Day Five
The floor was a wasteland of wrecked folders, scattered papers and endless stationery. Raj crawled on his hands and knees, tears in his eyes, unable to make anything out anymore. He couldn’t find it, and he needed it…
“Oh Jesus,” sighed Beth, pausing at the door with her hand on her forehead. “You’re not having a breakdown, are you?”
Raj shot her the coldest stare he’d ever dared. She wasn’t fazed.
“Listen,” she said, “it’s your own damn fault. I keep telling you to suck up to Reggie, and you never listen. If anything, it’s shocking they didn’t fire you sooner.”
He pushed his head against the papers, trying to control his breathing. Sometimes she just had a magic ability to push his buttons. He couldn’t stand to be dumped and fired on the same day, so he had to hold it together.
“I need to find my access card,” he said quietly. “I have to turn it in or they’ll… I dunno… sue me or something.”
“It’s not on your belt?”
“I don’t know. I can’t find it. I usually go in with a group, so I don’t know when I used it last.”
“God, Raj, you really are a piece of work.”
“It’s not here,” he said, ignoring her. “It’s not here, and I don’t have anything at the dry cleaners, so… I’m waiting to hear back from Debbie about the floor around the cubicle—”
“Debbie,” Beth repeated, blankly.
“You think I left it up at the lake?”
“Doubtful. Sam or Laura would’ve found it. They had a lot of clean-up after that party. I got all the gory details. You didn’t piss in a beer bottle, did you?”
“What? No!”
She eyed him like she didn’t believe a word he said anymore.
“By the way,” she continued, “Laura says hi.”
Raj sat up, sneered at Beth.
“What was she wearing when she said it?” he asked, voice dripping sarcasm.
“Fuck you, Raj.”
“Why do you keep going there?” he said, getting to his feet. “Seriously, it’s not like I’ve done anything to deserve this from you! You’re turning into some kind of paranoid freak! Just stop it, all right? Stop trying to prove I’m something I’m not! It’s old! It’s way past funny. Let it go!”
She crossed her arms, looked at him from the corner of her eyes.
“Sam was right about you,” she said. “You just don’t know when to quit talking. That’s what’s really sad. It wasn’t your actions that got you fired, it was your mouth!”
“Is that what Sam says?” Raj yelled, letting all the frustration rush out at once. “Is it? Had a heart-to-heart and figured me out?”
“It doesn’t take a genius!”
“Good, cause he isn’t one!”
“Oh!” she laughed. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from you. The one job in the world you’re evenlisten half-qualified for, and you blew it! I mean really, Raj, how fucking stupid can you be?”
“Pretty fucking stupid!” he yelled back, his voice hoarse. “I’m obviously so fucking stupid, it’s a burden having me around!”
“Wow, you’re catching on!”
“Fine! I’m going out then!” he screamed, grabbing random papers and storming to the door. “Maybe I’ll go find Laura, and watch her model swimsuits all night!”
He didn’t hear her go ballistic, because the door slammed so hard.