Till Death

The Office

October, 24

Jessie pulls around to the parking garage by her work and up to the guard at the gate.

"Hello, can I help you?"

The guard asks as Jessie rolls down her window making eye contact with the tall man in the booth beside her.

"Yes, James! I've been here before!"

Jessie pleaded to him. But James just stares at her in confusion, lost.

"Sorry ma'am, I don't recognize you"

Jessie sits there in utter shock, she's been coming to this garage for a whole month! Ever since she started her new job as a detective.

"Sir, can I just park then, I work over there at LRPD. And I'm going to be late if you don't-"

Suddenly James started laughing and holding on to the railing beside him in the booth.

"What's so funny?!"

Jessie was getting pretty upset about this guy, and now the fact that he was laughing at her. Confused she asks again

"Huh? What's funny?"

"I know who you are Jessie! Jeez! Can't take a joke"

James pushes hard on a button lifting the gate in front of Jessie's black 2010 Hyundai Elantra.  She purses her lips and turns her head back to face the road. But before leaving she shouts to James

"You know it's rude to play jokes on newbies"

James just chuckles to himself and watches as Jessie puts her foot on the gas and pulls off to find a parking spot.

......

Before walking into the office, Jessie fits her button up suit and flattens down her dress pants. Grabbing hold of the glass doors handle and pulling, Jessie enters the front office and sees the receptionist first hand.

"Good morning Ms. Barkley!"

Sarah says from behind her dark wooded mahogany desk. Her blonde hair was up in a messy, yet stylish donut bun on the top of her head.

"Good morning Sarah!"

Jessie shouts back as she continues her walk to the open elevators. Standing in the reflective box, watching the doors close, suddenly someone barely stops the elevator doors with the end of their shoe.

"Jessie!"

Jessie contorts her face in confusion as to who was calling her so out of curiosity, she pushes the "open door" button inside the elevator.

Watching the silver gates of the elevator open, in walks Drake.

"Oh lord, I should've known it was you"

Jessie remarks as she lowly shakes her head and let's out a slight laugh.

"What can I say? I just can't stay away from you"

Drake smirks in Jessie's direction as he walks in the elevator himself. Both standing there watching the doors close once more, Drake interrupts the silence.

"So beautiful, what are the plans for today? Stopping small children from stealing candy from gas stations?"

Jessie rolled her eyes at his sly remark toward her new status. Drake always tried to make fun of her and the jobs she takes considering the fact she was new to the employment.

She hasn't exactly been out to stop any mad murderers or stop a hostage situation. Right now, she was mostly just dealing with small steals, as well as relationship struggles with cheating and abuse.

"Drake, for your information! Chief is wanting to talk to me today about my work. But considering you seem to always crack a joke about my job, this just means your either jealous, or need some type of en excuse to talk to me because your actually too nervous to approach someone as successful or gorgeous as me. Don't put yourself down though...I guess we all have our flaws"

Jessie stood tall as she was proud at her profiling skills she had just done to him. Finishing her thought, the elevator "dings" and opens the door automatically reaching the 4th floor. She walks out, clicking her heels proudly down the hallway to the Chiefs private office.

Drake still stood in the elevator dumbfounded, without anything to say, he slowly walks out as well and follows behind her into the office to start his job as well.

......

"Sir!...you said you wanted a word with me about my work?"

Jessie shyly asks as she slowly opens the door the Chiefs office.

"Ah! Yes! Jessie, thank you for coming so soon"

Jessie closed the door behind her and sat down in one of the two leather seats in front of the desk which the chief sat behind.

"Jessie, I wanted to talk to you about moving up in your career field. You've been with us for about a month but with your previous background and intense studying, I believe that you can handle much more serious cases"

Jessie was more than happy, she was ecstatic, scared, shocked. Her mix of emotions where whirling throughout her head, but her face stayed calm as she just slowly shook her head and gave a slight smile.

"Thank you Mr. Hanson! I appreciate this so much!"

"Now of course you won't be doing these alone, your clearly aren't ready for that quite yet but I know you and Mr. Wells are pretty close so I think it would be best if-"

"Oh sir! Please no! Not him..."

Jessie pleaded but just then, Drake walks into the office stern and steady.

"Hey Chief! How's it going? Hello Ms. Barkley..."

"Hello..."
Jessie replies back as she lets out a small sigh"

"Very well then! Mr. Wells has agreed to being your partner and I already have a case lined up for the two of you, I'll email you the details, now get to work!"

And with that, Mr. Hanson waved the both of us out of the office together, firmly closing the door behind us.

Jessie turned to Drake immediately

"You knew about this! And you didn't tell me!"

"Well instead of telling me off in the elevator, if only you just listened you would've known what was going on my dear. Oh, but your way too successful and gorgeous for me to talk to about things like that...right? Or maybe, maybe your just too self centered and cocky for your own good which diminishes your listening skills"

Drake fires back at Jessie with a small smirk before he turns on his heel and heads back to his desk.

Jessie, being defeated at her won game, rolls her eyes and follows behind him to the adjoining desk to start her day, and her new case.