Shattered

Hazel (e)

"After the accident with Wright, Mr. Riley flipped out and fired him on the spot—I still can't believe he showed up drinking."

"I'm glad he's gone, but I don't think I'm gonna come back. Even if I could."

Silence fell over the phone. "So you wouldn't want to get fired?"

"I don't mind it here." I found myself shaking my head.

And that was the truth. Mr. Wright wasn't the greatest guy around—he was angry and cold and demanding—but I did like the work. Maybe Mr. Wright's cold and hard exterior should have been enough to make me want to be anywhere else, but instead, I found the days going by quickly and enjoyed the fast-paced job I was given. It was like I was truly getting somewhere—sure that I was heading in the right direction.

Unlike the coffee shop, there was always something going on, and I guessed that was why I liked it. The fast-paced environment, along with Mr. Wright's angry words, are what motivated me to push myself. Most days, the coffee shop barely got customers for hours at a time.

"Please don't tell me you actually like it?" Jules asked.

I could imagine the look on Jules's face, the one that she always used when she didn't agree or was upset with something. There was a slight dimple that formed in the one side of her cheek, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. I could imagine it almost vividly because it was the kind of look she always used when she was around Chase.

"It takes a little bit to get used to, but it's really not that bad." I said.

"It's not bad?" Jules scoffed, though the surprise was clear in her voice. "Are you serious, Hazel?"

"This is what I went to school for—so yeah, seriously."

There's a quiet "okay" on the other end, but it's disbelieving and cold.

"Isn't that man enough to make you leave?"

I imagined Mr. Wright's face, such a clear image that I found my gaze snapping to the door. All of the times he'd step foot into my office to shout at me for something gone wrong, snapping when something I did was right. It seemed I could never win, no matter how hard I tried. In the beginning, I had believed myself a punching bag, but recently, I couldn't help but to take notice of the impressed looks that surfaced when he thought I wasn't looking.

It was those moments that made my work a little more enjoyable.

"No." I replied.

"Okay, fine," Jules huffed in annoyance. "I just don't get it."

"I'm sorry, Jules, but I'm not coming back." I said.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't come back," Jules answered, emotionless. "Anyone who says Carter Wright is a nice guy is either blind or just plain stupid."

I didn't say anything, and without warning, Jules hung up the phone, the line going dead before I could even think to apologize, or say anything.

No, I couldn't apologize. What I had told Jules was true. If I left 'Wright Manufacturing', I knew there was no way I could go back to 'The Daily Grind'. It wouldn't be the same.