𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒄.

with a slight laugh at her own self, alice, once again, advised, “ just don’t try for the fish. y’might win a human, but… ” and she’d been so close… so few times ! clearly if she couldn’t win a fish with her immaculate aim, no one would be able to. it had nothing to do with the drugs and everything to do with the game being rigged. by, like… rigging the wind. and how ageist they were ! a bunch of kids were winning fish, but the second she, a partial adult, tried her hand at it ? they rigged the goddamn wind. 

she nodded at adri’s confirmation that masters had, indeed, not collapsed since she’d last stepped foot inside ( to do her job, that is ). but when the other lit up ( not that she didn’t seem to be constantly lightened up ), alice raised her eyebrows, preparing herself for whatever news she may receive on the adri front… and what great news it was ! the perfect news to shove everything adri refused to believe behind her, if even only for a minute. “ that’s fucking awesome, adri ! ” she replied with a single, but quite emphatic, hand clap. did adri know it was actually three As ? because they thought they were the kardashians long before the kardashians got famous ? that was beside the point ! “ we’re gonna have to celebrate, like… properly sometime. ” because plushies and carnival games were great, but they were no alcohol and sex. oh, then she had to bring up the concept of them being lies again ! was it worth correcting her at that moment ? “ i mean, ‘lie’’s a pretty strong word for it. ” … apparently kind of ! “ y’know, i was a good shot, but never really nailed basketball. gonna officially, like, admire you if you win a carnival basketball game, ” she remarked as she began trailing behind the other, unsure of exactly where this carnival game was.

⠀     ⠀ ⠀ 𝐀  𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍  𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋  onto  adri’s  lips  when  alice  advised  her  to  not  try  &  win  a  fish  .  why  was  it  so  hard  for  her  to  let  it  go  ?  she  did  tell  alice  that  the  other  fish  couldn’t  replace  goldie  ,  so  what  was  the  point  in  trying  to  win  another  one  when  they  wouldn’t  measure  up  to  her  late  bestie  ?  either  way  ,  she  was  going  to  try  her  hardest  to  swallow  the  urge  when  she  saw  whatever  fish  or  signs  of  fish  that  were  being  shoved  her  way  .  there  was  no  way  she  was  going  to  completely  move  on  if  she  kept  giving  in  to  the  fish  that  were  calling  her  name  !

griffin  wasn’t  the  biggest  fan  of  val  when  she  wasn’t  in  his  bed,  and  he  generally  tried  to  avoid  her  outside  of  the  four  corners  of  a  mattress.  she  was  rude,  and  ran  her  mouth,  and  griffin  was  too  peace-love-laughter-fun-woo  to  ever  really  rock  with  her  on  a  level  outside  of  sexual.  that  being  said,  he  still  tapped  her  shoulder  when  he  realized  she  was  standing  in  front  of  him  in  the  line  to  the  ferris  wheel;  it’d  be  rude  not  to  say  anything.  “  hey.  you  gettin’  on  this  thing  too  ?  ”

thus far, with her pink high, alice hadn’t had it in herself to really mind the fact that basically every other person she saw was one of her coworkers. hell, for a while, they probably just thought she was dead on a bench ! now that would be a rumor ! but this one was a different story. not only was she becoming slightly ( slightly ) more cognizant, but adri had seemed rather adamant about alice’s ‘exposing’ having simply been a rumor. a rumor would be that she died on that bench – it was completely true that she shot that guy ! she’d even confessed to it in the chat ! there had been interrogations regarding it ! ( … were they ever gonna follow up ? ) yet adri, in their personal texts, continued to refer to it as a rumor. fiction. she kind of wished it had been ! alas…

