Category : Diary/Journal

Sub Category : N/A

Writing prompt: opening line
"The girl shouldn't have been sacked, but if he said anything"

The girl shouldn't have been sacked, but if he said anything he'd be fired on the spot as well.  The chain of command had switched around recently and although no one had said anything, there weren't too many happy faces in the building. He watched her leave with her chin held high in defiance. 
Alicia, as she liked to be called, was a very pretty girl. Tall, slim, brilliant. Her beauty was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. The brilliance and wit she had probably hadn't helped her either. The new manager had confronted her about a job she'd done recently and then had asked if she would step into his office for a lesson on proper etiquette when working. She knew he wanted to teach her what was possibly the opposite of proper etiquette while working and grew quite uncomfortable. 
The manager had this slimey attitude most of the time and the only reason he'd gotten the job was through bribery and wealth. It was to be expected that he'd go after her eventually and Alicia knew it as much as the next person. 
As he watched, the manager took her roughly by the arm and pulled her into his office. She had most likely said something witty that had pissed him off which had triggered his reaction. No one got up to help her and everyone sat shell shocked. The sounds of grunting could be heard from the manager's office and a grew moments later, she burst out. Disheveled and visibly angry, she shot a glare at every single one in the room, lingering on him the longest. He tried not to look guilty and turned away as the manager stepped out. 
Angry words were exchanged and the final phrase was one that anyone could have seen coming for miles. 
"You're fired. If you tell anyone about this, I'll maker sure you never get hired anywhere else." The manager practically spat the words in her face and she turned on her heel and stalked out of the building. As she passed the man who had turned away she muttered under her breath to him, "Coward." He started to retort but realized she was right and looked down, ashamed at himself for not standing up. He couldn't though as he needed the job to keep his apartment. 
When he looked up, she was already at the door. He looked around and realized the manager was glaring at him. With an audible gulp, he turned back to his work and tried to put her word for him out of his mind. He went home with guilt bubbling in his stomach and found that sleeping was going to be difficult that night. 
The next morning, he arrived at work to find that the police were already inside. He cautiously stepped up to his office and tried to draw as little attention to him as possible. One of the officers noticed the newcomer however and approached him.
"The look on your face tells me you know why we are here. Tell me what happened in your own words." The officer took out his notepad and sat down in front of the man. He stumbled over his words as he recounted the story of yesterday's event. The officer nodded along and scrawled down notes as he was telling the story. 
When he was done, the officer looked at him and seemed to think carefully before speaking. 
"So what I'm hearing is that you or anyone else did nothing to prevent this from happening. Alicia's state today reflects heavily on your decision yesterday. Why didn't you try to stop him?" The man shifted uncomfortably and looked down in shame. He didn't want to say why he hadn't done anything for fear the officer would rebuke him. His silence caused a sigh to come out of the officer as he stood up to leave. 
"Next time this happens, remember that you are just as responsible for what happens to the victim as the one doing the physical harm." The officer left with his team, leaving the man to think about what had been said. He couldn't focus on his work and instead excused himself.and went home. 
On the way home, he noticed Alicia walking around with a folder most likely filled with resumes. He approached her slowly, debating what to say. She noticed him and stilled. He looked at her and all the words he'd been planning to say to her disappeared. He floundered for a bit then opened his mouth to say two simple words and hoped she'd understand the meaning. 
"I'm sorry." He looked at her wondering if she'd understood the meaning behind his words. She gave him a tight lipped smile and nodded before brushing past him and leaving him in the middle of the sidewalk. 
He made a vow then and there to step in next time someone was being harassed. Feeling slightly better, he continued on his way home with the newly made vow in mind.