Free Syrup by Maxx Barry Page A

Coca-Cola.” She swallows and takes a long second before continuing. “I have failed to perform satisfactorily in managing the launch of the summer Classic Coke campaign, which will now be at least four weeks late. Through my mismanagement, I have endangered the profitability of the company. I have no excuse.
    “Thank you for the opportunities you have shown me at Coca-Cola, and please accept my humblest apologies.
    “Good-bye.”

Life, Death and Coca-Cola

aftermath
    We stand in the parking lot for a long time.
    Well, I stand in the parking lot. 6 sits in the parking lot, paces the parking lot and stares at the parking lot.
    “Uh, 6,” I say again. “Maybe we should be going.”
    She stares at me expressionlessly. Then she turns back to the black Coke tower.
    I clear my throat and look around nervously.
    “I’m finished,” 6 says suddenly. “I’m over.”
    I sigh, which is apparently a bad reaction. 6 rounds on me, her eyes narrow slits. “You, ”she spits. “I thought you had ideas.”
    “Oh, Christ,” I say, disgusted. There are a couple of business suits walking by, but I ignore them. “You might not have picked this up on your little self-obsession trip, but you’ve just screwed me. I sure didn’t ask you to pull me down the toilet with you.”
    “You little shit,” 6 says, as if this is a fact of great wonder. “You loser .”
    I turn and walk away.
    I’m pretty sure she’s going to call after me, but even so I’m almost a hundred feet away before she does it. This gives me enough time to make mental bets on what I think she’ll say, and I’m pretty confident about: “Scat! Wait!”
    “Asshole!” 6 shouts.

and don’t come back
    That would be a pretty decent breakup, if all my clothes weren’t still at 6’s apartment.

scat comes back
    I have to hold the buzzer down for about a minute before Tina picks up. “Hello, Scat,” she says warily. “Hi, Tina,” I say, letting an edge of contrition leak into my voice. Given that they’re my only worldly possessions right now, I really am pretty keen to get my clothes.
    There is some scuffling, then another long pause. I suspect that Tina is holding her hand over the microphone and receiving instructions from 6. Eventually she says, “What do you want?”
    “Just my things. I’ll get them and get out.”
    More scuffles and pauses. “Maybe we don’t want you in here.”
    I sigh heavily. Somewhere in 6’s apartment a door closes. Then Tina whispers, “Come on up, Scat,” and the security door clicks open.

reunion
    Tina is waiting for me at the top of the stairs, mascara-and eyebrow-ring-free. She’s wearing an old tracksuit and, in all, looking disturbingly normal. “She’s in the bathroom.”
    “Fine. She doesn’t even need to know I’m here.”
    I start to walk inside but Tina grabs my arm. I look at her, surprised, and she gives me one of those I-don‘t-believe-it’s-this-stupid looks. I seem to have a bit of a knack for attracting women who specialize in these looks: I could name a long list of teachers, ex-girlfriends and shop assistants.
    “Scat,” Tina says. “She’s in the bathroom.”
    I am obviously missing something. “Yes ...”
    Tina shifts her weight impatiently. “You have to comfort her.”
    “Whoa,” I say, freeing my arm from Tina’s grip. “I don’t think you understand what happened at Coke today. We didn’t part well.”
    “Whatever,” Tina says. “Trust me on this. She needs you.”
    I can’t help it: I laugh. It comes out just right—cynical, hardened and really pretty scathing. “Tina, I’m through with being needed by her. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet, but being needed by 6 is not a good thing.”
    “Men, ” Tina says disgustedly, and pretty unfairly in my opinion. She stalks into the apartment and I follow her.
    My clothes are neatly piled by the sofa, so I go over and scoop them up. “This is all I need. Nice to meet you, have a good degree, bye.”
    Tina lets me