“ no – you are all good. ” but the fish hurt her by not letting her win them. and the guy running the booth hurt her by not simply giving her a fish after she’d hit him three times. that had to count for something ! not that she brought that up… but she could’ve won a human, right ? “ are you all good ? ” reciprocity. and trying to avoid the subject that was brought up all too soon. this woman… who did not believe a very true truth that she could not take back… was now asking where she’d been. hell, she barely knew ! home a lot. the masters roof a couple times. phoenix’s that one time. finding people who could help her score some new stuff. see – none of it really sounded good ! not that home was bad, but it wasn’t good. not that phoenix’s was bad, but he was considered a douchebag by the masses and she had no clue why she turned him into her moral arbiter. adri would’ve been better for that ! she had morals ! after what was… probably seconds too long, she finally replied, “ oh, i’ve been… around. ” technically true ! everywhere was around ! “ man, you too. ” … kind of. she hadn’t been looking forward to seeing her very in denial best friend… solely because she was very in denial. “ masters still in one piece ? ”

⠀     ⠀ ⠀ 𝐈𝐓  𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓  𝐎𝐃𝐃  to  adri  that  she  hadn’t  spoken  to  alice  since  the  whole  rumor  was  thrown  into  the  company  group  chat  .  sure  ,  they  weren’t  combined  at  the  hip  ,  but  she  was  her  best  friend  after  all  .  which  why  she  didn’t  want  to  bring  up  what  was  going  on  .  in  fact  ,  that  was  the  past  .  left  in  the  dust  even  .  they  were  on  coney  island  to  have  fun  ,  not  dwell  on  someone  playing  a  sick  joke  on  the  office  out  of  pure  boredom  .  it  was  so  exhausting  .  if  only  she  could  figure  out  how  to  mute  the  chat  to  rid  of  even seeing  what  was  going  on  .  nonetheless  ,  she  shook  her  head  like  some  kind  of  puppy  as  her  friend  parroted  her  question  back  to  her  .  “  oh  ,  yeah  !  i’m  fine  !  nothing  a  little  cotton  candy  can’t  fix  !  although  ,  i  plan  on  winning  something  before  i  stuff  my  face  !  i  have  to  win  something  !  ”  adri  would  never  admit  that  she  was  a  little  competitive  ,  but  the  gaze  that  was  fixated  on  the  games  behind  her  friend  said  otherwise  .

@bndz·

alice had had what she believed to be a stroke of genius. sitting on a bench for… probably an hour, simply soaking in the sun as though she were a plant, had generated brilliance when her surroundings began amplifying in their sounds yet again – when she began truly coming to again – and heard some kid wailing about a game with a goldfish. it took her all of a moment to become aware of her body again… still high enough to function in this circumstance ( how backwards ), but just sober-ish enough to go fucking win a goldfish. she owed it to a certain someone…  so there she was ! lined up at the goldfish game ! a light ping pong ball in hand, judging the distance between herself and the nearest tank, determining the direction of the wind, taking more time than was necessary… and there she went – lining up her shot ! …only for the ping pong ball to hit the runner of the booth. ( wasn’t she supposed to be a rather skilled marksman ? evidently, her exposing wouldn’t have been a problem if there’d been some pink in the picture ! )  oh bother ! neither of her other shots landed, either – in fact, she theorized that the man running the booth felt abused by her and her ping-pong balls… was he who she’d been targeting ? with a sigh of great defeat, and no carnival goldie 11.0 ( or was it 12.0 ? ) in sight, she turned to go back to her favorite bench ( very forrest gump of her )… but, nearly bumping into someone, she simply had to offer them a warning: “ just so you know, i’m pretty sure, like… the wind is rigged. ” oh, if only she would look away from the very unamused booth man to see that it was adri her very self !

