"HELLO, HI, ATTENTION, EVERYONE. UM, APPARENTLY THERE IS AN E-MAIL CIRCULATING AROUND THAT CONTAINS A VERY PG-13 RATED PICTURE OF ME AND A WOMAN." I was very upset at Jim. He was making this picture seem like a terrible, disgusting, revolting picture. But if it's PG-13, I could totally see it. Kevin nodded his head once at Micheal's announcement and said one thing.

    "Jan." Micheal wouldn't look Kevin in the eyes.

"No, Kevin, a woman! Maybe Jan, maybe—" Micheal was running out of lies and it was honestly kind of amusing. I was leant against Pam's desk; throwing orange Jelly-beans in my mouth two at a time.

    "Urkel Grue." Jim speaks up, offering Micheal his fake Russian that he created in the conference room earlier that day.

"My point is that if you get it, I would ask that you just delete it, sight unseen. Let's be professional, all right?" Micheal offered up. I thought it was rich that the words 'be' and 'professional' came up next to each other in a sentence that came from Micheal's mouth. Soon after; Micheal grabbed his steel drum and walked out the door. I watched him go; popping two more Jelly-beans in my mouth. I stroll over to Jim, hovering over his right shoulder. Without looking, he reaches over with his left hand and takes a Jelly-bean from my hand. I watch him put it in his mouth, chew on it, and then I watch the disgust set in. Jim furrows his eyebrows and sticks out his tongue.

    I snort at his reaction, loving karma's magical ways. After Jim, begrudgingly, swallows he turns to me with a scowl.

"Are you a monster?" He asks. "Who the hell, eats the orange Jelly-beans?" My lips stretch into a menacing smile. I put the rest of the Jelly-beans in my mouth,

"Monsters." I wiggle my fingers in Jim's face to create a spooky effect. Jim takes my hands and puts them on his desk with a petty smile. I scrunch my nose at him.

    A shrill of a phone rings through the office.

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam." Pam's takes out her sticky-notes and beings to write things down. "Mhm, okay. Yes, I will tell him that, bye." She the hangs up the phone and waves me over to her desk.

    "Evie, can you relay this to Micheal, please?" My bottom lip involuntary juts out into a pout. Pam snickers at my reaction. "I'll give you all my big yellow paper-clips." I shake my head and take the sticky-note.

"I don't want your pity paper-clip." I huff jokingly. I grab my coat; pulling it on along with my red scarf. I have no problem going to Micheal on a normal day. Sometimes he's gross, but that's a given at this point and there's nothing I can do about it. What I don't like, is going to sulky Micheal. Sulky Micheal, is the worst. As I sit in the elevator, I run through responses if Micheal says anything weird. The doors open and I look down at the sticky-note. Memorizing it so I'm not stuttering it out.

I see his hunched figure, standing in the snow. My heart goes out to him, but he couldn't have tried to send the photo to who ever in the first place.

"Feelin' hot, hot, hot." Micheal sings. I peak my head out through the door, not really looking to standing completely outside.

"Hey." I greet him loud enough so he could hear me.

"Hey." Micheal turns around and puts his drum stick by his sides. I look past Micheal to see Brain and Neil shivering while holding their equipment. I stifle a smile, looking back at Micheal.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked gently.

"Island living, you know." He replies in a broken voice. I pull my lips into an awkward, closed-mouth smile.

"Um, Jan called." I informed him. "Pam told me, to tell you, She's coming in later to talk to you." Micheal shifted his weight on his feet.

"Did Pam say what it's about?" I shook my head.

