Alice
The rest of the week flies by in a blur. Each day, Ben and I spend our lunch hours together. Natasha saw us talking in the lobby and didn’t hesitate to let everyone know we’re an item. I don’t really care. They can dislike me for something dumb or not. I’m just here to do my job. Somehow, I thought I left petty gossip and childish antics behind when I graduated college, but I guess that’s not always how life in an office environment works.
By the time the baby shower rolls around on Friday, I’m beyond tired. The plan is to have it during our lunch hour. The shower will last less than 60 minutes. It’s going to be simple: just sandwiches, cupcakes, cookies, and gifts. Lots and lots of gifts.
I don’t really know Hannah very well. She seems nice enough. Well, except for the fact that she’s never cleared Ben’s name. Natasha says something to her at the punch bowl and the two of them turn and look at me.
Great.
I turn away, but I’m too late.
“Hey, Alice!” I hear my name, and I turn back around. Quickly, I paste a smile on my face as the mother-to-be hurries over to me. She looks like a pregnant lady from one of those mothering magazines. She doesn’t look the way I imagine I’ll look when I’m pregnant. That whole bloated and swollen thing? That’s going to be me. Not Hannah, though. She looks picture perfect.
“Congratulations,” I tell her. “I’m happy I could be a part of your big day.”
“Oh this?” She waves her hand. “This is nothing. My mother is throwing me a baby shower in Vegas!” She says.
“Vegas? A baby shower? Really?”
Hannah nods enthusiastically. “It’s all the rage these days, really. A pre-motherhood trip. You know, it’s something fun to take the edge off having the baby.”
“Wow…well, I hope you have a great time.”
“Listen, that’s not why I came over here.”
“Oh, you came to tell me you’re ready to apologize about the lies you told about Ben? Is that it?”
The shocked look on her face tells me that’s not what she was expecting to hear.
“Uh, no, I…what? No, I came you to warn you about him. I heard the two of you have been getting close.”
I don’t have time for this cattiness.
“Thank you, person-I’ve-never-met-before, but I don’t appreciate your concern. If you’re ready to tell the rest of our colleagues here how you decided to make up some stories about Ben after the two of you didn’t date, well, I’m sure they’d love to hear it.”
The rest of the group has gone silent. They’re trying to act like they’re all deep in conversation, but I know the truth. No one here is focusing on anything except the fact that I’m being mean to the baby shower lady.
At least, it’s obvious that’s how they perceive what’s happening.
I shouldn’t rock the boat.
I’m new, I know, and I shouldn’t do anything that might make people not like me, yet I’m doing it. I’m going for it. It’s all or nothing now because Ben has been great to me and he doesn’t deserve this.
“Look, I don’t know what Ben’s told you about me, but he cheated on me.” She’s still trying, and I’m so tired. I don’t want to deal with this, with her. I don’t want to talk to this lady. Not right now.
“Hannah,” I lower my voice. “I know he hurt you. I’m sorry that happened to you. Being rejected isn’t fun. It doesn’t give you the right to do what you did, though. You can’t just spread rumors about someone you don’t like.”
Her jaw hits the floor, and Lexi, one of my cubicle-mates, stands up.
“I told you the same thing, Hannah. Ben’s not a bad guy.”
There are a couple of murmurs throughout the room as the eavesdroppers start to form their own opinions, but Hannah suddenly looks like she’s about to cry. That’s my cue to leave. I feel bad for ruining her baby shower, but I wasn’t going to say anything to her. She approached me. What was I supposed to do? Bad mouth my new boyfriend in front of an entire department? Not going to happen.
I turn to go.
“Congratulations on your new baby,” I tell her. “I hope the rest of your party is very nice.”
“Fuck you,” she spits, turning away. A couple of her friends move in and start to console her. As I near the exit to the party room, someone hands me a party bag and a cupcake.
“Thanks,” I say, and then I head back to my cubicle. It’s a strange thing being in an office environment like this, I realize. I think gossip is always going to be a part of the job here at Blossom Falls. It’s up to me to make the most of it in spite all of that, though. I still have to learn to get along with people and play nice. Office politics, so-to-speak. I take a bit of the cupcake and the frosting melts in my mouth. Delicious. I quickly devour the entire thing, and then I realize suddenly that I’ve made a terrible mistake.
My entire throat starts to swell up and I realize that wasn’t butter cream frosting.
It was peanut butter.
Don’t panic.
I reach for my purse. First things first: I need Benedryl. If I can reduce the inflammation first and get things under control with a pill, I won’t have to stick myself with my Epi.
Only my purse isn’t there.
Because I forgot it in the party room when I left in a huff.
Quickly standing, I try not to panic as I make my way back to the room. The girls are still loitering around talking. Someone notices me and makes a snide remark, but I don’t have time to care. I motion to my throat when another girl says something, but they turn back and ignore me. That’s fine.
I just need the purse.
I glance around the room, but I really can’t breathe at this point and I realize that my airways have almost completely closed. Panic is going to set in, but I can’t let it. I won’t be able to swallow a Benedryl. I don’t even think I can talk at this point.
But then I spot it.
Just as I’m about to reach for my purse, I start to feel dizzy, and I sit down in the middle of the floor.
“What’s she doing?” Nancy asks. I can hear the sneer in her voice. My eyesight is getting hazy, and I reach my hand out.
“Are those peanut butter cupcakes?” I hear from behind me, and my heart soars.
Ben.
It’s Ben.
He’s here.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Who fucking gave her one?” He growls, hurrying over to me. His eyes search mine and he realizes I’m having a reaction. “Where’s her purse?” He yells. “Get me her purse!”
He spots it where it’s sitting on a chair, dives for the bag, and pulls out my Epi. Then he looks me in the eyes as he takes the lid off.
“Everything’s going to be okay, baby.”