A/N: part two! reviews are requested. //UNDER RECONSTRUCTION\\
"—Lydia?"
The familiar voice knocked her out of her distracted state and Lydia immediately replied, her voice shaking. "Y-yes?"
Kennedy's quizzical look faltered as she slid her phone closer to Lydia. "It's been vibrating constantly. I'm guessing its Mr. Elliot expecting some late paper."
At the mere mention of the texter was possibly Mason, Lydia quickly grabbed her phone and found herself reading:
To: Lydia Hollow
From: Mason Elliot
Subject: Your laziness is not doing you justice.
I called you about 6 times last night—plenty of times throughout the week, but I don't feel like I should remind you or anything—and you failed to answer all of them. Must I go over with you that your paper on CWANMO is past due? 7 days late to be exact. Yes, so unless you want me to cover up for you and give a good word for you—like I have done several times in the past—then you'd better hurry up and print it off, then give it to me where I will take it from then on.
Without the paper, you can kiss your dreams of being Editor goodbye.
Reply back.
I know you received this.
…
Elliot Mason
-
Reading that caused Lydia's brain to completely melt down. Just when she was trying to get over her complete failure at not getting to be Editor, Mason just had to remind her of how little of importance her job is and how easily her career as even a measly journalist could be over. The paper on CWANMO was way past due, and she knew it. Really, she didn't know why she didn't finish it…or even start it.
"What is it?" Kennedy leaned over and her eyes scanned the words in less than a minute. "Mr. Elliot's going to fire you if you don't turn it in?"
Lydia nodded, weakly. The phone still lay in her hands, her fingers clutched tightly around it. "Then I'll never have a chance at being Editor."
Kennedy narrowed her eyes, teasingly, at Lydia. "Stop whining, Lyd, darling. That's all you've been doing recently," Kennedy said as her eyes re-read the text. "Why don't you just ask for more time?"
Lydia blinked, as her thumb lay weakly on the reply button.
-
To: Mason Elliot
From: Lydia Hollow
Subject: concerning CWANMO and my possible chance at becoming Editor!!!
No need for you to go so far now, Mason. I promiseeee that I'll get it to you!! I just need some time; which I hope you'll give me plenty of. The more time you give me, the better the result! Don't you agree?! PLEASE, don't take any unnecessary actions before I hand it over to you (after the NEW deadline… I HOPE!) so, if you'll allow me my request, I'll make it the best CWANMO paper you've ever, include future tense, RECEIVE!!!
Pink pinky promise!!!
…
kissy, kissy- lyd
x
To: Lydia Hollow
From: Mason Elliot
Subject: Are you out of your mind, Hollow?
I'm serious. I've given you more than enough time and you ask me for MORE time? What will you spend that extra time with, the same stuff you've spending with while you were originally supposed to be working on CWANMO. Plus, there were/are no other CWANMO essays—not then, not ever, idiot. You are the only one who's been assigned it and you're BLOWING it. Typical Hollow, I make you look good in front of everyone and this is how you repay me? By delaying assignments and treating them as tasks of little importance?
Sadly disappointed in you, but—
…
Elliot, Mason.
x
To: Mason Elliot
From: Lydia Hollow
Subject: THANKYOUTHANKYOU
You are truly a kind soul, Mason. Did you know that? I will NOT let you down this time!! I swear! I'll get started this weekend—NO, TODAY! You'll like that, won't you??? Yes, of course you would. Duh!
YOU
ARE
THE
BEST!
…
kissy, kissy- lyd
x
To: Lydia Hollow
From: Mason Elliot
Subject: Read, dammit.
First off: it's Mr. Elliot to you, Hollow. You don't know me, personally. Neither does my mother, she even calls me Mr. Elliot.
Second off: I never said I'd give you more time, Hollow. In the previous message, there is no part that actually is submitting that request of yours, Hollow. I never got to finish the message, what I meant to add was: "Time's up; paper's due."
And about that kind soul part, you and I both know that I, The Great Mason Elliot, am not a kind soul.
You know it.
I know it.
My mother knows it.
Disregard that last part—
…
Elliot, Mason
x
To: Lydia Hollow
From: Kennedy Lee
Subject: DX
UR COMPLETELY IGNORING ME ):!!!!
…
kennyxtommyforever~
x
Lydia raised her head at Kennedy's annoyed face. Sliding an astray hair behind her ear, Lydia gave a nervous smile. "Err, sorry. Mason Alert."
Kennedy gave a soft smile. "Of course you are." Sliding her arms in her coat that she removed off of her cushioned seat Ken nodded towards Lydia. "So, what was Mr. Elliot going on about?"
Lydia raised an eyebrow. "We're all past formalities—well, I am. I call him Mason, his first name, only because Mr. Elliot is too—"
"Formal?" Kennedy filled in.
"Precisely."
