Jim walked out into the parking lot. He needed to leave early. Just being at work was hard enough, with Pam being so close – yet so far – and with Karen watching his every move. At least when he was pretending to work, he had an easy out. But the forced socializations were awful. It reminds him of summer camp. Plenty of activities, but you had to participate no matter what. His friends and he had called it ‘mandatory fun.’ Mandatory it was, fun rarely.

            However, leaving work an hour early meant he had time to kill. Just long enough to do something, but to short to do anything worthwhile. Jim climbed into his car, and just started driving. He didn’t know where he was going, but he would know it when he got there.

            Karen sulked for the rest of the day. She was already angry and upset at Jim, but he didn’t seem to care – he had just left early. She glared at Pam, who was chatting with Phyllis and Kelly. Even after working there for nearly four months, she still didn’t really feel connected with anyone in the office. Not that she wanted to, god knows. But, it would be nice to have someone to talk to, especially when Jim was acting like this. When she first arrived, she thought that maybe Pam could be that someone. She was about her age, and reasonably normal. But then, it started coming out - Jim’s feelings for her, their kiss, all that history. She wasn’t able to confide in Pam now.

            When five o’clock rolled around, most people had already left; it was just Dwight, Michael, Toby, and Karen. Karen accepted that this night was just going to suck, and decided to go home, drink a lot of wine, and sleep it all off. “The perfect solution – alcohol and unconsciousness”.  By the time she reached her house, she had another idea. Mark’s place wasn’t that far away, she had been there once or twice. Grab a six-pack, get her game face on, and just show up. What’s the worst that could happen? “He hates you for coming when he specifically told you not to? He dumps you? You prove you are better at him at yet another video game?”

            Stupid or not, Karen decides to try. Their relationship couldn’t really get any worse, could it? Grabbing the beer from her fridge (it wasn’t the brand she likes, but Jim preferred it), she gets back in her car and drives the two miles to Mark’s house. “Come on Filippelli, just do it,” Karen says, giving herself a pep talk on her way to ring the doorbell.

            “Uh, Karen? Right?” Mark asks, looking confused and tired when he answers the door.

            “Yeah, is Jim here yet? I know he said it was just the two of you, but I figured I had wanted to try out the new Wii, and I brought beer, so I figured I could join you. You guys will probably beat the crap outta me, since you have been practicing so much, but it could be fun.”

            “Um, Jim isn’t here. I haven’t seen him for a while now, and I don’t have the Wii. I don’t even really play video games.”

            “Oh…” Karen isn’t sure how to reply. Jim was lying to her. For how long, about what? Why? Her? Karen walks back to her car, unsure what to do.