Page 18 of Strictly Against Policy

No, never Lina.

An easy child, according to my parents. Now, a quiet, reserved, and closed-off adult. Or, even, a bitch.

I knew Jonathan wanted to call me this. Whenever he looked at me, I could see the word forming across the surface of his eyes, one letter at a time, large and bold: B-I-T-C-H. I didn’t mind because it was true.

I was a bitch.

I was the bitch he never liked. I was the bitch he remembered every single detail about from high school. I was also the same bitch who made his dick twitch at the slightest touch.

I would say I had the upper hand if I hadn’t ripped my tote bag and revealed I’d been carrying around a sex toy I never intended on using. But after embarrassing myself like that, I was in no position to act like the one with power in our strange, tension-fueled relationship. The only thing I wanted was an apology for how he had been treating me, without justification, from the moment I started working with him. I didn’t expect him to give it to me. I doubt it was sincere, but it was a start.

I sipped my orange juice as my best friend, Mary Cha, squealed out a laugh after I explained what happened to her. Her laughter almost rattled the glass cup against my teeth, but then she stopped to breathe and wiped the tears dripping down her red face.

We sat in the middle of my small living room, with some random reality TV show playing. We hadn’t had time to see each other ever since I started my new job, but I’d kept her updated through texts and quick phone calls.

I hadn’t told Mary about what happened with the birthday gift she gave me until tonight. I knew it would be best to save it for our little monthly Sunday get-togethers at my place.

“Lina, you’re going to have to tell that story again. Please,” she breathed.

“No. It’s your fault this even happened!” I exclaimed. I gulped the rest of my juice to suppress the heat flaring across my body.

Mary smiled, wide and big, making me soften for a split second. I loved seeing the apples of my best friend’s cheeks flush with smiles and hearing her laughter. She had the kind of cute, shrill laugh that always made people laugh with her—except this was no laughing matter.

With my face hotter than before, I groused, “Stop laughing! This was your fault!”

She sipped on her glass of Pinot gris. “It wasn’t! I charged the vibrator and gave it to you as one of your many amazing birthday gifts, because I want you to start having fun and date immediately. I purposely threw it in your bag so you’d use it right away when you got home. Not for you to throw it at Jonathan Lo.”

She was mid-sip of her wine when a shrieking laugh ripped through her. The alcohol sprayed from her mouth across my wonky, uneven coffee table and across the untouched charcuterie board I put together. I didn’t even blink. She had what was coming for her. I handed a napkin to her as she half wheezed, half laughed.

“Did you want some water?” I asked.

With the shake of her head, her expression dialed down to a softer and calmer voice. A gentle smile was still on her lips. “Is he dating anyone?”

I flashed her a look of furrowed brows and a grimace. I never paid attention to who and what my coworkers talked about unless it pertained to work. Their personal lives were their own, and it was none of my business to remember what they disclosed to me in a professional setting.

With Jonathan, I only remembered because I thought the patient he was talking to was sweet and amusing.

“No, he’s not,” I answered. Mary cocked her brows at me. “What?”

Her eyes sparkled, and her smile instantly stretched wide again. “That was a quick answer!”

“A patient asked him if he was dating anyone; that’s why I remembered. Usually, I wouldn’t care.”

Mary giggled. “Well, if that’s the case, I know exactly what you can do to get him to stop being such an ass at work.”

I straightened my spine with a blink. “What is it?”

As much as I enjoyed pushing Jonathan’s buttons and reflecting his pettiness back to him, I didn’t want this to drag on. Yes, he apologized. However, his antics continued here and there. This could turn into another week of unnecessary tension, another week I could be closer to getting terminated.

Before coming to Sierra, I worked myself to the bones. I had no breaks or extra help at the previous pharmacy I was at. With me being the sole licensed pharmacist for most of my shifts, I couldn’t even leave the floor for a bathroom break. It was illegal for a pharmacy to operate and dispense medication without one.

This often meant I had to wait until we shut the pharmacy down for lunch or until another pharmacist came in for the night shift. It was horrible, and it pushed me to the point where, just a month ago, I had a kidney infection. That was the last straw for me.

Apart from Jonathan, our team was great. The workload was manageable. Most of our patients were kind and understanding. I took a pay cut transitioning to this smaller, independent pharmacy. Even with a manager who didn’t like me, I was happier here.

Here, I wasn’t burning out. I was able to take at least one break throughout the day. I could use the restroom whenever I needed to. My feet didn’t ache the same way it did at my previous work. With Jonathan on the floor with me, I could also rely on him.

Here, I could finally breathe. I’d love to stay. If Mary had advice that would help me continue working at Sierra, I’d listen.