"That's all she said. I'm sorry."  Micheal just nodded and turned back to his steel drum. I took that as my cue to leave, so I gave a small wave to Brain and Neil and went back inside.

~~~

It seems like I'm always circling around either Pam or Jim. I didn't want to be annoying, but I just didn't want to talk to people. Nothing against the other people in the office. I couldn't find Jim, so I just hung out by Pam. We were both too busy looking at the hundreds of boxes in front of us to notice Karen coming around the corner.

"I think I owe you one." I jump at the sound of her voice. My hand gripping Pam's arm in fright. Pam pats my hand, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement. I take my hand back, blushing in embarrassment. Pam looks back at Karen.

"Sorry?" She asks, not following what Karen was saying.

    "For talking sense into Halpert. The Days Inn room 228 was starting to get really depressing." My eyes widened at what she said. I had no clue that Pam and Jim talked. Pam smiled, but I can tell it was forced.

    "Oh, yeah, no, don't worry about it. I mean, he was being ridiculous." Karen smiled brightly at Pam.

    "Yeah. But thanks, seriously." Pam nodded her head at the women.

    "Sure." Karen gave me a tight-lipped smile and left the way she came.

Pam's smile dropped as soon as Karen turned around. Pam suddenly found the floor very interesting. I placed my cold hand on her shoulder, she looked up as soon as it touched her. She placed a (very obviously) fake smile on her face.

    "I'm fine." She told me with a smile. I narrowed my eyes at her. She didn't meet my narrowed gaze and slipped out of my touch. "Really, Evie. I'm okay." I watched as she walked away from me and out of the warehouse. I stared after her, debating myself in my head. I looked towards Chloe and Brian.

    "I should go after her right?" I asked. Brian slowly nodded yes and Chloe mouthed 'Yes.' I nodded at them and lightly jogged after Pam. I didn't see where she went, but I know where she would go that's relatively close to the warehouse if she wanted to come back. I hopped up the steps, taking two at a time. I briskly walked past two secluded hallways, then popped my head into a bathroom.

    "P?" I called out, only to be met with the sound of my own voice echoing through the tiled room. I huffed out in annoyance. Not at Pam but at the situation. I had just past another empty hallway when I heard someone sniffling and another person talking. I ran around the corner to see Pam sitting with her head in her hands, and Dwight with a comforting arm around her. I walk over to them, my baby blue eyes asking Dwight for an explanation.

    "She's PMSing pretty bad." I give him and blank look before shooing him away with my hand. Dwight stand to leave but I catch his wrist.

    "Thank you, Dwight." I thank sincerely. Dwight just bows his head and takes his leave. Dwight K. Schrute, you have earned my respect. I replace Dwight's spot on the bench and I pull her into my side. Pam cries into my shoulder while I rub her back. Muttering soothing words to her every now and then.

"I'm sorry, P. I truly am." Pam's crying calmed down to quiet sniffs. Pam shifted her head so her temple was against my shoulder.

"I'm such a mess." She murmurs. I giggle quietly.

"Yeah, you are. But if you're a mess I'm a disaster." Pam snorted at my statement.

    "What are you even talking about? You're like, perfect." I feel my stomach churn with guilt as soon as the words left her mouth. I'm pretty damn far from perfect. I just roll my eyes at Pam. Letting the compliment go in one ear and out the other.

    "So, do you want to go back down? Or...?" I drag out the 'r' for a very long time, waiting until I see a real smile pop up on the woman's face. Pam pats her lap and stands. Still looking a little beaten down, but that's a given. I get up after her and follow her back to the warehouse.

***

    "I think she's just mad at herself for not getting the timing right." I speak from behind my hand. "I mean, I would too." Chloe seems deep in thought.

    "Do you think that Jim still has feelings for Pam?" She questions. I take a sharp in take of oxygen.

    "I want to say yes. Of course I do, but he seems really happy with Karen." My pale hands cover my face as I answer.

    "This is so hard to do." I admit to the crew. I know that they knew I was talking about being there for both Pam and Jim at the same time.

***

I had decided to go home earlier than everyone else, I still wanted to see my mom. Even if it was for just a few minutes. I said good-bye to everyone; hugging Pam and then made my way to my rust-bucket of a car. I have my Queen CD in my car at all times. Freddie's just too brilliant. I turned on my heater as soon as I got myself situated. I waited a few moments to thaw from the bitter cold before pulling out of my spot and driving towards the hospital.

