Odd One

Ch 3

She woke feeling groggy. The alarm clock was going off in her bedroom so she raced down the hall to shut it off, getting ready for her third day at the office. She showered, dressed and drove downtown, stopping at the Tim Hortons for a sandwich and some timbits. She got to work in time to grab some coffee and relax in her desk chair, snacking on a couple timbits.

When Jason came to work she could tell he was pissed right off. It showed in his blue eyes when he walked by and in the way he roughly pulled out his keyboard. Across the aisle Zack and Davis were chuckling, amused by his mood.

"Jason?" she asked from his doorway.

"What?" he snapped, making her jolt. His eyes widened in alarm as he realised who he was talking to.

"You want some timbits?" she asked gently, and he observed her warily.

"Yeah, sure," he decided, and she opened the box for him, setting it on the end of his desk.

"Cheer up, okay?"

He nodded, and there were no more words spoken between them during the work day. But Jordan could tell that her sharing of the treats had lightened his mood. Whatever had been bothering him seemed to have faded.

When the day ended and everybody shut down their computers to go home she stayed behind to clean up the lunch room with Mr Dykes.

"Did you ever get picked on in school?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, all the time. The kids didn't just make fun of my unfortunate name. My clothes, my hair, my family. Even the girl I dated because nobody thought she was very pretty. Well I married her and we're still happy together," he stated proudly.

Jordan smiled. "That's wonderful. The only thing that matters is to be happy."

Jason was standing in front of the door waiting for the elevator. They approached and waited with him. Once inside the cube Mr Dykes spoke.

"Hey Jason. How was your day today?" he asked kindly.

"A little rough but it got better," he answered, looking to Jordan with appreciation. She smiled back.

"Good, good. I'll see you two on Monday. Good night Jordan, Jason." He departed into the parking lot and left in his SUV. Jordan touched her coworker's arm.

"You need a ride home?"

"Sure. Thanks."

They climbed into the little pickup and got on the road. "So what made you so mad this morning?"

"It was nothing. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I didn't realise it was you right away."

"You were seeing red, huh? Something Zack did?" she asked, trying to keep her eyes on the road and not on him even though she wanted to give him her full attention.

"I heard a new rumor about myself today. Apparently I can't get a girlfriend because the last one got pregnant and I beat it out of her. What a load of bullshit," he muttered. "My mom had a boyfriend who beat her up once. I called the cops and they put him away. That's as close as it gets. I would never beat a woman."

"I've learned not to believe what I hear about you from other people," Jordan assured. "I'd rather discover the truth for myself."

"You can pull into the driveway," he mentioned when they got to his house. She thought he would say good bye and hop out but he stared at her. "Turn the truck off and come inside. I'll make some coffee," he offered. "Are you busy?"

"I have absolutely nothing to do right now," she assured, shutting off the engine and getting out. He warned her to lock her door, and Jordan suddenly remembered what shape the neighbourhood was in.