Page 1 of Protecting Christina

1

Christina

I wanted to strangle Alicia. I’d been sitting in the lunchroom for no more than five minutes. That was a new record, even for me. But how was I supposed to sit and listen to her bullshit without wanting to murder her?

“And then I told her,” Alicia continued. “If you can’t fix my nails the way they need to be fixed, I’m not paying for this crappy service. I mean, look at them.” She held up her perfectly manicured fingernails with pink rhinestones on top. I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at, but the other three women at the lunch table nodded in unison.

“You poor thing,” one of them said. “How are you supposed to meet with clients when the stones don’t line up?”

“Exactly!” shrieked Alicia. “That’s why I didn’t pay for them.”

My hand fisted in my lap. Then I closed my eyes and counted to five.

Two, three, four…

“I see you’re already practicing your mindfulness,” a familiar voice whispered next to me.

My friend and coworker, Nikole, placed her lunch bag beside me and smiled. “That bad?”

“You have no idea.” I refrained from rolling my eyes.

“Why do you do this to yourself?” she asked in a low voice. The other people at the table were still engrossed in Alicia’s story.

“I’m trying to be more social, as you suggested,” I squeezed through gritted teeth.

She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, is that what this is? Well, then you need to fix your face.”

I scowled at her, and she laughed again. Despite her laughing at my expense, her cheerfulness improved my mood. It was genuine and, unlike other people in this law office, she wasn’t afraid of me.

“What did you bring for lunch today?” she asked, opening her reusable bag.

“Tuna fish sandwich. You?”

“Avocado on toast.”

She looked down at her avocado and frowned. “Want to head to Bruno’s and share a pizza?” Her eyes pleaded.

“Definitely,” I said and packed my lunch to place inside the refrigerator for later.

“Great.” Nikole followed me to the fridge and set her bag next to mine. “I have an issue with one of my witnesses that I’d like to run by you. You’re awesome on cross.”

“Sure, no problem.” We were about to leave the lunchroom when my cell phone rang.

It was my closest friend Gabby. Without hesitation, I answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Chrissy, it’s me. Have I caught you at a bad time?”

“No. What’s up?”

“Um… well,” she cleared her throat and fumbled her next words.

“Uh…” she sighed into the phone.

I frowned. She was never like this. She was as straightforward as I was. “Gabby, are you in trouble?”

“No. No, nothing like that. But…”

---