𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑⁰¹ʰᵉᵐᵐⁱⁿᵍˢ✓

³⁵what frantic mental stallions

clementine

I stare at the back of the Apple desktop, the undersides of the paired keyboard glowing with a subtle white light.

My heart beats steadily though I feel a panic arise within me.

I try to distract myself by following the blinking lights with my eyes, but I could never drown out the thoughts in the back of my head as Helene talked with another painter behind me.

After two weeks of leave, I finally came back, feeling less stressed than I did when I last left the studios.

When I entered the familiar spaces, I was asked to go to Helene's office, in which my mind seems to have overreacted at.

Every thought about getting suspended or fired, or just about any sort of bad news I could make up, came at the forefront of my mind, and I couldn't help but relish in their pessimism. Truly wonderful for me.

"Thank you, Terri, I'll contact Mr Saeed about the issue," Helene says calmly before closing the door and huffing out a breath. "That Ahmed Saeed will be the death of our paint stock!" She murmurs as she makes her way in front of me and sits down on her turning chair.

I stay silent, unsure of what I should feel about my presence in her office.

"Anyways," She smiles, clicking on something on her desktop for turning to me. "Clementine, I have some news," She says.

My heart skips a beat at this. "News?"

The silence of her office irks me as it doesn't help with how anxious I am.

"Yes, good news, at that," She remarks, as she turns back to her computer and smiles at something. "I've known you since you were so young and it makes me proud to see you flourish in your own career, Clem,"

I pause, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Good... news?" I stare at the back of her computer, curious to all God about what might be on it. "I don't... understand,"

Helene sighs. "I know that this is probably the worst timing, but I've been sitting on it since you left, and I don't think I should be holding it off any longer."

What?

There isn't a sign from her face that there's any ill information coming my way, and I don't know how to quite take it. Her holding out this wait doesn't make this tension within me any better.

"Helene, I don't understand," I state, worry clear in my tone.

She clears her throat. "The board has been discussing transferring excellent painters from Ackerman's New York and Seattle branches to the new LA branch," She starts, folding her hands atop her desk. "As you know, Ackerman has a new branch in LA and it's planned to open around early-February of next year. Seattle has assigned three of their best painters between three departments to be promoted as department heads in LA's branch,"

She looks at me expectantly, knowing that I know where she's headed at.

"We believe that you're able to work well as a department head. Your constant great rates throughout your years here have proven that you're a trusted painter, and with your determination, we think you would be a great department head. Don't worry about last week's problem. They've considered you for the position a few weeks before your hospitalisation,"

What an opportunity. "Oh..." My eyes stare back at hers, a million thoughts racing like stallions across the wind. "Helene, I..."

She grins, clearly seeing my state of shock. "I've assigned Jeremiah Collins for the Modern Art department and Mia Ramirez for Surrealism last week and they agreed to it. Now, I'm just waiting on you,"