Kennedy nodded. "So, what did Mason want?"
Lydia sighed, her head was dropped. "He wanted the CWANMO paper."
"Hm, you mean the lame one? The Children Who Are Now Mysteriously Orphans paper?" Kennedy asked quizzically, her face expression confused. "I thought Zoe was going over that."
Lydia quickly raised her head, and sent Kennedy a look of disbelief. "Z-zoe…?"
Kennedy nodded. "Yea, I personally think that the total idea is completely lame and boring. I mean, who cares?"
Lydia's hand was buried within her hair, as her other arm was placed on the table balancing her head. "What, Zoe's covering it?"
"That's what's she's been going crazy over for the past week." Kennedy took a sip, then ran a hand through her hair.
—Zoe?
"But." Lydia watched Kennedy. "I'm supposed to do that. I wanted to make CWANMO the best paper, ever! And then, hopefully, Katherine will give me the title as Editor while she's away on that business trip to Reno."
Kennedy rolled her eyes, and gave a sad smile. "Lyd, Katherine Lowery did not say anything about your assignments being off point, she said that you were mentally and emotionally unstable for that kind of job."
Lydia blinked. "Oh, right."
Kennedy nodded, again. "Yes, so with Zoe taking it—"
"Wait," Lydia interrupted. "If Zoe's supposed to be working on it, then why's Mason bugging me so much about it?"
Both women blinked simultaneously before Kennedy said, deadpanned. "I don't know."
"Do you think Katherine knows about it?" Lydia asked.
Kennedy scoffed, "She may be Editor, but she doesn't know much about stuff like that—which is kind of weird. But Mason Elliot's Chief Editor, so he must know all about it."
Lydia chewed her bottom lip. "Are you sure about that? I have a feeling that he knows nothing about it."
Kennedy look taken aback. "How could Mason Elliot, this place's GOD, not know? Mason Elliot knows everything—about you, about me, about—"
Lydia nodded, and then momentarily blinked. "But he doesn't know about Zoe covering the story, which is weird, because like I've said before: he's expecting me to bring it to him."
"There's no way you can give it to him face to face, the man's that important. All of NYC praises him for his success as both Chief Editor of The Invisible Lines and at being a handsome devil—so I've heard. I haven't met him." Kennedy said matter-of-fact.
Lydia stirred her coffee with her spoon, again. "I haven't either. I've only communicated with him through calls, texts, fax, and emails—"
Kennedy raised a blonde eyebrow, halting the babbling woman seated next to her. "Alright, Lydia, I get it. You've talked to him before but never met him. Well, like I said, neither have I."
Lydia shrugged before groaning aloud, her eyes were set on the dangling ceiling light directly up above them. Any day now, Lydia thought, it'll come tumbling down. Glancing back at Kennedy, Lydia hid her face muffling another groan in her hands. "I'll have to start on it first. I don't even know what it's about."
Kennedy smiled sympathetically. "Zoe could help you, darling."
Lydia grimaced then tapped the table with her stubby-nailed fingers. "Zoe and I aren't that close anymore, Kennedy."
Kennedy blinked, before jerking her head back. "Why not?"
The brunette sighed, and then raised an eyebrow. "You weren't here. Well, it was way back when he was here. We would, I guess you could say, compete for him."
Blue eyes widened a bit. "Oh, and who got him?"
Lydia sighed, again. "I did." It sounded more like a dreadful thing to say rather than something of an accomplishment.
Kennedy nodded slowly. "Oh, right." The blond smiled sadly, before asking out of nowhere. "Have you heard from Thomas?"
Thomas Browning was Kennedy's rumored Canadian beau. Stories with them entwined were popular among the more loquacious workers there—few of them were ever true.
The two were thought to be siblings when they were first saw together, until they'd prove them wrong by sucking face in public. Thomas's blond hair matched the one of Kennedy's.
Both luscious in volume, a quality Lydia wished her hair had. Instead, Lydia's brown cut was straight with no shape whatsoever. So, to refrain from looking like a plain Jane, Lydia goes out with a short style—only up to her shoulders, really.
Kennedy's hair, Lydia observed, had extreme volume, bounce, and shine.
"Well?"
Lydia blinked, as she met Kennedy's impatient gaze. "Oh, Thomas." Kennedy nodded. "Well, no, Kenny, I haven't heard from him."
The blonde's eyebrows drew together as she let out a sigh, before crossing her arms with a hopeful look on her face. "It seems as if he's busy nowadays, doesn't it? I'll just have to meet him up after—"
"Actually, Kennedy, Thomas got fired for stealing from the company, don't you remember?" Lydia reminded Kennedy, and then Kennedy nodded slowly. Her face lost all signs of hopefulness and Lydia felt too guilty to crush her with reality. But there was no hiding from it.
"That's right." Kennedy took another sip. Lydia watched as Kennedy shakily placed it back on the table before she found herself watching Kennedy's priceless face.
