𝙎𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙁 | Marcus White

Workplace Bullying

Jonah took a sip out of his coffee thermos, barely moving it away from his lips before you snatched it from him and took a sip for yourself. As much as you missed having Jonah's presence in your apartment, you missed the fact he'd started drinking coffee just the way you like even more. "Hey! What are you- what are you doing?"

"Umm, just some stuff." The guy I front of you was hunched over, dressed fully in black, and pulling stack after stack of cash out of the stores safe.

"No, you were, you're trying to rob the store!" You pointed at the man accusingly, Jonah pushing you behind him gently so that he was separating you from the potential threat before you.

Jonah stuttered to a sentence, unsure exactly of how to handle the situation. "Well, you put it back."

The guy looked at Jonah as though he had suddenly grown a second head, continuing to take things out of the safe and put them into his bag. "Uh, I don't think I'm gonna."

"Wh-well, I caught you, so, y-you have to." Jonah was wildly gesturing with one hand while the other reached for yours, gripping it tightly in an act of reassurance. Of all ways to start your day, being the potential victims of a hit and run was not up there in your guesses.

Yet again, the thief looked at Jonah in utter confusion. "Um, I don't think I do."

"But th-that's how this works." Despite Jonah's insistence not to continue the robbery, the thief continued to stuff cash into his bag. "No, don't just no. Don't take more."

The thief stopped for a second, turning to the two of you with a look of worry. "Do you have a gun?"

"No!" Jonah shrieked, ever the advocate for gun control. It made you think of the day he refused to work the gun counter and ended up causing a rights rally in the store. With a nudge from you to the middle of his back, he yelled out another response, quickly shoving his hand in his pocket and pointing it at the thief. "Maybe. Maybe I do."

The thief all but laughed at Jonah and his unassuming nature, continuing to put things in his bag. "Uh, I, I don't think you do."

"Well, I don't think you do, so, you know, it's a tie. What do you think about that?" Throughout the whole scene you'd stayed silent, unsure what you could possibly say that would help this situation - Jonah seemed to have it covered, and about as well as you could've done it too.

Finally, the thief closed up his bag full of cash, heading towards the two of you with complete calmness. "Okay. Excuse me."

Both you, and Jonah, stepped out of his way without a second thought, letting the thief just leave with all the cash in the safe and neither of you daring enough to run after him. "Oh. Wait! No, no, no, no! No, he no."

Thankfully, Dina came around the corner just as the guy was about to walk past her, a confused look on her face. Dina knew this store and it's employees inside and out, and yet, here was a face she didn't recognise. "Who is that?"

"He's robbing the store!" You shouted to Dina, her face quickly falling as she turned and chased after the thief who had set off in a dead sprint at the realisation that he had confronted someone who might actually try and catch him - unlike you and Jonah.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Dina tackled the guy to the floor, pushing the bag far out of his reach and pinning his hands tightly behind his back. "Jonah, call the police!"

Jonah pulled out his phone and typed in 911, dialling up the line and immediately pressing the phone against his ear, rushing out a plea for help as soon as the line connected.