You Don't Know Me Like That

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  Whatever. Tamara could play the fool if she wanted, but one of those girls was behind this.

  “Why isn’t Jayla getting in trouble, too? She’s the one who posted the story on the website.”

  “Yes, but she said it was at your request.”

  “I keep telling you guys, she’s a freakin’ liar!”

  Tamara let out a long, heavy sigh.

  “Well, regardless, Jayla’s been suspended as well.”

  “She doesn’t need to be suspended. She needs to be fired!” I exclaimed. “She’s the one behind all of this. And if she’d been fired back when I first requested it, none of this would be happening.”

  Tamara was quiet. I expected her to protest, but all she said was, “Bring me some proof, and we can permanently get rid of her.”

  I stopped ranting and stared at her. “So you believe me?”

  “I know you, Maya. Been knowing you for years. You’re a lot of things, but you’re not just going to put something blatantly false out there. And I agree; we didn’t start having these problems until Jayla came on board. And for all the good she’s done promoting your career, it doesn’t do any good if there’s no career to promote.”

  “Why does she just get suspended? I want her gone.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay,” Tamara repeated. “I’ll find a way to get her out.”

  That was music to my ears. I almost reminded Tamara of how just a few days ago she had told me that wasn’t possible, but I decided to count my blessings.

  Firing was the first step, but I wouldn’t stop there. I wouldn’t be happy until Jayla paid for the havoc she was causing in my life.

  Chapter 29

  I could not lose my job. I would not lose my job—especially over some mess I didn’t even do. I kept telling myself that as I made my way back to my office. Several people were looking at me and, I’m sure, trying to figure out what was going on.

  I had just made it back to my office when Ariel came in.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  I was trying my best to fight back tears and if I opened my mouth, I was sure my voice would crack, so I just nodded. Besides, I was beginning to think she wasn’t as innocent as she tried to make out.

  “Are you sure? Is this about Daysia McKinney? I heard she was upset about her story.”

  I froze. No, this chick didn’t have the audacity to bring up a story she gave me—probably to set me up.

  “Let me ask you a question. Did you know the story was fake? Did you set it all up?”

  She looked appalled. “Me? Of course, not. I’m just as shocked by all of this as you.”

  I studied her for a minute. Finally, I said, “Whatever.” I knew there was a reason I didn’t trust her. And even if she hadn’t known the story was fake, you can’t tell me she wasn’t glad I was in trouble because of it.

  “So, do you need anything?” She looked around the office. “You need my help with anything?”

  “I’m fine. Now excuse me, please.” I walked past her and started gathering a few things off my desk.

  She actually stood there staring at me. “Can I ask, I mean, rumor has it that you’re being suspended. Is that true?”

  My mouth dropped open. How in the world did these people know this already?

  Ariel must have read the look on my face, because she shrugged and said, “You work for a gossip show. People gossip.”

  I tried to wave her comment off like it was no big deal. “It’s all a big misunderstanding anyway, so it’s seriously nothing for people to be talking about.”

  “You’re not going to get fired or anything, are you?” She tried to look at me with puppy-dog eyes, like she was really concerned. Even though she’d apologized after our big blowup, I could tell she would never really like me, and the feeling was definitely mutual.

  “No, I’m not getting fired.” I turned to her and smirked. “But don’t worry, I hear you’re going to get your big break.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. Tamara told me that you’d be filling in.”

  Her eyes shifted, and she shrugged like she wasn’t fazed. As hard as she’d been sweating me, I know she wanted to turn backflips at the opportunity, so I don’t even know why she was trying to front. “Well, I didn’t know if it was a done deal or not. Ms. Collins just asked me, and of course, I said yes. But she told me it was just temporary.”

  “Yeah, it is,” I said matter-of-factly. Ariel didn’t need to get it twisted. There wouldn’t be but one diva in this joint.

  “Well, if you need anything, you just let me know,” Ariel said with the fakest smile I’d ever seen.

  I’m sure she was taking great pleasure in this. “Just don’t get too comfortable.” I snatched my purse and my bag. “It is only temporary.” I pushed past her and strutted out of the room.

  Chapter 30

  After a good overnight cry, I pulled myself together. I might be down, but it wouldn’t be for long. I was determined that I wasn’t going out like that.

  I was on a mission to get some answers. That’s why I was sitting here, enduring this geek-of-the-week salivating at the sight of me.

  “I’m sorry for staring,” he said, pushing his bifocals up on his nose. Alvin Hall actually wasn’t bad looking. He had smooth skin, strong features, a tall build, and black, wavy hair. But he definitely needed a lot of work. I wanted to give him the number to a good Lasik surgeon, because those Coke-bottle glasses were so not the business. But since I needed something from him, I just smiled.

  “It’s okay,” I replied, even though his staring was creeping me out.

  “I’m just a little starstruck. I can’t believe Maya Morgan is sitting in my bedroom,” he said excitedly.

