Chapter 10: Lines drawn and crossed
-set during "Canning Randy"-
One will learn throughout life that Corporate America isn't a place where there are alliances. It's a vast wasteland, with the most evil ones stabbing their friends in the back just to make an extra million. But even in that situation, there have to be lines, and boundaries. This is one of the reasons why I avoided going to Wall Street, and instead choosing the path I preferred. Ted, I could tell, didn't want that path either, and yet had to suffer something big, not too long after I started at my job.
That night, Ted showed up looking stressed out further than what I expected from normal New Yorkers. It looked as though an angry mob had chased him to the bar.
"Hey, Ted. What's going on?"
Ted sat down right in front of me. "Hey Ollie. I'll tell you what's up: My class hates me!"
In the classes I took at school, I'd met a few of Ted's legit students after the mix up with Econ 305, and they all seemed to like him, so this came as a surprise to me. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you familiar with what GNB is doing?"
"I've heard bits and pieces of it from you, Marshall, and Barney. But other than that, no."
"We're planning on making a new GNB headquarters, but we're tearing down an older building to make room for it: The Arcadian."
I nodded. "I know that place. Older hotel that opened in the earlier half of the 20th century. Now it's a place for rats and homeless guys."
"Well, there's an army of New Yorkers that want to save the Arcadian from being torn down, and leading the charge is this girl Zoey."
"I hate her already." I said with false vengeance.
Ted sniggered. "Anyways, she enrolled in my class, and is now trashing me to my students. None of them showed up for class today."
I was appalled. "No way!"
Ted nodded. "Yeah. She went that far to ruin my career."
I then got an idea. "Ted, I gotta tell you something."
Ted gave me the sign he was listening as I began.
"I wasn't in Econ as a regular student. The computer glitched out and erased the records of several tests I took. If I wanted to keep my diploma, I had to get passing marks in 5 classes, and the tests that I lost, I had to retake. No questions asked"
Ted looked at me, puzzled. "Your point?"
"That diploma was my motivation to staying in school. I'd get it taken away if I didn't show up for even one of the classes I was in."
Ted started thinking. "So you're saying that the only reason you didn't miss a single one of your classes was fear of getting the diploma taken away?"
"Yeah. Can you see what I mean?"
"I think so. I'll get back to you on that."
The next morning, I was headed to campus to finish up my paperwork to leave Columbia. After my last semester there, I would have to go to the main office to sort the paperwork out before officially declaring myself graduated. I was walking with Juno, when I heard a ruckus.
"You go on ahead, J. I'll catch up." I said.
"Alright. I'll see you later."
I headed to the source of the ruckus. A large crowd of protesters were gathered around the doors to the lecture halls. All of them were speaking out against GNB.
A blonde in a knit beret, who I assumed was Zoey, was shouting commands to them. Ted was off to the side, on his phone.
I ran over. "I assume you need help, Professor?" I asked.
"That would be good. Lily said use fear, like you said as well. How do I do that?"
"Use your imagination. I'll see if I can calm them down."
I ran up. "Oi! You guys! Listen to me! I am Ollie! An Econ student, and friend of Professor Mosby! The Arcadian is no treasure to New York! All things must come to an end, and-"
The eggs started getting tossed, and I narrowly avoided them as Ted walked up.
"Anyone not in class tomorrow gets an 'F'" he called.
The students silenced down, and Zoey's malevolent smile faded.
"That's what you get, Pierson!" I yelled. I walked off towards the Econ department, my finger high in the air, with Zoey staring back at me in anger.
-events set during "Natural History"-
One morning, I got up feeling in a good mood. I walked over to the door, grabbing my copy of the Times, and over to the kitchen for my morning coffee.
After reading the headlines, and pouring my coffee, I sat down at the table. It was set up right beside the window, giving me a view of the street below. Not the best view you can have in New York, but the best views will cost you all of your limbs, as opposed to just an arm and a leg.
I flipped the paper through, taking a sip of coffee. I then noticed something that made me spew the coffee all over the counter top, and my shirt: Zoey had written an article in the paper, protesting the Arcadian's destruction, and trashing Ted at the same time. What made it worse was that Ted was addressed by name in it and everything.
"Oh, you bitch!" I growled.
I heard a knock on the door.
"It's open!" I called, not taking my eyes off the paper.
Juno walked in, clearly tired beyond function from what she was saying.
"Coffee, I need coffee!" She moaned.
"Help yourself, J. Although most of it is on the front of my shirt and the table."
After pouring herself a cup, she sat down across from me. She laughed a bit at the coffee splatter all around and on me.
"What's wrong with the coffee at Cindy's?" I asked.
"There isn't any." She replied.
"Uh huh." I still didn't remove my eyes from the article.
"Hey, you got this week's crossword?"
"Yeah."
"Can I have it?"
"Sure. One second."
Juno didn't want one second. I should have remembered that the crosswords are something that she takes really seriously, and are not to be postponed. She slapped the paper out of my hands, and grabbed a pencil.
"Hey, I was reading that!" I said.
Juno looked over the article. "Who's Zoey Pierson? You got a crush on her?" She teased.
"Ha! Please!" I snorted. "No. She's facing off against Goliath National Bank on the fate of the Arcadian. She's attacking a friend of mine in the article."
Juno then realized who that friend was when she read it. "I get it. You befriend guys who want lame-ass nicknames? You befriending T-Dog?" She said mockingly.
"No. He's a loyal customer of mine at the bar. I think that he doesn't really deserve that kind of trash talking at him for following his dream."
"I'm kidding. You might be right about Ted." Said Juno. "This shit shouldn't really be said in the paper. All anyone's seeing it is in her eyes."
"Yeah. I know who's side I'm fighting for."
"Hey, have you got breakfast made yet?"
"No. Why?"
"Get ready to laugh. I got something good to sing with French toast and a waffle."
I rolled my eyes. Yet another one of Juno's quirky things. Although her singing voice is excellent.
The night after that, Ted and the others were in the bar, when he approached me.
"Hey, Ted. Listen, I don't believe the crap that bitch, Zoey said about you."
"Yeah. About that, things went even further."
"How?"
Ted then explained how Zoey caught him bad mouthing GNB, and recording it. I was at a loss for words. Ted understood how I felt.
"I get the Arcadian is important to her, but this is different. She crossed the line."
I couldn't help but then quote one of my favorite movies. "You crossed the line first, sir." I said in a fake British accent. "You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation, they turned to someone they didn't fully understand."
Ted laughed at that. "Nice accent. Lily tried it once, but it got annoying after like, immediately."
"So I assume you're fighting back?"
"Not as hard as I thought I would have to. She told me she erased the tape."
I scoffed. "And you believe her?"
Ted looked surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Ted, I'm an Econ student. I study the guys who stab people in the back for money. I know Zoey's type, and I don't trust her. She's not gonna give up that easily. Don't bother trying to convince her to stop." I went back to the fake accent. "With respect, Master Mosby, perhaps this is a woman you don't fully understand, either. Some people can't be bought, bullied, or negotiated with. Some people, just want to watch the world burn."
Ted nodded. "Ok. If you don't trust her, then I'll 'tread carefully' if that's what you want."