Working With The Enemy

by Raquel Belle

  “Wait, what?! Man, that’s outrageous!” The barista seems genuinely angry. “I hope you told them that. I can’t believe they’re still trying to police people’s personal lives in this day and age.”

  “Yeah,” I nod. “It is pretty insane actually.”

  “Anyway, sorry to hear that man. Good luck. You won’t be out of a job for long, I’m sure.” He gives me an encouraging smile.

  “Thanks.” I’m finally released from the conversation.

  Amanda smiles as I walk over to the table where she’s already sitting and sipping her coffee. She gives me an inquisitive look.

  “What was that all about?” she asks. “Did you get to meet a fan in person?”

  “Yes, actually. It was weird — but kind of cool I guess. He had really been following the entire P&B competition. He was just asking me if @LuxeOnLex had gotten the promotion this morning.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him the truth.” I shrug. “I gave him the details about the old company policy on employees dating each other.”

  “And you told him you both got fired?”

  “Yeah. That’s why he got kind of worked up at the end.”

  “I was wondering what you’d said to him…” She pauses, looking thoughtful. “He can’t be the only person who would feel that way,” she goes on. “I mean any person with half a brain would agree that policy is completely ancient.”

  “Sure. But apparently the higher-ups and P&B don’t have half a brain. So it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” Amanda looks at me, her eyes sparkling. She’s clearly gotten some kind of idea.

  “Uh oh, I’ve come to recognize that devious look. What are you thinking?”

  “Well, you’d have to put your pride aside for it to work…”

  “Amanda, I don’t have any pride left,” I tell her honestly. “Last Friday I was dancing like an idiot to a Justin Bieber song for the entire online world to see… And today I basically got publicly fired. So yeah. That’s not going to be an issue.”

  “Great!” She grins. “Then I think we can give it a shot.”

  “Give what a shot? Can you let me in on this plan of yours?” My curiosity is reaching a peak.

  “What if you tell your followers what happened this morning?”

  “Tell them all that I got fired? What good will that do? Other than embarrass me even more.”

  “Jake, you’re underestimating the capacity that social media has to enact change,” she tells me, a serious look on her face. “They call them influencers for a reason. Between the two of you, you and Sarah have over 130,000 followers.”

  “Yeah…” I’m still not following her train of thought.

  “So if you tell all of those people that you both got let go because of this ridiculous old corporate policy, they are going to support you. Just like the barista just did! You can tell your followers what happened and ask them to contact the official P&B Instagram account demanding that @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper get their jobs back! Your very own social media campaign.”

  “That might actually work,” I tell her. “And I guess I’ve got nothing left to lose, right?”

  “Right! And neither does Sarah.”

  “Then let’s do it. I’ll call her now.” I grab my phone. But when I call, the line goes straight to voicemail. Damn. “I think she turned her phone off,” I tell Amanda.

  “She’s probably wallowing at home and doesn’t feel like dealing with anybody,” she sighs.

  “What now?”

  “We don’t need her to put this plan into action,” Amanda says with confidence. But I’m not so sure.

  “Well, there’s just one problem.” I pause. “Obviously I can post something to the @Jake_And_Pepper account—that’s not an issue. But I don't have access to Sarah’s account. And for it to really work, we should both post. She has even more followers than I do. And if we want this to even have a chance of succeeding, we need as many people as possible to rally behind us.”

  “Oh ye of little faith!” Amanda has a huge smile spreading across her face. “I’ve been helping Sarah out with her Instagram account from day one. I was literally sitting by her side when she created @LuxeOnLex. And I’ve been helping her with posts and monitoring comments since then.”

  “Meaning…” My brain is in such a jumble since this morning’s shock that I can’t keep up with Amanda’s fast thinking.

  “Meaning I know the password! I can log into her account from my phone and do the post. She won’t care. She won’t even notice since her phone is turned off.”

