Spectrum

3

"Maybe it won't be as bad as you think." Brian says casually with a shrug. As much as I'd like to believe him, this is highly unlikely. Justin is going to absolutely roast me.

"Yeah, probably not the case." I sigh, adding the finishing touches to my app design. "Ready to check this?" I ask.

He reaches over and takes the paper out of my hand and looks over it. I see his eyebrows raise as he reads it. Truthfully, I have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"Oh God, it's terrible. Isn't it?" I ask, reaching for the file.

"Not so fast." He says with a laugh, moving away from me as he continues to read over my design. "It's really not bad, Nat. It's actually really good in my opinion. I had no idea you were so into fitness." He tells me.

"It's nothing too serious. I just picked up on it over the last year. I was wanting to create an app that is more than just a workout app. I want it to have personalized fitness as well as nearby workout classes in your surrounding area. Plus, I thought it would be cool to show nearby restaurants that offer healthy food items. It's so easy to go onto UberEats and find fast food near us, but how cool would it be to only be shown places with healthy items? Then, the user can just connect their debit or credit card to place the purchase and skip the line entirely. It would be like...a fitness guide and personal planner all in one." I say proudly.

"I really do love this idea, Nat. I think it's unique in it's own way. I would add a little more color to the cover page, but other than that you're good to go." He tells me with a smile. "Trust me on this. Grayson loves color." He informs me.

I pull my laptop out and begin to quickly redesign the cover page as Brian and I sit in silence. I wish that Brian could be my team leader. The fact that he is so willing to help by putting all competition aside is what a real leader should be doing. Justin clearly has no idea what it means to be a real leader.

"I wish I were on your team instead." I admit out loud.

"I wish you were, too. But hey, don't worry. Okay? It'll all be fine. Let me take care of Justin." He says calmly.

"Wait, don't say anything to him. Please." I say, shifting my body in my chair to face him.

"He isn't being fair to you, Nat. He needs someone to talk some sense into him. Listen, I'm not going to say any names. But it's going to be a lot better if I just talk to him about his behavior now. Otherwise, Grayson is going to get ahold of him and nobody wants that." He says with a laugh.

"How long have you known him?" I ask.

"Justin?" He asks.

"No. Grayson." I say.

"I don't really know him at all. I mean, he's my boss. We might have exchanged a few words in passing...but nothing too memorable. Keeping this between you and me...he's kind of an asshole." He says with a shrug.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, he really walks around this place like he is so much better than all of us. Realistically, he is. I mean, he made all of this from the ground up. He didn't ask for any help from anyone. I hear he absolutely hates asking for help. He wants to do everything on his own. His best friend is Shane, and Shane works in HR. I'm sure you already knew that, though."

"I didn't know that. You seem to have forgotten that I've only been here for three months." I point out with a laugh.

"Yeah, but aren't you women supposed to be all about learning the gossip in the workplace?" He asks in a joking manner. "Kidding, of course." He laughs.