When Kaya Perry graduates college, the last place she wants to go back is Layton, the town that she left behind. She left that place with bad memories and no friends, so there is no way she's looking to go back. So it's really a bummer when the job...
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"We need to talk."
Kaya looked up from her the papers on her desk. She was busy trying to plan a camping trip that had been brought up in a team meeting and that she was consequently in charge of. The sight of Alison before her, though, made her pause. The woman cut an impressive figure in her signature jumpsuit—it was a beautiful galaxy print, interrupted by a white belt and instead of gold jewelry she had paired it with silver—but Kaya was cautious just because of the tone of Alison's voice and the small frown on her face.
"Sure," Kaya said, hearing the wariness in her voice. Alison didn't often bother Kaya when she would stroll out of her office throughout the day. Honestly, Alison more often than not complimented Kaya on how well she worked with the kids in that distant, professional voice that she reserved for people she didn't really care for. After a while, Kaya got used to the random compliments from her boss. From the corner of her eye, Kaya could see a couple of her coworkers and direct supervisor glance in her direction. Narrowing her eyes, Kaya knew immediately that the people were involved. The snide comments that they said to her in passing ran through her head.
Alison turned, waving her hand as if she were a queen. "Good. Come to my office once you're finished, please." She didn't wait for Kaya's answer and walked off.
Kaya's mind went over the brief encounter. There was a pit forming in her stomach although she knew that she had done nothing wrong. Kaya followed every rule in the employee handbook down to the letter, to the chagrin of her other co-workers. She didn't gossip, she hadn't taken any sick days, and she kept her personal life away from her professional. If anything, she was a model employee.
Even if her co-workers did think that she was kind of stuck up.
By the time her clock hit seven, Kaya was a third of the way through the various paperwork she had to do regarding the camping trip. It all consisted of parental consent forms that she had to send out, possible campsite reservations, lesson plans, and much more. She couldn't see how one person could plan it all, but planning a monthly outing for the kids was one of the stipulations in every employee's contract. After speaking with a parent who was adamant that their child would only go on the trip if parents could chaperone, Kaya leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and sighed.
The other employees started packing up and leaving, chattering among themselves. Kaya almost envied them, but then remembered the names they called her when they thought she wasn't listening. It was like being back in high school, except everyone was older. It was ridiculous.
Once the last person left, Kaya went to Alison's office. Alison was sitting at her desk, typing away at her computer with headphones in. When she saw Kaya—Kaya thought that she saw another small frown marring Alison's face before it was quickly covered up—she stopped typing and cut off whatever music was playing. She gestured to a chair, the same chair that Kaya sat in just a few months earlier.