  I draft the caption in the notes app in my phone:

  As many of you know, @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper were both created as part of a Peter & Bowers HR competition. The aim was to build as large of an Instagram following as possible in just one month. At the end of that period, the person who had the most followers would get a promotion: VP of Social Media at P&B. In the course of that competition, the two people behind the accounts @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper went from enemies to lovers—as anyone who has been following our accounts will know. The competition concluded this morning with @LuxeOnLex being named the deserving winner.

  But then we received some awful news. Apparently an old bylaw in the P&B corporate operations manual forbids relationships between employees. This is an ancient and outdated rule that we feel is no longer relevant in today’s modern working world. For now, however, the rule stands. As a result, both of us have been let go from our jobs at P&B. We are completely distraught by this unexpected turn of events.

  So why are we sharing this with our followers? We are hoping that you can make a difference. Leave your comments on the official Peter & Bowers Instagram account (@PeterBowersOfficial) expressing your disgust with this outdated HR policy. Help @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper get their jobs back! Thank you in advance for your support. No matter what happens, we are so grateful for all the followers who have been watching our journey and cheering on our relationship from the sidelines.”

  I finish drafting the three short paragraphs and hand my phone to Amanda for a review. “How’s this look to you?”

  She scans the lines quickly. “Perfect. Will you send me this so I can use it for the caption on the @LuxeOnLex post as well?”

  “Sure thing.” I send her the text. “So what photo should we post along with the caption?”

  “We need to pull at people’s heartstrings. Do you have any photos of you and Sarah together?”

  “Yes, actually.” I start scrolling through my camera roll. “We were goofing around on Friday night and taking some dorky selfies together.” I find one of the two of us lying in bed — I’m kissing Sarah’s cheek while she looks straight into the camera, her blue eyes alive with laugher. “What about this one?” I show Amanda.

  “It’s perfect. Send me that as well.”

  I send her the picture and then start preparing the Insta post on my phone.

  “Okay, ready?” I ask her once I’m done.

  “Yup. Let’s do this.”

  “One, two, three… Go!” We both push the post buttons on our phones. I hold my breath, waiting for the responses to roll in. I glance over at Amanda; she likewise is staring at her screen, a look of anticipation on her face.

  I feel my stomach churning with nerves. Why am I so anxious? I already lost the job at P&B. I may be in danger of losing Sarah yet again if she can’t forgive me for being a part of the reason she lost her job. So there’s no need for fear. I have nothing to lose.

  Then the notifications start rolling in.

  “OMG,” Amanda whispers quietly next to me. “People are going wild.”

  “Woah.” She’s right. The photo I’ve just posted seconds ago already has over 100 likes and the numbers keep on climbing. It’s not only likes but also comments; people are actively engaging. But what are they saying?

  I frantically click on the comments to start reading:


  “What the fuck?! How old school is P&B? That’s ridiculous.”

  “That’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard!”

  “They better give you your jobs back ASAP!”

  “I can’t believe any company in the 21st century still would try to regulate the dating lives of their employees.”

  “I’m rooting for both of you! Leaving a comment on the official P&B account now to tell them they’re idiots for letting you both go!!! Stay strong!”

  I smile and look at Amanda. “I think this just might work.”

  “It’s definitely getting a huge reaction,” she says, scrolling busily through the comments on her phone.

  There’s no doubt that people are reacting. But will they be able to actually make an impact? Will a major company like Peter & Bowers actually care about what strangers on the internet have to say? And if so, would it be enough to actually win us our jobs back?

  Chapter 21

  Sarah

  I wake up on Tuesday morning to the sound of my doorbell ringing furiously, over and over again. The incessant buzzing is not helping my headache. I groan as I sit up and check the time. 9:45. For a split second I panic, thinking I’m running late to work. Then I remember: There is no work. I got fired yesterday.

  I sigh as I drag myself out of bed and shuffle over to the buzzer.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Jake!” His voice crackles through the intercom.

  “And Amanda!” A second voice pipes up from the background.

