Jackie spent a few seconds outside the apartment door, her senses barely working as she struggled with the tears. Dean had not driven off yet because she could still hear Beatle’s engine.

There was only one key but why wouldn’t it work?

“Shit!” she shouted when it fell off the ground. She did not dare turn around because she could still feel Jam’s presence and he was looking at her, probably wondering what the hell was wrong.

And Dean was still there, probably still assessing her speech or maybe acting as a gentleman that he was and waiting for her to finally get inside.

But her key is not working.

She stomped on it as a tear fell off her eyes. “Stupid key!”

She straightened and faced the door again. “Dannie!” She banged on it with her palms. “Dannie!”

As she bent down to grab her key from the ground, the door opened. She hastily wiped her eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dannie asked at the same time Jackie heard Dean drive Beatle away.

“Nothing,” she murmured, stood up and entered the apartment.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Dannie asked behind her.

“Yeah,” she answered, heading straight to the kitchen to get a glass of water, throwing the key and her bag on the carpet along the way.

She poured herself a cold one and as she drank, she saw Dannie looking at her with curiosity from the corner of her eye. And then her shoulders started shaking, her lips closed and the water started spilling down her chin, dripping on her clothes.

“Oh, God, Jackie,” Dannie softly said, taking the glass from her and setting it on the table as Jackie started to slump on the floor, crying her heart out.  Her friend joined her on the floor. “What happened?”

“I told him everything,” Jackie said between sobs. “I told him the truth and he didn’t understand! That moron! That heartless bastard! I hate him!”

Dannie was silent. She stayed with her at the kitchen floor, caressing her back as she cried.

A while later, Jackie was crying without tears.

“I won’t have the chance to see his tattoo.”

“What?” Dannie appeared to be lost.

“He has one. Just below his collarbone. I won’t get the chance to see it!” And then she started crying once more.

*****

They were now in the living room, Jackie’s head lying on Dannie’s lap.

“And I can no longer go to Art. I cannot see him play again.”

“You can always wear your stupid disguises,” Dannie tried to jest.

“And I won’t get to hear him sing again!” she cried out.

“He doesn’t really sing well.”

“I can’t wear his cap anymore. It smells nice.”

“We’ll get you one.”

“Toto will miss him.”

“Toto doesn’t like men.”

“I will miss him.”

“It will pass.”

*****

“You should take a bath,” Dannie ordered.

“I want to drown. Then you call him. Tell him I am dying.”

“You are not thinking straight. Go take a bath and let’s eat.”

“I already ate. With him and my parents. I can’t believe I took him home! The bastard!”

“He will come around, Jackie. I know he will.”

“He will come around when I am dead. I should probably go.”

“What?”

“Away. Far away. I want to escape.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Of course, I can. I can resign! Then I will go away.”

“Do you have the budget?”

“I…that’s the problem. But I should resign. I will hand in my resignation tomorrow.”

“You should think about this for a few days, Jackie. You cannot just be too impulsive about this.”

“It will solve everything. I can stay away from Brian. And I can get away from Dean. I no longer have to see that stupid vending machine again!”

Dannie just looked at her blankly, letting her pour out everything.

“But he had always given me his Coke. Who will he give it to when I am gone, huh? Who?” When Dannie didn’t answer, Jackie slowly turned around. “I’ll go get that bath.”

“Don’t lock the bathroom.”

*****

“He’s not going to fire me, is he?” she asked later as she ate a spoonful of ice cream.

“That would be very unprofessional.”

“He will not give me a hard time in the office, right?”

“That would be unethical if he would.”

“Dannie, what do I do?”

“You’ll have to face it,” her friend answered, looking her squarely in the eyes. “This was your decision from the very beginning, remember? You knew there would be consequences. Face them as you faced the great things that came your way when you went on with your plan.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“You can. You have always managed.”

*****

The following day, Georgie and I were back. And she went directly to her room to sleep because she never got any.

Jackie drove me to work.

