Special Promotion - Part 18 (Patreon)

My wonderful partner VictorTheMaker is a guest writer for today! They wrote this part, which details Jenny's relationship with her nemesis Diane, and how they met. 

I thought it might be nice to have a color picture of this character, hopefully you all agree <3 

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The first time I saw Diane, there wasn’t much to look at. She was sharper dressed than the rest of the office, just enough to stand out without trying too hard. She needed all the help she could get, given her height, but that’s not a stone I can throw. Really, the first look she gave me set the tone for our relationship. That rabbit looked me up and down and cocked a smirk I’ll never forget, then told me how she likes her coffee. I shrugged it off and laughed and introduced myself. She repeated that she likes it with two sugars, told me "chop chop," and walked away. I figured it would be best to keep my distance after that.

Despite the fact our desks ended up at opposite ends of the office, she always found a way to stop by. Usually it was some flimsy excuse like double checking my work or enforcing her version of the dress code, but without fail, she found a way and a reason to needle me before the second coffee break. For a little while I considered going to HR over it, but it seemed like too small a molehill to make into a mountain. She did actually lay off for a little while. I fell into my routine and she into hers, and things were for a while. At least until the chance for a promotion came up.

As soon as that announcement came down, every bit of competitiveness came out of that pint sized bunny. Most of our coworkers just gave up on it. I don't think they were willing to deal with her attitude. I didn't have much choice in the matter though. Somehow she found out I had some of the best numbers. I think one of my bosses let it slip, or maybe she had a friend higher up, but I never heard the end of it after that. Every time she came to my desk, it was a sneer and demand. She'd make things easy for me if I declined the promotion and let her have it. It worked on some other people, I think, but I didn’t have much choice in the matter. When I talked to my manager about it, she brushed it off and said she was doing me  a favor by fighting for me. That I was a far better fit for the role then the bunny and she would die on that hill. I remember buying myself a pretty big dinner that night.

Naturally, Diane escalated as the other competition thinned out. Surprisingly, she got a little more civil for a little while. I think someone higher up must have mentioned it. That pushy bunny actually brought me a plate of pastries to try and bury the hatchet. They were pretty good too, not far off what got sold in the stores. I’m still trying to figure out how she pulled that off, and I really don’t know what she was trying to do. I think she expected that to make up for all the garbage she put me through? Anyway, she changed her strategy after that. Diane got my number from the company system, and her attempts to ‘convince’ me to step down came off the clock as well. I did actually go to HR for that one, but by the time they did anything about it, I got the promotion.

To Diane’s credit, she calmed down after that. I think losing took the wind out of her sails, and she dropped back to being her usual, much more manageable, bossy self. She still tried to order me around every once in a while, but she seemed to accept that I won that battle. I can’t speak for how she acted too much longer after that though. Before I finished training for my new job, word came down from on high that I was getting promoted to Mr. Sifton’s personal assistant. I don’t even remember applying for it, so someone must have slipped him my name or something. Apparently Diane took news of that pretty well? I kinda lost touch with her after that, so I don’t know for sure though. What I do know is that she moved up the ladder after me. Every once in a while her name would come up in a report or meeting, and she’d have a new, higher paid title.

I should've known the rivalry wouldn't stay buried. As soon as she learned I was back in the office, even working from home, I got little jibes over every form of communication that was open to her. Nothing actionable, more annoying than anything else. I never in a million years expected she would show up at my front door. Or what happened after that...