  “What do you guys want?”

  “Can we just come up?” Jake asks.

  “It’s important!” Amanda adds.

  “Fine.” I buzz them in and then go to splash some water on my face. I feel awful. I glance in the mirror, hoping I don’t look as terrible as I feel. But the face staring back at me is red-eyed and tired-looking. Great.

  There’s a sharp tap at the door. Opening it, I find Jake and Amanda standing in front of me — with huge smiles on their faces.

  “Get in the shower and get dressed,” Amanda trills, walking straight into my apartment.

  “Really? In that order?” I just can’t help being snarky for some reason.

  “We’ve been trying to reach you all morning,” Jake explains, following her in. “What’s up with your phone?”

  “I turned it off yesterday,” I tell them, my voice dull. Why are these two in such good moods? “What’s going on? What are you guys doing here? I said I needed some time alone.”

  “No can do,” Amanda tells me. “You need to clean yourself up and get your butt to the P&B offices ASAP.”

  I snort and shake my head, trying to hold back tears.

  “She’s right, Sarah,” Jake comes over, resting his hand gently on my arm. “Serena called me this morning and said she had to have a conversation with me. And you. She’s also been trying to reach you. Amanda and I think P&B might be offering us our jobs back.”

  “Yeah, right,” I roll my eyes. “Why on earth would they do that?”

  “Well, while you were wallowing in self-pity yesterday, Jake decided to take some initiative,” Amanda tells me. “Where’s your phone?”

  She’s rifling through the papers on my coffee table, clattering around the empty wine bottle and glass as she does so. She discovers my phone lying under a magazine.

  “Turn it on,” she says, handing it to me.

  Too exhausted to argue, I do as I’m told. As soon as the phone comes to life, Instagram notifications start streaming in — thousands of them.

  “What the…” I look up at Jake and Amanda and then back to my phone. Opening Instagram, I see a new post on my account, one that I didn’t add myself. It’s from the day before: It shows a photo of me and Jake, taken just last Friday. I read the caption, my thoughts a jumbled blur:

  “As many of you know, @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper were both created as part of a Peter & Bowers HR competition…” It lays out the entire humiliating debacle. I keep reading until the end.

  “Help @LuxeOnLex and @Jake_And_Pepper get their jobs back” I read the line out to Jake and Sarah. “Are people really going to do this?” I ask, incredulous.

  “Take a look at the comments and see for yourself,” Jake says.

  He’s right. I read through the encouraging words posted by thousands of strangers—strangers who are supporting us.

  “And that’s not all,” Amanda says. “They actually did it. They’ve blown up the P&B Insta account with comments, criticizing their policies.”

  “This must be why Serena reached out this morning,” Jake adds. “It has to be.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Shit… It could be possible, right?”

  “Stranger things have happened,” Amanda says. “Aren’t you glad you gave me the password to the @LuxeOnLex account? Now go get cleaned up so we can get you to the P&B offices and get your job back!”

  “I’ll go grab coffee while you shower,” Jake says. “You look like you could use it.”

  He’s right. I’ll need caffeine and an Advil to get through this meeting with Serena — whatever the news may be. I rush to get ready, still in disbelief by Amanda and Jake’s insane action.

  One hour later we’re walking into the P&B offices together. When I walked out of here yesterday, I resolved to never return. But here I am. I feel a smile slowly creep over my face. They’re right; Serena must have been calling to take back the firing. Why else would she call us in?

  Amanda and Jake look just as optimistic. But then:

  “Mr. Baker! Ms. Anderson!” Serena’s sharp voice rings out across the office and she gestures for us to come to her. She looks anything but pleased — in fact, she looks downright grim.

  “Uh, I don’t know what this meeting is about but I definitely don’t think we’re getting our jobs back,” I murmur to Amanda and Jake.

  “Serena does look sort of pissed,” Amanda acknowledges.

