The Spectator

Chapter 4: Rumor Has It

     Two weeks later the office was in upheaval. Interns rushed back and forth between editors who were busily working their writers to the bone—not only by churning out new material, but also redrafting posts because of the newly-assigned editors for the app. Some of whom were very young and very scrupulous. Real hard-asses, honestly.

     Or such were some of the things they whispered among the desks and cubicles of the Spectator. Hidden away in a boardroom, drowning in a sea of paper out of which a few computers rose like islands, Ella thought otherwise. She thought, perhaps, the writers she was responsible for would have more time to redraft their work if they would simply stop arguing with her. Every edit beyond those of basic punctuation or spelling was an immediate cause for an endless discourse on why the writer had chosen this particular phrasing or imagery or whatever and no diplomatic wheedling from the young Ms. Vazquez would convince them to simply take the criticism and improve their work.

     Ella was open to argument, but the amount of push back had taken her by surprise. She and Dan had been tasked with keeping an eye on the political writers while their usual editor, Kendra Williams, was out on maternity leave. When she found out why they were actually pushing back... surprise turned to indignant rage.

     "I... They..." She could hardly force the words out of her mouth, but she rallied and managed it, "They think Nate made me junior editor because he... thinks I'm hot?"

     "Yep," Serena replied, lounging behind Dan's desk. Ella had come in to speak with Dan, but he'd been out and Serena had swung by with his lunch at just that moment. They'd gotten to talking and, at this point of the conversation, Ella was certain of two things: Serena was a sun goddess posing as a human being, and she was going to strangle whatever writer had started this rumor.

     Seeing the murder on Ella's face, Serena continued soothingly, "Hey, at least they think you're hot, amiright?"

     "I guess... but wait!" Ella gasped. "They don't think I've ever... been with Nate, do they?"

     "If by 'been with' you mean 'fucked him on his desk,' then yes, they probably do," Serena confirmed. Ella groaned in despair, but clung to the scrap of disbelief she was hanging onto for dear life.

     "Dan told you they think that? Like, he's heard them literally say it?"

     "Heard them say it? He thought Nate was hot for you when he first hired you! I remember he went on a rant about it," Serena giggled. Ella's face heated up.

     "But... well, obviously it's not true!" Ella sputtered.

     "What's not true?" Dan asked as he walked in. He stooped to kiss Serena, "Hey, babe, I see you met Ella—."

     "Dan, you piece of shit!" Ella exclaimed. "You thought I slept with Nate?"

      "What? No-- Ow!" Dan yelped as Serena pinched him, "Well, maybe for a minute there..."

     Ella stood from her chair.

     "I can't believe this! Why?"

     "Because you're young and pretty and people are assholes," Serena told her with a shrug when Dan turned to her helplessly. "I suggest you ignore them."

     Ella sank back down and shook her head.

     "Dan, I left you some samples on the desk right there for you-- right there, the folder," She pointed out the item she'd actually come to Dan's office to deliver. "I looked them over and I have my own suggestions for edits but..."