The hospital isn't too far away from Dunder-Mifflin. I'd say its a fifteen to twenty minute drive. It helps when I want to go to my mom straight after work. I pulling into the parking lot, giving the security guard a wave as I went in. My mom was on the fifth floor, so I have to travel by elevator for a bit. As soon as I got in the receptionist, Brittney, gave me a visitors badge and told me that I really only have thirty minutes left. I thanked her quietly and walked to the elevator. Because I was so late, nobody rode the elevator with me. Usually, I have to squeeze into a corner.

The silver doors slide open, revealing exhausted and underpaid nurses. I wave at a few I recognize, smiling at the faces I'm not familiar with. I continue my pattern of occasionally saying 'Hello' or giving awkward smiles until I reach my mom's room. I knocked before I entered, just in case there was a nurse that didn't want me inside yet.

"Come on in!" My mother beckoned. I smiled at her raspy voice. I opened the door and was met with Carmen Walker's excited squeals.

    "Hi, Baby!" The women cooed. I beamed at my mother and ran to her side.

    "Hi, Mama. How are you feeling?" I lean down and kissed her bald head. She smiled up at me, the faintest of blushes covering her pale face.

"Better now that you're here." I playfully roll my eyes at her and take a seat in the closest uncomfortable plastic chair I could find.

    "Have you eaten anything today?" I played with the hem of the blanket that was draped across her figure. My mother just flattened her lips and looked away from my eyes. A spike of annoyance entered my body.

    "Mama, you have to eat." I told her sternly. A watery smile crosses my mother's face. Her hands were cold for reason different from mine, but they always seemed to carry enough love to make they seem warm.

    "How did this happen?" She breathed. "How did you become the one that takes care of me? I'm supposed to be taking care of you. I'm supposed to be there for you." Her hazel eyes met mine. Tears forming in them. I shake my head in disagreement.

    "Mama, you did your part. And you did it perfectly. I mean look at what you created." I gesture to my body, her tiny giggle fills the empty room. She calms down and takes my appearance in.

    "I did do it perfectly, didn't I?" Her pride fills the room. The warmth in my heart grows. We sit in silence for a few moments before she breaks it.

"How's that paper job treating you?" She prods, her gentle eyes searching my face. My mother has always been beautiful. When she wasn't confined to a hospital and chained to her bed; she was the free spirit of the house. My father was cold and calculating. The only time I remember him telling me he loved me was when he called me when I got valedictorian, but too little too late. My mom had flowing, chocolate-colored hair. She always managed to have a smile ready for whoever needed it and a joke for someone who was a little too serious. I guess that's why my father fell in love with her. It doesn't matter though, he left as soon as mom was diagnosed. For four years, she's lived with this disease. For four years, I've bounced around from job, to job. Struggling to keep my head above water. I took my college funds and put them into an apartment and medical bills. For four years. And my father couldn't be bothered to help the women he loved since they were eighteen. It's a burden to carry his looks when he's caused us so much pain.

    "Honey? Did you hear me?" My mothers voice yanks me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm? What? No, yeah. Yeah, I hear you." My words tumbling out of my mouth. "It's good, Mama. The people there are super nice." I hum. She tries to ask me more questions but a nurse comes by to tell us I only have five minutes left. I nod at the nurse and give her a small smile.

    "I'm sorry I got here so late. My boss had us finish inventory a little later than usual." My mother's face held nothing but love. She smiled and placed her hand on my cheek.

"It's okay, Little Bug. I'll see you soon, go home and get some sleep. It looks like you broke your nose." I knew she was referring to the bags underneath my eyes. Three jobs takes a lot out of you. Nonetheless, I playfully narrow my eyes at her. She lets out a breathy chuckle and pats my cheek.

    "I'll come back soon, Mama." I kissed her head and walked to the door way. I turned to waved one last time. "I love you, Evangeline." She always used my full name. She told me it was 'too beautiful to shorten'. A smile stretched across my face.

    "I love you too, Mama."