Believe Me, I'm Lying

:Believe Me, I'm Lying: 2

~ Ten Months Later ~

The pounding of rain filled my ears as I stared wide-eyed at my boss. He returned my look with a solemn one.

"Please," I begged, clenching my fist. "You don't understand! I need this job! Without it, I can't support my brother and myself-"

"Harley," my boss snapped, silencing me instantly. "I can't have you coming to work late every day!"

"It's not every day!" I responded, raising my voice. "My brother just misbehaves sometimes and I have to deal with him first!"

My boss's expression hardened. "I'm sorry."

"But-"

"You're fired, Harley," my boss stated with an air of finality.

"If I don't have a job I can't pay the rent or grocery expenses!" I protested, tears gathering in my eyes.

"My best advice is that you let a foster family adopt you and your brother," my boss responded, looking uninterested. "And you should go back to school instead of working full time."

"I get home-schooled," I snapped, glaring at him. "And there's no way I'm going to take the chance of my brother and me being separated. He's all that I have!"

"Well, then, I'm sorry."

I glared at him. "At least I know what kind of man you are now! The kind that would fire a worker even though her life depends on the job!"

My boss... well, ex-boss now, sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Here I look for workers who work hard and actually show up on time. I'm sorry you couldn't follow those rules."

"But-"

"End of discussion. Please leave my office immediately."

I glared at him with the most hatred I could gather. I stood up, purposefully knocking over the chair in the process. Jaw clenched, I stomped towards the exit of the room.

"This is why you don't hire children," my ex-boss muttered to himself.

I slammed the door as hard as I could after I exited. Before I had even taken a step, someone ran into me, almost toppling me over. A strong grasp on my forearm saved me though, and I regained my balance.

I glanced up to see a familiar blonde smirking down at me. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Whoa there," Seth, my ex-coworker and friend, said. "What's the rush?"

"I was fired," I told him, tears spilling down my face.

"What?" Seth gasped, his eyes widening, all traces of amusement gone. "Why?"

"Because I was late to work too many times," I said bitterly, wiping away the tears that had escaped. I was stronger than this.

"Doesn't he understand your circumstances?" Seth said in outrage, fury filling his eyes. "Hold on, let me talk to him!"

"No," I said quickly, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to work for a man like him anyway."

"But, Harley..."

I shook my head. "I have enough money in the bank for this month's rent, so it's okay. I just need to find another job, and quick."

Seth still looked angry, but he let out a deep sigh. "I wish I could help."

I laughed slightly, smiling at him. "Don't worry about it, I'll be okay. But anyway, I'm going to go rescue Will from Elliot... I'm sure he wouldn't mind a day off."