Zealous | [SUPERMAN]

Ch. 5 - Special Friends

"Are you going to be able to pick me up after work..?" Marilyn sounded much like a kindergartener getting dropped off to their first day of school. The car doors unlocked as she stared up at the many floors that lead nearly up to the sky of the Daily Planet. Edward placed a comforting pat against her shoulder and smiled, opening her door for her.

"I'll be here at 5. If I'm running late, I'll be at the main office all day today, it's a short walk from where you are, you can meet me there. Okay?"

Marilyn smoothed out her black dress and looked down at the black velvet of her Steve Madden heels. Her day hadn't even started and already she wanted to go home. She was scared to get back into society and the working life, but she knew it was for the greater good of her life. She gave Edward a quick hug and thanked him for taking her to work as she quickly hopped out of the car and scurried into the spinning door of the Daily Planet. She kept her head down and avoided eye contact with any of her new coworkers, relieved to find herself in an empty elevator that would take her to floor 21 to start her day by meeting with her new boss, Perry White.

'You're a Queen.' She told herself in her head, trying to calm all the negative thoughts and feelings in her head.

'Queens don't let people see them sweat. You're cute and people love you.' She swallowed the last thought for confidence and took a deep breath as the elevator came to a stop. The 21st floor was a sea filled with paper and noise. Phones were ringing off the hooks, printers running, chatter both business and gossip loud and clear even at 7:15 in the morning. Although she thought she had gone unnoticed, she was horribly mistaken.

"Good Morning, Marilyn!" Lois Lane chirped in a, 'too happy for the morning' voice that made Marilyn's ears tingle.

"Lois!!" She waved, feigning morning happiness as the older woman gave her a hug.

"I'm so glad Edward put you here! Let me show you to Perry's office, he's been expecting you." Marilyn followed close behind the tall red head who seemed to be making conversation with every person on the way to Perry's office. Her cheerfulness made Marilyn sick.

"Here you are, go ahead and come find me once you get settled in, I'll brief you on what's going on for today." Lois urged, leaving Marilyn sitting in Perry's office alone. His phone had been ringing softly in a corner of his large wood desk that was cluttered with papers and empty coffee cups. She felt an urge to answer and take a message to make a good first impression, but decided against touching any of his things. The ringer on the phone was probably on the low level for a reason. She sat quietly and resisted the other nervous urge to fiddle with her phone while she waited. She could hear a loud demanding voice chewing someone out down the hallway, getting closer at every step till Perry finally busted through the door.

"I don't care if there's a billion reporters already covering the story, you'll make a billion and one and you'll go now!!" Perry slammed the door in a young, dumbfounded, intern reporter's face who had argued that someone from the Daily Planet had already gone to cover the story he was assigned. He sighed loudly and angrily, shuffling papers around on his desk and not paying any type of attention to Marilyn sitting across from his desk till he finally sat down and took a deep breath, looking her right in the eye with a smile.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss.Warren?" He asked in the calm voice she had heard when he delivered the 'thank you' speech to Edward at the party they attended.

"Please, call me Marilyn.. Edward told me to check in with you before I start doing something."

"What is it you'd like to do today?" He asked, leaning back in his chair comfortably with his hands behind his head. She searched his face for any sign of joking or sarcasm, but found only seriousness in his question. She didn't understand.