done that to you." Thank you, blood relation.
"Yeah, well, tell Phoebe that. She seems to be under the impression that this is all completely my fault and that I am a stuck-up bitch."
"Did she say that?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm pretty good at reading body language, Ally."
She smiles sadly at me. "Well, come on. It's you and Phoebe. You're going to be all over each other in a week."
I smile. Allegra knows me so well.
"You guys are, like, made for each other. I can't believe that you haven't turned each other yet."
Rolling my eyes good-naturedly, I leave her alone, spirits effectively risen.
In an attempt to forget about all that has happened (and suck up to Jackson, who is not a big fan of mine at the present) I throw myself into my work for the next several hours, managing to switch my brain into autopilot and just concentrate. This is shattered when I hear Colton's sexy voice of chocolate (ahem) being interrupted loudly by a screeching bitch, the artist formerly known as my best friend.
He is presently discussing the pros and cons of our current window design while Phoebe latches onto his every word like it's Gospel. Is this what she considers flirting?
I hear the voices getting louder and expect them to die away as the couple (gag) passes my cubicle, but instead, they seem to stop. I use my super-subtle peripheral vision skills to check out what's behind me, and spot a blond head stationary outside, still accompanied by that shrieking voice. Colton's changed the brilliant conversation from office windows to traffic patterns. He describes in great detail his drive to the mall the other day, peppered with various road rage stories.
I can tell Colton has studied the methods of transitions in eleventh grade English because he smoothly segues this into asking Phoebe out. Wait, what?
"Well, hopefully, the traffic's not so bad tonight so we can get there before the movie starts."
Phoebe giggles intelligently as a response.
"What did you want to see? I heard that new Jen Aniston movie is pretty cute."
Phoebe's a sucker for cheesy love movies (synonymous with Jennifer Aniston movies) so I think she is currently deciding what wedding dress she will wear when she marries Colton.
"Well, okay, if you insist…" She punctuates with another giggle.
Colton laughs charmingly in response and they exchange some intimate, romantic gesture which is not in my viewpoint. I am betting on either pushing a hair out of her eyes or kissing her on the cheek.
I watch as the blonder, male head bounces away and listen for spiky heels tip-tapping. Unfortunately, she sticks her dark head around the corner of my cubicle, like she knows I've been listening. As if I had a choice.
"So Colton's not interested in me, huh, Angie?"
At least she spoke to me.
AN: I know that I really have no excuse for my lack of updates in the past, well, year. And this chapter is pitifully short. But I'm sticking to a plan and hopefully I'm getting my ass back on track. However, I have decided to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. Who knows how much I will regret this decision, especially with my abundance of Honors and AP classes this year (eep).