I wanted to scream. This wasn't anywhere close to fair. He wasn't listening to anything I had to say. I frowned trying to think of something to change his mind, but as I looked up at him, I realized it was a lost cause. He took Alexa's word as gospel.
“I see,” was the only thing I could say.
“I hope to see you make some improvements.” Calvin didn't look at me as he filed my review away in his desk. “You can go now.”
I stood stiffly. My skirt pinched at my stomach and there was a run in my nylons. It took everything I had to turn and walk out with as much grace as a broken heel could give me. I looked back at him as I opened the door to leave and wondered how things could have gone so poorly.
Chapter 2
Two shimmering dust specks twisted through the golden evening sunlight, circling and spinning, dancing with one another like long lost lovers as they slowly descended and finally came to rest on the shiny black surface of my desk. There they sat, motionless and lifeless after their golden fall. I stared at them for a moment, wondering if motes of dust could feel, and if they could, if they felt as let down as I did.
I shifted in my chair, feeling the stiff fabric of my skirt tighten across my legs. I wished I had brought a change of clothes so I didn't have to wear my suit anymore. The lawyers were expected to dress in suits, but as a paralegal, I was allowed to wear business casual. I kicked at the broken pair of heels under my desk and tugged at my uncomfortable skirt. Right now, I would have killed for a pair of flats and pants.
My phone buzzed, skittering along the edge of my desk. I hoped it wasn't my sister canceling on me. We had dinner reservations, and while we were no longer going to be able to celebrate my raise, a drink sounded fantastic. Dinner with my little sister would at least make my day a little better.
The message was from Alexa. I thought about chucking my phone across the hallway instead of checking it, but since I didn't get the raise, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford a new one. I opened the message, my jaw falling a little bit as I read it.
Go to my office and find the discovery file for the Preston Case. It needs to be in Calvin's office by 5.
It was 4:45. I had fifteen minutes to go find the stupid file and give it to Calvin, and since she was asking me to do it, that meant she had left early. I was stuck doing her work again, and if I was late getting it to Calvin, it would be my fault. Anger burned hot in my throat. I had to do it or risk losing my job. Calvin would put Alexa over me every time because she was an associate and I was just a lowly paralegal.
I left my broken shoes tucked under my desk and crossed the hall to Alexa's office barefoot. No one was around, and there was no way I was wearing broken shoes if I didn't have to. Nylon stockings beat limping down the hall.
Alexa's office was tiny, but it was all hers. She never let me forget that she, as an associate, had a real office while I just had a desk that I had to share with the other paralegals. It was a good thing she didn't have to share with anyone, because it was a total mess. Files were strewn across the desk and stacked in haphazard piles. Books and more open files laid scattered across the filing cabinets on the back wall. I recognized some of the books as ones from the research library upstairs.
I picked up one, checking the title: Wage and Hour Collective and Class Litigation. This was part of the permanent reference section and wasn't even supposed to leave the library. I sighed and set it down. I was leaving it in her office. Alexa could deal with the trouble that was going to come down on her for having it.
As soon as the book left my fingers, I had a bad feeling about it. That was too easy. Alexa never got in trouble for things. Ever. Especially when it was her fault. I felt the need to check and make sure she wasn't going to screw me over. Again.
She had left her computer on, so it only took me a moment to log onto the law firm computer system to check the status of the book. It was checked out in my name. I had no idea how she even had my account number, but she had been using it for a while. She had not only taken two reserved books that weren't supposed to leave the library, but four others that were due at the end of the day. If Alexa didn't return them on time, which considering she wasn't even here to deliver her own files, I was the one who was going to get busted. I wouldn't qualify for even a cost of living raise with that on my head.
I collected all the books and stacked them on the edge of the desk while I searched for the discovery file. It took a little while, but I finally found it buried under two other files and a stack of magazines. Just holding it made my stomach boil with anger. It was the discovery information that she had tried to pawn off on me. This was the reason for my bad review.
It felt surprisingly light, so I thumbed through it to make sure all the pages were there. The file was complete, but pitifully short. I checked it again, just to make sure I wasn't missing something. Calvin was going to be pissed. This was a huge case, one that the head partners were involved in, and Alexa had completely half-assed it. She was supposed to have researched every aspect of our clients and their accuser, but just glancing through it I could see items that Alexa had completely skipped over to save herself time. The partners were not going to be happy about this. I really hoped that Alexa was in for some of the karmic justice she deserved.
“Whatever,” I mumbled as I placed the folder on top of my stack of books. Before today, I would have considered adding in more research, but not anymore. My lips twitched up at the idea of him calling her and forcing her to come back and work on it tonight. I imagined her showing up in uncomfortable party clothes and having to work into the night as I skipped off to my fancy dinner. The look on her imaginary face made me smile.
All I had to do was drop the file off at Calvin's office, then head upstairs to return the books before I got in trouble for them. Once I had that done, I could text my sister to bring a spare set of shoes with her to the restaurant and I would be on my way to dinner. There was less than ten minutes left in my workday- what could happen in ten minutes that could ruin things further?
The stack of books was heavier than I had expected, and the file kept trying to slip off as I tried to open the door without dropping anything, but I was determined to get out of here on time. I finally caught the door handle and swung it open as hard as I could. I rushed out without looking so the door wouldn't slam shut on me before I could escape.
I should have looked, because instead of an empty hallway in front of me, there was a person. All I saw was his white dress shirt before I nearly barreled into him. I shrieked and nearly threw my hands up in the air in surprise. Luckily, I managed to keep the books in my arms despite my shock, but the file resting on top was not so lucky. It opened, sending the papers inside fluttering to the ground like snow.