Not Another Diva

15 - Douchebaggery

My day started out with a three AM wake-up call. Dang, it was more like a wake-up kick in the head. Jacob just had to text me about some stupid party I didn't go to. I was too busy calming Bree down from the creep factor discovery that she'd made. What was worse was that she'd been in her room when she found it. It took her a while to want to go to sleep so I ended up hanging out with her for the rest of the evening.

Not that I would have left her to hang out with Jacob anyway. That was never going to happen. I had already told him earlier in the day that I was taking Brianna on a day hike to the sign. I had just stopped by for a second to give him a rent check but he kept me there for an hour going on and on about some party he wanted me to go to with him.

I had more important things to do, obviously.

Brianna finally felt safe enough to go to bed around one in the morning. We had agreed to keep our phones close with the volume up just in case one of us needed to check on the other. It was somehow an unspoken agreement that we wouldn't sleep in the same room, even though she may have felt safer if I had. Neither one of us brought it up, so the phones became our solution.

It was just my luck that Jacob decided to display his douchebaggery a few hours later. And even more awesome that I couldn't really sleep well after being jolted awake by the texts pinging constantly.

However, as always I put the time to good use and came up with a plan of action for the day.

"Did you tell Char we're almost there?" I ask Brianna as we pull into the parking garage of her office building. I want to return to where the letter was originally delivered. I have a few questions for the ice queen herself, receptionist Rachel.

"Yeah, she's ready. All of the files have been pulled up on her laptop. Do you think this will work?"

"If not, I have a back up plan." I reach over to grab her hand. "Don't worry, we'll solve this. Okay?"

Brianna looks at me. Gratefulness mixed with hope fills her eyes. It's a new look for her. One that I want to see more of, all the time. That's the goal anyway. That's the entire point of everything I'm about to get myself into.

We exit the car and I swing around to once again take Bree by the hand. She seems a little more confident, a little less worried. The elevator ride up is quiet, but not the nervous quiet I've been used to. Or is that just me?

Once the doors open, Brianna leads the way. She's almost pulling me with her. The thought of this all coming to an end seems to have energized her. That thought makes me swallow my breath again. The end of her fears might mean the end of me. After all, that's the entire reason she came looking for me; protection.

"Good morning, Rachel." Brianna's voice is more firm than I've heard before.

"Ms. Royce, you're in awfully early this morning," Rachel sounds suspicious. I would too if I was in her shoes. Her boss has some attitude today. She should be worried.

"I believe Mr. Marin has some questions for you." Brianna presents the information with professionalism then looks back at me as she steps down the hall towards Char's office. "Come find me when you're finished."

"Sure thing, Bree," I call to her with a little salute, never taking my eyes off of Rachel. She's scowling already. This should be...fun.

"What do you want?' Her voice is dripping with disgust. She hates me.

"Talk to me about all that mail you gave to Brianna yesterday." It's a demand, not a request.

"What about it? It came in, the queen was too busy to look over it for a few days so it piled up. If I hadn't forced it into her hands last night, it would still be sitting here this morning." Her eyes avert from mine, now focused back onto her computer screen.