Private School Cuts; Mitigating Your Ex's Snobbery Is A Full-Time Job
Private School Cuts; Mitigating Your Ex's Snobbery Is A Full-Time Job
Day 186 of The Andie Chronicles
The phone rings. It's James. "Can you come into my office for a sec?"
"You could have called out to me? I can hear you talking from in my office." And if I closed my eyes, I could hear James talking. Despite how vast these penthouse offices seemed, our little partitions were that close.
"If I yell, your ex will come thundering down the hallway and start yelling."
Fair enough, I thought.
I slipped into James' office to find him staring at his computer screen. Zombie-like. "Come look at this."
I remembered the last time he asked me to do this. Many months ago. And the screen was filled with porn, dude on dude, and he wondered how much yoga he would need to do to emulate the performer's position.
I was relieved it was something else; this time, a resume. "What do you think of this Jane person?"
"I didn't know we were hiring," I observed before beginning to read.
"Oh, we're not, but it doesn't stop the resumes from landing on Angela's desk. Apparently, Douglas told her to send me every resume."
"Don't you have enough to do? What about the deadline?"
Switching from the screen, I studied James' face, his sunken eyes undeniable.
"I don't know anymore. I'm not getting much sleep with the case and this absurd launch date. What's something else?"
I put my arm around James' shoulders and squeezed him. "Ok, well, let's get one thing off your plate."
I scrolled down the resume and quickly found Jane's schooling history. She went to some no-name state school in the Mornington Peninsula. "She didn't go to a private school. Cut her."
"Wow, that was quick. And mighty snobby of you."
"Not me, but him," pointing toward Douglas' office. "If he sees you approve someone not from a private school, you will get the chop. He's the snob in this situation; I couldn't care less about where they got their high school education."
James nodded. "Thank you for saving me."
"It's ok; I got your back."
As the words left my mouth, I realised I genuinely meant it. And this was toward someone who actively did everything to sabotage me behind my back. Was I getting soft on my deceitful friends, or could I not stand letting Douglas win more?
And deep down, as the weeks passed since it all happened, I believed it was the latter. The more the divide continued between me and my friends, the more we weren't on the same page, and the more my ex seized control and power over the people around him.
No, that wouldn't do.
I couldn't live with that.
They were good people at heart who had listened to the wrong people. Or the misguided person.
We've all been there; we've all been bedazzled by the promise of better things. I'm sure if he wasn't my ex if I hadn't been getting over how he broke up with me, I would have fallen for it all too.
I went to leave James' office when he called out to me from behind his desk. "Are you home tonight? I was thinking of making a lasagna."
"No, I'm at Cooper's tonight. But thanks for asking."
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Just a moment! 1 Lovelock Drive is a reader-supported publication (I can’t do this without you!). If you love what you read, and want to receive the next instalment and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!
A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
