CHAPTER 2

The little drops of rain felt like hail stones as they landed on Lauren's throbbing head, she had a severe headache, so strong it made her eyes water, it was like a double migraine pushing back and forth inside her skull, and she knew too well who the cause of it was.

      Today had been the first time in a long time that she stood up for herself, she wasn't fond of picking fights, she hated it, but he had picked her nerve for far too long, and now she couldn't hold it in anymore.

     " That sorry excuse of a boss, that rude, proud, grumpy elf of a man, " she cursed inside her head, she didn't want to say it out, her mother had always said those who cursed other people got punished by the Lord when they eventually died, and she didn't want any part in that. Life as it was was already hell enough, no one wanted to receive any punishment after, and so she kept herself in check.

        All her life, she had tried not to curse anyone, but he had taken it too far this time, and she just couldn't stand it anymore, if she had tried to contain it one more time, she knew she would've exploded, so she let it all out.

       That grumpy man had pulled her out of her sweet dream, just when things started getting heated up, she was just about to kiss her celebrity crush, their lips had been so close, when the husky voice of her eccentric boss pulled her away from sleep.

       " Lauren !, Lauren ! " he rammed, stampeding towards her from across the room.

         She didn't have her glasses on by the time he yelled her name, and she struggled to find them, but he was already by her desk, and suddenly he threw a pack of paper across her table.

        She flinched back at the sight of the man who looked like a beast, not knowing what was making him so mad this afternoon.

       " What is this ! " he asked, raising his voice to her as usual.

       " What is what sir ? " she asked innocently, trying to find the reason behind his anger towards her.

       " Look .. at the paper Lauren, " he said, tapping a finger on what was left of the pack of paper that stayed on Lauren's table.

        She squinted and tried to see what he was talking about, but all she could make out of it was that the colors of each paper was a different shade. 

        She looked up, not knowing what to say, but her silence seemed to aggravate him even more, because he sparked once again.

       " Can't you tell ? I specifically asked you to make the patterns of my wall paper cobalt.. blue, " he said, stressing the cobalt, " these are sky blue Lauren, " he shouted, " I mean, how did you not see them ? are you blind ? " he barked, but suddenly paused when he saw her glasses at the end of the table.

      " Oh I get it, you weren't with your glasses were you ? " he asked " because if you had been with them, you would've known the difference, I... hate sky blue, " he shouted, pounding his palms on her table so hard, it made her, as well as some of the other employees who were witnessing the madness jump.

      " And do you know why I hate it ? " he asked, even though he didn't expect an answer, " that's because it is so... damn... cheap, " he hissed " it's useless, a complete waste of time and effort, just... like... you "he said, he whispered in a low tone to make sure the words sank into Lauren's spine, and they did. Anyone could tell by the way her shoulders slounched, she felt defeated.

      " It's no use talking to you, " Scott said, pulling himself up, " all you do is waste my time, as usual " he said before he finally turned to leave, heading back the way he came, in the direction of his office.

        Scott's office wasn't very far away from the room where he was now, and he would have gotten there in less than a minute, if the next thing he heard hadn't put a pause to his step.

      " Well you're a waste of my time too !! " Lauren shouted back at him, standing on her feet.

         The entire hall seemed to grow dead silent the moment she uttered those words, Scott's reaction had not even caused half as much as the surprise that the other employees had on their faces right now. Scott included.

          Scott paused, then turned his head both sides as if he was hearing things, before he finally turned one eighty degrees to face the full rage of Lauren Peter's.

        " I'm sorry, excuse me ? " he asked, just to be sure if he was the one she was talking to " 

        " Oh you're excused Mr Scott, " Lauren said with a disgusted look, and pushed herself through the space between her desk and the one beside it, marching in the direction of Scott, who stared at her in disbelief.

       " Three years I spent working for you, three years ! " she shouted, " of hard work and sweat and blood and tears, " she said, showing him all four of her fingers that represented the agony of those three years. " I never complained, I never miss work, I never came one minute late and do you know why that is ? " she shouted, even though she didn't expect him to answer, " it is because I respected my job, because no matter what you threw at me, I knew you were my boss and I respected that , " she said, her eyes shinning madly.

         " But you know what ? you don't deserve it, Mr... Scott " she shouted again, " you think you own everybody, with your expensive clothes,and your expensive cars and your expensive watches, and houses, and , and ... " she paused, trying to find what to say next, but nothing came, and when it didn't, she shouted again " and well everything !!, but non of that matters, because I... am sick of it, " she shouted, " so you can keep your useless Id" she said and ripped her ID off her shirt, " you can keep your useless office space, you can keep your pity, you can even keep your own goddamn salary, because I... quit, " she said and marched to her table, leaving Scott with a puzzled look, as he watched her, and as soon as she packed her stuff in a carton, she turned and marched towards the elevator,  but stopped, and turned and shouted at him again ...

       " And I don't care if you hate sky blue !! " she shouted, then walked into the elevator.

      ********************************************

       *    Flashes of lightning, followed by cackles of thunder embrace the sky. *

         No wonder she had a headache, she had been screaming at her devil of a boss earlier that day, the patters of rain had suddenly increased, and it poured heavily now.

         Lauren didn't have to walk four feet in front of her to know the walk home would be a long, and lonely one.

          She didn't have anyway of escaping the rain, she didn't have any money, and she just quit her job, all that was left now were a bunch of paper in a carton, that were currently getting soaked to pieces.

         So much for the life she wanted, she thought, right before she burst into tears, there in the middle of the road, broken, pennyless, and alone.

        She would have stayed there a little while longer, crying under the rain, and feeling sorry for herself, if a car hadn't pulled over by her side and offered her a ride home.

         She was skeptical at first, but the owner of the car seemed like a decent man, and besides, what could possibly happen to her now that would be worse than this. 

        With that thought in mind, she pulled open the door of the car and without thinking twice hopped into the back seat.