"Hailey, you can't do this to me!"
She squeezed in next to my desk, her voice pitched high and wheedling, already reaching for my arm.
"Come on, have a heart! I already found discount flights to Miami. If I cancel now, I lose the booking fee!"
"And my mom hasn't been doing well lately. I was hoping to take her to the beach over the long weekend so she could relax..."
I lifted my gaze and cut her off.
"Save it."
My voice was ice. "Hope, you pulled the exact same routine last year. Said you were taking your mom to see a specialist. And what happened?"
"When your shift came around, your phone went straight to voicemail. You didn't even read my texts."
I stood up.
"You vanished without a trace, and I covered for you five days straight!"
"I passed out from low blood sugar in the subway station and spent over a month on medical leave."
"Forget the attendance bonus I lost. Did you reimburse me a single cent for the hospital bills?"
Hope's expression soured, her dirty laundry aired for everyone to hear.
Seeing that tactic wasn't working, she switched gears on a dime. Her eyes reddened, tears glistening on cue.