Chapter 4

That bitch. I can't believe he's working in the company, and worse, he's the new CEO. How will I be able to compete with that? He can fire me – well, not prematurely fire me, but still, he knows his way. He has ways to fire me. But I doubt he would really fire me, considering he wants to see me fail and be miserable. After our encounter in that company event, after he threw a shit at me, I immediately left and now, Matt, Melody, and I are at a club just near the company. I've already had a few tequila shots, and the nausea is already hitting my head. I'm not really much of a drinker, and if I take a few more, no doubt my friends would have to literally drag me outside and take me home.

My best friend is looking at me with a worried look in her eyes because she knows how much I was affected when that bitch was bullying me in high school, and how it really affected my life and self-confidence. Melody sighs out loud, showing her disappointment, but she never dares to stop me from drinking. She knows I only need a lookout today, and stopping me from doing what I really want – need – right now is going to blow up in her face.

"I can't deal with him," I slur as I take another shot of tequila, the alcohol burning my throat as it makes its way into my stomach. I squint my eyes, feeling the sour taste on my tongue. I shake my head, hoping the dizziness will come off. "That bastard is a spawn of Satan himself. Nope, I really think he's the reincarnation of the devil himself who wants to ruin my life. No surprise there." I take another shot.

And another shot.

And another shot.

And another shot.

Until my head is spinning and I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster, feeling all sort of emotions – angry, upset, mad, frustrated and for once, alcohol is the one making me happy. I'm pretty I'm doing some dumb stuff too, like dancing with a male stranger, partying like a freak, and taking more tequila and vodka shots, which I'm sure I'll be suffering tomorrow, but hey, who cares? Tonight is what matters. This is about me and my feeling so everyone can fuck off and leave me alone. That would be quite hard, honestly. See, I'm the one who keeps walking up to them. I think I'm drunk.

My vision gets blurry and I can't make out the party music that is blasting through the loud speakers located in the corners of the club. Melody's face is near mine and the worried look never leaves her face. Her brows are furrowed, her cheeks slightly pink – I'm guessing she has consumed a few alcoholic beverages.

"I can't believe my new boss is hot," Yep. My head is not working right.

"Oh my God, Matt!" Melody yells, her head frantically shakes as she searches for her boyfriend. I don't know if they are together already. A few seconds later, Matt appears. "We need to take him home. He's really drunk. Damn it, good thing we did this on a Saturday night and not on Sunday. He wouldn't be able to go to work. Hold him."

"I still want to drink." I whine, shaking my head. Matt grabs my arm and guides it around his neck for my support. I remove it, still shaking my head. "I know I'm drunk, but I still want to have fun. It's Sunday tomorrow and I can rest the whole day."

"Enough." My best friend glares daggers at me, shaking her head, her bangs flying in the process.

And so they help me up. Both of my arms are slung around them to support me since I wobble when I walk. There's a look of disgust in my best friend's face, probably smelling the strong scent of alcohol on me. Matt's car is just parked across the curb. So he immediately unlatches my arm from his neck and runs to his car and opens the passenger seat door, and they both throw me inside. I groan when my back hits the other door and make myself comfortable. Once we're all settled, Matt hits the road and they both agree to sleep in my unit, just in case I need some help. I'm too drunk to even care.

My stomach feels heavy, probably due to all alcohol inside me. They help me get out of Matt's car, Melody taking a hold of my foot and pulling it. She slaps my thigh and I groan, obliging to her request to help myself up. Matt and Melody both support me as we get inside the building of my apartment. She presses the floor level on the elevator and says something about me being a worse drunkard ever. As the elevator opens, an old lady greets us and looks at me worriedly. My best friend tells her that I've had so much fun and was kinda out of control. Out of control, my face. Matt asks me where my apartment key is and I pout at him, shaking my head. He sighs and shoves his hand into my pocket and I yelp.

"Be careful, you might feel something there..." I giggle. Matt looks at me in amusement and shakes his head. Meanwhile, my best friend smacks the back of my head. I glare at him with pouted lips.

"He is really something when he's drunk." Matt states.

"No shit, Sherlock." Melody rolls her eyes.

They settle me into my bed. And there's this thing building inside me, coming up to my throat. I get up and immediately, though wobbly, run to the bathroom. I slump down on the ground near the toilet, barely hugging it, and throw all the alcoholic beverages I consumed into the toilet. Ew. Even though I'm drunk, I can still smell the disgusting scent of my vomit and worse, the food that I've eaten are mixed with those alcohols – it's so disgusting to look at.

"Come on, bestie." My best friend says as she rubs my back, and I vomit once again, letting it all out. Because this is what I really need. "Done?" I nod my head at her and a glass of water is shoved into my face by Matt. I gladly take the water, gurgle, and spit it to the toilet and drink the water. Once I'm already okay, they walk me through the bedroom and lay me down gently on the bed. I give them a thumbs up and they roll their eyes playfully at me. "Sleep, then. You're going to wake up tomorrow with a massive headache."

