12 Confessing the truth

Miranda’s dad and my boss, David Gleason, is getting audited soon and so he needs my help to get everything in order. The day goes by so fast I don’t even have time to eat lunch, I’m buried in an endless pile of documents we have to revise. I take a short break to call Ivan to tell him I’ll be late and that I’ll call him to let him know when to come to pick me up. Around 7 pm, David suggests we order a pizza. I’m partly relieved because I’m starving, but also worried because that means we have a long way to go. I wonder how much they pay for overtime?

It’s almost 9 pm when David tells me to go home. I’ve been here for more than 12 hours straight, my neck and back are killing me. I thought this job would be a good distraction, not a prison sentence. I rush out and breathe in the cold autumn air, immensely happy to be finally free. My happiness ends as soon as I realize I forgot to call Ivan. I don’t have my cellphone with me and I definitely don’t want to go back to the office to call him. I look around for a cab, but I see none, what I do see is a blue BMW M8 Coupé parked on the other side of the street. It’s the exact same car as Stefan’s, but it’s probably just a coincidence. 

“Why don’t you answer your phone?” I hear Stefan’s voice behind me.

I can’t help to smile when I see him standing next to me. 

“What are you doing here?” I ask, happy to see him

“I came to get you. Ivan said you called him to tell him you’d be late, but then I try to call you a dozen times and your phone is off,” Stefan is not as glad to see me. 

“My battery died,” I lie. 

“You should keep a charger at your desk, just in case. Come on, let me take you home.” He puts his arm around me, holding me close as we walk to his car. 

“How did you call me? I never gave you my number.” I say with a roguish smile. 

“I’m a resourceful man,” he replies with a grin. 

“I didn’t know you’ll be doing Ivan’s job too,” I joke. 

“Don’t tease me, doll,” He says playfully. 

Ridding home with Stefan is enough to make me forget all about my stressful day. My neck and back no longer hurt once I get home. It’s the effect he has on me, being near him is like taking a healing dr*g, I feel blissful every time he holds my hand. 

———

This audit has become a nightmare, once again I stay late in the office, everyone else has gone home hours ago, yet I’m still here going thru accounting books from 6 months ago. We order Chinese food, which is not my favorite, but it’s better than working late on an empty stomach. 

At 8:45 pm I drag my tired feet to the elevator and then across the main lobby. I see Stefan thru the glass doors, waiting for me outside the building. I instantly smile, but he doesn’t smile back, he actually looks quite angry. 

“Why is your phone off again?” He grumbles as I approach him. 

“I left it home,” I lie. 

“Stop lying to me! Why are you avoiding me?” He asks enraged, but also a little bit saddened. He thinks I’m keeping my phone off to avoid him and that hurts his pride. 

I sigh, there’s no way around this, I have to tell him the truth, but I really don’t want to. 

“My phone is being off for days and I’m going to keep it that way,” I state firmly, with a confidence I don’t feel. 

“Are you going to tell me why?” 

I hesitate, looking for the right words. It’s embarrassing to admit there’s an online movement against you. Exasperated by my silence, Stefan places his hand against my back to make me walk to the car. He practically slams the car door once I’m in. He’s really upset. He starts the car and speeds along the main avenue. I nervously reach for my seatbelt, I hate going so fast. 

“Can you please slow down?” I ask uncomfortable.

“I will when you start talking,” he replies curtly. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“This has nothing to do with you, Stefan,” I slowly pronounce each word so he gets the message loud and clear. 

He steps on the gas, I look at the speedometer, we are going way too fast.

“Please, don’t treat me like an idiot. Girls your age would rather die than spend a day without their cellphones and suddenly you decide you no longer need yours. Be honest, what have they told you?” Stefan says without taking his eyes off the road. 

“Who told me what? What are you talking about? Please, Stefan, slow down.” 

“Start talking, now,” he utters menacing.  

“Ok, fine. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I’ve been banned from social media and communications in general, but it has nothing to do with you.” I admit exasperated. 

“What do you mean? Who banned you?” Stefan asks with a frown. Luckily, he starts to slow down. 

“It’s a self-imposed ban, really. It all started the day my dad assaulted Sam. People are blaming me for what my dad did and they’ve been harassing me ever since. They have been sending hate messages to my social media accounts, to my phone and email... It was easier to delete everything and learn to live without a phone than to endure all that harassment.” I look down to my hands on my lap, embarrassed to admit the truth. 

