Chapter 31
CLUB TBD
Jordan walked into the club, wearing the same dress from yesterday. She looked exhausted. She walked up to the counter.
BEN: Whoa. You have a rough night?
JORDAN: You're not funny, Oliver.
BEN: Oliver? Jordan, keep it down! Why are you talking like that, anyway?
JORDAN: It's Tammy Sue again.
BEN: Oh, god. You mean...?
JORDAN: That's right, little brother. I'm back. The Butcher Lady of Poplar Bluff is back!
SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
It was now the next day. Teresa sat in her office, nodding off. She was awakened by a knock on the door. She wiped her eyes and put away her drugs. She then wiped her nose and cleared her throat.
TERESA: Come in.
Kayla walked in.
KAYLA: Teresa, we need to talk.
Teresa made her best attempt at looking awake.
TERESA: Aunt Kayla, hi. What's up?
Kayla took a chair and sat down in front of her niece.
KAYLA: There's no easy way to say this, Teresa.
That woke Teresa up for real.
TERESA: Say what?
KAYLA: The results from yesterday's surprise mandatory drug test came back...and, it's not looking good for you.
TERESA: Okay.
KAYLA: I'm sorry to have to do this, but Teresa, you're fired.
TERESA: What?! No, no! You can't fire me!
KAYLA: I'm sorry, but I have to. Anyone who fails a mandatory drug test has to be fired. And we found large quantities of drugs in your system.
TERESA: But, you can't! I'll get in so much trouble if I do! Please, please, Aunt Kayla! Please, don't fire me!
KAYLA: Teresa, do you think we're stupid?
TERESA: Well...
KAYLA: I'll rephrase that. Do you think we don't know what you've been doing?
TERESA: Y-you know? Who told you? Was it Anne? Did she rat me out?
KAYLA: Teresa, no one had to tell me. It's clear for everyone to see. The mood swings, the tiredness, the jumpiness, the paranoia. The loss of a whole order of syringes from the clinic. And, of course, let's not forget the nodding off.
TERESA: This is a witch hunt! That's what it is! Everyone's out to get me! You all have been since my first day here! If St. Jennifer did something like this, it would be perfectly fine!
KAYLA: Number one, Jennifer wouldn't do something like this. Number two, no one is out to get you. We would fire anyone who we found out was on drugs. Number three, we're not talking about Jennifer. We're talking about you.
TERESA: Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg? Because, I will.
Teresa got down on her knees.
TERESA: I will do anything. I swear, anything, Aunt Kayla. Just, please, don't fire me! I can't lose this job! If I lose this job, I'll have lost everything.
KAYLA: Get off the floor, Teresa.
Teresa stood up.
KAYLA: You wanna know what you can do? Get help. You have a very serious problem, Teresa, and you need some serious help. I suggest you get it before it's too late. But, I can't keep you on as an employee while you refuse to get help. I'm sorry. I won't enable you.
TERESA: Screw you! Screw this entire town! Everyone in this place can just go to hell!
Teresa took her bag out of her desk and walked away. Kayla got out her phone.
KAYLA: We need to talk.
Pause.
KAYLA: Oh, more than you can imagine, sis. How soon can you get back to Salem?