"Oh, so now you're being rude tome?" My gaze narrowed. "In case you forgot, I don't work for you. Remember?"
"So?"
"So as far as taking your crap?" I said. "It's not inmyjob description. Alright?"
Thinking of job-descriptions, I wanted to groan. Until this morning, Ididhave a job. Maybe there'd been a description. Who knows? It's not like I'd asked for one. At least I still had the bartending gig, but that was part-time, nights only. The other job – the one I'd just lost – was full-time.
Sure, the hours could be brutal, and I had to work a few Saturdays, like today for instance. But in sixty days, I might've even gained health insurance. No way I'd be giving up that job without a fight. I reached for my phone and started scrolling through my contacts.
"Calling someone?" Jake asked.
"Yeah. My employer."
"You don't have an employer," he said. "Remember?"
I found the contact and pressed the button. "Shh!"
He gave a slow shake of his head. "Not a good idea."
"Be quiet," I hissed, listening as the phone began to ring on the other end. I glanced out the window, watching as we passed an ornate bank building with marble columns and big double doors. Things were getting nicer with every mile we traveled away from Maddie's. No surprise there.
Finally, Vonnie answered with a curt, "Hello."
"Hey, Vonnie," I said. "It's me. Anna."
She made no response. My hands grew clammy as the silence stretched out. Next to me, Jake gave a low chuckle and said under his breath, "Anna. Right."
I gave him a dirty look. I'd been going by the name Anna for a few weeks now. So far, I liked it. It was a ton better than my given name, anyway. I turned away from him, huddling against the passenger side door as I spoke into the phone. "About that email," I said.
Her voice was clipped. "What about it?"
"Well, the thing is," I said, "it wasn't real."
She said nothing. I waited until the silence became awkward.
"Vonnie?" I said. "Are you there?"
Her voice was cold. "Uh-huh."
"See, my email was hacked and—"
"Uh-huh."
"And anyway," I continued in a rush. "I didn'treallyquit."
On the other end, I heard a hard, scoffing sound. "And I suppose you didn'treallycall me a whacked-out control freak?"
"Whacked out?" I swallowed. "Control freak?" I whirled toward Jake and gave him a what-the-hell look. Obviously, he hadn't shown meallof that email exchange.
He gave me a half shrug and kept on driving.
Desperately, I spoke into the phone. "That wasn't me," I said.
"I don't care if it's out of character—"
"No," I said. "I mean itliterallywasn't me."
"Right," she said. "A hacker?That'syour story?"
