Stronger With Her (4 page)

“No worries, man. The guys are very patiently awaiting your arrival,” he responds sarcastically, laughing like an idiot as he walks into the conference room.

I turn around and go into my office, dropping my keys on the desk and picking up the red file folder I need. Never in my wildest fantasies did I think this is where I’d be at thirty years old. I take a second to look around the room. I’ve got my diplomas from college and certifications hanging on one wall, the awards I’ve won on the opposite side. My name graces the front door, and I have ten guys and Simone, who work hard to keep everything running smoothly. My dad would be so proud of all of this if he were still here to see it.

“Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to do some actual work,” Simone asks from behind me. I spin around and smile. There’s nobody else who could talk to me like that and get away with it, and she knows it.

“I’m going. Jeez, when did you become such a hard ass?”

“Pretty sure I’ve always been a hardass. You just don’t have to experience it very often. Now get in that meeting so we can all get to work,” she says as she leaves my office. I don’t waste any more time and get to the meeting that will hopefully mean bigger and better things for the future.

25 days ago

I’
m lucky that I have an office. I can close the door and shut out the rest of the staff for a little while. I worked my ass off for it, but I still consider myself lucky because my boss is a crazy bitch with mood swings that range from psychotic serial killer to man’s best friend. It doesn’t help that she likes me, which means that she thinks we’re friends and she can hang out with me. Well, that’s on a good day. The rest of the time she’s shouting at me and ordering me around. I’m going to quit this job very soon and go out on my own.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed being a Level 3 analyst at Soklov Technologies for the past year. It’s not the most exciting job in the world, but it pays really well. I mean, really very well. I do have more freedom than most of the other employees which comes in handy. I also get to work on the more confidential accounts which gets me into top government offices. I’m not snooping, but I find it very interesting what our “trusted” officials look at on the internet in their offices. Like the conservative senator from Alabama who enjoys gay porn and the liberal representative with a gambling addiction. I know more secrets than a Catholic priest after confession.

I log into my email and see the usual updates on the different systems I monitor, a little spam, and orders that need to be filled this week. There’s also a message that Becca sent an hour ago.

Hey, girl! Wanna do lunch today?

I write back quickly,
Sure, tell me when and where and I’ll be there.
I hit send, knowing it will take a while for her to get back to me. She’s probably in class or having sex with her hottie boyfriend, Colin. He’s been wonderful for her and I couldn’t be happier for them, especially after he got her away from her douche-bag, drug-dealing, kidnapping ex-boyfriend, Ron. I hate what he did to Becca but Colin has been her rock, and it’s so great to see her become even more confident than she was before.

My cell phone pings with a text message from Christin. She must not be working today. Christin is an emergency room nurse and has a varied schedule.

Lunch, Termillio’s, noon with Becca.

I’ll be there. See ya!

I haven’t seen my girls in almost a week so lunch will be fun. I dive into my work orders to prioritize my week and get down to it.

Termillio’s is a small, family-owned pizzeria that we discovered when we were in college. It’s the kind of place where you can go and hang out for hours and the owners treat you like their own family. Mom and Pop, yes, they insist we call them that, are great and the food is out of this world. There’s no better pizza on the planet.

Becca and Christin are at our usual table when I arrive, and Mom is setting down their drinks. Becca, of course, has her usual caramel latte and Christin has Big Red. Before I can sit down, Mom puts my Diet Mt. Dew in front of me. See, the best place ever.

“I love it here,” Becca says after she takes a sip of her coffee. Christin and I nod in agreement.

I met these girls the first week of our freshman year at State. Becca was the typical, positive Suzy Sunshine girl who always looked on the bright side. She was my roommate, and when I walked into our room on moving day, I knew we would be best friends.

“Hi, I’m Becca, and you must be Stephanie,” she says with a smile on her face and in her voice as she walks toward me.

“Yep, I’m Stephanie. Nice to meet you,” I say shyly. I really hate that I’m so shy and awkward around new people. This girl seems really nice, and I’m sure we’re going to get along. I try to smile and meet her eyes.

“I’m so excited to be at college finally, aren’t you? I can’t wait to find out who I am and to have the time of my life.” She’s talking faster and faster now. This must be what she does when she’s excited.

“I’m glad to be out of my house and away from my parents. College will be great,” I say, trying to convince myself of it too.

I’m not really as glad to be away from my parents, as I am the overall sadness that has descended upon our family since Erin’s death. They wanted me to have a “normal” life and encouraged me to come to college even though I already have a degree in mathematics. I think it’s their way of trying to help me move on and become my own person.

