Stronger With Her

by JA Hensley

  I get the radio going before I drive away. It was a fairly successful night for everyone. Now, if I can get mystery guy out of my head, it will be even better.

  26 days ago

  Does everyone hate Monday? I’m generally not a morning person, but Monday mornings are the worst. Something always goes wrong, someone downloads a virus, spills coffee on his or her laptop or can’t access their email. I know that most people don’t understand the inner workings of computers, but give me a break. I’ve got to figure out something else to do with my life.

  “Stephanie,” my speaker phone crackles with my supervisor’s voice.

  “Yes, ma’am. What can I do for you?” I roll my eyes knowing she can’t see me.

  “I need you to go down to the security desk. Apparently Jake’s screen is frozen, and he can’t get it going.”

  I take a deep breath before I reply. Jake is obnoxious and doesn’t know how to take a hint. He is constantly asking me out or making lewd comments. It’s exhausting to deal with him.

  “I’ll be down there as soon as I can,” I respond with as much professionalism as I can muster. Hopefully, I can just do a manual restart and be back in my office in just a few minutes.

  I slowly walk to the elevator, passing many cubicles filled with other computer analysts and technicians. When I went to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Being a child prodigy made things more difficult because there were too many options. I graduated from high school when I was thirteen years old. Of course I was homeschooled because, let’s face it, a pre-pubescent girl among seventeen-year-olds would have been a really bad idea. My sister, Erin, went to a regular public high school and she told me enough to make me glad I didn’t have to deal with all the crap.

  Once I got my diploma, I entered college, taking classes online. My mother is a professor of Philosophy so she was the one helping me with my academics. My father is a chemical engineer and a workaholic so he isn’t around much. I decided to study math and I got my bachelor’s degree just before I turned eighteen. That was also the year that everything changed in my world.

  The elevator dings and I climb aboard. Thankfully there are only a few people in the car. I’m not a fan of enclosed spaces, but taking the ten flights of stairs is more unappealing. When I reach the first floor, I take a cleansing breath and steel myself to deal with Jake.

  “Well, there’s my beautiful computer genius. How are you today, gorgeous?” Jake stands and tries to give me a hug. I take a step back and cross my arms over my chest.

  “Cut the crap, Jake. I’m not in the mood for your bullshit this morning. What’s wrong with your computer?” I look up and meet his eyes. Of course, he’s tall so it’s like looking up a mountain, but I will not let him intimidate me or show any weakness.

  “God, Steph, you don’t have to be a bitch.” My spine stiffens. He’s walking on thin ice right now.

  “Keep it up and I’ll file a complaint with HR. I’m not joking. Now tell me what’s wrong with your computer or find yourself another tech.” I move to the desk and wiggle the mouse. The screen comes to life, but it’s frozen.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong. I was logging into the system and it froze. After the last time when you bitched me out, I didn’t touch anything and called Lindsey.” He has the decency to look embarrassed.

  “What were you doing before this happened? Were you on the internet?”

  “I checked my Facebook really quick, but that’s it.”

  “Did you click on any videos or anything like that?” I guess that he did. I start the process of getting into the registry.

  “I may have, but I can’t remember.”

  “Really, you don’t remember clicking on a video. What was it, Jake? Porn? A Tumblr link? Or were you just watching kittens bully dogs?” I try to sound pissed, but the idea of him watching cat videos is amusing.

  “Fuck you, Steph. It doesn’t matter. You’ll figure it out anyway. I’m going to get a cup of coffee while you service me.”

  “Good, take your time,” I say as I finally get to where I need to be. If he’ll go away, I can get this done and get back to my office before he comes back.

  It doesn’t take too long to figure out that the asshole downloaded some malware when he was looking at gifs on Tumblr. What an idiot. Once I get it all cleaned up and back online, I hurry away from the desk. I don’t like being out in the open like this. I’m much better tucked away behind my desk and double monitors. As the elevator doors close, I hear someone ring the bell at the desk. Not my problem, I think as the car begins its ascent back to my safe place.

  I can’t believe they pay for security in this building. Most of the time when I come here the desk is unattended. I hear the elevator ding but I can’t see who’s there. I tap the bell on the counter to get my brother’s attention.

  “I’ll be right with you,” I hear from the side office.

  “That’s okay. It’s much easier for me to rob the place if you stay in there. Thanks, man. See ya,” I call back as I round the desk.

  “Fuck you, Runt. What are you doing here?” Jacob asks as he puts me in a head lock.

  “Get the fuck off me, asshole,” I say as I stomp on his foot and push him off me. I swear he’s still an eleven-year-old boy, not a grown man.

  “Son of a bitch that hurt. You might have broken my pinkie toe,” he cries as he limps to his chair. I laugh at him being such a baby.

  “Give me your man card. You seriously can’t be crying over that.” I shake my head and lean against the desk.

  “Fuck off, lazy ass.”

  “Yeah, because I can tell you’ve been working really hard so far.”

  “My computer froze and the tech was working on it. Did you see her? She’s a fine piece of ass. A little nerdy, but she’d be fun to corrupt.”

  “You’re disgusting, you know? Ma would kick your ass right now if she heard you talking like that.”

