Nothing Wrong With Being a Tomboy

Chapter 25: Through Gardenias

…New extremities of joining works can cause a lockdown within the stocks. Otherwise, progressing with new alliances might help to increase the goodwill between groceries markets. Hence we animate you to—

A violent buzz interrupted my reading—an important reading, I might add. I was reading the letter Hallmart, the huge international store, send us. Our ice-cream is heading worldwide and it’s so popular now that it’s going to be accessible to anyone—not just cornered grocery markets.

Knowing the magnitude of the letter’s content, I opted for ignoring the vibrating phone near my penholder and stacked folders. Adjusting my eyes back at the bold letters that swam across the imposing paper, I resumed my reading.

But the vicious vibration didn’t allow me to. Groaning, I clutched my phone and read its screen. “Yes?” I answered, “Lora, what is it?”

“I’ve been calling you for an hour, Andy. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you busy?”

Holding back a row of snorts, I raised my head and fixed my eyes at the glassed door. “Well, Lora, I’m currently at the office—working. What do you think?”

“Oh,” she started to giggle and I felt my brows tensing together, “I love when you’re sarcastic.”

Sighing, I spun around with my office chair to face my windows. “What is it?”

“Well, I have good news, Andy!” she chirped as I heard people chatting afar. “The site has been shut down—forever. I personally talked to Miranda and she told me she was sorry. She even wanted to amend the harms she caused to Riley by sending her a gift with a generous amount of money.”

“What?” I stood up abruptly and paced forward, “No! I want her to pay for what she did. Those ‘harms’ were harassment and bullying, I’m sure that a generous gift wouldn’t ease the pain she went through.”

Animatedly and breathing heatedly, I leaned against the windows, crossing my legs as I stared down at the hurried and honking cars.

“I think she deserves a second chance. We all deserve a second chance, Andy. Why are you so obsessed to lock Miranda down? We’ve grown, Andy, now we’re out of college and facing life as adults. Do you seriously want to stain Miranda’s record for a fool move she did when she was younger?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I assume Miranda was twenty-one when she did that. And I’m going to bring an update to you, Lora, twenty-one means she’s a competent grown woman.”

“So? A year has already passed—big deal! Why are you so mad?”

“I’m mad because they hurt R—“

Deciding to calm myself down, I pinched my nose’s bridge with my free hand and exhaled as I held the phone tighter.

“It’s because of her, right? Those things you said in the show were about her?” she whispered; hurt could easily be perceived.

Mercifully, loud knocks on the crystal door saved me from a war of words.

“Come on in!” I shouted at my savior. “Lora, I’ll call you back, later. I have to do some things, okay?”

After a long pause, she faintly said: “Okay.”

Straightening up as the door slid open, I cleared my throat. Two girls with papers on their hands came, giggling and smiling at each other. “What can I do for you, ladies?” Pocketing the phone, I went around my desk to lean against its front edge.

Teresa pursed her red lips and puffed her cheeks, as if she was holding back a row of laughter.

“Um, here are the files you asked for,” said Riley with a smirk as she leveled the papers to a visible height.