Free The I.T. Girl by Fiona Pearse Page B

pays to have contacts y’see .
Know how to play the game, Orls . Rob Hanger. He’s naughty.
He’s a naughty boy ringing me directly.’
    I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath with the adrenalin that
hit me on hearing Rob’s name. I should have known Rob Hanger would be looking for
other contacts in his recruitment drive and they would both offer me up in a second
to strengthen their alliance.
    ‘We usually wait until after hours to carry out our quid pro
quo. After dark.’ Boris cackled.
    ‘Excuse me,’ I muttered and disappeared from the cube.
    I paced back and forth inside the toilets. ‘You’re breathing.
See, you’re breathing.’ Why didn’t I see that coming? I splashed water on my face
and leaned over the sink for a while, unsure of whether or not I needed to vomit.
I pressed my cheeks with paper towels.
    The moment had passed. And so had the denial. This industry was too small. I couldn’t lie about working here. And I didn’t want
to leave after such a short period of time anyway. CouperDaye was known for being tough. Anything less than a year would look
like a copout. Why should I let them do that to me? I stared in the mirror
and then shook my head. I’d have to get through this programme somehow. ‘It’s only
a few months,’ I whispered. Then, when things go back to normal, I resolved, looking
back at my reflection, in my own time I’ll leave, with my C.V. and my career intact.
     

 
 
    Chapter Six

 
    I remembered that the club runs were on Saturday mornings. It
was still dark and drizzling through the wind but anything was better than being
at home with my thoughts bouncing off the bare walls. I walked across the grass
towards the group of bright tracksuits against dull light and nodded hello at faces
I recognised from the first time. I went through my stretches, listening to the
groups chatting around me. They sounded like they were enjoying themselves, as if
this was actually a fun way to spend time. I just felt the need to run.
    The whistle blew and we took off. I started to find a rhythm
between my pace and my breathing. This time I was determined to stay within the
main pack. I wove through clusters as they formed and broke away until I caught
up with the gazelles and stayed behind them, my lungs heaving and my legs striding
out. It felt really good, I realised – running like a child. Everything can be solved
by running away. Around me, the gazelles were chatting. The conversation was about
the food they had eaten that morning. Porridge for breakfast and
a banana on the way to the park. I hadn’t eaten anything.
    ‘My ears are still full of water,’ one of them said. I recognised
her from before. She tilted her head and banged an ear, her long ponytail jostling.
    ‘I hate when that happens,’ said another one, further along the
row. ‘But I promise you it’s worse the other way – when you have to get into the
water with cycling burns.’
    ‘Are you in training for something?’ I asked from behind, trying
to disguise my panting.
    ‘Triathlon next month. Are you doing
it?’ The Ponytail turned.
    ‘ Er , no.’ I jolted backwards. What
was I doing, trying to keep up with triathlon competitors? My left calf clenched
into a fist and refused to move any further. ‘ Oooch ,’
I said, bending over immediately and grabbing it. I hobbled to the side of the path,
out of the way, and rubbed the knot forming beneath the skin. ‘ Ooof ,’ I said again, straightening and stretching while footsteps
hurried passed. I was going to be last again.
    ‘Are you okay?’ Deelie stopped next
to me. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was falling out of a loose bun. She
looked younger than her years, I suspected.
    ‘I think I’ve pulled a muscle. I don’t understand how. I did
all my stretches.’
    ‘Right, well, take it easy. Would you like some water?’ She offered
a bottle she was carrying.
    ‘Yes, I would actually. Thanks a lot.’ I was grateful for the
swig.
    We started