  I couldn’t believe it either, I thought, as I looked around at the dark room covered with computer equipment, comic books, and gaming stuff. Marvel comics and superhero posters hung on the walls. Alvin’s little twin bed even had a Marvel comforter. Talk about whack. I’d never seen a grown man with a bedroom like this, and I still couldn’t believe I was here. Oh, don’t get it wrong. I wasn’t here for that. Kennedi had a friend who said if I needed to get to the bottom of any type of hacking or computer questions, Alvin here was the man for the job. I’d wanted him to meet me somewhere else, but Kennedi said he rarely left his room. He even took his college courses online. So, I had to take what I could get.

  “So, do you think you’ll be able to find out where the emails are coming from?” I said, trying to direct his attention back to his computer. I’d filled him in on everything I’d been going through. He hadn’t seemed surprised, saying he saw this type of thing all the time. “I mean, I’m almost sure I know who hacked my account, but I need some proof.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Alvin said with enthusiasm. “That’s an easy one.”

  If it’s so easy, can you give me an answer? I wanted to say. Instead, I smiled and said “Great.”

  “First, I have to scan your network to determine if it is vulnerable to attacks. They most likely gained entry through remote access, but you may have some open ports or even a Trojan horse, which sets up a back door for optimum security breach,” he said.

  Blank stare. He might as well have been speaking Swahili.

  “Yeah, ummm, can you say that in English?”

  He looked at me crazy. “That was English.” I just stared at him. Was anyone really this dumb? Then, he smiled and said, “Ooooh, my bad. You didn’t mean that literally.” He released the corniest laugh I’d ever heard. “Basically, it means that someone has hacked into your computer from somewhere else.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “Have you ever given your Wi-Fi password to anyone else?”

  “Yeah,” I said, remembering when Jayla had come over to set up my system.

  He shook his head. “What about the password to your email accounts?”

  “Yeah, to
the girl who did my social media, but that’s it.”

  “Bad move,” he said, shaking his head some more.

  “I changed all my passwords after we fell out, but it looks like she’s still accessing my account.”

  “Do you leave your computer screen open?”

  I didn’t know what that had to do with anything. “Yeah, I do. Why?”

  “Well, someone can hack in through your Wi-Fi that way, too, especially if they can figure out your password. What’s your email address?”

  I gave it to him, and he punched the keys. “What’s your password at home for your Wi-Fi?”

  “Password.”

  “Yeah, what’s your password?”

  “My password is password. I use it for my Wi-Fi and my email. I changed the email password but not the Wi-Fi. I didn’t know I needed to change that one.”

  He stopped typing and stared at me like I was the stupidest person on the planet. “Really? Did you know that on the list of top ten passwords, password is number one?”

  I looked at him like why would I know that. But I just shook my head and said, “Sorry, no.”

  He sighed. “Okay, what did you change your email password to?”

  I almost didn’t want to answer. I knew I was using something easy, but that’s because I was super busy, and I did not have time to be remembering a whole bunch of stuff. Finally, I said, “123456.”

  He actually laughed. “That’s number two on the list.” He continued tapping on the keyboard. “You have to be original.” He pushed the glasses up again. I wanted to tell him to originally get some glasses that fit. But, I kept my mouth closed and let him keep talking. He leaned back and turned to me. “The best thing is a combination of letters and numbers. Preferably something that’s not easily discernible,” he said casually. “And don’t give your password to anyone, because once you do he or she can go in and set up keystroke logs or some other type of method to continue getting in.”

  “Okay.” I pointed to the computer screen. “But can we finish?”

  He turned back to the computer, tapped a few more keys, and a few minutes later, he said, “Ta-da! I’m in your laptop.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean you’re in my laptop?”

  He turned the screen toward me, and I saw “You are now accessing Maya’s laptop.”

  “What? My laptop is at home, sitting on my desk.”

  “Did you leave it logged on to the Internet?”

  I shrugged. “Probably.”

  “Then you’re vulnerable.” He said this like it was a no-brainer. He tapped feverishly on the keys like he was on a mission. “Yep. That’s exactly what happened. I just accessed it remotely, so now, since your password is stored, I can just go in and send emails to whomever I want. It looks like that’s what your hacker did. If I wanted, I could even go change your password so you couldn’t get back in.”

  I couldn’t believe what he was saying. “So, someone can get into my computer without having the actual computer?” I asked.

  “Yep.”

  “And what do they do once they get in?”

  “Anything they want. They can access all your files, your pictures, your documents, your email account.” He touched the screen. “And since you’re on a shared network, I can access all of your parents’ stuff, too.”

  “That’s how she did it,” I mumbled. “Can you tell where it was accessed from, I mean, who actually did it?”

  “Sure.” He turned the computer screen back toward him, punched a few more keys, then said, “Looks like someone at this IP Address has been having a ball on your computer.” He pointed to a long number that popped up on his screen. “GPS won’t pinpoint the exact address,” he said peering at the screen. “But the IP address is coming from this vicinity.”

  He again turned the computer to face me. A Google map filled his screen. He zoomed in—and I recognized Jayla’s neighborhood immediately.

  “Just wow,” I said.

  “Here’s the list of times this person has accessed your computer,” Alvin said, pointing to the side of the screen. I was dumbfounded at the long list of times. She was using my computer more than me.

  “I can’t believe she did this,” I said to myself.