Your eyes are puffy, Jackie girl. What’s wrong? I asked dryly. I was getting annoyed with all the drama. Had anyone ever noticed that my tires had a few burns? I almost died and no one noticed that?

Like always, they were too busy with their own problems and  I had to act like the good car that I was. Tell me, did Karma, my best friend, hit you back? Did she pay a visit? I told you she’d come sooner or later.

I was not actually surprised that Dean got angry. The guy had every right to be angry, but I also understood Jackie--why she did all those things.

She was too desperate to make the right decisions that time. And Dean had been making things harder for her. Of course, he was the best solution to her problem.

But no one could deny that fact that it was a crazy plan and it was bound to crash.

And it did.

Hard.

Dannie tried to reassure Jackie that things would be alright before she climbed off me.

Jackie girl, you have to be strong. Stop crying, I told her when she started crying again the moment we left Dannie’s school.

I think you need to retouch, girl, I told her when we finally arrived at Collins Corporations. Beatle was already there.

Hey, buddy, is your boss really that angry?

It said yes.

Oh, poor Jackie girl. You definitely need a retouch. He is still not in the mood for you, I told her as she opened her bag and looked at herself in the mirror. She applied something under her eyes and then put on some lipstick. She loosened her hair and tried to hide most of her face with it.

Your face looks like a window with black curtains at the sides, but that is better.

She finally climbed down after a few relaxing breath.

Go, Jackie girl!! It is okay to come back crying later!

*****

Jackie felt that her luck ran out after last night when she entered the building because the first person she saw was Brian himself.

He did not run toward her like he normal would in the past.

And that was what gave her the creep.

He just stared at her and smiled when she approached the elevator.

“Morning,” he said.

Jackie nodded, feeling the fear she felt inside slowly ebb down.

Maybe Brian finally realized that it was better to leave her alone and start acting like a normal person.

“After you,” he said when the doors opened.

Jackie stepped inside and he followed. Another employee caught up and the three of them shared the ride in silence.

“’Bye,” Brian said with a smile when the doors opened on his floor.

Jackie returned his smile just a little.

She let out her breath when the doors closed again. Whatever she did might have worked after all.

Just as when she was feeling good about her luck not turning on her, it all went away when she stepped inside the office. Everyone was silent. Not the normal silence, but the tense silence.

Slowly, Jackie walked to her desk.

“What happened?” she whispered to Karen.

“He is not in a good mood,” her friend hissed. “Go to work immediately.”

“Why?” Of course, she didn’t have to ask the question, but she wanted to know what happened.

“How do we know? Did you dump him?”

Jackie’s eyes widened. Did her officemates think that way of her and Dean? Yeah, sure, there were rumors, but she never expected they would have already went all up to such conclusion. “What?”

“Never mind. He entered the office just a few minutes ago with the look. The monster look.”

Jackie understood what Karen meant and did not ask further.

She knew Dean was back to his old office personality.

*****

Jackie was standing by the vending machine after lunch, her brows knitted together in a frown.

Dean was not around in the cafeteria. And Karen was even surprised that she joined her for lunch.

She wondered where he went or how he spent his lunch time as she inserted her coins in the machine. She punched the blue button and received a blue can in return.

“Stupid!” she growled at the machine and kicked it with her toe. “Stupid!” she added, giving it another kick. She followed the second one with three more.

And that was when the elevator doors opened.

And out came Dean Gamboa himself.

Time seemed to have stopped when their eyes met. Jackie’s right leg was bent backward for one last kick and Dean seemed to have caught himself in a sticky pile of mud that for a few seconds he was stuck.

Jackie could feel all eyes looking at them from behind. She was aware that everyone was watching her and Dean, thirsty for information so they could finally prove that it was Jackie who was causing Dean’s foul mood that morning.

And then the clock started ticking and he walked away without saying a word. He tore his gaze from hers as if he thought he saw a familiar face and then decided it was not important and looked away without second thoughts.

Jackie was almost ready to release all fury and throw the blue can of Pepsi, right at the back of his head. But she was never good at darts. Sparing herself from a possible blooper alert, she dragged her feet back to her desk and continued with her work.

