Overdue
Two
"He got you arrested?! That's so fucking hot."
"He didn't really get me arrested. Jessica technically got me arrested..."
"Same difference. You two are so meant for one another."
"Maybe in our world, but in his, I shall always be the little girl that grew up attached to his hip."
My head had hit the cold wood of my desk around five minutes ago, and I had no intention of lifting it for anyone. Even when my best friend had popped her head into my office, much like she does at the worst possible times, I just rose a hand to wave. I was exhausted. Technically, we weren't arrested, but we did have to go down to the police station and explain what we had done. Of course, we hadn't really gotten into that much trouble considering everything we took was technically Sidney's, he had a key, and it was Sidney Crosby after all.
Sadly, Melissa never really took the hint that I wanted to be alone. Then again, I was used to that by now. I had met her when I started my job at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She wrote mostly for the Style & Fashion section while I stuck with what I knew best, hockey. Mel sat perched on the corner of my desk, as she usually did, swinging her foot and filing down her nails. Finally, I lifted my head and sighed, leaning back and looking at her.
"He wants you," Melissa insisted, looking at her perfect nails as if they were cat claws. "I can feel it." Once she had finished with her own nails, she picked up my hand and began to work on mine. "Do you ever get these things done?"
Rolling my eyes, I let her attack my hand as if it was her own. If there was one thing I had learned quite some time ago, it was Melissa did whatever Melissa wanted. Resting my head on my other hand, I watched curiously as she focused on shaping my rather short and deformed nails.
"He doesn't want me, Mel."
"I beg to differ."
"You beg to differ because you always want things to be your way."
"And is that so awful?"
"Yeah it is," I began, pulling my hand from hers, "Especially when this is my life."
Melissa looked disappointed as I tugged my hand away. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, my phone rang. I couldn't help but smile as she rolled her eyes and strolled out the door as if I had just broken her heart. That was part of the reason I couldn't seem to abandoned Melissa. She was so pathetic when things didn't go her way. Rolling my eyes, I picked up my phone without even looking at who was calling, not like I really needed to...
"Hello?"
"Well you sound quite annoyed."
"Sorry. Melissa was ju..."
"Enough said," Sid laughed on the other end. "What are you doing for lunch?"
"Oh nothing. Why? Wanna rob a bank later?"
"Ha. Funny."
I couldn't help but smirk at his words. When I had first met Sidney back at the tender age of nine, I couldn't get him to talk to me at all. It took days of coaxing to get even a single word out of the shy hockey player when I had first moved to Cole Harbour. Now that we were much older, it seemed like he was the one who didn't know the meaning of the term "shut up," and he was getting me into more trouble than he was really worth...at least to most people. What many people didn't know was that I had been in love with the man on the other end of the phone for the past seven years, and would put up with anything he threw my way.
"I'm not doing anything for lunch, Sid, what's up?"
"Wanna grab some? I was thinking Italian?"
"Sounds perfect. Be here in ten."
Click.
Just as the phone went silent, a knock came at my door. Sadly, this was the usual protocol for my office. People came and went pretty much daily, whether it was because they needed me to help on a story, or just sought my amazing advice, it seemed as if I was always in high demand. Many of the people who graced my doorway told me that they would hate the attention. Personally, I enjoyed it. Attention was something that easily passed me up as a child, and when I started at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I came to learn that it wasn't so bad being needed all the time. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
"Come in." My eyes followed as the door swung open and my boss walked through the door. Sitting up a little straighter, I began to rearrange things on my desk to try and look busy. Most of the time I could get away with doing next to nothing in the office, but it usually wasn't a good sign when your boss waltzes into your office unannounced.
"Miss Roux, I'm glad I caught you," Mr. Richards began, taking a seat before I could even really offer him one. "I was worried you had escaped to lunch already."
"Oh, not yet sir. I was hoping to get a bit done on that Orpik feature we had been wor..."
"The feature. I forgot you had a part in that."
He...forgot? I was the one who had come up with the idea of doing the Orpik feature. How on earth could he forget? My eyes narrowed slightly at his words. What on earth was going on?
"Yeah. I'm the one who thought of doing the feature, Mr. Richards."
"Right, right. I'm sorry. Do you think Rick could handle the feature?"
"Well, I think he's more than capable of.."
"Good, good."
Leaning forward, I knew something wasn't right. Mr. Richards was being rather cryptic for a straight forward man. His eyes hadn't met mine once since he had entered my office, and that just wasn't right.
"We're going to have to let you go, Stephanie."
"You're doing...going...what?!"
"I'm sorry. We need to downsize the apartment, and having three hockey writers is too excessive. Rick and Carter have been here quite a bit longer than you have. I'm really sorry, Stephanie."
My jaw hung open. In the past twenty-four hours I had been in jail, and was now losing the only real job I have ever had.
"I've already given your current assignments to your fellow writers. Your names will still appear on the byline, but I need you to pack up as soon as possible. Again, I'm.."
"Sorry. I got that the first time."
"Now, now, this is no reason to get snappy, Miss Roux."
"With all due respect, sir, I think it is. I've busted my ass for this paper since the moment I walked through the door. I've been here for the past four years and now you're telling me I have to leave it behind? I just..I don't know if I can do that."
"I'm sorry, but you have to."
