Ariana barely made it out the stack of papers alive. Barely. She had a hand pressed against her forehead with her pen scribbling lousily down the same answers she had given the past dozen reports and she felt her heartbeat drumming against her temple. It was nearing two, still a full hour to go before Kelly was leaving for the main building.
But God was playing crude joke on her; when a knock on the door sounded, a solemn open to a new plague.
Upon seeing who poked their head in, Ariana leant back into her chair. She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose before gesturing for them to come in.
"Can't say I'm happy to see you," she remarked.
The man chuckled, shrugging with his hands waving in the air. "Aye, it's still me, the Nahiem you know and love. Why the hostility, Doc?"
"My God, don't waste my time, get the fuck out," she snapped, standing abruptly from her chair and circling around her desk. She gently grappled onto the man's arm, tugging him towards the door. "Unlike you, I have actual work to do for my future. Maybe go bother somebody who gives a fuck."
"Oh, baby, you always were a feisty one." Alleyne chuckled, "But I think you should hear me out."
"Why, Nahiem? What could you possibly say?"
He leant in close, his jaw visibly tightening. His hand grabbed Ariana's wrist roughly, yanking it off his arm.
"If you don't sit your pretty ass down, I'll make sure I ruin Nika's chances of getting drafted. You don't want that to happen, do you?" He pulled out his phone with his free hand. Turning it sideways, Ariana was shown a clip, a familiar clip, as she saw herself just hiding behind Nika, who was arguing with Kate. "You see, a 'friend' of mine on the team sent me this gem. And, oh, look!" The video plays, escalating just to when Kate and Nika began getting physical. "That's our girl, Nika, right there. The bruises she gave the Hawkeye is more than enough proof to take her down forever. One tweet, one tiktok, and her career is over."