⠀     ⠀ ⠀ 𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀  𝐖𝐀𝐒  𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄  a  kid  in  a  candy  store  as  she  roamed  around  coney  island  .  there  was  so  much  to  do  ,  yet  so  little  time  &  she  wanted  to  do  it  all  !  luckily  she  arrived  bright  &  early  so  that  she  could  make  her  rounds  .  adrianna  wasn’t  the  best  at  games  ,  but  it  was  her  mission  to  leave  coney  island  with  at  least  one  plushie  .  she  had  to  .  with  her  many  failed  attempts  throughout  the  day  ,  adri  thought  it  was  only  right  that  she  tried  her  hand  at  basketball  .  how  hard  could  that  be  ?  her  determination  was  at  an  all  time  high  as  she  marched  towards  the  very  station  that  her  mind  was  set  on  .  but  the  glee  that  was  racing  through  her  body  was  short  lived  once  her  eyes  fell  on  what  was  right  beside  it  .  fish  .  not  just  any  fish  .  goldfish  .  basketball  was  off  the  table  now  .  fate  brought  her  to  the  goldfish  &  she  couldn’t  say  no  to  fate  !  well  ,  that  was  until  fate  decided  that  she  was  going  to  ram  directly  into  a  familiar  face  instead  .  

*     𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟   :   𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒   ,   @masterspost·   —

                    dark  hues  focus  on  the  squirtle  plushie  as  she  sits  for  another  round  (   she’s  lost  count   )  at  whopper  waters   .   she’s  been  roaming  around  the  park  for  a  while  now—   none  of  the  rides  have  captured  her  attention  just  yet   ,   but  that  certain  prize  caught  her  eye   .   the  round  starts  strong  with  her  leading  the  race  for  the  bell   ,   but  once  again   ,   araya  lost  to  the  kid  next  to  her   .   as  much  as  she  wants  to  steal  one  of  the  plushies  that  the  kid  won   ,   she  wouldn’t  just  fight  a  kid  over  squirtle   (   though  it’d  seem  fitting   )   .   she  admits  defeat  to  the  game   ,   maybe  she’ll  try  again  later   ?   that  was  until  a  familial  figure  came  to  view   .   it  wouldn’t  be  the  same  if  someone  else  won  the  game  for  her   ,   but  she’s  desperate  now   .   “   hey—   ”   she  wraps  her  hands  around  their  arm   ,   tugging  on  it  playfully   .   “   i’ve  tried  all  my  luck  at  this  game   ,   but  i  keep  losing  to  kids   ,   ”   she  pouts  softly   ,   looking  back  at   the  wall  covered  with  plushies   .   “   if  you  win  me  a  squirtle   ,   the  funnel  cakes  are  one   ,   deal   ?   ”

“ i  just, … like, ”  east’s  green  eyes  squinted  in  thought,  “ i  think  they  should  make  different  shapes  of  ferris  wheels,  like …  ferris  squares  or  ferris  triangles.  —  adri,  oh  my  gosh,  ferris  triangles!  wouldn’t  that  be  so  much  fun? ”  he  playfully  nudged  the  other’s  shoulder,  slightly  shaking  the  ferris  wheel  cabin  the  two  were  sitting  in.  he  beamed  out  the  window  at  the  view  from  the  very  top.  @bndz·

alice: i'll keep you posted

alice: honestly idk. but if it has the power to know and expose all these secrets, then they probably need some expert i.t. ppl on it too. but who knows - maybe they're behind it.

alice: dk how they would've gotten all this information but i also dk how anyone would have

alice: thanks 💖

𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢: you better!

𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢: that's so weird. what is the purpose of even making stuff up? what are they even gaining for this? it's not even funny ????? this is such a sick joke !!!!

𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢: bc they're mean and bored !! they just wanna see drama

𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢: i hate seeing people we work with fighting. it's not fun and it's so terrible. people are way to invested in other people's business. and lies at that !!!

joey: I'M NOT ON DRUGS

joey: well does cold medicine count

joey: bc i had a cold earlier so i took a bunch of pills and now i'm pretty sure i can't remember how to leave the office

joey: I'M NOT GOING TO PUT MY CAT ON THE NEWS

joey: i'm not going to the basement either

joey: UR BEING SO MEAN

𝒗𝒂𝒍: then why are u acting like it

𝒗𝒂𝒍: omg u take cold medicine for fun ? are u good ?

𝒗𝒂𝒍: is this the first step ur taking ? admitting u have a problem ?

