Allison turned her attention back to her work. She'd never get to the next level with Stephen if she slacked off, and so she launched into her usual routine of transcribing forms, inputing data, and setting appointments. Some might see such work as menial, but she was always proud of it. Stephen was a busy man, but Allison knew who really kept the show running around here.
But after a few minutes, something felt off. A wave of boredom washed over her. She looked at the endless pattern of the spreadsheet on her monitor. Ugh, who would be into this? She thought back to the mall - she'd much rather be there right now! So many fresh styles and sales going on. She could've spent all day there if it wasn't for that bitch Allison... no, Mindy!
That was odd - she suddenly had a memory of seeing herself walking into Victoria's Secret. She ducked behind a table of bras to hide, but that dumb secretary had already seen her. Allison tried to jog her memory <Wait, I was the one who found Mindy. Weird. But was Mindy that bad? She briefly wondered if she'd been too hard on the kid.
She tried to drag herself back to her work, but it was tough. It just wasn't that interesting! Feeling parched, she go up made her way to the break room, passing the rows of cubicles on her way.
"Oh, hey Allison. You look nice today!" It was Ted Lowe, junior accountant. He was always stopping her to chat her up, and checking her out when she walked by.
"Thanks Ted," she said. He was technically her superior so she still had to be nice.
"You doing anything this Friday? I was thinking we could grab a drink or three, go dancing? Whaddya say?" How many times would this cocky jerk try to ask her out before he realized he wasn't her type? He was 28, and definitely not upwardly mobile. She preferred her men older and more successful.
"Sorry Ted, I'm busy," she smiled through her annoyance and kept walking. She could feel his eyes on her backside. What a dog. And he was way too old for her... wait, no that wasn't right. She stopped at the fridge and grabbed a diet soda, and paused for a minute. Maybe Mindy wanted a drink too, she was probably so bored cooped up in that office. She grabbed another diet soda and took it to Stephen's office.
"What do you want," she asked sullenly. Allison held out the can.
"I thought you might be thirsty," she replied.
"Oh. I was. Actually I was kinda craving exactly that. Thanks."
"I like your leggings. Lululemon, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks!" Allison thought she saw a genuine smile out of her this time.
"I think I have a pair just like that!" In fact, she was sure she did. And now she was wondering why she hadn't worn them today. The leggings and white sneakers Mindy wore looked way more comfortable than her tight pencil skirt and stilettos.
"Don't you, like, have work to do?" Mindy asked.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess so." For some reason Allison felt like she was supposed to stay here, in Stephen's office. But she did have a lot of work to catch up on. She reluctantly headed back to her desk, her white sneakers falling silently on the floor. Luckily Ted didn't hear her coming this time, and was too engrossed in some boring work to be a douchebag. After she passed, she heard a loud SMACK and turned to see Ted swatting at some unseen bug.
She was really going to have to remind Daddy- er, Stephen, to call that exterminator.
