A/N: The title of this chapter is a toast a lot Spanish speakers use when they're taking shots and it means something along the lines of: Up, down, to the center, and in it goes!
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"That is not what I said!" Ella exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably.
"She did, she definitely told me my piece on the Presidential debate was a waste of space," Adam informed their other coworkers, now a part of their conversation.
Ella rolled her eyes. "All I said was that it was a little long... by a few thousand characters."
"It's not her fault you're incompetent, Holfax," one of the aforementioned coworkers, Eddy, guffawed. "What are you drinking, El?"
Ella looked down at her glass and frowned. "I'm not sure, actually. What did you get me, Adam? Tastes like soda."
"That's a Shirley Temple," He informed her, laughing.
"You got me a girly drink, you big sexist? Eddy, if you're ordering drinks then I say we all do some tequila shots-- you too, Vic!" She exclaimed, singling out the quiet young man standing at the fringe of their group who was shaking his head. He worked in the Lifestyle section and had been brought in around the same time she had, so they'd been close collaborators during this whole app endeavor.
"Fine, but let it be known that Ms. Vazquez is a slave driver even after hours," Vic quipped. Ella rolled her eyes good-naturedly, adjusting herself on the bar stool she was perched on.
As Eddy leaned forward to order drinks, she suddenly had a clean line of sight directly across the bar. She saw Nate's turned back. Damn it, he was handsome even from behind. He then turned-- and she saw a lovely young woman next to him smiling as he signaled the bartender. Who the fuck is that?
She turned her attention back to Eddy immediately as he handed her a shot glass.
"Alright, you know how they do shots in Miami?" She asked her circle of coworkers. "Follow my lead-- Pa'rriba!"
She lifted her shot glass and they followed suit merrily.
"Pa'bajo!"
Down the shot glasses went.
"Pa'l centro!"
All the shot glasses clinked together as they met in the middle.
"Y pa'dentro!" In one swift motion, they downed their shots of ice cold tequila. Her coworkers erupted in cheers. As the aimless banter continued, she engaged in it enthusiastically, pointedly ignoring whatever Nate was doing with that woman over there. It was none of her business. This was a free country and if he wanted to flirt with somebody else, then by all means.
Her gaze studiously diverted, she didn't notice when Nate and the woman wandered to the dance floor. It was clear to Chuck and Dan that he was putting the famous Archibald moves on her.
"Well, now you don't have to worry about Nate being lonely," Dan commented to Serena, who scoffed.
"Aurora Blake is one of the most boring people I've ever met, he's only dancing with her to make Ella jealous."
"She certainly doesn't seem to notice," He replied, looking over his shoulder at where Ella was still holding court.
"Good for her!" Blair interjected. "In fact, she should keep ignoring him until he breaks and comes crawling, what do you say, my love?"
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The Spectator
FanfictionWhat if our knight in shining Armani fell for a plebe? The last thing Ella Vazquez wanted when she pursued a career in journalism was to be one of those writers churning out crappy Lifestyle articles about the lives of the socially elite. But this...