*****

Dean left early, right after the clock struck four.

He walked by her desk in a rush.

Jackie couldn’t hold her tears so she went to the powder room and locked herself in and cried.

She emerged looking fresh with her eyes all puffy, but thanks to her hair, she was able to hide the evidence of her tears.

“I need to go home,” she said to Karen.

Her friend just looked at her and nodded.

She didn’t care if everyone was already of conclusion that she and Dean were not in good terms.

All she wanted to do right now was grab a beer and get drunk.

*****

“Well, you started it, Jackie,” Troy told her.

“You don’t have to tell me that. I know it is my entire fault!” she shouted at him.

“And you are obviously drunk,” Miguel added.

“True, but don’t worry. We’re here. We’ll take you home,” Lee reassured her. “So let’s get you another bottle.”

“You are my true friends! And I love you!” she cried out, wiping a tear before it fell from her eye.

“No, not really, but your true friends are coming,” Troy said, looking at his phone.

Jackie looked at him with accusation. “You texted Dannie, didn’t you?”

“You are getting drunk, Jackie. You might need the rest of the boys here.”

“And I think George is on her way,” Lee uttered. “Someone needs to drive Toto later.”

“I hate you! The three of you!”

“You just told us you love us a few seconds ago,” Troy reminded her.

“I take it back. I am not capable of love at the moment. I want to cry. Can I cry?”

She saw her three friends look at each other dryly.

“Cry your heart out, stupid,” Troy told her, patting her shoulder. “But be sure never to cry over him again in front of us. We might just do something.”

“You just said it was my fault.”

“But he should have understood, Jackie. And if he wouldn’t come to his senses soon, and if you are still crying over him the next time I see you, I will definitely do something.”

“Even if it means we’re going to lose Nikki in the process,” said Miguel with regret.

“That would be hard, but we will sacrifice that for you,” Lee seconded.

“You are the best guy friends ever! I love you!” Jackie said, sobbing.

*****

When Dannie and George arrived later that afternoon, Jackie was already sleeping with her head resting on Troy’s shoulder.

“I told you not to let her drink!” Dannie shot at Troy.

“She needed it!” Troy explained. “We guys deal with this problem in a different way. We didn’t know what to do when she started crying. And we noticed the alcohol helped.”

“I want to go home,” Jackie murmured, her lips barely moving.

“Okay, go get her to Toto,” Jackie heard George order the three men. “I am driving.”

*****

I hated that afternoon.

Jackie was so drunk we had to stop beside the road so she could puke out whatever she drank earlier.

Keep it clean, boys, keep it clean!

Tata was right behind us and Troy got out, his face worried.

“Is she okay?”

“She would be perfectly fine if you did not give her any drinks,” Dannie shot at him.

Troy just stood there, joined by Miguel and Lee who looked equally worried.

“Do you think we should get her to a hospital?” Miguel asked.

“No, I am fine!” Jackie tried to shout.

Dannie was holding her hair for her as she poked her head out of the window.

Georgie waited patiently, preparing some wet tissues.

When it was all over, we drove back home with Troy, Miguel and Lee tailing us.

This is getting old, boys. All this drama has to stop soon. It will, right?

*****

Jackie woke up late and was surprised to find out that Dannie and Georgie were gone.

“Where the hell are you? Why didn’t you wake me up?” she asked them through their voice chat group.

“We are at work. We asked you earlier if you are going to work and you told us you are not ever going back,” George answered.

“You said you will burn Collins Corporations to pieces,” Dannie answered.

“I am late! I have to go now!”

She rushed to the bathroom, took a quick bath and went out without wearing any makeup or doing any of her routine stuff. She climbed on a jeepney and fought with the driver to go faster.

When she reached the floor, everyone looked up from their work and by the look on their faces she figured she looked like someone who spent the whole night in the eye of a tornado.

“What happened to you?” asked Karen, her mouth agape.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Boss Dean looked for you.”