  “You know this person?”

  “Yeah, I think I do. No, I’m sure I do.”

  “You must’ve really done something to her to make her mad. Either that or she’s some kind of stalker.”

  “I have no idea. All I know is I haven’t done anything to her. Yet.” I shook my head. This was just so freakin’ unbelievable. “Can I have her arrested?”

  Alvin looked at me sadly. “Sorry, I’m no cop, but I think since she didn’t take any money, you’re not going to have much luck with the cops.”

  I buried my face in my hands, trying to think how I was going to handle this.

  “Well, do you want me to go in and secure your systems?” Alvin finally asked.

  I thought about it. Of course, I didn’t want this trick in my accounts anymore, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to let Jayla know I was on to her. I had to come up with a plan to bust her.

  I sat up and looked at him. “Not yet. But I’ll definitely be back in touch in a couple of days.”

  “No problem. Just let me know and I’ll get you set up so that the CIA can’t even hack into your computer,” he said.

  I scooted back from the computer. “Thanks so much, Alvin. You don’t know what a help you’ve been.”

  Alvin smiled, and, for the first time, I noticed that he had the cutest dimples.

  “No problem. Glad to help.” He got up and walked me out. “Hey, we can go through here,” he said, pointing to the side door.

  I followed him and had to stop when I noticed what was sitting in his garage. “Is that a Corvette?”

  He grinned proudly. “Yep. That’s my baby. It’s a classic. 1953 Corvette. Only three of them made. Like it?”

  “Wow. That car has to be worth a lot.”

  “Six-hundred thirty-seven thousand to be exact.” He shrugged. “But it’s priceless to me.”

  Dang, who would’ve ever thought Alvin was rocking something like that. He must have read my expression, because he said, “Yeah, I had a little computer invention I sold, and this car was my gift to myself.”

  I smiled. I wasn’t knocking him, but I could’ve thought of a whole bunch of other things he could’ve bought, like Lasik eye surgery, a new wardrobe....

  “Well, if you need anything else, you just let me know,” he said when we reached my car.

  “I will. Thanks again.”

  He paused, then said with a smile, “Ummm, well, Marcus said that you’d give me a kiss if I helped you out.”

  “Umm, yeah, Marcus lied.” The dejected look on his face actually made me feel bad. So I leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. “That’s all you get.”

  “That’s all? You sure?”

  “Yep. I’m sure.”

  He smiled. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  “No, you can’t, and thanks for your help. I won’t forget this.”

  He opened my door, and I climbed in my car. I waved once again, grateful that Kennedi had turned me on to Marcus, who had turned me on to Alvin, because Alvin had put me on just the path I needed to be on to bring Jayla Cooper down.

  Chapter 31

  I didn’t recognize the 310 number that was blaring across my phone. I was so not in the mood to be dealing with people, but 310 was Los Angeles, so it might be one of my celebrity contacts. I might be temporarily out of pocket, but I still needed to keep working for when I did get back on air. Besides, I was waiting on Kennedi to call me back so I could tell her what Alvin had told me. Still, I went ahead and pushed the Talk button.

  “You’ve got Maya,” I said.

  “Hey, Maya.” I didn’t immediately recognize the voice until I heard that distinctive laugh of my childhood friend. “That’s real cute, girl. Real cute.”

  “Hey, Kelis,” I repl
ied. “Long time no talk to. What’s up?” Kelis was a singer who had made a name for herself as one-third of the group, Dynasty. She was now experiencing success as a solo artist. We’d known each other since we were in elementary school, and even though she was always on the road, we kept in touch.

  “Shoot, I need to be asking you that,” Kelis replied. “You are blowing up, chica!”

  “I’m trying, but girl, right now, I’m just dealing with some major drama.” I pushed through the clothes on my closet rack, trying to find something to wear to school tomorrow. When I had trouble finding an outfit, I knew I was off my game.

  “Yeah, that’s why I was calling. Somebody named Ariel called to introduce herself to me and told me she was taking your place and if I had any exclusive dirt or tips I wanted to talk about, you’d suggested that I now bring them to her.”

  That stopped me cold. “Shut the front door!” So this chick had the nerve to try and steal my job and my contacts?

  “Yep. It was really weird,” Kelis said. “I mean who does that?”

  “Some low-life trick who’s trying to get your job but doesn’t have what it takes to succeed on her own,” I replied.

  “Well, you know me. I don’t get down like that, so I straight asked her how she got my number.”

  “What did she say?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

  “She said from your address book.”

  I shook my head. I should’ve known keeping my digital address book on my work computer wasn’t a good idea. But Ariel had a lot of nerve.

  “So, like for real, what is the deal? What is she talking about, taking your place?”

  “Girl, some drama with Daysia McKinney jumped off.”

  “The reality star?”

  “Yeah, her. She got arrested recently, and someone sent me a mug shot that we aired, only the picture was photoshopped, some of the info was wrong, and I got in all kinds of trouble at work.”

  “Wow. Who would do that? This Ariel chick?”

  “I have no idea. I’m thinking it’s this girl we hired to do my social media. But you can best believe I’m going to find out.”