  “So, I’m going to ask you one more time, why are you here? Did you just come to bust my balls or do you have an actual purpose for ruining my morning?” Great, now he’s going to pout.

  “I’m sorry to have ruined your day, but I was told to come and remind you that it’s Ma’s birthday, and we’re all taking her out for dinner tonight. Seven o’clock at Outback on Pine and Second.”

  “Ugh, do we have to go there? We should be taking her to some place really nice,” he whines as he rolls his eyes and huffs in frustration.

  “It’s her choice, and that’s where she wants to go. Put on your big boy pants and be there at seven. Don’t even think about being late or skipping out or I’ll send Maureen’s crazy ass after you. You know John won’t stop her either.”

  Jacob visibly shudders. “Man, I think my nuts just crawled up into my stomach. Don’t worry, I’ll be there. Do not let that crazy-ass bitch anywhere near me.”

  “I knew you’d see it my way. All right, I’m outta here. Gotta go make the dollars, you know?” I slap him on the back as I move around the desk.

  “Yeah, I know. It’d be nice if you’d start sharing those dollars with the rest of us, so we don’t have to slave away in places like this,” he mutters. I know he’s been a little jealous of my success, but he’s never said it out loud. I wave as I leave the building. A response isn’t really necessary.

  As soon as I’m in my truck the damned phone rings. I check the caller ID on my dash before answering. “Hey, Simone, what’s up?” My secretary doesn’t call me very often, so I’m caught off guard.

  “Hi, James, I just wanted to remind you that you’re supposed to pick up donuts for the meeting you have in twenty minutes. I’ve already called in the order, so you just have to drive through and get them.”

  “You’re a life saver. I completely forgot, but I’ll take care of it. I’ll be there soon.”

  She hangs up with a quick goodbye, and I turn the truck around to get the donuts. I can’t have a pissed off crew this week.

  By the time I fight t
raffic and get to my reserved parking spot, I’m late for my meeting. The guys aren’t going to let me forget this for a long time, especially since I’m always preaching the merits of promptness. I rush into the building with the pink boxes hoping that the sweet treats will distract them.

  “It’s about time, bro. We thought you’d run off or something,” my brother Joe says, relieving me of the donuts.

  “I had to stop and remind Jacob about tonight. You know he never checks his phone. I’ll grab my files and be in there in a minute.”

  “No worries, man. The guys are very patiently awaiting your arrival,” he responds sarcastically, laughing like an idiot as he walks into the conference room.

  I turn around and go into my office, dropping my keys on the desk and picking up the red file folder I need. Never in my wildest fantasies did I think this is where I’d be at thirty years old. I take a second to look around the room. I’ve got my diplomas from college and certifications hanging on one wall, the awards I’ve won on the opposite side. My name graces the front door, and I have ten guys and Simone, who work hard to keep everything running smoothly. My dad would be so proud of all of this if he were still here to see it.

  “Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to do some actual work,” Simone asks from behind me. I spin around and smile. There’s nobody else who could talk to me like that and get away with it, and she knows it.

  “I’m going. Jeez, when did you become such a hard ass?”

  “Pretty sure I’ve always been a hardass. You just don’t have to experience it very often. Now get in that meeting so we can all get to work,” she says as she leaves my office. I don’t waste any more time and get to the meeting that will hopefully mean bigger and better things for the future.

  25 days ago

  I’m lucky that I have an office. I can close the door and shut out the rest of the staff for a little while. I worked my ass off for it, but I still consider myself lucky because my boss is a crazy bitch with mood swings that range from psychotic serial killer to man’s best friend. It doesn’t help that she likes me, which means that she thinks we’re friends and she can hang out with me. Well, that’s on a good day. The rest of the time she’s shouting at me and ordering me around. I’m going to quit this job very soon and go out on my own.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed being a Level 3 analyst at Soklov Technologies for the past year. It’s not the most exciting job in the world, but it pays really well. I mean, really very well. I do have more freedom than most of the other employees which comes in handy. I also get to work on the more confidential accounts which gets me into top government offices. I’m not snooping, but I find it very interesting what our “trusted” officials look at on the internet in their offices. Like the conservative senator from Alabama who enjoys gay porn and the liberal representative with a gambling addiction. I know more secrets than a Catholic priest after confession.

  I log into my email and see the usual updates on the different systems I monitor, a little spam, and orders that need to be filled this week. There’s also a message that Becca sent an hour ago.

  Hey, girl! Wanna do lunch today?

  I write back quickly, Sure, tell me when and where and I’ll be there. I hit send, knowing it will take a while for her to get back to me. She’s probably in class or having sex with her hottie boyfriend, Colin. He’s been wonderful for her and I couldn’t be happier for them, especially after he got her away from her douche-bag, drug-dealing, kidnapping ex-boyfriend, Ron. I hate what he did to Becca but Colin has been her rock, and it’s so great to see her become even more confident than she was before.

  My cell phone pings with a text message from Christin. She must not be working today. Christin is an emergency room nurse and has a varied schedule.

  Lunch, Termillio’s, noon with Becca.

  I’ll be there. See ya!

