MESSED UP - completed!

10- the USB driver

10 The USB Drive

The job Smith wanted us to finish is not done yet. I trot to my office and try to avoid Smith's assistant.

"Oh, my God," I shout and jump back, seeing Smith sitting in my chair. "What the hell, Smith? I had a heart attack." He looks surprised by my tone. I shake my head. "What is it?"

"I want the job you were supposed to finish by today," he says.

I breathe deeply, imagining the ways our conversation would go. Gulping hard, I put my bag on my desk. "It's not finished yet."

He rises from my chair and walks toward me. "What do you mean, it's not finished yet?"

"We have a bit of a problem with the recorded sounds. It's—"

"Are you saying you didn't do the job I specifically wanted you to finish by today?"

I blink a few times and say nothing.

"Is that why I made you the manager? So that you could be just like Sebastian?" His voice gets louder, and I remain silent because he's too mad. "I made a mistake by choosing you. You proved that to me. You have thirty minutes to get it done. Or you're as dead as Sebastian to this company."

He leaves, and I sit in my chair, holding my head between my hands.

A knock on the door brings me back to earth from the worry world. "Yes?" I say.

Peter, the new guy, I mean the old new guy, enters. "Ms. Collins, may I?" he says.

I gesture for him. "Of course." He sits in a chair close to my desk. I wait for him to talk, but he doesn't. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I ask.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asks.

I clear my throat. "Uh?"

"I'm here to work. You don't have to do everything by yourself. Tell me how I can help you."

"Okay. Well... We're close to finishing it. But I have a problem with the sounds. There's something I can't fix in this."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure," I say.

Peter takes my iPad and leaves. I follow him and see him working on his PC. Surprisingly, he knows what he's doing. I feel bad for judging him without knowing what he is capable of.

"Hey," I say, smiling, and he turns to me. "Let's finish it together." I turn to my crew. "Everyone, gather here!" I shout, and they all approach us. "Peter knows how to fix the problem we had with the voice."

"Really?" Sara asks.

"Yes," I say. "Now, do whatever Peter asks you. We need to finish it ASAP!"

After forty minutes, I bring my external hard to Smith's office and give it to him. His boyfriend is standing there like the grim reaper clawing at my heart.

"You're ten minutes late," Smith says with a scowl.

I breathe deeply. "It was a hard job. But it's finished now."

"Yeah. Now! Look at the time! I wanted it ten minutes ago!" he says. I close my eyes to prevent myself from snapping. "Actually, forty minutes ago!"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't do my job! Sebastian was sorry too!"

"Really? Sebastian?"

"Yes! Remember him? That unworthy manager!"

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Pardon me?"

"If you expect so high of me, then you're that good."