Story Notes:
Post-merger.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Its been months since I've written anything, but this idea has been in my head for a while.
The first time she noticed was on a Tuesday. He was on the phone, failing miserably on his fifteenth cold call in a row. His shoulders were hunched over, defeat evident in his voice even as he started each phone call. She wanted to put her arms around him, comfort him, and tell him that this was all temporary. But she knew she couldn’t. Not here, not with everyone looking. That was something he was very clear about. Instead, she just tried to catch his eye from across the room. His eyes were closed though, and her attempt at comfort went ignored.
Her gaze began to wonder the room, first at Stanley, who was reading the newspaper, then to Ryan, who was playing Tetris online, and finally to Pam, her newest friend. Pam was sitting unnaturally in her chair. Her eyes were focused on the back of his head and filled with concern. It was then that Karen first noticed it.
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At first, Pam had been pretty cold to her, and Karen thought she was just another bitter, angry employee. After a few weeks, however, things had begun to change. Once they began tentatively talking in the break room, Karen realized that Pam wasn’t unfriendly; she was just painfully shy. It was nothing against Karen, personally—Pam hardly talked to anyone at work.
Karen had begun to feel sorry for her. She seemed to live a pretty lonely life. Sometimes, she just seemed to blend in with the background at Dunder Mifflin. Karen knew that she lived alone, and it didn’t sound like she had a boyfriend. In fact, it didn’t seem like she had many friends at all. Kelly would come over and talk to her every once in a while, but she could tell the two of them didn’t have much in common. Pam plastered on a smile and let Kelly babble on, but as soon as Kelly was gone, so was the fake smile. Creed seemed to be constantly harassing her, and she and Angela were obvious enemies. Even Jim, the friendliest guy in the office, didn’t even say two words a day to her. It was like he had a blind spot for her or something.
The more they talked, the more she saw flashes of Pam’s personality and humor emerge. Karen knew that underneath that shy and quiet exterior lay a really great person that no one in the office had bothered getting to know. Karen decided that all Pam needed in order to come out of her shell was a little encouragement.
It was just small stuff, but she could tell that it meant a lot to Pam. She had probably never had a good friend at work before. Karen asked Jim to be more friendly with Pam, but he obviously he didn’t care much about the whole situation, because he just started talking about the Eagles game they were watching. Men. They really don’t realize what a little attention from the opposite sex could do for a girl’s self esteem. She wasn’t asking Jim to flirt with Pam or anything, but a smile and some kind words from a cutie like Jim might make her feel a little more confident.
Karen would invite Pam to come eat lunch with her and Jim, and even though Pam resisted at first, Karen knew it was just because she was shy and didn’t want to interrupt. Karen wouldn’t take no for an answer, though. The first time she tried to get Pam to have some real fun at work was like pulling teeth.
“C’mon, we really need your help!”
“Um…with what?” Pam had responded half-heartedly, still hovering in the break room doorway. She probably just wanted to get back to her desk where she ate by herself every day. Karen wouldn’t let her do that anymore.
“We’re going to pull a prank on Andy, and we need a distraction.” Pulling little pranks with Jim had helped her get through some particularly rough days in Stamford. She knew Pam wasn’t the sort of girl to goof off at work, but she was sure that if Pam tried to have a little fun, she might cheer up a little.
“A prank?”
God, Pam looked a little sick at the thought. She glanced at Jim and Karen, and then just looked at her hands. She must really be a stickler for the rules. Once again, Karen was struck by Pam’s loneliness. Good thing she transferred here, or Pam would probably go unnoticed in her little corner of the office, never knowing the joy of pulling a prank on Dwight or Andy.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to get you in trouble or anything.” Karen leaned over and put her hand on Pam’s shoulder. “We just need you to ask Andy to help you with something at your desk. I know you wouldn't be comfortable doing anything crazy--you don’t have to make up an elaborate story or anything. You can leave the real trouble-making to the experts!” She looked to Jim for support, but he seemed preoccupied with his hands, too. He must be trying to figure out how exactly they were going to get the double-sided tape on Andy’s desk without Angela noticing. God, he was cute, but he was so dense sometimes. She knew Jim and Pam weren’t friends, but didn’t he realize how lonely Pam seemed? The least he could do is be sociable. He acted like he barely knew she existed. The way he treated Pam really pissed her off sometimes. Just because someone answers your phone for you doesn’t mean they aren’t a person worth getting to know.
Pam did end up helping with the prank, and she even flashed Karen a little smile when Andy had to struggle to get his arms off of his sticky desk.
Things improved day by day at Dunder Mifflin. Karen constantly tried to include Pam in things, and the sadness that had seemed to surround Pam when Karen first moved to Scranton was gone. They even went shopping together a couple of times, and Karen got Pam to brighten up her wardrobe a bit. It was so satisfying knowing that she had helped Pam evolve from the shy, reserved person Karen first met. And in the process, had gained a real friend. Jim was great, but Karen was so happy to have a new girlfriend in a strange city. Things were going pretty well in Scranton.
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Karen’s gaze switched from Pam to Jim back to Pam again. She recognized the concern on Pam’s face, knowing that it mirrored her own. But Karen had a reason to worry about Jim—she was his girlfriend. Pam was—nothing. Had Pam always looked at Jim like that? She couldn’t remember. In fact, she couldn’t remember any interaction between the two of them.
Her heart dropped as pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. Pam always seemed the most reserved whenever Jim was in the room—nervous, almost. She never looked him straight in the eye. Whenever Karen asked Pam about her love life, she brushed Karen off. And despite the fact that she and Jim barely talked, she seemed to know a lot about him. But it was that look that sealed it for Karen. There was no hiding it. Pam had a huge crush on Jim, and he had no clue.
Oh, this was bad on so many levels. Karen had wanted to tell Pam about her relationship with Jim, but Jim was insistent that no one at work could know. Now her only friend in Scranton had a crush on her boyfriend, and Karen couldn’t tell her anything. What if Pam asked Karen about Jim? What could she say? That whenever she suggested the idea of the three of them hanging out, he always shot the idea down? That he looked at her like she was crazy everytime she mentioned their friendship? Would she just tell Pam the truth--that Jim barely knew Pam was alive? No, she couldn’t do that to a friend. But she had no idea what to do.
To be continued...
