Picking at her food, she could still vividly recollect the moments before Ashley had left. How her voice had turned sharp and poisonous when she threatened Matthew.

  But… It had been for a good reason.

  That was just how Ashley was, and maybe she was just tired today and had a shorter fuse. Maybe she just hadn’t had her coffee yet or—

  “Is it not to your liking?”

  Ava blinked, startled out of her thoughts, and looked up to find Maddie’s beaming smile.

  "Oh, hi. Um… no, it’s fine.”

  “You don’t need to lie,” Maddie said as she sat across from her. “This place’s food isn’t always great. But anyway, my curiosity has been sparked again. Mind if I ask about you and Ashley?”

  Removing her fork from her depressed looking veggies, Ava paused. Were they really that interesting? Honestly she thought Maddie would understand, considering her relationship with Matthew. But if it was just for curiosity sake, it wasn’t like she wanted to hide anything.

  Ava shook her head, “No, not at all.”

  With permission to move forward, Maddie leaned in.

  “So how did you meet?”

  “Here, actually. In the cafeteria.” Ava hesitated, then smiled faintly. “I didn’t have anywhere else to sit. She looked at me funny when I tried to introduce myself… and then she threw a juice box at my head.”

  Maddie froze, “She what?”

  “Threw a juice box," Ava repeated.

  “How long ago was this?”

  “Four years.”

  Looking back, that scene was still vivid in her mind. Sure, it happened what felt like a lifetime ago, but it kept with her.

  Maddie stared, then added, “Okay. And I assume that’s not where you became best buds?”

  Ava shook her head, “It bounced off, and she laughed. Then Mr. Schafer came over and scolded her. They argued, and eventually he left.”

  “He gave up?” Maddie muttered.

  “She agreed to apologize.”

  “Did she?”

  “No.” Ava answered matter-of-factly.

  But Ashley didn’t really need to. It wasn’t that big of a deal anyways. It was just a small juicebox, not some object that would cause irreparable harm.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Maddie exhaled slowly. “And yet you’re still friends.”

  Ava nodded, “Later, Schafer put me on some of her projects. Ashley’s really smart, you know; it's like she has this intuition for science. The data she found was incredible.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you stuck around.”

  Ava hesitated, “She… helped me improve. Her criticism made my work better. And eventually, she stopped being so harsh.”

  “Harsh how?”

  “She stopped calling me names. And shredding my reports.”

  Leaning back, Maddie scoffed, "Ava…”

  Her reaction made Ava’s heart sink a little. It really wasn’t that bad. It’s obvious you would deny a report that was subpar.

  Ava tapped her fingers together and sighed, “She was… the only other woman in our department… she felt approachable.”

  “I think you had better chances with Mr. Schafer.” Maddie commented, rolling her eyes.

  “Look… I understand why everyone says she’s a terrible person, but she really isn’t. You just have to get to know her like I did. She just… finds a different way to express herself.”

  “No, it sounds like she just bullied you.”

  Ava shook her head, more firmly now, “She really is a good person! She’s capable! Really, really strong and—and reliable and—"

  “Okay, okay,” Maddie interrupted, hands raised, “I get it.”

  Pausing, Ava rubbed the back of her head, “Sorry.”

  “You seem to like her.” Maddie said as a smile slowly grew across her features.

  Warmth creeped into Ava’s cheeks, “I do. I wish I were as brave as her… and that I could speak my mind as easily…”

  “Do you idolize her?”

  “I wouldn’t say that. However she’s… a good friend.”

  Maddie studied her for a moment, “Think she’d like to meet me?”

  Ava smiled back, “I think she would.”

  The two then finished their food in silence, occasionally chatting about recent events or gossip. Yet in the back of Ava’s mind, that final question lingered. Of course, the only conclusion was to be that Ashley would get along with Maddie, because why wouldn’t she? Why was it still there, burning a small little hole?

  Maybe she could just talk with Ashley about it the next time she saw her. That led her to the next thought. Was she still checking out the new shipping material? Or was she making her way back right now, about to appear any second? If only phones were allowed down here, then she could just text her a message or even call.

  Unfortunately, things just couldn’t be that convenient. But she was patient. Ashley would be back soon. Actually… After scanning the room, Mr. Schafer wasn’t here either, so maybe something else had come up. That’s why she would be late.

  “Wow… the food was actually pretty good this time,” Maddie praised.

  “I don’t remember it being bad," Ava commented.

  “Hm… Maybe Matthew’s just skewed my tastes…” Maddie admitted, picking up her empty tray, “It was nice talking to you.”

  “It was the same for me.”

  “Hm… here's an idea. How about you introduce me?” Maddie suggested, rising from the table.

  Ava tilted her head and stood as well. “To Ashley?”

  “Maybe it’ll make it easier.”

  “Sure.”

  “Probably good to bring it up with her first though, so just tell me the details." Maddie added, as she winked and headed off, “See ya.”

  Ava nodded and waved, “Ok. See ya.”

  As Maddie distanced herself, Ava glanced down to the empty tray in her hand. Ashley hadn’t shown up at all. Did something really bad happen? Surely not. There were too many safeguards in place for that to happen. She would just have to look for herself. Putting the tray away, she stepped out of the cafeteria.

  Or she would’ve if the world didn’t suddenly become pitch black.