Chapter 17: Then... trust no one

In between the boyfriend drama, I was also dealing with work drama.

I was a friendly girl.

I was a pretty girl. 

I was in shape.

All in all I was attractive..... and I do not mean that in any sort of bragging way. 

Those characteristics eventually made me hate who I was. 
I was blind to the ways of the world. 

Who would have thought they would hate looking good? 
Be careful what you wish for and never underestimate the value of being smart...

Growing up I was lacking self confidence. 
I went to a small town high school with a graduating class of 220. 

I was a transfer from catholic school freshman year and was always known as the new girl. 

I never found my place. 

I was always a tom boy and a majority of my allies were men. 

College had helped me open up. I lived there two years, met amazing people, and was able to blossom. I was head of the class in my major (business management, marketing).

The job as assistant store manager was basically handed to me. I didn't really have to work for it and never went on interviews for any other company.  I was working part time at Go and Save and they had a program a to like an internship. I went through that my last year of school and before I knew it, one semester before graduating college, I had a job offer for a management position. 

I was going from a part time clerk to an assistant store manager. 

In an instant I was going from $6.75/hr to making $40,000 a year. 

It was a no brainer, who wouldn't take this offer!?
I was on top of the world. 
My favorite professor (who has since then passed on RIP Professor Wolk)shook his head in disappointment and told me I could do so much more. 

I wish I listened then but hindsight is always 20/20.

A year into my new job I was a 23 year old bubbly girl on top of the world. 
Women, unfortunately, did not like me. 

Unfortunately, I did not like them. 

Perhaps it's because I still saw them as a threat.

No, that's not a perhaps.... that's a most likely.
I had always felt more comfortable around men and so that's who I gravitated towards.

I had one man in particular in which I felt very comfortable around. We became friends. He was my trusted ally in the store. 

He was good looking; Mario Lopez was his twin. 

He was married. 

He was the object of affection for many of the women in the store. 

Rumors of a relationship between us started to fly by three women in particular.

Nothing was actually there but we decided if they're going to talk, let's make them jealous. (childish and stupid I KNOW) And jealous they did get.

One day I intercepted a letter addressed to "Store Manager." 

It was my job to go though all the mail so I opened it. 

It was a letter written to my store manager telling her to open her eyes and see what is going on. The letter then went on to describe this imaginary affair.

I was outraged. This was crossing the line!
It's all fun and games until someone brings it up to your boss...
The first thing I did was call my ally and let him know what these bitches had done. 

Then I called my store manager and told her about the letter and about how this has gone too far. 

I also brought up some sexual harassment problems I was having with these three women. 

They were Portuguese and liked to ask me questions in their native tongue. On one occasion in particular one of the women asked me a question and said yes or no? When I didn't answer they started laughing and she asked again yes or no. I got a bit irritated and said I have no idea what you're saying but I'm betting the answer is no. They laughed and laughed and then the woman said to me, "I just asked you if it hurts when you take it up the ass and you said no!"

So I brought this up to my store manager and said I'd like to report them to HR.

She was appalled and said she was on my side and that we would take care of them.

A few days we had a work Christmas party. I saw my boss and said hello. She gave me a look to kill and ignored me the whole night. I had no idea what that was all about, I thought she was just in one of her moods so I continued drinking with my coworkers and having a good ol' time.
The next day I was working at 2pm. My boss was scheduled off but when I arrived she was there. I said hello and asked her what she was doing here, she brushed me off and said she had somethings she had to take care of.
An hour later I was being called into the office. When I walked in my store manager was sitting down  with human resources. I was so confused. 
They told me to come in and sit down. 

I did.

They asked me about the affair I was having.

I blushed and denied it.

They asked me about the letter that was written.

I told them I gave it to them.

They said there was another letter, one I had written professing my love.

I hadn't written a letter. 

I got defensive.

Why weren't they listening to me. 

I told them that maybe we had flirted a little bit but it was all in good fun and nothing at all was actually going on. I told them there was no letter and I had no idea what they were talking about. 

They said they had three people who had come forward saying they saw the letter.

I asked them where the letter was and they told me I must have destroyed it.

They told me people had come forward saying they saw us together in his car.

It was all lies.

I had been played. 

The three women had all gotten together and claimed all these things.

Enough people had said they'd seen us flirting so that was enough to back up the claims. 

I was transferred effective immediately. I was not to talk about this to anyone. I was to sit back and let them 'investigate' the claims but we all know I had just been tried and convicted. 
Now they just had to burn me at the stake.