“What?! What people?!” Stefan pulls over to the side of the road. “Has anyone hurt you physically?” He asks fuming, 

“No... the only time it got dangerous you were there.”

“You mean the drunken idiot from that alley?” Stefan’s entire body is tense, his hands are clasping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white, his neck is so rigid I can see the veins marked against his skin. 

“Yes... he wanted to ‘teach my dad a lesson,’” I reply. 

“Why didn’t you say something before?” He asks trying to contain his anger. 

“What for?” I say shrugging.

“So I can protect you!” He yells fuming. 

“Protect me from what, Stefan? Are you canceling those people’s internet access? There’s nothing you can do to protect me. You helped me when I needed it and unless you can figure out how to avoid people from throwing me out of their parties, you can’t do much more for me.” I state annoyed. Not only have I been the victim of online harassment for weeks, but now I have to endure his anger? No way! 

“Did someone throw you out of a party?” He asks incredulously. “Who dared?”

“Some guy, it doesn’t matter...”

“What’s his name, Olivia?” He asks emphatically. 

“Erick Cooper. A nobody. He’s dating a girl I used to go to college with. Seriously, I’m over it.” I lie, of course, I’m not over the humiliation, but Stefan seems so upset it’s better to pretend I’m fine. 

“Erick Cooper.” He mumbles. 

“Can we go, now?” I ask shyly. 

Stefan’s body relaxes, he turns to look at me and he let’s go of the steering wheel. 

“Not yet. You have to promise to tell me everything that happens to you. If anyone hurts you, if anyone wrongs you, you have to tell me so I can protect you.” 

“Fine, I promise,” I say unsure of what he can do to protect me from this mess my dad created. 

“Is there anything else I need to know?” He asks as he puts the car in motion again. 

“People are saying my dad’s a mobster,” I confess, curious to see his reaction or what he thinks he can do to stop that. 

Stefan’s back stiffens, but he keeps on driving. “Is that all?” He asks in a calm tone, very contrasting from the attitude he has held during this conversation. 

“Yes,” I try to guess what he’s thinking, but he’s not giving me much.

———

Later that night, I lay on my bed about to go to sleep, when I suddenly have the impulse to turn my phone on. I regret it the second the screen lit. My voicemail is full, my inbox is full... nothing but hate. How did so many people get my number? I sigh distressed. This is never going to end.  

I wake up with my phone still between my hands. I don’t remember when I started to fall asleep. I shove it back in the drawer. It was a bad idea to go thru the new messages. I take a quick shower and rush to work, no time for breakfast, I want to get there early and hopefully be able to get out on time today. 

I sit on my desk and look hopelessly at the enormous pile of documents I have to revise today. 

“Here, I brought you a coffee. It looks like you need one,” says Nancy, the receptionist, with a kind smile. She hands me the cup of coffee, I really appreciate it. 

“Thank you, I do,” I say and then take a sip. 

“I think we have a friend in common, her name is Laura Scott. I was going thru her IG and saw some pictures of you together from a while ago...” She says leaning on my desk. 

My heart starts racing. I was hoping this job would be a safe place from all the gossip surrounding me and my family. 

“Are you close to her?” I ask scared to know the answer. 

“Not really, we used to be neighbors when we were kids. I follow her and she follows me back, but we don’t really talk or hang out. How about you?”  

“No, we took a couple of classes together in college, but that’s it,” I answer relieved. It’s unlikely that Laura would tell Nancy something about me. 

“Oh, that’s a shame. Maybe we can all go out sometime. Have a girls’ night. I can text her and plan something for the three of us,” she suggests. 

“You know what? I have a lot of work, I don’t have time for chitchat,” I exclaim rudely. 

Nancy looks at me awed by my sudden change of attitude. I feel sorry, but I prefer for her to regard me as rude than to risk her and Laura talking about me. She goes back to her desk, clearly offended. I guess I just lost a chance to make an office friend. 

Luckily, I’m able to go home on time today. It feels so good to not be the last person in the office. I go out of the main lobby in a cheerful mood, but it abruptly changes when instead of Stefan I see Ivan waiting for me. I’ve gotten used to having him take me home, but I understand he has other things to do. I give Ivan a weak smile, trying to hide my disappointment