𝒗𝒂𝒍: well if ur cat is smoking u should probably capitalize off of that

𝒗𝒂𝒍: i'm not even being mean. u did this to ur self.

Kim was in her own little world. Sitting on the main staircase of the building, it seemed like she was diligently writing notes to any passerby. In reality she was doodling a poorly scribbled picture of the mountains. She had an itch to get out of work, and drive. The weather was perfect, the sky was perfectly clear, and it was nearing the weekend. How could she want to be anywhere else? A shadow fell across her notepad, and she looked up at a fellow coworker. “Oh, sorry. No one takes the stairs these days. Especially not in a building this tall.” She started to scoot to the side, stopping short. “Hey, if I started a petition to make Masters one of those companies that only works 4 days a week, would you sign it?”

@masterspost·

his arms pumped beside him as he tried to maintain his speed on his almost finished 4 mile run– his chest and face red, a combination from the sun and the activity. he normally didn’t choose to run in central park, but when he was a work, and only had an hour for lunch, and plans afterwork– the central park running routes would do. his music blasted through his headphones over his ears as he rounded the corner, clearly not seeing the man bent over, wrestling something out of his dogs mouth– for a split second he survey his options, run into the man and his dog, or inconvenience someone else somehow– not fido, he thought as he narrowly dodged the pair, only to end up clipping another. “ shit– shit, sorry, ” he expressed, loudly, his music still blaring in his headphones.

@masterspost·

“It was, yeah,” Allison agreed, trying her best to seem genuine. “Oh, no, it wasn’t that. But, thank you.” She was sure the alcohol had played a factor, but she had gotten away without a hangover somehow. Still, it was sweet of her to even offer, Adri was nothing if not one of the kindest people at Masters it seemed. “Your fish?” Well, if she was trying not to think about it, it was probably best to not bring it up, but too little, too late. “Oh, I did. Alice looked great, you’ll have to see if she decided to take any pictures for once, it was a great outfit.” 

            elevator  rides  have  always  been  weird  to  sunnie  ,  even  back  when  she  was  in  college  .  maybe  it’s  why  she  often  opted  for  the  stairs  instead  ,  but  ever  since  she  started  work  at  masters  ,  it’s  no  question  that  sunnie  would  be  an  idiot  if  she  only  climbed  the  stairs  .  her  legs  would  look  amazing  ,  though  .  she  doesn’t  really  know  what  hit  means  ,  but  based  on  context  clues  ,  she  could  only  assume  that  is  means  she  looks  like  shit  .  ‘  i’m  just  tired  ,  is  all  .  it’s  been  a  long  day  and  it’s  only  lunch  time  .  yeah  ,  i  don’t  think  that’d  be  wise  .  ’  honestly  ,  sunnie  wouldn’t  show  her  face  in  the  break  room  even  if  someone  attempted  to  bribe  her  with  a  million  dollars  .  it’s  been  a  few  months  since  she’s  eaten  with  someone  else  in  the  human  resources  department  ,  instead  opting  for  lunch  outside  of  the  office  or  at  her  desk  when  she  brought  something  from  home  .  she  nods  thoughtfully  while  the  other  woman  speaks  ;  she  could  only  assume  that  she  worked  in  social  media  management  ,  based  on  what  she’s  saying  .  ‘  sometimes  i  wonder  how  these  influential  types  get  through  life  without  a  helping  hand  .  they  can  be  so  arduous  to  deal  with  .  ’  far  too  many  times  ,  sunnie  has  been  left  with  the  grunt  work  of  showing  them  around  the  office  or  sharing  pleasantries  even  when  they  were  insufferable  to  deal  with  .  ‘  uh  …  ’  her  voice  trails  for  a  second  .  ‘  a  lot  of  boring  stuff  ,  really  .  i’m  usually  the  one  sending  company - wide  emails  ,  employee  training  and  orientation  —  i’m  the  first  face  you  see  as  a  new  hire  .  ’