Ordinary Life: The Challenge

Wicked Wednesday

My bruises were fading but were still noticeable, but my attitude was calm and steady. When I entered the room, everyone was staring at me. Faces of fear, faces of confusion. I kept my usual good mornings to myself, as I made my way to my office. I set my coffee and purse down and turned my computer on. I sat at my desk and rubbed my hands along my black skirt, taking deep breaths, telling myself you'll be okay. Do the right thing.

Once my computer was completely powered on, I immediately went to my email. I had numerous of messages in my inbox, but all I could do was start from the top and work my way down. The first message made my heart drop. I knew something was wrong. Those flashing lights I saw the other night, were camera lights, flashing pictures.

Every new email consisted of these confidential photos. Pictures of me walking out of the shower. Pictures of me, dropping my towel in front of Bruno, photos of me laying with Bruno, when we were kissing and more. This was embarrassing. The way Brunos home is situated, a person had to climb and hop the wall that borders his home and climb a tree in order to get these leveled off photos.

I moved all the photos to the trash bin and moved on. However, I couldn't. My printer automatically turned on and began printing something. A fax perhaps? I thought to myself. The pictures that I saw on my computer, were now coming out of the printer. I cancelled the request and it stopped. I walked out of my office to get away from this terrible feeling, but I walked into something much worse. Every printer had printed out the pictures. All 15 of them, 4 of them consisted of me being completely naked.

People were talking, looking, and judging me all once. "Genevieve..." Justin walked up to me. "What's going on?" I asked. "We need to talk." He had papers in his hand, facing backwards, so I couldn't see them. I snatched the papers from him, and he had copies of the photos. "Where did you get these?" My eyes teared up. "Let's talk in my office." "NO!" I raised the photos in the air, "Who leaked these photos?" No one said a word. "Huh? Who the hell leaked these pictures?"

"Eve, the photos were sent from you." Justin said softly to me. "What? That's impossible." "It's very possible, especially if I've seen it with my own two eyes." "I didn't send anything! I'm just seeing them now!" I walked over to a printer and unplugged it. I walked over to another and did the same. "She did it....didn't she?" I asked Justin from the across the room.

Justin walked over to me, and grabbed my arm. I felt so vulnerable. So weak. So broken. Justin took me to the board room and locked the doors and shut the blinds. I cried in the palms of my hands. I wanted to die. I wanted to throw myself off the ledge of the building. I was absolutely humiliated. "Here." Justin handed me a box of tissues. I set the photos on the table and spread them out, looking at them carefully. "Where did these photos come from, Eve?" Justin asked. "Someone was at Brunos house the night, I saw flashes, but I tried not to focus on it too much." "When did this happen?" He asked. "Monday night." I bit the inside of my cheek and said, "I bet. It was that bitch. She's trying to get back at me for what I did to her the other day." "She said she forgave you, and she wasn't going to press charges." I put my head down, and shook it. "This doesn't feel right, Justin. I don't trust her. Since day one." "Do you think she's a threat to you? Like she's going to take your job?" He chuckled a little. I didn't respond. "You'll lose that position to someone else if you keep acting this way. Genevieve, I gave you this position because you were the strongest candidate out of everyone in this place. Before the Spencer died, he gave me the position. That day his heart stopped beating, I was Chief Richards, but I didn't want anyone to know that." "Why?" "Because I was ashamed. I told everyone we were looking for a new chief, because I couldn't not handle everything on my own. I needed your help, and with your intelligence and strength, that's what this department needed. We don't need a Ditsy Daisy running this place. We need you running it. And I know you've been fighting for this position, so don't let that girl destroy what you built, and don't let her get in your head."

I wiped my nose with the tissues and said, "Thank you." "You're welcome. I'm not going to send you home, because you've been missing too much. You have to be here, and I'm not going to let any of these fuckers eliminate what we have going on here. Okay?" "Okay." "This will all pass. And I'll make sure none of this goes public. I'll get some tech people in here to see who was in your account." "Thank you." I stood up. "...so much Justin." I gave him a hug, and walked out of the office.