“Wow,” Aaron looks at me with hungry eyes. Usually I would enjoy his attention, but right now I feel awkward, like I’m under a microscope. He rubs his chin, ruffling the ginger stubble.
Dad lightly taps the table. That’s his tell—when he’s slowly growing impatient or aggravated. I can sense the wheels of thought turning in his brain.
“Where exactly were you?”
“I forgot to tell you. I went to a party with Casandra.”
Aaron shifts uncomfortably.
“Oh, okay. Just remember to tell us,” he finishes. Phew.
My senses stop functioning for a second, and when they return, that god-awful smell lingers in her wake.I’d been resigned in my decision. I wasn’t going to make any more snarky commentary, I wasn’t going to see him outside of this setting, and I most definitely wasn’t going to meet him in his office.And yet I found myself placing one foot after the other on the way into that very place.After lightly shutting the door, I wait for some type of response or indication from him. He probably just wants to increase my morale or something.Instead, he focuses harder on whatever document he’s holding, and we remain in silence.“Umm, you called for me?” I ask shakily.With the same distant and lightly cool expression as ever, he gestures to the seat in front of him.I take a shallow gulp and sit down. What the hell is this about?“You’re in high school.”I know it&rsqu
Ouch.Here’s a tip: do not sleep with a laptop on your head.All that research took a lot out of me. I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to write about for that definitive and crucial personal essay.Do I write about my accomplishments, my experiences, or my trauma?Does nursing my best friend to health after drinking a dozen too many count?Another tip for my health: don’t skip too many morning coffees at Saxby’s.Sure, my archnemesis works there. Sure, she very well could poison my order. But I am brave, and I am strong.I sneakily enter the doorway of the establishment. Clad in a sports bra and yoga pants, I’m prepared to book it if Sarah’s working today.“Vanilla latte with some honey, please.”The barista nods and starts making my order.I take a seat at a secluded table and pull out a book that I borrowed the other day. I can finally relax and finis
I turn to use the bathroom and get a drink of water. Once I exit the bathroom, Drake’s waiting for me. “Um, hello.” Why am I so freaking awkward? “My office,” he says softly. I nod subserviently. When we’ve arrived, he closes the door. I struggle to let out a deep breath. “You okay?” “Um, yeah.” I cough discreetly. It quickly turns into a coughing fit, and he comes behind me to pat my back. “Ah, I’m fine,” I muster out—still coughing. “Please don’t die in my office.” Shut the fuck up. Finally, I clear my throat. “Okay, okay. I’m fine.” His palm is still on the small of my back, keeping me steady. “Um, why exactly am I here?” He stills then moves behind his desk. “We need to sort out some logistics of the offer I made you the other day.” The internship. “You’ll be a consultant in the law department of Staple Oil.” Oka
“Gen?” I whip around to the direction of the mystery voice. Claire’s feeding some pigeons with crackers from her bag. “Jake?” “Hey, what are you doing here?” I brush some fly-aways from my face. “Enjoying the park, I guess. I’m here with a friend.” He nods with a bright grin. I can hear Claire in the distance, rolling her tongue, trying to communicate with the pigeons, I guess.
“No, he doesn’t hit me,” I sigh. She nods slowly. “Just, lately I’ve been going through some things,” I shrug, hoping she won’t delve deeper. She still looks suspicious. “I swear, you can trust me. What things?” I play with my fingernails—a nervous tick for me. I used to bite my nails until I got down to the skin, sometimes even chewing on that, too. &n
“Jake,” Claire says, staring up at him.“Hey Jake,” I wave.She can’t keep her eyes off him. They’re practically twinkling because of his presence. Jax who?He nods dismissively at her, then he turns to me. “Do you want a drink?”I glance at Claire, and she’s biting her lip. Shrugging, I say, “Sure. Claire, are you coming?”She nods silently. We follow him to the kitchen island, where bottles of brown and white liquor litter the marble countertop.Jake reaches up for a plastic party cup. Well, he doesn’t have to reach that high. He has to be at least 6’3.“Um, are there any beer bottles… or wine coolers?” I ask.He sets the cup back down. “Oh, yeah sure.” He opens the cooler and pulls us out two cold bottles. I offer one to Claire, but she declines.“Shouldn’t you be 100% sober?” she cro
“Ooooooow!”“Relax,” Cas sighs.“Are you okay?” LeAnn asks.As Claire sinks down to the floor, Cas pulls me aside. “Who the hell is she?”“Oh, that’s Claire. I met her at Marie’s Soups.”“Who’s Marie?” she asks cluelessly.
After about half an hour, we have become true sleuths. Well, after a 20 minute period of distraction. In our defense, a lot of the earlier posts on the account were pretty funny… and distracting.“Okay, okay. Time to focus,” I say.“But this one—”“No,” I put my palm up.LeAnn places the phone back on the countertop, focusing on me.