AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eighteen
Jamie
The sound of Dua Lipa’s New Rules is playing somewhere, and I pull the covers up over my head. It cuts off only to start right back up again. It’s a good song, and it should be my ringtone for Seb, to remind me not to answer the fucking phone if he ever calls me. I lift the pillow, covering my ears, and then the song stops. It starts again immediately, and I let out a groan.
“Please, for the love of god, will someone turn off the music, my head hurts.” I squeeze the pillow tighter around my ears, but it does nothing to drown out the music.
“Maybe, you should try answering your phone.”
I let the sides of the pillow drop and crack an eye open at the sound of the voice. It takes a second for my one open eye to focus, but when it finally does, there stands Rick. Arms folded across his chest and looking a little pissed off about something.
Then an image of me getting rather familiar with a bottle of his best tequila appears in my mind. It explains his pissed off look and why the fuck my head hurts so badly.
The music starts again, and I finally register what he said about answering my phone. I sit up, slowly and carefully, trying not to jostle my head too much. My brain feels like a pickled egg rattling around inside my skull every time I move my head.
“Whoever that is calling, they seem pretty keen to talk to you. There’s water and some ibuprofen on the bedside table. I suggest you take them, talk to whoever is calling you and then me and you are going to have a little chat downstairs in my office.” He doesn’t wait for an answer, just turns and leaves.
Just as I reach over to grab the water and tablets, my damn phone rings again, vibrating on the bedside table. I grab the water, gulping a couple of mouthfuls down along with the tablets before picking up the phone and answering before it rings off again.
“H…Hello.” It comes out kind of croaky, and I give a little cough to clear my throat.
“Jamie? Where the hell are you? I’ve been ringing your phone for the last thirty minutes.”
It takes a second before I realise who is speaking. “Dana? Hey, what’s up? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But listen, you need to call work. Alison is looking for you.”
“Alison? As in our boss Alison?” That’s weird. I’m not rostered on today.
“Yes. Look, I don’t know exactly what it’s about, but one of the other girls called me. They searched your locker, Jamie.”
“What the fuck! Why?”
“I honestly don’t know, but it didn’t sound good from what Mel said. I think you should call Alison straightaway. I need to go, but I wanted to give you heads up. Call me later and let me know what’s going on, yeah?”
“Sure. Thanks,” is all I manage before the line goes dead. Dropping the phone to the bed, the slightly damp bed I now realise as the smell of tequila reaches my nostrils. Eww. Well, it could have been worse.
I pick the phone back up and place it on the bedside table, then shove the covers aside and climb from the bed. There’s a loud thunk as the, now empty, bottle of Patron hits the floor. I pick up the bottle, and just as I go to place it on the bedside table, my phone rings again. Alison’s name flashing across the screen.
Snatching it up, I take a deep breath and answer it. “Hi, Alison. Sorry I missed your call I was in the shower.”
“Jamie. Not to worry.” She clears her throat before continuing, “I need to see you in my office as soon as possible, please.”
“Of course. Is everything okay?” A hint of worry creeps into my question. Although Dana wasn’t able to tell me exactly what’s wrong, the fact they searched my locker is never a good thing. The pictures sent to my phone flash through my mind, and I remember the email addressed to the hospital. Fuck!
She lets out a sigh. “Just come to the hospital, and we’ll talk more then, okay. I’ll see you soon?”
It’s framed as a question, so pushing my concern over what this is about, I tell her I’ll be there in an hour. As I stand here, phone in hand, stinking of alcohol and head thumping, does real worry start to creep in.
Conscious I only have an hour, am currently wearing Rick’s clothes and in desperate need of a shower, I race from the room. My stomach roils from the sudden speed, but I don’t have time to be sick. What I need is to get home, shower and change, and then find out what the fuck is going on that I need to be called into the office after my locker has been searched. Although, I have a pretty good idea.
I barge into Rick’s office without so much as a knock. His head snaps up at the fast, and quite frankly, rude intrusion, but as soon as he sees the look on my face, whatever reprimand he was about to give me is replaced by concern.
“Jamie. What is it?”
“My boss.” I take a breath. “Dana called, said my boss was trying to get hold of me. She doesn’t know why, something about my locker, but I need to get home now. I need to see my boss in an hour. Sorry about last night, the tequila and, shit!” I remember the damp bed. “And the bed. I may have spilt tequila on it. I’ll replace it, pay for dry cleaning, whatever needs doing,” I confess, waving my hand to show it’s no big deal. “I’ve got to go. I’ll return your clothes too. Some time. Again, sorry for last night.” It all comes out in a rush and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, even to me.
“Jamie. Ju—”
