The Eleventh Candidate

The guy who bullied me in high school just landed a government job. He posted: "Hard work pays off." The comments were nothing but congratulations. My mom gushed, "Now that's a kid who made something of himself. Leaves my good-for-nothing son in the dust." My girlfriend, my childhood sweetheart, couldn't fawn over him fast enough. "Need a lunch buddy at the new job? Hit me up anytime." I stared at the screen for a long time. I remembered senior year, when he and his friends cornered me in the bathroom. They cut up my clothes, burned me with cigarettes, filmed themselves dumping urine on me, and posted the video to our class group chat. Fists clenched, eyes stinging, I went to my homeroom teacher. When Mom showed up, the first thing she did was try to smooth it over. "Let it go. College applications are coming up. Making a big deal out of this won't do either of you any good." Everyone kept working on me, telling me to drop it and let him off the hook. I didn't make a scene. I just saved everything: the chat logs, the videos, the photos. And I waited. For the moment I could finally take him down for good. Then I messaged the candidate who'd placed eleventh and missed the cut. "Want the job? I've got proof the guy who ranked second bullied me in high school." Chapter 1 Three seconds after I sent the message, a reply came back with a question mark. "Who is this?" I clipped ten seconds from the old video of my bullying and sent that instead. In the clip, two guys had me pinned against a bathroom stall door. Bryce Calloway was holding a mop bucket they'd filled with urine, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight. A second later, murky yellow water poured down over my head. "Isn't the genius supposed to be a neat freak? Let's give him a wash." I didn't watch the rest. Three minutes later, she called. Her voice was tight. "Is this real?" "It's real." "Do you have anything else?" "Group-chat logs, hospital records, photos of the clothes they cut up. I have all of it." The line went quiet for a few seconds. "Then why don't you report him yourself?" I looked at my laptop. On the screen, there was the final hiring list for state government positions. I'd landed a government job too. But from the day I applied to the day I interviewed, I hadn't told a soul. Not my mom. Not even Olivia Kent, my girlfriend and childhood sweetheart. It wasn't because I wanted to surprise anyone. It was because I knew better than anyone that you don't announce something until it's set in stone. Especially now, when I was still in my own final review period. Six years ago, after I got cornered in that bathroom, my first instinct was to go to a teacher and to my family. But my homeroom teacher told me to think about the big picture with college applications coming up, and my mom told me not to ruin another kid's future. Later, the video went around the whole school, and I missed two weeks of classes. All they ever told me was, "Just put up with it. It'll blow over." That was when I finally understood. Counting on other people would get me nowhere. The most important thing was to protect myself first. So this time, I wasn't going to go after Bryce myself. Someone else was better suited for it. "Sabrina Holt, right? You placed eleventh. Bryce's position is only hiring ten people. If he's disqualified during the final review, the next person in line gets moved up. That's you." Her breathing grew heavy on the other end. This time, she didn't hesitate. "Send me all the evidence. I'm filing a complaint under my own name." I zipped up the folder I'd kept for six years and sent it. The moment it went through, Mom pushed my door open. "What are you still sitting around for? Bryce is celebrating his new government job at the hotel tonight. Hurry up and get ready. You're coming with me." She caught sight of my laptop and frowned impatiently. "Always messing around with useless stuff. Why can't you just find a real job?" I closed the laptop. She had no idea. The good-for-nothing son she kept complaining about had just landed a government job too. And he'd placed first on both the written exam and the interview. But I had no plans to tell her. Not until the review period was over, anyway. Six years ago, just to save face, she'd brushed off what happened to me as kids horsing around. Six years later, just to show off, she'd send my job title, my scores, and my agency to every relative in every family group chat. I'd already paid the price once for not knowing how to protect myself. I wasn't going to pay it again. My phone buzzed. A message from Olivia. "Did you get the shoes?" I froze for a second. Sure enough, there was a package by the door. In three years, it was the first gift she'd ever given me. I was about to try them on when another message popped up. "I put the wrong address. They were supposed to go to the hotel. They're Bryce's congratulations gift. You're coming anyway, so bring them for me." I stared at the designer dress shoes in my arms, and suddenly it all seemed a little funny. Outside my room, Mom was still nagging. "Hurry up! Don't keep Bryce waiting!" At the same time, a message came in from Sabrina. "I've organized everything. I'm filing the complaint tonight." I clenched my fist. "Sure. I'll deliver his celebration gift myself." Whether he'd ever get the chance to wear it was another story. Chapter 2 Bryce had booked his celebration dinner at the Grand Crescent, the most expensive hotel in town. A huge banner hung over the entrance. CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. BRYCE