"And I'll take it like a pro," I chortle, rolling on my stomach and resting my head on my pillow comfortable. Melody grabs one pillow and tucks it in between my legs and she gives me another one to hug. And another pillow behind me. She really knows me well. "Goooooooooood night. Love you all." Slowly, my eyelids shut and I'm transported into dreamland in a few seconds, probably dreaming about killing my new boss.

OH FUCK IT. The hangover is such a bitch in the morning after a perfect night out.

My head is throbbing with pain and any sort of sound I hear, the headache gets worse. The sun is shining brightly outside, the curtains of my room are spread open. I glare at the light shining through the window. I roll out of bed with a hand on my head, hoping the headache would stop. When I get outside, Matt is on the sofa, watching Cartoon Network and when he sees me, he greets me good morning. I groan when my head throbs again.

"Hangover. Never a good thing." Matt grins at me, winking.

"So I've realized, dodo head." I roll my eyes at him and head immediately into the kitchen, where my best friend has prepared me a coffee and some sunny-side up eggs to gobble. "I just found out your boyfriend likes to watch Cartoon Network."

"Yeah, he does so."

"What?" I arch my brow at her.

"What do you mean what?"

"So he is your boyfriend now, huh?" I tease her, grabbing my mug and sip a coffee. So sweet and creamy, just the way I like it. Melody blushes and whacks the back of my head. "What was that for? You know my head hurts."

"I'll take it like a pro," she makes a face at me. I face palm, remembering my words last night before they tucked me into bed. "Here, take some Advil. Dumb bitch. God, I can't believe you. You were so drunk last night we didn't even know if you were fantasizing about Wyatt and how hot he is, or if you were frustrated because he's your enemy."

The look on my face is priceless. I'm beyond mortified, especially I remember everything – the things I've said about Wyatt, how I acted like a whore on the dancefloor, and how it seemed like I was a total drunkard in the club last night. I run a hand through my hair and Matt enters the kitchen with a grin tugged on his lips. He grabs one sunny-side up egg and puts some rice on his plate. He sits right across from me and stares at me with an amused expression. I throw a piece of egg on his face, rolling my eyes. He bursts out laughing, shaking his head as he shoves a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Glaring daggers at my plate, I take a spoon and fork, grabbing a plateful of rice. Now I'd get teased by my best friend and Matt about how I used to have the hots for Wyatt. That fucking Ajax Wyatt. The same Wyatt who ruined my life in high school – well, he didn't succeed though. I'm just exaggerating.

My Sunday is spent on cleaning the house. Melody and Matt took off as they said they would attend church but I've got no time for that, so I let them be. While I'm cleaning the house, I can't help but think about what will happen when I start working tomorrow. I have said some mean things to him, and I don't know if that's enough for him to fire me. I guess? But right now, I need a job. A stable one. I've got bills to pay – the water, the apartment, the electricity, and how am I supposed to buy new things for myself like clothes, pants, and other stuff?

Once I'm done cleaning, the sun no longer in the sky but instead the moon, I take my laptop on the desk near the television and bring it into my bedroom, turning it on in the process. I login and open the Chrome browser and head to jobstreet to search for another job. This is the site I used to search for a job and it landed me to work where I'm working right now. And I'm going to use it again to get another job. I need to be prepared. Just in case. A bright idea comes into my head.

I call my best friend. "Melody, I'm going to accept the secretary position." I say once she picks up.

"Are you fucking sure?" Melody asks and I can practically see the way she pinches the bridge of her nose. "If you want to suicide, you could have jumped off of your window there."

"I'm sure." I tell her. "I'm going to save the money. Right now, I've been searching for another job. And I think I've got a few that would take an interest on me. So in any case I can't take it anymore, then I'm sure I've saved a lot by then and the job... you following my plan?"

"Yes, and it's still dumb."

"I know," I tell her. "And I'm going to piss him in the process."

***

The workplace is still quite busy, with people roaming around with a cup of coffee in their hands. Melody and I are already doing reports, collating all the data needed so almost everything can be explained through a single PowerPoint file. We barely have time to go on break – we know it's just Monday, but the earlier we get this done, the earlier we leave by Friday. Kevin has gotten us coffee and we're thankful. He knows how busy we are on Mondays through Wednesdays.

In the reflection of my monitor, I see Melody looking at me and I turn my chair around to face her. She purses her lips and I can practically see the gears working in her head. She probably wants to know more about my decision I made last night, but that's not going to change. I'm going to say challenge accepted in that doofus' face. Turning around, I head back to working.

After a 3-hour straight of nonstop working, we – Melody, Matt, Kevin and I – decide to take lunch together since we're all hungry. Kevin and Matt are both talking about a football game that I pay no attention to while Melody is busy paying attention to her newly done nails. Meanwhile, inside my head, I'm thinking on how I'm going to approach Mr. McKenzie to tell him that I'm finally accepting the secretary position. I know the raise will be pretty high; his old secretary was able to tell me about that before she resigned. So I'm going to take advantage of that. As we get to the pantry, we immediately Mr. McKenzie talking with the other executive staff and once his eyes see me, he immediately bids farewell and walks towards our direction.

