The Glitch

Chapter Eight: You Lose

My hands were clenched tightly around the light blue chair, I could feel them throb every few seconds from the pressure I was putting onto them. My narrowed blue eyes wandered around the room as my body tensed, unwilling to move.

Normally I wasn't so interested in the scenery, but anything to get my mind off the dentist was better than sitting there and working out the worst-case scenarios. I tapped my foot harshly against the floor, gritting my teeth as anger and fear coursed through me.

My eyes rested on the tools that sat beside me on a metal tray. I lifted one of my aching hands to graze a finger over them, the tools cold to the touch. I couldn't believe that all this was necessary to clean teeth. Usually it's a toothbrush and toothpaste. Simple.

I picked one up, examining the dull, but sharp point and the hook-like appearance of it. "How is THIS going to clean my damn teeth?" I wondered aloud, setting it back down as my eyes left the tray and gazed at the desk to the right side of me.

A small laptop sat open and ready to read, all the files quickly made my curiosity disappear. Not very interesting unless I want to know who had an appointment today. Which I don't. I dropped my eyes to the chair, realizing that I had my hands clenched again.

I quickly let go of the seat, resting my hands in my lap as I laid my head back. After a few minutes of complete and utter silence, the door creaked open, drawing my attention immediately. A woman with deep brown eyes and black hair walked in.

Her hair was tied back into a messy bun and she had a brilliant, white smile. Her hands were stuffed into the front pockets of her white coat as she spoke up, startling me slightly. "Hello there. My name is Dr. Frazier." She held out her hand in greeting.

I gave her a distasteful look and she retracted her hand with a small chuckle. "Not one for formalities are you, Mr. McLoughlin?" She didn't wait for a response as she moved past my chair, looking down at the clipboard on the desk.

I just rolled my eyes, leaning back in the chair, my body still tense as I considered my options. I could run.. As soon as I sat up, ready to bolt, she calmly put a hand on my chest and pushed me back into the chair.

After a few seconds she looked back up, her eyes studying me. "Are we going to have a problem, Mr. McLoughlin?" Again, she didn't give me time to respond as she checked her watch. "We should be moving on with the cleaning now."

She removed her hand from my chest, turning away from me to do something on her computer as a smirk appeared on my lips. I could tell that this small woman was a short fuse, but that wasn't going to stop me from having my childish fun.

I fake yawned, stretching my arms and shoving the tray of tools onto the floor, creating a loud clanging noise that made her freeze in place. She let out a small sigh, regaining herself and turning to meet my amused gaze with her furious one.

"Mr. McLoughlin.. I don't know if you're used to doing this at your workplace, but here it is not acceptable to act so childish." I could tell she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself.

She took a deep breath, swiftly bending down and picking up the tools, placing them back onto the white table and then standing back up. "Luckily, I have a spare tray in the supply closet over there."

She walked away from me, rummaging in the closet before walking back over, setting them on her desk instead. I have to admit, she was smart, but nowhere near as smart as me.

I giggled, raising an eyebrow at her as her back was turned to me. "You really don't want to lose this job.. do you, Sweetheart~?" I teased, my grin still present on my face. I could see her tense up, her thoughts jumbled for once in her collected life.

She turned back around, leaning on the counter as she stared at me with an unreadable expression, her thoughts slowly becoming quieter and quieter.. until I could no longer hear them. "I don't get paid enough to deal with this, Mr. McLoughlin."

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to find the right words. "But if I could rid the world of people like you, maybe this job would become a whole lot more bearable. Now are you going to keep procrastinating, or can we get this over with?"

I snickered quietly as I shrugged. "Depends.." I trailed off, my expression hardening as I fake pondered. After a few minutes I looked back up, seeing her confused and questioning expression.

"Do you know how to play Monopoly?"

Her mouth opened slightly as rage twinkled in her chocolate brown eyes. "Are you-?!" She took a few deep breathes, trying to calm herself down as I held back the urge to burst into a fit of laughter.

She finally calmed down enough to look at me, her eyes narrowed. "I'm not going to play your games, Mr. McLoughlin. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not letting you be the one to get me fired from this job. I have a good thing going for me here."

She pointed an accusing finger at me. "You may be skilled at your little mind games, but I'm not a chess piece on a board. I'm not going to move just because you push me to. Be prepared to lose at your own game."

I shrugged. "And you don't have to be my chess piece to lose. I'm pretty sure your superior has heard enough of your crazy talk anyway." I jerked my thumb back at the guy standing at the door with a sour expression.

She was definitely getting fired.