CALLOWAY ON HIS NEW GOVERNMENT POSITION! There were still three days left in the pending hire period. But he had clearly stopped treating it as "pending" a long time ago. By the time I arrived, six tables were set up in the banquet hall, and nearly all our old high-school classmates had shown up. Bryce was in a suit, going from table to table making toasts. Someone told him what a bright future he had at a city agency. "I haven't even officially started yet," he said, but he hadn't wasted a second before putting on the gift my mom gave him to celebrate. It was the Patek Philippe my grandpa had left behind. Mom always used to say she was saving it for my wedding day, so I'd have something impressive to wear. Then yesterday, she gave it to Bryce. "Nice things should go to people who've made something of themselves." I asked her, "What about me?" She rolled her eyes. "It's just a beat-up old watch. When you get a government job, I'll buy you a new one." Now she was sitting right next to Bryce, looking even happier than his own mother. When she saw I'd shown up in ripped jeans, her face soured on the spot. "This is a formal occasion, and you wear that?" I pulled out a chair. "They're clean." She lowered her voice, but the whole table still heard her. "What does clean matter? Clothes make the man. Look at Bryce, then look at yourself!" The table went quiet for a moment. No one said a word. It only made her disdain sound even harsher. Bryce quickly laughed and smoothed things over. "Mrs. Merritt, just let him be." Then he turned to me. "Luke's always loved acting like he's above everyone. Thinks he's so special." He laughed. Everyone laughed along and looked at me, amused. Our old homeroom teacher, Mr. Pruitt, quickly raised his glass. "Luke, I don't mean to lecture you, but you could learn a thing or two from Bryce. I always thought he was capable, even back in high school. He's outgoing, and he knows how to handle people. Once he's working in government, he's going to do great." Mom immediately chimed in with a smile. "Exactly. What good are grades anyway?" She looked at me. "Being top of the class as a kid doesn't mean you'll amount to anything as an adult." Right then, Olivia walked in. She took the box from me and, in front of everyone, handed it to Bryce. "Congratulations!" Bryce's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Olivia." The whole room started egging them on. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" I looked up at Olivia. She seemed a little uncomfortable, but all she said to me was, "Everyone's just having fun. Don't overthink it." Then she sat down next to Bryce. During dinner, she kept his glass topped off. She even picked out the cilantro he didn't eat, like it was second nature. She'd never done anything like that for me. Someone asked me, "So, Luke, where are you working these days?" Before I could open my mouth, Mom was already waving her hand with a laugh. "Working? Him? He's got big ideas and nothing to show for it. He still hasn't found a job." Everyone laughed. The looks they gave me grew even more contemptuous. Bryce took a sip of his drink and smiled. "Luke, you really don't have to compare yourself to me. We were just dealt different hands." My grip on my glass slowly tightened. Under the table, my phone buzzed. A message from Sabrina. "Complaint submitted under my name." I was about to lock the screen when Bryce suddenly leaned down, his mouth close to my ear. "Oh, right. Don't rush off tonight." He glanced at Olivia, smiling meaningfully. "There's something I want you to be the last to know." Chapter 3 The dinner didn't wrap up until eleven. Mrs. Calloway dragged Mom off to play cards. Olivia had been drinking, so she asked me to drive her home. But just as we reached the hotel entrance, she took a call. "I left something in the private room. I'm going to run up and grab it. You go on home without me." I nodded and didn't ask any questions. Because one minute earlier, Bryce had texted me a room number. "1808. Your surprise is inside." I stood in the lobby and watched Olivia walk straight into the elevator and press 18. I already knew. I didn't go up right away. Not until Olivia texted, "Home yet? Get some sleep." Only then did I press 18. The door to 1808 hadn't fully shut. As I got closer, I heard Bryce laugh. "So when are you going to tell him?" Olivia sounded annoyed. "In a couple of days. Your review period isn't over yet. There's no point making a scene right now." "And you're still stringing him along?" It went quiet inside for a few seconds. Then Bryce laughed again. "My dad's a deputy city administrator. What he promised you is a done deal." Olivia's voice softened right away. "I know. Just ask your dad about my transfer again. If I can really transfer over, we'll be at the same agency, and it'll be way easier to see each other." I laughed. So in her eyes, three years together weren't even worth as much as a transfer. I took out my phone and started recording. Then I pushed the door open. The two of them on the bed froze at the same time. Bryce had a bathrobe draped over him. Olivia was wrapped in a towel, her jacket tossed beside the bed. "Luke?" I held up my phone. "Go on. I didn't catch the whole part about the transfer." Once Olivia snapped out of it, her first reaction wasn't to apologize. It was to lunge at me and grab for my phone. "Are you out of your mind?" I took a step back. "What's wrong? Nervous now?" She stopped. The panic on her face slowly turned into anger. "Fine. Since you've seen it