Jackie’s hope surged up but when she saw Karen’s face, her shoulders dropped.

“He seemed really pissed when he didn’t see you behind your desk when working hours started.”

“I had a rough night,” she murmured. And it was not like it was illegal to be late, right? They would just deduct the missed hours from her pay.

“And just before you came in, he walked out of his office and looked even more pissed when he saw the same empty chair.”

“Well, I am here now, aren’t I? What does he want anyway?” Jackie was starting to get irritated as well. Her head was aching, she looked like a mess, and everyone in the office was acting like she was getting into trouble. Well, then, let ‘trouble’ come because she had enough of it! If Dean was not willing to talk to her after almost three days now, then it was his problem.

Did it really have to take him that long to figure out what he wanted to do? Or was he even planning to talk to her at all?

“He didn’t say,” Karen answered.

“Well, then, I will ask him myself!” she stated, standing up to full height.

As she made her way to the Devil’s Room, she was not thinking about her frizzy hair, her lack of makeup or her puffy eyes.

Without knocking, she opened the door and stopped. Sitting behind his desk was Dean, his face calm and handsome as she last saw it. His hair was perfectly brushed up, his clothes clean.

And she looked like a mess.

And it was all because of him.

He looked up and she didn’t even see any reaction on his face but shock upon seeing her standing by his doorway.

“You were looking for me?” she asked before he could open his mouth. “Sir?” she added awkwardly and sarcastically.

A frown formed on his face. “You’re late.”

“I stayed up late doing personal things,” she answered in the flattest tone she could muster. If he could act cool and cold, so could she. “But I know you would not understand that, of course. It won’t happen again.”

His mouth opened but he did not say anything. He closed it again. “It won’t?” he asked and Jackie thought he saw a glint of amusement flash across his face before he took over and had it controlled.

“Yes,” Jackie uttered, lifting her chin before she continued, “because I am handing my resignation tomorrow.”

That obviously shocked him because he stood up, his hands resting on his desk. He looked angry and irritated. “Jackie--”

“I just realized I cannot work with you anymore. And it is not just you. There are a lot of reasons why I can’t stay here. So don’t think it is just because of you…sir. I need more time for myself. I need to learn how to forgive myself for what I have done because if I cannot do that, I don’t think I will ever understand why you can never forgive me,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “So,” she forced a smile on her face. “Expect a resignation from me tomorrow morning, sir,” she finished, stepped back and closed the door.

She could not move when she started to turn around to walk back to her desk. It seemed that all her energy was wasted on that speech. But she was glad she had said it. It was an impulsive decision for her--again--but she thought it was a right one.

A small part of her wished that the door behind her would burst open and Dean would drag her inside the Devil’s Room and make up with her. But that was not possible. Five seconds passed, ten seconds…and she started to move.

She walked to her computer and started working on her resignation letter.

*****

Dean went home early, they said.

Jackie was just returning from her afternoon break with Karen when Joseph told them Dean took the rest of the day off early.

At first, she thought she may have been the reason for that, but then she realized he would have done something earlier if he really wanted her back or if he even wanted to fix whatever they had.

“I think you did a stupid thing,” Karen told her later.

“I am doing the right thing, trust me,” she said as she continued to stare at the blank document on her computer.

“Aren’t you going home? You can do that tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “I have to finish this. I have to hand it in tomorrow.”

Karen sighed and stood up. “Well, then, see you tomorrow.”

Jackie texted George that she needed Toto when Karen left.

Why? George asked.

Because I need to carry some stuff. It is okay if you need him, though.

No, it’s fine. I am going somewhere anyway. I will have a ride. Will drop Toto in a few minutes. You have your keys?

Yes, thanks!

Okay, so Toto would be delivered any minute. One problem solved.

She printed her resignation paper and locked it inside her drawer. She emptied her desk and threw all her personal stuff inside a box she found inside Dean’s office. Well, yes, of course, if she was leaving, she would at least steal something from the Devil’s Room!

Since she had a lot of things, she left the unimportant ones behind to bring tomorrow. She had to exit the office with grace, after all.

