Shay

twenty three

Tomorrow was the day.

The day my article would, hopefully, go viral. The day my name would be at the very bottom of the magazine, titled as Walgreen's next top author.

I was so proud of myself.

It had been three days since Laylah had gotten my article, and now it was just in progress. I had not heard any feedback of my colleagues, but I was reassured that no one had anything to complain about it, also.

I walked down the hallways happily to just get to the cafeteria. I avoided it the last days, either because Jenna forced me to go get something else to eat some elsewhere, or because I would meet Christina here. Although, I had sworn Christina my friendship back in College, it now was a little issue for me that she got accepted by our rival of a magazine.

As well as Chicagomics, we also had good contacts with different companies and business people. I knew that they also had their own long-standing contact with Harry and John, but here we had the difference that, A: Miss Smith used her contacts very well and insisted that it needed to be maintained, plus B, I was now also responsible to keep it just as long-standing.

When I wanted to sit down on a chair, I saw Jenna already bring coffee and food to our, usually, regular table. I remembered the day when Miss Smith had come here for one of her little announcements.

"Hola!" Jenna happily greeted me and sat down on the opposite chair of me. I had now finally moved back to mine and felt, well, incredibly fresh, because I could finally use my own toothbrush and also, my own shower, my own clothes, my own bed. Jenna had wanted to stop me from going, but then left me to it after I decided to make my way back home.

"Hi," I greeted her back just as happy and took one of the two coffee cups she had placed on the table.

"Why the happy mood?"

"Well, you're gon' publish your first article tomorrow!" She smiled at me brightly. I took a sip from the coffee and then put away from my mouth immediately.

"Dang, I shoulda' told you that it's still hot," Jenna apologised and stood up. "You need some water?"

"Oh, yes, please!"

"I'll get you so-" Just as Jenna got up, Laylah was standing in front of our table.

"I can get you a water," Laylah interrupted Jenna. "I just wanted to get one. Do you want one, Jenna?"

Laylah laid her tray on the table and waited for Jenna's answer. Jenna was surprised by her sudden presence and sat down again as she evened her skirt with her hands.

"Uhm, no," Jenna answered. "But thank you."

Laylah nodded to the both of us and then turned around as she made her way to the water dispenser.

"What's she doin' here?" Jenna asked me and pulled her eyebrows together as she crossed her arms.

"I guess Laylah and I have somehow become friends," I explained amusingly, keeping my voice low in case Laylah came back soon.

"Yes, apparently!"

I questioned Jenna's behaviour, as Laylah just tried to be nice, and I couldn't imagine Jenna to be possessive or even jealous. It didn't fit her personality. Just because we once gossiped about Laylah, well, Laylah barely had anything to say as a deputy boss and Jenna and I found it funny, it didn't mean that I didn't like Laylah.

I liked her quite a lot, actually.

People just gossip. That's what Christina and I had done in college, too.