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“What…” began Luke, looking up from the papers he was feeding into the shredder on his desk. “Oh, it’s you.”

Bea took a breath. She could do this. Slow, loud, clear and simple, that was what Liz had said. “Good morning,” she said.

“Morning.” Luke was eyeing her suspiciously, half-shredded papers in his hand. “What do you want?”

“I would like a raise,” she said as confidently as she could. “I’ve worked a full program, during most of which I was doing two jobs and I feel that—”

“Fine, fine,” Luke said, waving a hand.

“Fine?” asked Bea uncertainly. She’d had a whole speech planned, a whole big thing, full of arguments and justifications. She’d expected Luke to put up at least a little bit of a fight.

“Yes, fine,” he said. “Um, you see anyone on your way in?”

“No.”

“No one in the car park, that sort of thing?” he asked.

“No.”

“Right. Good. Well then. I’m quite busy, as you can see.” He shook the shredded papers at her.

“Yes, right. Okay then.” Could it really be that easy?

“Right, off you go.”

“Okay, yes, um, see you next week,” she said, backing toward the door.

“Of course, yes, next week, obviously…”

And then she was pushing out of the office and back into the corridor, lightness in her heart. She’d done it, really done it.

Was this what she’d been missing her whole life? She couldn’tbelieve how easy all of this was. All she needed was a little courage, the ability to step forward, to make her voice heard. She’d gotten her bedroom back, just like she’d wanted. And now she’d gotten the raise that she’d needed, just like that.

Her heart was skipping beats as she walked along the corridor to the main doors, and she was pulling her phone out of her pocket.

When she got out into the sunshine, she looked at her screen. Maybe she should call Alli, tell her what she’d done. Alli would be proud, Alli would tell her that that’s all she needed, just a bit of anger, just a bit of get up and go.

She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and stuck by her principles.

No. She couldn’t do this.

She dialed Liz instead.

“Hey stranger,” Liz answered.

“Hi, guess what?” said Bea, a smile in her voice.

???

“Are you sure about this?” Darren said.

“Deadly,” said Alli, staring out of the windscreen of the parked car toward the low, beige building in front of them.

“Good for you.”

“You didn’t have to drive me,” Alli said, turning to him. “I’m not a child. I can drive myself. I’ve got a rather nice car, actually.”

“I know,” Darren said. “I’m being supportive. That’s what friends do.”