  I haven’t seen my girls in almost a week so lunch will be fun. I dive into my work orders to prioritize my week and get down to it.

  Termillio’s is a small, family-owned pizzeria that we discovered when we were in college. It’s the kind of place where you can go and hang out for hours and the owners treat you like their own family. Mom and Pop, yes, they insist we call them that, are great and the food is out of this world. There’s no better pizza on the planet.

  Becca and Christin are at our usual table when I arrive, and Mom is setting down their drinks. Becca, of course, has her usual caramel latte and Christin has Big Red. Before I can sit down, Mom puts my Diet Mt. Dew in front of me. See, the best place ever.

  “I love it here,” Becca says after she takes a sip of her coffee. Christin and I nod in agreement.

  I met these girls the first week of our freshman year at State. Becca was the typical, positive Suzy Sunshine girl who always looked on the bright side. She was my roommate, and when I walked into our room on moving day, I knew we would be best friends.

  “Hi, I’m Becca, and you must be Stephanie,” she says with a smile on her face and in her voice as she walks toward me.

  “Yep, I’m Stephanie. Nice to meet you,” I say shyly. I really hate that I’m so shy and awkward around new people. This girl seems really nice, and I’m sure we’re going to get along. I try to smile and meet her eyes.

  “I’m so excited to be at college finally, aren’t you? I can’t wait to find out who I am and to have the time of my life.” She’s talking faster and faster now. This must be what she does when she’s excited.

  “I’m glad to be out of my house and away from my parents. College will be great,” I say, trying to convince myself of it too.

  I’m not really as glad to be away from my parents, as I am the overall sadness that has descended upon our family since Erin’s death. They wanted me to have a “normal” life and encouraged me to come to college even though I already have a degree in mathematics. I think it’s their way of trying to help me move on and become my own person.

  “Well, I just know that this year is going to be epic, and you and I are going to be like sisters,” Becca says as she grabs me in a bear hug. I stiffen at the contact. I don’t like being hugged, or touched, or noticed for that matter. It’s just easier to blend into the background and observe everyone else. No attachments equal no disappointments.

  “Yeah, it’ll be epic,” I say using her word as I push away from the hug. Becca doesn’t seem to notice, and she goes back to unpacking her things. I take another look around the small room and tell myself that I can do this and it will be good for me.

  Christin intimidated the crap out of me when we first met. She was loud, brash, and not afraid to express herself, especially her sexuality. We had our door propped open while we were unpacking. It seemed like everyone was doing that and we didn’t want to seem too closed off from the rest of the floor. I was putting the sheets on my bed when this blond bombshell walked into our room.

  “Hey, bitches, what’s up?” she says as she sits down at Becca’s desk.

  “Um, nothing?” Becca answers as she looks at me nervously.

  “I’m Christin and I live across the hall. I think we’re going to be great friends. What’s your name?” she asks looking at me.

  “I’m Stephanie.” I reply and go back to making my bed.

  “Okay, hi, Stephanie. What about you?” she turns to Becca.

  “I’m Rebecca, but my friends call me Becca. It’s nice to meet you, Christin.”

  “Are you guys going to the Freshman Mixer tonight or should we find something a little less lame to do?” Christin is obviously a very social person.

  “I don’t know yet,” Becca answers, “what do you think, Steph?” Oh, great, she’s putting it on me to decide.

  “I was planning on staying here and unpacking. I’m not sure I’m up for a party tonight.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? We’re in college and partying should be the main focus. This is the one time in our lives where we can do whatever the fuck we want and not have to worry
about paying bills or being responsible. We’re going to live this shit up,” Christin says.

  “Um, well, I’m really not much of a party girl,” I reply quietly.

  “As of this moment I am going to make it my personal mission to change that about you, Steph. We are going to have a blast!” Christin says jumping up off the chair and clapping excitedly. I look at Becca for help, but she just shrugs her shoulder and looks down. I guess I’m going to a party tonight.

  “I’ll come back around six, and we’ll go scope out the campus. We’ll find something fun to do. Be sure to look good,” she says as she walks out of our room.

  “Well, she seems like fun,” Becca says with a smile on her face. “I think I’m going to like her a lot.”

  “She’s interesting,” I reply. “I hope she doesn’t get us in too much trouble,” I say quietly to myself.

  “Steph, where did you go?” Becca pats my hand bringing me back to the present.

  “I was just thinking about the day we met in college. I was so scared, and you girls really made it easy for me to be there.”

  “Aww, don’t get all sentimental on me,” Christin laughs. “You were a tough nut to crack, but I’m glad that you got out of your shell.”

  I’m trying to come up with a smart ass reply when Mom comes back to take our order.

  “The usual, girls or are you actually going to change things up a bit?” She knows us so well.

  “The usual,” we say at the same time. Mom rolls her eyes at us as she walks away.

  “You know someday we’re going to have to order something else just to freak her out,” Becca says.

  “You first, Becca. I’m sticking with my usual pizza, and nothing either of you do or say will change my mind,” I say with a smile.

  They both laugh at me and agree that we’re not changing anything.

  “So, I think I’m going to quit my job,” I say as nonchalantly as I can.