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Taking a deep breath, I walk into the building and head to the elevator I steel uard’s instructions I can’t get fired I can’t My nerves are beyond shot I feel numb, like I’ve been slapped one tooup

The elevator takes me up and stops at the seventeenth floor I step off and walk into the office There are hardly any lights on I make my way to the back, to Miss Black’s desk I turn to walk into her office, but no one is there

Someone clears their throat behindon the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands Her slender legs are crossed at the knee She looks regal, and pissed “Never—and I irl What did you do, Avery? What could you have possibly done that upset the client so much that he tossed you out in the middle of your appointment?” Her dark eyes are hard They bore intoperson she’s ever met She works her jaw I can tell Miss Black wants to scream, but she restrains herself

Apathy I need to not care I need to say it’selse My gaze is on the carpet I don’t look up as I speak “It wasthat reminded Mr Ferro of someone It unnerved him There’s no excuse for it I take full responsibility for my actions”

This isn’t what she expected to hear Black puts down her s as she does so “You remind him of someone?” I nod “How do you know?”

“He told ht before”

Black is quiet for a moment Her eyes sweep over me as she thinks I can tell she still wants to chew me out “Why didn’t you wait at the hotel for the car? After Mr Ferro calledup and called you You didn’t answer your phone and you left the grounds I had to send Gabe to find you”

I s hard I don’t knohat to say, so I tell her the truth “I didn’t knohat to do It’s my fault I didn’t answerto fire er is palpable It hangs in the air, thick as the evening fog I finally look up at her “I need this job”

Miss Black stands and walks up to me Her arms are folded across her chest Her eyes narrow to slits, so that I can barely see her eyes She’s a tiger waiting to rip me to shreds, but I don’t cower I don’t back down Her voice is level when she asks, “Why should I keep you?”

Desperation cli to firethat I can do about it I’ll be living in a cardboard box with a broken heart for the rest of rasp the size ofhow I felt I poured out oes dry I lick my lips and form an answer in my mind

When I speak, I sound like I’, probably because I a Because I won’t remind everyone of someone they loved Because—”

Miss Black cuts e of her nose as though she has the world’s worst headache

My heart pounds harder Could this get et fired, I just can’t I seeaway I s hard

Her dark eyes are narrowed She wants to rip my head off She stares at me like that for a few htly to her chest Taking azes connect “I should fire you for this I should let you go without a penny and not feel one bit of remorse”

I look into her eyes wondering how she got to where she is noonder about the guy that got away I wonder if she’s alone because she wants to be or if it’s because this job fucked with her mind and not just her body It’s a price that I didn’t consider I never thought I’d fall in love I never thought things could come to this

I inhale slowly and resist the urge to ballapart I need this job, but I won’t beg again We stare each other down I don’t look away and neither does she Neither of us speaks It’s like a shon and I know that at any second, Black will draw and I’ll be dead There are no more chances I blew it I messed up and this is the price Miss Black presses her eyes shut and sighs When she looks at ain, her livid expression softens She shakes her head and her arht spills froain

Miss Black paces away fro up, she says, “It would be a pity to throw you away There’s such potential I see it in your eyes” She turns, stirring the hot liquid and regardsyour neck above water is your defiance, your utter refusal to give up If you gave that last piece of resistance to me, I could turn your life into a dream, but you’re insolent, Avery I told you to keep your personal life out of this” Black takes a sip of the coffee in her hands and then sets it down She paces, thinking

Every inch ofme I want to scream that it isn’t my fault I want to say that Sean duped me, that he made me think he cared, but he doesn’t All those words are toxic If I say theain, so I work my jaw and try not to react I wonder if she knows the extent of my stupidity—I wonder if Sean told her what I said Panic races throughue before I can do any e