Erica and Jessica had a close working relationship at World Alliance Bank. They were something more than co-workers but something less than friends.

Erica always made sure Jessica's desk had plenty of pens and she made sure her printer was fully loaded with paper. She always followed Jessica outside whenever she took a smoke break and she always gave Jessica a quick hug when they said goodbye at the end of the day. And Jessica reciprocated. She always stepped away from her desk to comfort Erica whenever she had a panic attack. She made it clear to the other bankers that it wasn't okay to make fun of Erica or say anything mean about her behind her back. And she always told Erica how much she enjoyed working with her and what a great job she was doing.

Over the course of countless conversations, Erica learned that Jessica wasn't as perfect as she appeared at first glance. She was always late for meetings. She was a little bit moody. She was vain. She was selfish. She was manipulative.

But Erica loved her anyway. She loved her flaws. She loved her humanity. She loved her because she was Jessica.

But one day, Jessica changed.

At first, no one noticed but Erica. But she saw it as clear as day. Jessica was making a little extra effort to be nice to the customers and she was taking fewer breaks. Her smile was brighter, her eyes were brighter, and she was laughing more. Her hair got a little lighter. Her skin looked a lot better. She was a little more aggressive in her interactions with the customers and she was a lot more assertive in her interactions with her coworkers.

She started eating a lot more. And she started smoking a lot more, too. She smelled different. It was a strange chemical smell, like a nasty combination of rubbing alcohol and ammonia. It was unpleasant. It was disgusting. It was not Jessica. It was something else.

Erica was scared. She didn't know what was happening to Jessica. But she was afraid to ask. She didn't want to hurt her feelings. She didn't want to upset her. She didn't want to lose her. So she didn't say anything. She hoped that maybe Jessica would tell her when she was ready.

And then, just when Erica was starting to get a little anxious...

Jessica's career took off like a rocket ship. Shift lead. Manager. Branch manager. There was no stopping her. She took Mr. Reggio's office and got right to work barking out orders like a tiny little dictator.

On her very first day in the big chair, she gave all of the bankers who treated Erica like dirt a piece of her mind and fired them on the spot. On the second day, she did a round of interviews and hired three new people. On the third day, she gave everyone a small raise and removed the cap on commissions. It was a lot of change to absorb all at once. But there were many more changes yet to come.

Jessica's tenure as branch manager was a whirlwind of furious activity and energy. She was everywhere at once, watching everything, controlling everything, praising, correcting, demanding, and punishing. It was like she was born and bred to be the boss.

Erica watched the situation unfold with a mixture of awe and disbelief. This was ridiculous! It was like Jessica got replaced by an alien or something! How did she have so much energy? She had more energy than a toddler and more staying power than a championship boxer!

At times, flashes of the old Jessica would shine through. She'd cover for one of the bankers on their day off and aggressively push the credit card plan like she was still competing to be the best saleswoman in the building. She'd have a cigarette with Erica in the morning and brag about a new jacket that she just bought. She'd instantly notice when Erica was having a panic attack and run over to stroke her back until she calmed down.

But most of the time, Jessica acted like she was a completely different person. She came up with weird rules that made absolutely no sense to anybody, seemingly just to find out who was listening to her and who wasn't. She'd spend weeks at time at the corporate headquarters without telling anyone what she was doing there, then she’d come back to the branch like nothing ever happened and fire half the staff for missing their sales targets while she was gone. She created a mandatory 'fun day' at the end of the month where everybody had to wear matching outfits and dance around in the break room for a few hours. All the while, she ate a repulsive amount of food and smoked a disgusting number of cigarettes. 

No one really understood what was happening. But whatever it was Jessica was doing, it was working. The West Grandebelle branch of World Alliance Bank was consistently ranked as one of the best performing in the nation. And every single employee there couldn't stop talking about how awesome Jessica was.