Workplace clash pt 2

Tasha’s alarm went off at 6:02 a.m. like it had beef with her. She slapped at it until it shut up, then lay there staring at the ceiling where a water stain looked like a map of a country she didn’t want to visit. Her phone was already buzzing. Sir.. FaceTime She groaned and answered. Sir’s face filled the screen, half shadowed, hoodie on, toothbrush hanging out his mouth like punctuation. “Tell me you not thinking about yesterday.” “I dreamed Malik ate my lunch again,” she said. “That’s how you know it was trauma.” Sir rinsed and spit. “Ronnie gonna start something today. I feel it in my knees.” “I feel it in my stomach,” she said, swinging her legs out of bed. Her hoodie his hoodie was draped over the chair. Randy’s. She didn’t touch it. Her phone buzzed again. Group call incoming, Janelle added Ronnie Janelle’s camera came on first. She was in her kitchen, hair wrapped, spoon clinking against a coffee mug. “If my food disappear again today, I’m calling HR and the police.” Ronnie popped in from a couch with a blanket around his shoulders like he was hosting a late night show. “Good morning, workplace villains.” Sir muttered, “Why are you like this at sunrise?” Ronnie leaned close to the camera. “Because drama don’t sleep. It just power naps.” Janelle said, “Malik better not sit near me today.” “Malik ain’t answer yet?” Ronnie asked. Almost on cue, Malik joined from his car. Steering wheel in one hand, breakfast sandwich in the other. “Y’all already talking about me?” Tasha narrowed her eyes. “What you eating?” “Biscuit,” Malik said. “Why?” “Look creamy,” Janelle said. “It’s cheese.” “Cheese don’t look like alfredo,” Sir said. Malik sighed. “I bought this. With money. From a place. I don’t even like alfredo.” Ronnie smiled like he was petting a problem. “So what’s today’s vibe? Silent treatment? Group explosion? Somebody crying in the bathroom?” Tasha pulled on her work boots. “I just wanna get through the shift without hearing Randy’s name or seeing Malik chew.” Ronnie snapped his fingers. “Speaking of exes” “Don’t,” Sir warned. Tasha’s phone buzzed again. She looked at it and froze. Randy.. I’m outside your building. Her thumb hovered. Sir saw her face change. “What?” “He here.” Janelle said, “At this hour?” Ronnie’s eyebrows went up. “This about to be premium content.” Malik said, “You answering?” Tasha grabbed her jacket. “No. I’m leaving.” She ended the call and walked fast down the stairs. Outside, Randy’s car idled at the curb like it had something to say. She didn’t get in. She walked past it. At the stoplight, her phone rang again. Sir “You good?” “No.” “That man bringing chaos to work again?” “He bringing earrings and problems,” she said. “Same brand.” Sir laughed once, then went quiet. “Ronnie gonna smell that from three aisles away.” Across town, Janelle was spooning leftover rice into a container and triple bagging it like evidence. She wrote her name on the lid. Then under it DO NOT TOUCH. Her phone rang. Ronnie again. “Just checking,” he said. “You wearing the red lipstick today or the angry one?” “They the same one,” she said. “If my food missing, I’m flipping a table.” Ronnie smiled. “I’ll be there for the flip.” Malik parked outside the warehouse and sat there chewing slow, watching people walk in. His phone buzzed. Trevor.. Don’t bring no messy energy today. Malik typed back, Too late. They started it. Inside the building, the first forklift beep echoed down the hall. Tasha walked in with her jaw tight. Sir followed. Janelle went straight to the cooler before clocking in. She opened it. Her container was still there. She exhaled like she’d been holding her breath all night. Ronnie rolled in last, coffee in hand, smiling like he already knew something. “Everybody here?” he asked. “Good. Let’s ruin the day.”