Chapter 4

It was almost the end of my shift. I was still cleaning the hallway windows.

Christine appeared behind me. "Lora, did you see my gold bracelet anywhere?"

I turned around. Her wrist was bare.

"No. I haven't seen it."

"That's strange, it was just here." She frowned. "Carter gave me that bracelet. It's really important to me."

She started searching the hallway — checked the trash bin, looked through the break room. Nothing.

Then she looked at me.

"Lora, let me see your bag."

I stiffened. "What?"

"I think you stole my bracelet."

"I didn't!" I felt a rush of panic. "I've been washing windows the whole time. I never went anywhere near you."

"Then show me your bag. If you didn't take it, I'll apologize."

I had nothing to hide.

I opened my bag and held it out.

She rummaged through it. From the innermost pocket, she pulled out a gold bracelet.

"That's—" My eyes went wide. "That's impossible. I never touched that."

Christine held the bracelet and her eyes went red. "Lora, how could you steal from me? Carter gave me this. It means everything to me."

"I didn't! I really didn't!" My mind was racing, and then a detail came back to me. "You picked up my bag earlier — at the elevator. You said my hands were full with the cart and you'd carry it for me. You must have put it in there then and forgotten."

Christine tilted her head with wide, innocent eyes. "When did I ever carry your bag?"

"At lunch—"

"Lora." She cut me off. Her tone changed. It went cold. "I never touched your bag. Are you sure you're not confused?"

A chill moved through my whole body.

Carter walked out of his office and saw Christine's red-rimmed eyes. His expression darkened.

"What happened?"

"My bracelet..."

Christine held it up. "Found in Lora's bag."

Carter looked at me. His eyes were like ice.

"It wasn't me. I didn't steal anything. She—" I pointed at Christine. My voice was shaking.

"That's enough." Carter took out his phone. "I'm calling the police."

Christine grabbed his arm.

"Don't call the police, Carter. She's so young. A record would ruin her."

He frowned.

Christine thought it over and said:

"Then... make her kneel outside the building. It's busy out there. Until the end of the workday should be enough."

The blood rushed straight to my head.

"What did you just say?"

Christine blinked at me with that same guileless look. "I just want you to learn your lesson. So you don't steal again."

"I didn't steal anything!"

I was almost shouting now. The tears finally came. "Carter, I'm your girlfriend. How can you do this to me?"

The entire hallway went still.

Christine's eyes went wide. She looked at me, then at Carter.

"Girlfriend?" Her voice jumped up an octave. "Carter, she's saying she's your girlfriend?"

The expression on Carter's face shifted several times.

"She's lying."

"Lora, there is nothing between us. You stole. You're fired."

He took out his phone and dialed.

"It's me. I need you to put the word out across the industry. Lora — nobody hires her. Nobody."

Then he looked at me.

"Go kneel outside until nine tonight. Otherwise, the consequences will be a lot worse than this."

Christine put on a heartbroken expression.

"Lora, I thought of you as a friend. How could you do this to me? You've really, truly let me down."