Chapter 3Cherry-Picking the Truth

To my surprise, when I got to the front desk, the company had another surprise waiting for me.

Seven or eight employees were gathered there, laughing and eating something.

I thought it was an office snack break until I got closer. They were eating my cherries.

The clean countertop was littered with pits, and the fancy packaging was tossed to the side.

The friendly receptionist from earlier was shrinking into the corner, head down, avoiding my gaze.

My blood pressure spiked.

"Excuse me, who said you could touch my things?"

I walked up quickly and asked them directly.

A man with slicked-back hair popped another cherry into his mouth without pausing.

"Yo, is this you? The new interview candidate?"

He glanced at me dismissively, his tone flippant.

"Newbies should bring a greeting gift. It's standard. Why are you being so petty?"

As soon as he finished, someone else chimed in with a laugh.

"Exactly. So stingy. You're going to have a rough time if you get hired."

These unapologetic remarks only fueled my anger.

Just then, Sarah walked over.

She saw me, and for a split second, I saw a look of amusement in her eyes—like she was watching a show. But it vanished so fast I thought I imagined it.

Seeing her felt like grabbing a lifeline. She was a full-time employee; surely she had more authority than me.

"Sarah, perfect timing. You be the judge."

I grabbed her arm and pointed at the cherry carnage on the desk.

"I left my stuff at the front desk. Why did they eat it without asking? And now they're saying I don't understand 'human interaction.' That's unreasonable, right?"

But Sarah frowned. Instead of backing me up, she pulled me aside forcefully, signaling me to stop talking.

In a tone dripping with "disappointed parent," she lectured me:

"Stella, what are you doing? It's just treating colleagues to some fruit. You're about to work at a big tech company; don't be so small-minded."

She paused, then added:

"Besides, you left it on the front desk. It's normal for people to think it was for everyone."

I stared at her in disbelief.

The humiliation from the interviewer and the theft of my cherries paled in comparison to these two sentences.

My best friend from college didn't defend me. Instead, she blamed me.

While I was speechless, a female colleague smirked and raised her phone, pointing the camera right at me.

"Everyone look, the top-tier grad is throwing a tantrum over a box of cherries. I have to record this; it's going to be my entertainment for the week."

Everyone around us laughed.