And with that, I had now joined the world of the unemployed.
"He didn't really get me arrested. Jessica technically got me arrested..."
"Same difference. You two are so meant for one another."
"Maybe in our world, but in his, I shall always be the little girl that grew up attached to his hip."
My head had hit the cold wood of my desk around five minutes ago, and I had no intention of lifting it for anyone. Even when my best friend had popped her head into my office, much like she does at the worst possible times, I just rose a hand to wave. I was exhausted. Technically, we weren't arrested, but we did have to go down to the police station and explain what we had done. Of course, we hadn't really gotten into that much trouble considering everything we took was technically Sidney's, he had a key, and it was Sidney Crosby after all.
Sadly, Melissa never really took the hint that I wanted to be alone. Then again, I was used to that by now. I had met her when I started my job at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She wrote mostly for the Style & Fashion section while I stuck with what I knew best, hockey. Mel sat perched on the corner of my desk, as she usually did, swinging her foot and filing down her nails. Finally, I lifted my head and sighed, leaning back and looking at her.
"He wants you," Melissa insisted, looking at her perfect nails as if they were cat claws. "I can feel it." Once she had finished with her own nails, she picked up my hand and began to work on mine. "Do you ever get these things done?"
Rolling my eyes, I let her attack my hand as if it was her own. If there was one thing I had learned quite some time ago, it was Melissa did whatever Melissa wanted. Resting my head on my other hand, I watched curiously as she focused on shaping my rather short and deformed nails.
"He doesn't want me, Mel."
"I beg to differ."
"You beg to differ because you always want things to be your way."
"And is that so awful?"
"Yeah it is," I began, pulling my hand from hers, "Especially when this is my life."
Melissa looked disappointed as I tugged my hand away. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, my phone rang. I couldn't help but smile as she rolled her eyes and strolled out the door as if I had just broken her heart. That was part of the reason I couldn't seem to abandoned Melissa. She was so pathetic when things didn't go her way. Rolling my eyes, I picked up my phone without even looking at who was calling, not like I really needed to...
"Hello?"
"Well you sound quite annoyed."
"Sorry. Melissa was ju..."
"Enough said," Sid laughed on the other end. "What are you doing for lunch?"
"Oh nothing. Why? Wanna rob a bank later?"
"Ha. Funny."
I couldn't help but smirk at his words. When I had first met Sidney back at the tender age of nine, I couldn't get him to talk to me at all. It took days of coaxing to get even a single word out of the shy hockey player when I had first moved to Cole Harbour. Now that we were much older, it seemed like he was the one who didn't know the meaning of the term "shut up," and he was getting me into more trouble than he was really worth...at least to most people. What many people didn't know was that I had been in love with the man on the other end of the phone for the past seven years, and would put up with anything he threw my way.
"I'm not doing anything for lunch, Sid, what's up?"
"Wanna grab some? I was thinking Italian?"
"Sounds perfect. Be here in ten."
Click.
Just as the phone went silent, a knock came at my door. Sadly, this was the usual protocol for my office. People came and went pretty much daily, whether it was because they needed me to help on a story, or just sought my amazing advice, it seemed as if I was always in high demand. Many of the people who graced my doorway told me that they would hate the attention. Personally, I enjoyed it. Attention was something that easily passed me up as a child, and when I started at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I came to learn that it wasn't so bad being needed all the time. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
"Come in." My eyes followed as the door swung open and my boss walked through the door. Sitting up a little straighter, I began to rearrange things on my desk to try and look busy. Most of the time I could get away with doing next to nothing in the office, but it usually wasn't a good sign when your boss waltzes into your office unannounced.
"Miss Roux, I'm glad I caught you," Mr. Richards began, taking a seat before I could even really offer him one. "I was worried you had escaped to lunch already."
"Oh, not yet sir. I was hoping to get a bit done on that Orpik feature we had been wor..."
"The feature. I forgot you had a part in that."
He...forgot? I was the one who had come up with the idea of doing the Orpik feature. How on earth could he forget? My eyes narrowed slightly at his words. What on earth was going on?
"Yeah. I'm the one who thought of doing the feature, Mr. Richards."
"Right, right. I'm sorry. Do you think Rick could handle the feature?"
"Well, I think he's more than capable of.."
"Good, good."
Leaning forward, I knew something wasn't right. Mr. Richards was being rather cryptic for a straight forward man. His eyes hadn't met mine once since he had entered my office, and that just wasn't right.
"We're going to have to let you go, Stephanie."
"You're doing...going...what?!"
"I'm sorry. We need to downsize the apartment, and having three hockey writers is too excessive. Rick and Carter have been here quite a bit longer than you have. I'm really sorry, Stephanie."
My jaw hung open. In the past twenty-four hours I had been in jail, and was now losing the only real job I have ever had.
"I've already given your current assignments to your fellow writers. Your names will still appear on the byline, but I need you to pack up as soon as possible. Again, I'm.."
"Sorry. I got that the first time."
"Now, now, this is no reason to get snappy, Miss Roux."
"With all due respect, sir, I think it is. I've busted my ass for this paper since the moment I walked through the door. I've been here for the past four years and now you're telling me I have to leave it behind? I just..I don't know if I can do that."
"I'm sorry, but you have to."
And with that, I had now joined the world of the unemployed.