Chapter 135
I had tried to calm myself as much as I could while I was out getting Logan’s breakfast. I did some breathing techniques, I went back to my car to scream into the jacket I kept in there, I did the counting backwards from ten thing. By the time I got back to our office floor, I was feeling considerably better.
But I knew it was a temporary, surface level calm that I would lose at the slightest provocation. Still, I tried to hold onto it as long as I could so I could possibly sit down and have a chat with Sabrina about how there was no earthly way I could do my job plus all the shit she had made up for me to do.
When I got closer to Logan’s office, Sabrina ran over to snatch the food from me. She dropped it off in Logan’s office and came back to stand in front of me.
“We need to schedule a meeting to discuss your attitude and time management skills,” she said to me.” Let’s meet at 5:30, there’s too much to get done before then.”
Yeah, no shit. I tried to ignore the fact that she scheduled a disciplinary meeting for after I was off work, and instead tried to use that as a segway to talk about having too much to get done. “Yes, ma’am. Speaking of things needing done, can I talk to you about that to–do list? My plate is already really full…”
“Are you telling me you can’t handle the job you’ve been assigned?” Sabrina asked, raising an eyebrow with me. “Because we can certainly do some reassigning here. I hear Elena wouldn’t mind a promotion.”
It took everything in me to not make a snippy remark about that. “No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying I had a full workload before you started here and there are not enough hours in my day to complete my previous tasks and these new ones.”
“Are you asking me for overtime? Because it sounds to me like you just need to learn how to juggle your tasks more efficiently. We’ll be sure to cover that in our meeting later,” she crossed her arms.
I looked towards Logan’s office, longing to be able to go straight to him about it. But that was not an option I had anymore.
“You’ll work as long as you need to to complete that list and your other tasks without overtime pay. We don’t reward slackers around here,” she said and walked back over to her desk.
I went back to my desk, proud of myself for not popping her right in the nose a single time during that entire conversation.
I looked at the list she had printed for me and the list on my computer of things I needed to finish. I was paralyzed by overwhelm. But also, now I wasn’t sure which tasks took precedence. I knew I’d get shit from Sabrina if I didn’t do her stupid busy work, but the shit I got for not working on the other projects would come from much higher up.
I knew what I had to do.
I picked up the to–do list, balled it up, and threw it in the trash. Since I knew Sabrina’s eyes would be on me always, I knew she would definitely see it.
“What was that?” Sabrina asked.
“Oh, just a bunch of busy work that’s not near as important as taking care of our clients and customers, which is what I’ll be working on. If you have a problem with it, I’m sure you can run and tell on me to Logan like you’ve been doing the past two days,” I said: Okay, I was clearly not as under control of my
emotions as I thought I was.
She glared at me and stood, rounding her desk and charging straight into Logan’s office. I watched as a startled Logan jumped, said something into the phone that he was on, then hang it up.
Logan watched Sabrina as she gestured wildly, struggling to switch his brain from the phone call he’d just been on about potentially losing a big client to whatever it was Sabrina had barged in here about.
“…and then she just balled up the list I gave her and threw it in the trash!” She finally seemed to be done.
“I’m sorry, who are we talking about?” Logan asked.
Sabrina grew flustered. “Hazel!”
Logan rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Sabrina. I hired you to handle all things related to her. If you cannot do that, I’ll have to replace you. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
“I was on a very important phone call just now and I did not need to be interrupted for something so trivial,” Logan added.
“But sir…”
“Go,” he said and pointed at the door.
Sabrina left the office, annoyed.
“Well?” Hazel asked smugly when she came back out.
Sabrina looked past Hazel and saw Elena was watching their interaction from her desk. That gave her an
idea From NôvelDrama.Org.
“You’ll give Elena your clients,” Sabrina said.
Hazel jumped up from her chair. “What!”
“Elena will take over the projects for your clients and that way you can take care of that list. Since you can’t seem to handle the workload,” Sabrina smiled at her.
“I can handle my workload fine, what I can’t handle is you and your bullshit to do list,” Hazel said.
Sabrina looked past Hazel. “Elena, would you mind joining us?”
“You can’t do this! There’s no way Logan is okay with this!” Hazel said.
“Actually, Logan is okay with whatever it is I decide to do with you,” Sabrina smiled.
Elena bounced over. “Yes, Sabrina?”
“I’m giving you Hazel’s clients, since she seems to be incapable of handling them herself anymore. Hazel, please turn over all the information you have on them by the end of the day,” Sabrina said.
“But…” Hazel started to protest.
Sabrina cut her off. “By the end of the day, or you’re fired.”
Fired?? Could she even make that call?
I wasn’t sure, but now I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I couldn’t go to Logan, I could try HR but that would take much longer than a day. I felt like I had no other choice.
“Fine,” I said quietly. “She’ll have them by then. Excuse me.”
I couldn’t take one more second standing there. I hightailed it to the bathroom, which I felt was the only place Sabrina couldn’t yell at me for going to.
I locked myself in the first stall and pulled my phone from my pocket. I opened my messages with Maria.
1 can’t do this anymore,” I sent her.
“1 saw Elena and Sabrina high five after you left them….what happened?”
“Sabrina gave all my clients to Elena so I could focus on this shit ass to do list that is just full of stupid busy work,” I replied.
“NO SHE DID NOT.”
“She did. I have to turn over everything to Elena by the end of the day,” I said.
“What are you going to do?” She asked.
“I don’t know,” I typed. “I think maybe I need to consider finding a new job.”