Page 29 of Doll Face

“I guess.”

“You don’t have to, but I think you’d feel better if you do.”

“The board is attempting to buy me out of the company.” Kenzie’s phone buzzes on the nightstand, and she ignores it again.

“What does that even mean?”

“So, there’s a board that runs the company. Technically, they are under me, but with a majority vote of something they could outrank me. It’s rare but they’ve been trying to outbid me for years now. Then today they found out about the dildo fiasco because one of the men on their board went to his dad and complained about me. He’s a douche and I told him off so I’m sure it was personal. But the mess up happened under my control, and now they’re saying I’m unfit for my position. Not to mention they don’t like the fact that I’m a single woman running the company—a single woman who wears nothing but pink. They don’t take me seriously even though I bring in the revenue,” I explain.

“Jesus, so you just got hit from all angles then?” she asks.

“I did. Plus I found out my assistant, Midge, is pregnant, so in a few months I might be losing her, too.” I sigh.

“I’m sorry, Barbie. What are you going to do?”

“Well, there isn’t much I can do besides show the board they’re making a mistake or ask my parents step in on my behalf, but I’d prefer to handle this on my own. It just sucks it happened while Kelly is on vacation.”

“I understand. I’m really sorry this happened to you,” Kenzie says.

“It’s okay. Thank you for being here for me. It means a lot that you were able to come over.” I kiss her lips lightly. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I couldn’t see her tonight. It was like I knew I could handle it on my own. She makes everything better just by being here with me.

Chapter 12

Barbie

I’m sleeping soundly when I hear a phone ringing. At first, I think it’s part of my dream, but the more it rings, I realize it’s real life. It’s probably someone from work calling me. Although, it’s a Saturday, and they know not to contact me on the weekend unless it’s an emergency. Besides, my phone is usually kept on vibrate. I reach for the nightstand and realize it’s Kenzie’s phone. Didn’t she put that thing on vibrate last night? I hear the shower running so I check the caller ID—Manager Carla. I don’t want Kenzie to miss anything important, and judging by how many times they’ve called, I should probably pick up.

“Hello?” I yawn.

“Kenzie?” Carla says.

“No it’s Barbie, her … uh … girlfriend.” The word feels unfamiliar on my tongue, but it also feels right.

“Oh, Barbie. The family emergency.” She scoffs.

“Excuse me?” I ask, confused.

“You do know you’re the reason Kenzie walked off set yesterday in the middle of a shoot, right?” she snaps.

“I—”

“If she ever wants to work with this agency again she needs to give me a call back right away. What she did yesterday was not only disgraceful but also a breach of her contract,” she says, her tone full of bite.

“I-I’ll tell her to give you a call back.” I hang up before she can yell at me again.

I sit there looking at the phone in my hands and sigh. I was the reason she left her photoshoot? I don’t want that sort of responsibility. Why didn’t she just say she couldn’t come over? I know I was crying, but fuck. This feels like a weight of pressure on my shoulders that I don’t need right now. I quickly hop out of bed and start running around the room looking for clothes. I toss on the closest pair of shorts and a tank top, grab my sneakers, and head out the front door. I don’t know where I’m going, but I had to get out of there.

I know it’s lame, leaving her behind, but I’ll go back … eventually. I just need some time to think about everything. Or maybe some space to think about what was right for both of us. I’m not leaving her or breaking up with her, I think I need some space. I’d rather not find said space in the New York City subways, but I left her in my apartment, and I don’t have much of a choice. I decide to hop on the nearest subway and ride until the last stop. Then, I get back on in the opposite direction, just happy to be going somewhere.

It’s already been over an hour; she’s probably out of my apartment already, right? I mean it isn’t like she’s camping out in someone else’s place all day, is she? No, she probably got out of the shower, didn’t find me, and then went on her way. I turned my phone off so I don’t know if she’s calling or texting me. I don’t want to know.

“Change, miss?” a homeless man asks, jingling a cup in front of me. I ignore him; I don’t have any cash on me, and I’m not trying to get hurt on the subway. “Bitch,” he mutters and keeps walking.

I sigh. It isn’t enough to be having the two worst days possible. Now I have to deal with some stranger calling me a bitch on the train. I let it go and try to think about Kenzie. It’s just a lot to feel like she put her career on hold for me. Even just for a day. And what about when she leaves tomorrow? Is she going to come back? Will we try long distance again? I feel like there are too many possibilities, and I can’t just breathe.

I think about work today and I know it seems stupid. I know it does, I’m in my twenties and I didn’t have days where I cried for no reason. But between the board and Midge telling me she was pregnant, it felt like a lot. Maybe I’m hormonal or something because all of a sudden it felt like all these things combined just sent me over the edge.

Midge telling me she was pregnant was about thirty seconds of being happy for her and then panic and fear set in. She was younger than me and she was about to have her life all figured out with someone she loved. She didn’t have a girlfriend who lived across another continent and didn’t know if things would work out between them. I felt jealous and stressed and yeah, it was one of those days where I made it all about me. To Midge, she’d never seen anyone happier for her but inside it was frustrating as hell. Probably the thing that broke the camel’s back or whatever the saying is. I just wished it was me who had their life and their partner figured out like that already.

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