The Lemonade Charade

Chapter 3: Thirsty for revenge

I didn't know what to think. I was always on time, I was a hard worker and I always got Alison a Wendy's lemonade. I had no idea why she gave me the boot. All I knew was that I had to get to the bottom of it.

Look. I'm not a bad girl. Sure, I might have gone above the speed limit a few times, but I'm a good person. Really. But you can't just let someone walk all over you without any consequences. Otherwise, people will just swoop in and take a sip of your Wendy's All-Natural Lemonade without asking. You have to stand up for yourself, you know?

I left in such a rush when they dropped the bomb on me that I realized I had left behind half of my things, including my beloved reusable metal straw. I sat on my couch for what felt like hours deliberating as to whether I should go back for my things. I loved that straw, it made my Wendy's Lemonade somehow taste even better, and I wasn't going to let Alison take away yet another thing for me.

I decided to sneak back into the office at night to avoid having any awkward conversations. It all happened in such a hurry I didn't even have a chance to give my ID badge back, which came in handy for this little covert mission. As I tiptoed down the hall towards my former desk, I heard laughter coming from the conference room.

"Mind your own business. Just get in and out." I said to myself, but I've always been... inquisitive? Ok, nosy. As I got closer to the room, I started to recognize the voices. It was none other than Jess Elwood and Alison Radke.

This was no platonic conversation between coworkers, however. I'd never heard Alison giggle like that. I finally got close enough that I could hear there every word and catch a glimpse of them through the doorway.

"Don't you feel just a little bit bad." Jess Elwood said to her with a smirk. "We did just let her go for no reason."

"I won't feel bad once we're swimming in money at our new beach house in Bora Bora", Alison said with another giggle, "Trust me, it was the only way. She was the only one working in this dump smart enough to catch on to us."

"We could've never gotten away with this whole scheme if we hadn't fired Laura Saunders. But now, we'll be so rich, we'll never have to think about that name again."

"You are so bad," Jess cooed at Alison.

"Well that's why you love me, isn't it?" she fired back.

I knew there was something fishy about my firing, but this was more than I ever could have anticipated. Jess and Alison having an affair? Embezzlement? It was like a story ripped straight out of one of those cheesy mystery paperbacks, only this time it was real.

I grabbed my straw and crept back to the front door. I wanted so badly to burst in to the conference room and catch them red handed, but I had to play my cards right. Alison wasn't wrong, I was the only one smart enough to beat them at their own game.