Work Gossip
1012 Words
“Good morning Bella……wow, you look like crap.”
“Thanks, Dana. Just what I needed” Bella groaned, holding her head. The brunette was fond of being loud 24/7 and she just happened to be one of the writers Bella was supervising. She was a ball of endless energy, bouncing in every week to tell Bella her ideas. Even though Bella loved seeing Dana, her energy was not what she needed that morning.
“What happened?”
“I…..went out” Saying that caused her to remember what had happened and her face immediately turned red. All that blood rushing to her head caused an immediate headache and she doubled over. Before she fell, a pair of steady hands caught her.
“Are you alright?” A masculine voice with a hint of panic asked.
“I’m fine. Thank you…….Mr. Bard!”
“Calm down Bella. You look so pale and you’re sweating so much. Perhaps you should go in and rest.”
“Luckily, you were passing by. I’ll go get her a cup of water.”
“Thanks, Dana. Have a seat, Bella.”
Peyton Bard gently lowered Bella to the closest chair, placing a hand on her forehead. She blinked rapidly, her vision turning. She shoved down the urge to vomit, unwilling to puke all over her boss’s Armani suit. No matter how kind he was, she was unsure that he would let it go.
“Wow, Dana was right. You do look like crap, Bella.”
“Now’s not the time for comments, Claudia. She’s clearly not feeling well.”
“Hmmm, looks suspiciously like a hangover to me” Bella heard a crisp feminine voice right above her. She opened her eyes to see the plain expression of Claudia, one of her coworkers. Once Claudia saw she was looking at her, she smiled and placed a cold compress on her forehead.
“Wasn’t Bella a lightweight? You should be more careful, Bella.”
“Hmm,” she moaned. They talked a while more and finally left. Dana entered with a cup of warm water and a few pills. She fed them to Bella and left a sandwich beside her. She then bounced to Peyton’s office, her voice echoing in the office, narrating her bright idea.
“Mind telling me what happened?”
“......if you promise not to tell.”
“Who am I going to tell anyway?”
“Dana.”
“......just tell me!”
“Fine. I......went to a club.”
“A club???!!!”
“Keep your voice down!” Bella whispered. Claudia held her mouth shut as Bella continued.
“I accompanied someone there and I drank a little....my head was spinning when I woke up.”
“Wait, you slept with him?!”
“No! He dropped me at home. He was very gentle despite the rumors.”
“What rumors, Bella?”
“......never mind that. I’m just a bit hungover if that’s what this is.”
“Wait, did you go out with Jeremy?”
“No, it wasn’t Jeremy.”
“Bella!” Claudia gasped. Dana, who was walking by at that moment, stopped to stare at them. She raised a brow and the two smiled at her. Although she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, she still walked back into Peyton’s office.
“Claudia!” Bella whispered harshly.
“Sorry. I was just surprised. I never would’ve imagined it. You rarely leave Jeremy’s side. To think you went to a club with another guy.....I’m trying to think of which is worse.”
“Don’t begin your hate on my boyfriend, Claudia.”
“I already did. I hate your boyfriend.”
Bella and Jeremy have already been together for two years. Claudia had disliked Jeremy for longer, since the day the two met. She refused to acknowledge his existence most of the time and just talked over him. Since both people were very precious to her, she always tried to bring them together.
“So, you finally dumped Jeremy?”
Bella slumped on her chair and sighed. The word document she opened had long been forgotten, especially with the thoughts that crowded her head.
Jeremy told her the plan. For the plan to work, Jeremy was technically no longer her boyfriend. The thought of their relationship ending like that brought tears to her eyes.
“Yeah.....something like that.”
“When? You moved on faster than expected.”
“We’re on a break so I’m hoping we would get back together.”
“Who suggested this?”
“Jeremy.”
“And you went to a club with another man? It doesn’t make any sense Bella.”
“Well....” she sat up, adjusting her chair.
“.....Until you understand it, I’ll be here, working” she saluted lazily, her eyes on the document. Claudia clicked her tongue and turned her attention to her document. The two talked for a while before Claudia turned to Bella again.
“So, what’s his name?”
“Whose name?”
“The name of the guy you were with?”
“I.....”
“Aren’t you supposed to be working? Why are you gossiping, Claudia?”
“Peyton.....you look really nice today.”
He crossed his arms along his broad chest and raised a brow as if to say ‘really?’ He came up behind them while they were engrossed with what they were doing.
“What do you say about taking this to the break room and settling this with our bodies?”
“Just get back to work,” Peyton said, rolling his eyes.
“Aye, sir!” She saluted and turned back to her work. He turned to Bella.
“Are you feeling better now, Bella?”
“Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Bard.”
“If you need to go home, please don’t hesitate to tell me”
“I’m fine now so there’s no need.”
“Okay. I'm still worried about you, Bella. Please just tell me if anything happens. We all care about you.”
- Writer
