Richard went back to his cubicle and worked on the computer, making spreadsheets and documents. Time had gone by in a flash as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and sipped on a drink he got from the vending machine while working his butt off. His butt got numb from sitting in place for so long as his fingers’ muscles started cramping.

Fawn insisted he take a break, but didn’t pay any mind, and instead, tuned out many sounds around him. Richard stared at the screen, pushing through the pain and concentrating on finishing his work. After a while, the computer froze just after he saved and couldn’t get the screen to cooperate with him.

“Oh, come on!” Richard slammed his fists on the keyboard in frustration. “Why isn’t it working?!”

“Calm down!” Fawn hissed. “Causing a scene won’t solve anything.”

Richard fell back in his seat and sighed. “What am I supposed to do while waiting for it to unfreeze?”

He looked around the area in desperation. The first thing he noticed was Claudia walking to a room while carrying boxes in her tow. When she tripped and dropped the items, he got up and walked over to give a helping hand. Claudia took notice and picked up the boxes before power-dashing away to the nearest room.

What’s the matter with her? Was it something I said? Is she scared of me?

Richard blinked as he watched her leave in another room. He remembered to shower, so that couldn’t have been it. Did he look intimidating? Everyone else seemed to have gotten along well. Well, Charlie seemed to be a bit of a mystery that he can’t pin down yet. Speaking of, Claudia wasn’t with the boss either. Why, though?

Fawn went over and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Hey, look over there.” She pointed at a water cooler, where a worker with short blonde hair stood by and relaxed.

Richard didn’t recognize the worker. He took out a paper cup and poured a small amount of water before sipping it.

“Who’s that?” Richard whispered.

“I think that might be ‘Ken’ the others were referring to earlier,” Fawn mentioned.

“Well, I’m not sure about that. But I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have a chat with him.”

“That’s true.”

Richard walked over beside the cooler and waved at him. “Hey there.”

The blonde man raised an eyebrow and stared at him. “Uh... hi? Are you new here?”

“That’s right.” Silence emanated over the area for a short while. “Um, sorry if I’m bothering you.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re technically not.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Richard tried to get the paper cup out from under the stack. He yanked one off the cooler. “This is harder than I thought.”

“Have you never used one of those before?”

“Not really.”

“Why did the boss hire you...?” The man muttered under his breath.

“I’m not sure myself, to be honest. You must be Ken, right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know? Did the boss tell you?”

“Somewhat.” Richard took a swig of the water and coughed. “Hey, how about we do each other a solid?”

“What do you mean by that?” Ken inquired.

“Well, I’m stuck on an assignment, and wouldn’t mind getting some help. I can return the favor someday if you help me out.”

“But I’m not sure if I can do your task, or if I’m allowed to help others. Mindy’s pretty strict in that regard.”

“Yeah, I can believe it.”

“Besides, I don’t even know your name.”

“Ah, right. My name is Richard, and—”

Ken took a step back as his eyes widened. “Wait, did you just say you’re...?” His grip on the paper cup tightened. He finished his drink before slamming it into the trashcan and storming out.

“Hey, wait, where are you going?” Richard asked.

“I have somewhere to be,” Ken retorted.

“But what about my assessment?”

“No. Way. Go do it yourself!” He slammed the door behind him, leaving Richard alone, stunned.

“What was that all about? All I did was talk to him. Was it something I said?”

Fawn shrugged. “Maybe it was something personal? Best not to question it for now.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Richard trudged back to his cubicle and slumped in his seat, to which the computer loaded up while he was away. Once he completed his document, he selected the ‘print’ button. Richard heard some noise and followed it, only to find an operating fax machine printing out some sheets of paper. However, they appeared to have a different format, had light textures, and didn’t come out right.

He looked at the machine and seemed conflicted with all the buttons and mechanisms, unsure of what to do or how it works. At the corner of his eyes, he noticed Mindy organizing her desk.

“Hey there!” He walked over and greeted her.

Mindy jumped and snapped around. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Oops, sorry about that. Do I lose points for what I just did?”

“It depends on what you’re here for.”

“Well, it’s about my assignment. I’m having trouble with the printer giving me the results I want.”

“Oh, do you need my help?” Mindy adjusted her glasses and chuckled to herself. “I suppose I can give you a hand, just pay attention to what I do, alright?”

Richard nodded. “Alright, thanks.”

She got up from her seat and followed him to the printer.

“I’m impressed you got this much done without asking for help.”

“Well, I thought it was easy to get used to.”

“I see.”

As Mindy helped with the printer and fax machine, Richard asked her about topics regarding the workplace, like the number of employees present, why they need to do these documents and assignments, for example. The one thing that kept them talking longer involved Ken. Richard told her about his first encounter with the guy as she explained he was a hard person to describe and should not be on his wrong side.

“So, was it something I said?” Richard pointed at himself.

“Most likely, knowing him,” Mindy replied. “But I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”