Never Got Over You -Whitney G. Page 0,14

and choppy rains that fell in Cincinnati. Chicago was a constant cacophony of rage and traffic, while New York City bore the strained and haunting sound of broken dreams and desperation.

I never—ever, wanted to hear an encore from any of those cities, and I couldn’t wait to bring the annoying, rat skittering sound of Philadelphia to an end.

I was now standing in one of this city’s dirtiest alleyways, looking through the frosted glass of Matt & Will’s Pawn Shop. My cello stood silently for sale in the main window with a golden five-thousand-dollar price tag. It was less than ten percent of what it was worth, but ten times more than what I had in my bank account.

Don’t dwell, Kate. Don’t dwell...

Cursing under my breath, I walked past it, carrying a dripping bag of reeking trash to the dumpster. With every step forward, I winced―feeling how swollen my feet were from working a full shift the night before. I had four more hours left on my second job and I was hoping that for once, they would fly by.

Once I hurled the bag into the bin, I took my precious time walking back toward my personal hell-on-earth: Girl Boss, Inc.

It was one of Fortune Magazine’s ‘Top 30 Start-Up Companies to Watch,’ and number one on my personal list of ‘Soul Sapping Jobs that Make Me Want to Die on the Spot.’ Every room inside the fifteen-story building was painted in cotton candy colored paint, and every hallway was lined with rose-gold framed quotes like, “You Go, Girl! You’ve Got This!” “Mascara On, Coffee Hot, Hustle Activated,” and “Girl Bossing Ain’t Easy! Chin Up and Prepare for War!” To make things more ridiculous, the executive team voted to make sure that every document we worked on was sprinkled with glitter and scented with rose perfume. Whenever we explained that this made no sense, we were met with a frown and forced to re-commit to the top three rules of the company:

1. Never Complain

2. Never Complain

3. Smile and See Numbers 1 & 2

“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR being a team player and taking out tonight’s trash!” My boss, a picture-perfect brunette who only wore white and pink suits clapped her hands. “That was hashtag, very boss-like. Hashtag, OMG-humble, and hashtag goals. With that attitude and spirit, you can maybe make the type of money that I do in fifteen to twenty years!”

I froze my eyeballs to their sockets.

This can’t be my life right now ...

“Ladies!” She continued clapping her hands. “Ladies! Could everyone gather around me for a quick pep talk?”

I stepped back and tried not to sigh. It never ceased to amaze me how she insisted on calling the staff “ladies,” when less than half of the team was female.

She cleared her throat and stood atop a stool. “So, as you all know, the next few weeks are going to be super crucial. It’s going to be a never-ending grind, but I believe in all of you so much. To make sure that you do your best work, I’m suspending the free coffee privileges, as well as the discounted lunch privileges.” She smiled. “This will test you and show you what ‘sacrifice’ means―especially since I’ll be insisting that each of you work an additional eight hours a week.”

A chorus of deep sighs and moans sounded from the back of the room.

“I’m sorry, what’s that?” She pressed her hand to her ear. “Is that negativity I hear? At Girl Boss, Inc.?”

Silence.

I hoped like hell that she wouldn’t make us “clear the bad energy” by engaging in the company’s shitty team dance and song.

“I thought so!” She smiled. “Anyway, now that Kate is off trash duty punishment, I’m sure she’s happy to return to her leader duties and help get you all to the finish line! I’m proud to call all of you my favorite ‘bishes’ and I hope I inspire you to be as amazing as I am someday.”

The room was still silent.

She mimed a round of applause and we all reluctantly gave it to her.

As soon as she stepped off the stool, she motioned for me to follow her into her office.

“So, now that I’ve formally taken you off dumpster duty, isn’t there something you want to say to me?” She smiled. “Something that rhymes with bank shoe?”

She can’t be serious right now. “I’m sorry, what?”

“No, not I’m sorry.” She placed her hands on my shoulders. “Try to think a little harder. It’s the first thing you should say in gratitude