And behind him is Ajax Chase Wyatt.

His eyes are trained at me. I admit it's making me uncomfortable and intimidated, but I have to fight back. His hair is brushed up, a bit messy, but looks good. He's wearing a white polo, the sleeves folded neatly around his forearm, showcasing the gold watch he's sporting. His polo is tucked inside his grey pants with a brown belt looped around the waist, and a brown, newly polished, shoes. I hate how good looking he is.

Kevin takes a seat on one of the long table the pantry has and I take a seat beside him. Melody takes the one on my right. Meanwhile, Wyatt chooses to sit across from me, his eyes still trained at me, and Mr. McKenzie sits beside him.

"So have you thought of it, Pierce?" Mr. McKenzie asks me as he motions a pantry to bring us a food. Everyone knows that when Mr. McKenzie sits with you, that means you will not pay for any food. He will treat you. We learned that a long time ago. I nod my head. "And?"

"I'll take it." I say, meeting Wyatt's eyes and a sly smirk creeps onto his lips, as if he's expecting my answer. He disgusts me. Everyone is shocked – with an exception of Melody, Matt, Mr. McKenzie, and the devil spawn in front of me. "I figured that it would boost my skill, or something like that. Plus, it's nice to do other stuff. Although... if I encounter anything that displeases me... I believe I would have to back down."

"Nonsense," Mr. McKenzie reaches for my shoulder and pats it. "Chase here is a good boss. He wouldn't do anything that would displease his employees. What a leader. Surely I know that you know, considering you knew each other back in high school. He's smart."

"Yes," I agree, nodding my head. The food arrives in front of us – a rice meal (thank God). "We were kinda even in high school. He got good grades, and I got good grades. Melody is a witness to that. Sometimes he liked to make it into a competition."

Wyatt's sly smirk falters, replaced with a scowl. Then he puts on a smile before anyone notices. But I did. I fucking did and he disgusts me.

"Yes, I remember I beat your score in the prelim and midterm exams." He grins, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Oh yes, but I think I received the highest mark? I think I still have the award back in home." I counter back. "I'm sorry, but I have to go to the restroom. Continue. I shall be back." With that, I stand up and head. Everyone is confused with what just happened. I head to the nearest restroom and take a piss. I'm not lying. I really needed to take a piss.

I take the nearest cubicle, and surprisingly, the restroom is empty except for me. I shrug my shoulders and hear someone entering the room. Once done, I flush down the toilet. I open the cubicle and see Wyatt standing there with his eyes glaring daggers at me.

"Whatever you're up to, trust me, it won't work." He grits his teeth. His hands rest on my shoulders, gripping it a bit rougher. I try to shrug his grip off of my shoulders but he wouldn't budge. "Quit it, Pierson. You've already lost."

"Shut up and let me wash my goddamn hands." I say to him, glaring back. The look of anger in his face disappears, replaced with confusion. He steps aside, letting me wash my hands and I stare at him in the mirror. "Jesus, I just took a piss and here you are, barging in. You gotta let the people wash their hands, asshole."

"You are really something else, Pierson."

"I've been told."

"Now that you've accepted the role of secretary, you will direct report to me and nobody else." He says, an evil smile forming on his lips again. "And that's effective today. I know you're going to take position, Pierson. I knew it. Your desk is already setup, it's just outside my office. You are free to take customize your desk but keep it clean and neat."

"And I mean what I said," I tell him, crossing my arms across my chest. "If you do anything that will put my dignity at risk, trust me, I won't hesitate to resign. I know it's not a big deal to you, but it is to Mr. McKenzie. I really don't know what I did back in high school that made you hate me so much. That shit still baffles me."

"Simple, because you're gay."

"That's dumb and you know it." I roll my eyes, shaking my head. "You know what, as much as I really want to hate you, I just can't help but feel sad for you. I wish you have a happy life."

"What does that even mean?" he asks me as I head back to the pantry to eat. I shrug, letting the door close, blocking my view of him looking confused.

When I arrive at our table, my friends are looking at me with worried eyes and I just give them a smile to let them know that I'm just okay. Melody sighs in relief and motions for me to take a seat. I smile at Mr. McKenzie and we begin to eat. A few seconds later, Wyatt's back with a confused look still on his face. He hesitantly takes the fork and spoon and begins eating with us.

After eating, I tell Melody and Matt about what happened in the restroom. Melody wants to kill Wyatt, but I just stop her from doing so. She has a menace look on her face and it's like she's a serial killer on the loose. I tell her that it's okay and that I'll make sure he would never hurt me. After she helps me with grabbing my things, putting it into a box. I promise to her that I'll still do that report and I won't leave it out to her. She thanks me and kisses me on the cheek, giving me a one big good luck.

Yeah, I'm going to need that a lot.

******

Author's Note: So what is your expectation to this story? What do you think that bitch Wyatt is planning? lmao. And can we all agree that Pierce is a loud-mouthed drunk? And a bit emotional. Because that's how I am when I'm drunk. There,  I said it. I rarely drink though (???????).

How do you picture Ajax? Let me know!

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