  “We won’t know why until we talk to her,” Jake says, trying to sound optimistic but failing utterly. “Come on,” he gives me an encouraging nudge. “Let’s go.”

  We make our way to Serena, who is holding her office door open for us and ushers us inside. I take a seat opposite at her desk and Jake takes the chair next to me. He reaches over and gives my hand a quick squeeze as Serena sits down across from us and clears her throat.

  “Thank you for coming in,” she begins. “I know you were probably reluctant to return to the office after yesterday’s meeting.” She gives me a pointed look.

  She goes on: “From what I understand, the two of you posted photos to your Instagram accounts yesterday, telling all of your followers that you had been let go from Peter & Bowers.”

  I swallow the lump of nervousness in my throat. Are we in trouble?

  Serena is still talking and looking very serious: “Since then Peter & Bowers has been inundated by requests—Instagram comments, emails, even phone calls to our general office line. It has, quite frankly, become unmanageable.”

  Shit, shit, shit. Jake and Amanda probably violated some corporate non-disclosure policy with their stupid plan. Maybe P&B is going to file a lawsuit?

  “As a result…” She pauses. I can hear my heart beating in my ears. “Peter & Bowers has decided to revise its corporate policy. Employees will no longer be banned from carrying on romantic relationships with one another. And the company would also like to offer both of you your jobs back.”

  As she speaks, her face slowly transforms, going from grim to an actual, genuine smile.

  I feel the nervous lump that's been caught in my throat dissipate in relief. Keep it professional, Sarah, keep it professional—I try to remind myself to stay calm but it doesn’t work. I feel tears erupt out of my eyes and I bury my face in my hands.

  “Is she going to be okay?” I hear Serena ask Jake.

  “I think she’s just happy,” he answers.

  I nod, still unable to speak, embarrassed by my outburst and not wanting to look up. Finally, I
muster up the courage to sit up straight and look Serena in the eye.

  “Thank you.” I can’t get another word out but I don’t need to.

  “Don’t thank me, Sarah,” she says, smiling as she hands me a tissue. “You did this. You and your followers. And you absolutely deserve it.”

  “Will she still get the promotion?” Jake asks. I was so happy to get my job back, I hadn’t even thought of the promotion.

  “Absolutely,” Serena nods affirmatively. “The new VP of Social Media position goes to Sarah Anderson. HR is preparing the paperwork now.”

  “Good,” Jake says firmly. He turns to me: “Congratulations, Sarah. You did it.” He has a huge smile on his face as he reaches over and squeezes my hand. He’s truly, genuinely happy for me. I return his smile.

  “You ready to have the toughest boss yet?” I ask him.

  “Actually,” he turns his attention back to Serena. “I need to discuss that with you. With both of you, I guess.”

  Now what is he up to? I wonder to myself.

  Jake clears his throat: “After yesterday’s Instagram posting, I was contacted by another ad agency, LQX Media in Brooklyn.”

  Serena raises an eyebrow. LQX is basically one of the biggest competitors P&B has. But they are younger and more modern, with a huge loft space in hip and trendy Brooklyn serving as their headquarters.

  “Obviously they had gotten the news that I had been let go from P&B,” Jake continues, “and they made me an offer for my very own VP of Social Media Position.”

  “And you’re going to take it?” I can’t help but jump in before Serena can respond.

  “Yes,” Jake nods. “I think it’s the right move for me. It’s a step up. And I honestly think LQX is a better match for me in terms of corporate culture.”

  Serena drums her fingertips on her desk for a moment before shrugging her shoulders: “Well, we hate to see you go. But I can understand your decision.”

  Jake turns to me: “So instead of bossing me around, you can look forward to having me as a competitor out in the field.” He gives a sly grin.

  He’s right. LQX and P&B are often bidding on the same jobs, pitching ad campaign proposals to the same clients. Since Jake and I will both be in senior roles, we’ll be the ones presenting to clients for our respective companies. We will literally be in direct competition in the New York City advertising industry, one of the fiercest in the world.