anyway, it saves me from having to find the right time to tell you." She pulled on her clothes. "Let's break up. And here I was, trying to spare your pride." I laughed. "Thanks." My calm only made her angrier. Olivia looked me up and down coldly. "What are you pretending for? Luke, you have to accept your place in life. Look at Bryce, then look at yourself. He's about to start at a city agency, and his family has connections. What do you have, besides the good grades you used to get? Were you planning to live off me forever?" Leaning against the headboard, Bryce said, "Olivia, don't be so hard on his ego." But his eyes were full of smug satisfaction. I asked him, "You called me up here just so I'd see this?" He smiled. "Better you see things clearly sooner rather than later. Some things just aren't yours, no matter how tightly you hold on." I nodded. "True." Then I turned and walked out. Behind me, Olivia scoffed. "Once Bryce officially starts, you won't be able to get in his good graces even if you try." Only once the elevator doors closed did I open my phone. The video was crystal clear. Both of their faces. The clothes scattered beside the bed. And every word of Olivia admitting she'd cheated on me. I grabbed a few stills and sent them to Sabrina along with the video. "Supplemental evidence. Bryce knew Olivia and I had been together for three years, and he got involved with her anyway. Submit it together with the rest under his personal conduct." She replied quickly. "Got it. I'll add it right away." I put my phone away. My eyes stung, but I didn't look back. Olivia thought she'd hitched herself to a city official's family. I really wanted to see how long her dream of marrying into money would last if Bryce couldn't even make it through the agency's front doors. Chapter 4 Three days later, the review period ended. I got my notice to report for duty. At eight in the morning, I arrived at the Civic Center complex with my personnel file. I never expected to run into Bryce and Olivia right at the entrance. Bryce had put on a new suit for the occasion. A freshly issued temporary access badge hung on his chest, and he was carrying the briefcase Olivia had given him. Olivia held his paperwork for him, beaming. When she saw me, she stopped short. Then she laughed. "You followed us all the way here?" Bryce was caught off guard too. "Luke, don't tell me you knew I was reporting today and came here to ambush me." I didn't explain. All I said was, "Excuse me." But Olivia planted herself in front of me. "We already broke up. What's the point of hanging on? You saw what happened at the hotel that night. Bryce and I are from the same world. The harder you cling, the more pathetic you look." Plenty of people were coming and going at the entrance. Soon, heads started turning our way. Bryce made a show of tugging her sleeve. "Olivia, forget it. Don't do this." Then he turned to me. "Luke, I know you're upset. But you can't force feelings. Besides, today's my first day. Don't make a scene here. It looks bad." In just a few sentences, he'd turned me into the crazy ex who couldn't let go and had come to cause trouble outside a government building. People nearby were already whispering. I tightened my grip on my document envelope. "Are you done? If you're done, move." Olivia's face darkened. "Still putting on an act?" She reached out and yanked my arm. "I'm warning you. Don't you dare ruin Bryce's day." I shook her off. She lost her balance, and, embarrassed and furious, she shoved me hard. My lower back slammed into a stone bollard by the entrance. The pain made my vision go black. My envelope hit the ground, and my documents scattered everywhere. Bryce glanced down. The top page had landed facedown. He smiled. "Luke, stop trying to act tough. There's no shame in not having a steady job. If you're really struggling, once I've settled in, I can ask around about contract work for you." Olivia laughed. "With his attitude, he'd have a hard time even as a temp." My back still hurt. The pavement had scraped a patch of skin off my palm too. I picked up my documents one by one. That was when, of all people, my mom showed up. She was carrying two gift baskets. When she saw me on the ground, her first instinct wasn't to help me up. It was to frown. "What are you doing here? It's Bryce's first day, and you just had to come and jinx it?" I slowly got to my feet. "I'm here to report for work too." She stared at me for a second. Then she scoffed. "You? Seriously? If you'd really passed the civil-service exam, don't you think I'd know? I'm your mother." Olivia burst out laughing. Bryce shook his head too. "Luke, you don't need to lie like this just to save face. There are so many people watching. It's not fair to embarrass your mom like this." At that, Mom raised her hand and slapped me. "Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" My cheek burned. The whole entrance fell completely silent. I licked the split corner of my mouth. Just as I was about to speak, a staff member walked out of the building. He glanced at the documents in my hand first. Then he turned to Bryce. "Mr. Calloway?" Bryce immediately stood up straight, his smile back in place. "That's me." But the staff member didn't take the onboarding documents Bryce held out. Instead, he pulled out an official notice on agency letterhead. "Please hold off on onboarding. Regarding the signed complaint filed against you during your review period..." He paused. "The investigation results are in." At the word "complaint," Bryce's smile froze completely.