"If you knew, then why'd you ask?" Lydia wanted to know.
A shrug came as a response before Kennedy spoke. "I don't know, just the thought of him not being here with me now hurts me. I have no idea where he is, nor do I know as to why they fired Thomas with no evidence at all."
Lydia mentally sighed, then said dully. "Well, Tami said that it was caught on tape."
She was informed of that from Tami Wentworth, the biggest gossiper in all of The Invisible Lines. Now, Lydia wasn't really a person in the whole 'gossip scene', but when Tami mentioned this, Lydia couldn't help but believe it.
If there was anyone that knew just about everything about this place, then it'd be big, blabbermouth Tami.
Setting the cup down, Kennedy wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Tami is a complete idiot, and the person that gave Tami this false information is even more of an idiot, but most importantly a liar. They're only saying that to cover up that fact that they have no proof."
Lydia's confused face said it all and Kennedy sighed before continuing. "It's true, they have no proof whatsoever and they are going by who's ever word comes first. And since Cowlick came and started opening his big mouth about something that never even happened, everyone jumped to his side."
Kennedy's eyes narrowed, suddenly. "Patrick" was what she hissed underneath her breath. A funny looking male with complete dorky glasses that matched his ensemble came into view, and Lydia held back a chuckle.
"Patrick Orlick?" Lydia repeated, her tone in disbelief. "Was that who you were referring to as Cowlick that last couple of days?" Lydia's laughter was muffled by her sleeve as Kennedy confirmed her question.
The blonde bombshell nodded while meeting gazes with Lydia. "It was Cowlick who got Thomas in questioning. They had no suspicion of it even being Thomas, until Cowlick came along trying to steal Thomas's job."
Kennedy's sudden claims made Lydia a bit nervous. After all, her tone was a bit low. "How are you so sure, Ken? Did Patrick admit to lying about Thomas?"
Kennedy nodded. "Not exactly. I was just about to sneak off into Thomas's old office, the other day to gather his supplies after being told by Katherine to retrieve them because we have someone new covering his position, when I already heard two voices— one of which belonged to Cowlick, and the other I'm not so sure. There were a number of things that they were discussing—" Her eyes narrowed. "—but the main thing, I heard for my own, was that Patrick indeed did get Thomas fired."
Lydia's eyebrows rose, she was completely impressed. "Who knew Patrick was so diabolical." Patrick Orlick, of all people, to be part of something so heinous? Truly, Lydia was surprised by it all.
Kennedy's eyes glared at the nothingness before her. "Cowlick is not diabolical; he's just jealous."
"—of who?" Lydia asked, dumbly.
Suddenly, Kennedy's glare was transmitted to Lydia sending a shiver down her spine. Her harsh tone was not hidden at all. "Of Thomas, Lyd! Who else? God, you're as dense as a rock!"
Her face flushed in embarrassment, Lydia then nodded. "Right, sorry, but I don't understand as to why Patrick would be jealous." Lydia's face was clouded in confusion, and Kennedy stared, with a bored expression, at her with an 'Oh, really?' face.
"Cowlick was jealous of Thomas's high rank. He was closest to Mason Elliot—a person everyone knew that Cowlick wanted to directly work under—but as it seemed that Thomas was doing a pretty nifty job at being Mason Elliot's assistant, he knew that he had to do something about Thomas, and do it fast. Thus, claiming that Thomas was the one stealing from the company."
Lydia watched as the stern look on Kennedy's face hadn't fazed as she took another sip. "I've never liked Cowlick…that no good, dirty, sleazy—" Kennedy's sentence was broken off.
The reason why Kennedy had stopped right there, was because Patrick, Katherine's personal assistant, walked in and for a moment it seemed as if he didn't notice the presences of the two women. He noticed when he turned from the coffee machine.
"Oh, good heavens!" The fair haired man clutched his heart with his free hand. His hair was gelled to perfection and his eyes bulged behind his glasses.
Lydia, after chuckling— some of the glumness from her face were gone from the recent talk with Kennedy—, was the first to respond. "Sorry, Patrick. It seems as if we scared you half to death."
He adjusted his limping glasses. "You—err, you didn't scare me. I was just taken by surprise, you know?"
Patrick took a seat beside Lydia and gave a weak smile. To Kennedy, on the other hand, Patrick gave her no form of greeting whatsoever.
Lydia noticed this quickly. "Have you met Kennedy Lee, Patrick?"
His eyes were set on Lydia for a split second before concentrating on Kennedy's serious, yet lovely, face. Her clear, blue eyes were narrowed and directly on Patrick's face as if her mission was to drill a hole in it. Her attempts were unsuccessful as it seemed that Patrick had indeed had all parts of his face non-severed.
"We've met, yes," he finally said.
Rather breathlessly if you'd ask Lydia.
