"BRIENNE! What's this!?" The accounting manager yelled angrily, throwing the folder onto her desk. Brienne gulped and looked down.
"You got it all wrong! What's wrong with you!? Why can't you get this right!?" he shouted, as Brienne's co-workers stared while the manager scolded her.
"I'm s-sorry, sir. I'll redo it immediately," she answered gently.
"You better be!" the accounting manager said as he left. Her friend, Janice, walked towards her.
"Are you okay?" Janice asked. Brienne heaved a sigh and smiled at her friend.
"No, Nice. I don't know what to do anymore," she said. Brienne had found out she was adopted when she was just a baby, and now that her parents were gone, her sisters wanted her to leave their parents' house. The events of last week had affected her work. She had savings, but she didn't know when they would run out. Most importantly, she just couldn't leave the house she had lived in her whole life.
"I'm here for you; you know that," Janice said. Brienne smiled again, feeling lucky to have a friend like Janice.
"Thank you, Nice," she whispered.
"Do you want to go to the club later? Let's unwind," Janice suggested. Brienne smiled and shook her head.
"Jasper wouldn't want me to leave, Nice. You know how he is. He gets jealous easily and doesn't want me going to clubs," she said. For two years, Jasper had been her boyfriend. Janice rolled her eyes.
"Bree, I hate to break it to you, but everything you do is wrong for him. You're with me—do you think I'd let something happen to you? Come on! I'm with you. I'll protect you," she said. "Pretty please?" Janice begged, giving her puppy eyes. Brienne sighed and nodded.
"Okay, fine, let's go," she said. It was just a few hours, and it wouldn't hurt to unwind after everything that had been happening around her. She needed a breather. The day went by quickly for Brienne. She went home to change while waiting for her friend to call. It was a relief that her sisters were out of the house because she didn't know how to deal with them. Brienne couldn't remember when the harassment started, but they had been hostile toward her for some time.
Brienne's phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. When she saw Janice calling, she smiled and quickly answered.
"Nice!" she said.
"Excited, aren't we? Are you ready, girl?" Janice asked. Brienne nodded as if Janice could see her and smiled.
"A little bit," she said.
"Open the door, girly! I'm here," Janice said. Brienne stood up and opened the front door, greeting Janice with a grin.
"Let's go?" Brienne spoke, but before she could step outside, Janice stopped her.
"Nope, this won't do, girl. Too simple. We need to go wild!" Janice said, gently pushing her back inside. Brienne furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong with my outfit?" Brienne asked. She wore a simple blue checkered knee-length dress with two-inch white heels, knowing Jasper would approve of it.
"Everything's wrong with it, girl. Now, let's find something else for you. I won't let you wear this dress today," Janice said, pulling her back to her room. She sat on the bed while Janice began rummaging through her closet.
"Come on, Nice. This is fine. Let's just go," Brienne said, slumping her shoulders.
"Wait, I found something," Janice said, pulling out a dress. It was a glittery, crisscross, ruched backless dress that fell above the knee. The redwood color perfectly complemented Brienne's fair skin.