“Well, I just know that this year is going to be epic, and you and I are going to be like sisters,” Becca says as she grabs me in a bear hug. I stiffen at the contact. I don’t like being hugged, or touched, or noticed for that matter. It’s just easier to blend into the background and observe everyone else. No attachments equal no disappointments.

“Yeah, it’ll be epic,” I say using her word as I push away from the hug. Becca doesn’t seem to notice, and she goes back to unpacking her things. I take another look around the small room and tell myself that I can do this and it will be good for me.

Christin intimidated the crap out of me when we first met. She was loud, brash, and not afraid to express herself, especially her sexuality. We had our door propped open while we were unpacking. It seemed like everyone was doing that and we didn’t want to seem too closed off from the rest of the floor. I was putting the sheets on my bed when this blond bombshell walked into our room.

“Hey, bitches, what’s up?” she says as she sits down at Becca’s desk.

“Um, nothing?” Becca answers as she looks at me nervously.

“I’m Christin and I live across the hall. I think we’re going to be great friends. What’s your name?” she asks looking at me.

“I’m Stephanie.” I reply and go back to making my bed.

“Okay, hi, Stephanie. What about you?” she turns to Becca.

“I’m Rebecca, but my friends call me Becca. It’s nice to meet you, Christin.”

“Are you guys going to the Freshman Mixer tonight or should we find something a little less lame to do?” Christin is obviously a very social person.

“I don’t know yet,” Becca answers, “what do you think, Steph?” Oh, great, she’s putting it on me to decide.

“I was planning on staying here and unpacking. I’m not sure I’m up for a party tonight.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? We’re in college and partying should be the main focus. This is the one time in our lives where we can do whatever the fuck we want and not have to worry about paying bills or being responsible. We’re going to live this shit up,” Christin says.

“Um, well, I’m really not much of a party girl,” I reply quietly.

“As of this moment I am going to make it my personal mission to change that about you, Steph. We are going to have a blast!” Christin says jumping up off the chair and clapping excitedly. I look at Becca for help, but she just shrugs her shoulder and looks down. I guess I’m going to a party tonight.

“I’ll come back around six, and we’ll go scope out the campus. We’ll find something fun to do. Be sure to look good,” she says as she walks out of our room.

“Well, she seems like fun,” Becca says with a smile on her face. “I think I’m going to like her a lot.”

“She’s interesting,” I reply. “I hope she doesn’t get us in too much trouble,” I say quietly to myself.

“Steph, where did you go?” Becca pats my hand bringing me back to the present.

“I was just thinking about the day we met in college. I was so scared, and you girls really made it easy for me to be there.”

“Aww, don’t get all sentimental on me,” Christin laughs. “You were a tough nut to crack, but I’m glad that you got out of your shell.”

I’m trying to come up with a smart ass reply when Mom comes back to take our order.

“The usual, girls or are you actually going to change things up a bit?” She knows us so well.

“The usual,” we say at the same time. Mom rolls her eyes at us as she walks away.

“You know someday we’re going to have to order something else just to freak her out,” Becca says.

“You first, Becca. I’m sticking with my usual pizza, and nothing either of you do or say will change my mind,” I say with a smile.

They both laugh at me and agree that we’re not changing anything.

“So, I think I’m going to quit my job,” I say as nonchalantly as I can.

“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say?” Christin asks.

“Well, after dealing with Jake for the millionth time yesterday and crazy-ass Lindsey always looking for a fight, I think I’m going to start my own company and do freelance work.” I try to sound a lot more confident than I feel.

“You know, I bet I could tame Jake, and he’ll leave you alone forever,” Christin says with an impish grin.

“I have no doubt that a night with you would rock his world, but he’s the least of my worries. I just know that Lindsey is going to cycle into her crazy world again soon, and I don’t want to be there when it happens. If the bosses didn’t love her so much, I’d report her, but it’s not worth it. There are plenty of companies that I work with now that would come with me if I started my own company.”

“Sounds like you’ve made your decision already,” Becca says kindly. She’s always so supportive of whatever insane ideas we have.

“I’ve got an appointment to meet with a lawyer in a couple days, and once the paperwork is all filed, I’ll be putting in my notice.” I smile thinking about being my own boss and deciding who I will and won’t work with.

“What are you going to call this new business?” Christin asks.

“It’s going to be Erin’s Peace of Mind or EPOM for short,” I say, tears threatening to fall. If only my sister had had peace in her mind, she would probably still be here today.

“I think it’s perfect,” Becca whispers. Christin nods but doesn’t say anything. They know how much I miss my sister and what I’ve been through since her suicide.