Everyone else was gone and she just realized that she was alone again.

In the quiet atmosphere, Jackie felt a lot of emotions surging inside her. She had had a lot of memories on this floor. She had shared secrets, rumors and a lot of other good and bad things with the people she worked with. And with Dean.

She was crying by the time she entered the elevator.

Did she make the right decision?

She was doubting her own judgment when she remembered the very words she spoke to Dean. Yes, she needed this. She needed some time to be alone and think things through. She had to start by forgiving herself and she could not do that if she would see Dean every day and be reminded of the stupid things she had done and what she had lost in the process.

*****

Jackie was approaching me carrying a big box.

Jackie girl, what the hell is that--wait, are you crying?

Okay, tell me what’s going on, girl!

But she did not say a word. She placed the box on my hood and fished for her key.

When Georgie dropped me here this afternoon, I knew something was up. I knew that something other than Jackie was boarding me and it seemed that it was a big box of grief and heartache.

Come on, girl, please don’t cry. I can’t take it when you cry like this--

My speech was cut off when I noticed a car slowing down before us.

Oh, oh.

Brian.

Brian.

Jackie girl, I don’t feel good about this!

But Jackie was too busy looking for the key in her bag to even notice that Brian had climbed out of his ugly gray Toyota.

“Jackie,” Brian said, his voice creepier than ever.

Startled, Jackie jumped.

“Brian! You scared me!” she uttered, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

I looked around. There was no one around. There were a few cars, but no other people. I really felt something bad was about to happen.

“Are you okay?” Brian asked, peeking at Jackie’s face.

“I am fine.”

His eyes travelled to the box. “I heard you are resigning. Is that true?”

“I wanted a new environment. I need to go--”

“Is it because of him?” His voice had turned a hundred-eighty degrees colder. And Jackie noticed it too because she looked up at him, her eyes fearful.

“No, of course not. I just need to settle some stuff--”

“I knew he would hurt you, Jackie. I warned him. I told him to never hurt you or make you cry. And he didn’t listen to me. And now I am left with no choice.”

“What do you mean, Brian?” Jackie asked, completely alarmed.

If I had any hands, I would have grabbed Georgie’s black tool bag, take the knife out and threaten the guy to back off. But I couldn’t do anything but watch and listen.

Brian’s eyes were dark behind his glasses, his gaze devouring Jackie like a hungry wolf. “I have no choice but take care of you myself, Jackie.”

Jackie took a step back in alarm. “Don’t come near me, Brian. Don’t!”

“I knew from the very start that I am the one for you, Jackie. I can take care of you like that guy can’t. Like how your previous, gay boyfriend can’t. I can be the man that you had always wanted,” he said, his voice growing more desperate and crazier at the same time.

“If you take one more step, I will shout!” Jackie warned.

“I will take good care of you, Jackie,” Brian said, not hearing her, probably lost in the labyrinth of his own, insane mind.

Someone help! We’re in trouble here! Oh, God, if I could just transform into a giant robot, I would! Jackie, run!

And it seemed that she heard me because that was what she did. She ran as Brian took a step forward. And she started to shout.

But surprisingly, the man was fast and strong. He was driven by his own desire and craziness that he was able to cover Jackie’s mouth with one hand while his other held her close to him. He lifted her up and carried her to his ugly gray Toyota.

Where are you taking her? Hey! Brian!

Jackie was screaming through his hand. She tried to bite him but he slapped her hard that she fell unconscious, falling limp around Brian’s arms.

“I am sorry, Jackie,” the guy grunted as he dragged Jackie girl to the front seat of his ugly gray Toyota.

You will pay for this, I swear, you bastard! I will make you pay!

I shouted with all my might as he drove away with Jackie unconsciously strapped in the front seat.

I was left alone under my acacia tree and everything else seemed normal except Jackie’s box on my hood, her bag and the key on the ground.

Everything was back to quiet and no one noticed what happened.

No one else knew Jackie got freaking kidnapped by one, crazy man!