Hey everybody...coming at you with another one shot. This scene takes place right after Bob calls Margaret a "poisonous bitch" and she goes to the bathroom and cries. Basically how the scene would have played out if Andrew had found Margaret crying. For some reason, 4 AM has been my writing time. I have no idea why, but here ya go. Enjoy! P.S. The title and the lyrics in the story are from a song called "I Run to You" by Lady Antebellum, a rather good song if you'd like to look it up. I thought it fit Margaret and Andrew pretty well. Anyway, until later!
~jackielynn
I run from hate
I run from prejudice
I run from pessimists
But I run too late
I run my life
Or is it running me
Run from my past
I run too fast
Or too slow it seems
When lies become the truth
That's when I run to you
You poisonous bitch.
You are a monster.
You have no semblance of a life.
I feel sorry for you.
You are going to have nothing and no one.
As Margaret sat in the bathroom stall, she replayed the scene that had just occurred over and over in her mind. For a long time, she stared at the floor, not thinking and not caring. After a while, the numbness began to wear off and the pain began to set in. The green and gray tiles began to blur together as tears slid down Margaret's cheeks. The reality of Bob's words had cut through her like a knife and almost hit her heart. She wondered why someone didn't defend her against snakes like Bob Spaulding. It wasn't Margaret's fault he was lazy, incompetent and a lousy worker.
At this point, reality slapped Margaret even harder in the face. Bob was right. There was no one. There was no one to defend Margaret, no one for her to run to when she faced these kinds of emotions. She had no one and had been alone for nearly twenty years.
Then came the sobs. The shoulder shaking, breath taking, heart breaking sobs that had only come once or twice in Margaret's life. Not many people knew about the accident or about Margaret's past. Even if they did know, she couldn't expect them to understand anything. After her parent's death, Margaret was alone, with no one. She was forced to go from temporary job to temporary job throughout high school in order to stay alive, even to continue on to college. The two years she spent living this way were hell for her. And yet, Margaret managed to graduate at the top of her class and went on to college to further her education. She enjoyed success after success after college as she climbed the New York social and fiscal ladder. She met new people, bought her first apartment and got a permanent job at Colden Books. And yet, there was something about these successes that was missing. There was a lack of someone to share them with. Margaret got everything, but had no one.
Margaret sniffled after the crying subsided and reached for a tissue to dry her eyes. Oh well, she thought, Karma's a bitch and life is tough, but I've made it this far. And I'm not ready to give up yet. Margaret got up and unlocked the door, ready to face whatever else anyone had to throw at her for the day. What she did not expect was the sight that greeted her eyes as she opened the door of her stall.
This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster so I run to you
I run to you baby
And when it all starts coming undone
Baby you're the only one I run to
I run to you
"Andrew," Margaret gasped quietly. "How long have you been in here?"
Andrew had a lopsided grin on his face that Margaret had only witnessed once or twice. "Long enough to know you're not a robot," he said ambiguously.
"What?"
"We've been taking bets in the office for years, wondering whether or not you were human, and now I know. You crying disproved every theory we've ever had about you."
With this, Margaret attempted to push past Andrew to get to the door, more tears welling up in her eyes. This was the kind of shit she always had to put up with and she was sick of it.
"Whoa hey, hey where are you going?" Andrew asked gently as he stood in front of the door, blocking Margaret's only escape. "I was only kidding, come on Margaret."
She couldn't look at him. She couldn't. If she did, she would break down into gut-wrenching sobs all over again. She hated being a bitch…this is where it had gotten her in life and it sucked.
"Margaret," Andrew said quietly, "Look at me."
She didn't move her eyes from the floor below.
"Look at me," he said again, a little more forcefully.
Her eyes unwillingly travelled from his shoes, all the way up his body and to his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Look, we all know Bob's an idiot. But I think there's something that only one person in the whole office knows."
He took a few steps closer…closer.
"What's that?" Margaret whispered, looking up into his eyes.
"That you are brilliant. That you are not the poisonous bitch everyone thinks you are. You are not a monster and you are not a robot. You are a human being with emotions and feelings just like anyone else. While these feelings may be a little more intimidating than those of other people, that doesn't mean that you don't have them. You know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think you're misunderstood," Andrew continued, "And I think you should ignore Bob Spaulding and go on doing what you know how to do."
"Well," Margaret responded, slowly coming back to reality, "Thanks for the pep talk Coach, but this player is going back to work."
We run on fumes
Your life and mine
Like the sands of time
Slippin' right on through
And our love's the only truth
That's why I run to you
"Before you do Margaret, there's something you need to know." Andrew put his hands around her forearms and maintained a firm grasp. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, trying to keep her composure. "Just know that you are never truly alone. There's bound to be someone in the world who cares about you, no matter how big of a pain in their ass you might be."
He gently let go and gave her a slight smile. And with that, he turned and left, leaving Margaret to wallow in her sadness. But not for long, as he returned a few minutes later to inform her of a phone call. Margaret attempted to make herself look presentable and…happy? When she looked in the mirror, she thought of what Andrew had said. Margaret smiled to herself and smoothed out her hair. Maybe he was right. Maybe, just maybe, there was someone right under her nose who just happened to think she was the most beautiful pain in the ass in the world.
That's why I run to you