The Intern Novels & Stories

They never did. But one of them, the taller man with salt-and-pepper hair, paused mid-sentence and glanced sideways. His eyes flicked over me, then back to his colleagues. Then back to me again. Slower. I felt the weight of it like a hand on my shoulder. He tilted his head slightly. “You’re the new intern.” It wasn’t a question. I swallowed. “Yes, sir. Mail room.” He studied me for another beat, long enough that the silence turned uncomfortable, then nodded once. “Good. Keep your head down. This place eats people who don’t.”

The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling into the hallway. Julian didn't hesitate. He pushed the door open. There, hunched over a terminal with a mess of cables around him, was the intern from our floor. Samuel Parks. The quiet, nervous one who always brought donuts on Fridays and barely made eye contact. He had large headphones on, lost in his work, and didn't hear us come in. On the screen in front of him, we could see lines of code scrolling, a progress bar showing a data transfer to an external server.

Short and formal. He is professional and cold. And it stings more than any pain I've ever felt. Then, Thursday morning, he comes out of his office with a young guy. “Emma,” Knox says, voice flat. “This is Ethan. He’s our new intern. He’ll be helping you on the launch materials from here on." Ethan grins, bright and eager. He moves forward, closing the gap between us. And reaches out his hand."Hi! Can’t wait to work with you. I’ve heard nothing but good things."

Finn, an 18-year-old high school graduate, was eager to start his practicum at a prestigious marketing firm downtown. Little did he know that his summer would be filled with more than just filing papers and making coffee. On his first day, Finn was introduced to Caitlin, a fellow intern who would be working closely with him. She was a vision of beauty, with long chestnut hair, piercing green eyes, and curves that seemed to defy gravity. Finn couldn't help but stare, his heart racing as he tried to maintain his composure.

I kept looking over the files, taking notes till it was lunch break. “ Can I get everyone’s attention please? Alicia please can you stand?” “ Alice.” I smiled, standing. “ Alice here is the new intern. Alice this is everyone.” I got a welcome from few people, nods, waves….finally. “ And Jordan can show you around,” she continued. My eyes spotted someone that had their hand raised behind a desk. That must be Jordan. Few minutes later someone walked towards my desk, and when I looked up… I was staring at a freaking hot man. His hair looked a bit disheveled, and his smile was weak and encouraging at the same time.

Since arriving at the station, he’d only ever taken orders from his direct supervisor. He’d never once crossed that line. It was all pretty unlikely. That was exactly why the intern felt a little anxious about the call. Still, he swallowed nervously and swiped to answer. “Hello, Mr. Warren?” The chief gave a brief “Mm.” He didn’t have a strong impression of this intern. Just remembered that he seemed reliable and capable, that was all. Other than that, he could barely recall his face. But then again, there were too many subordinates in the department—forgetting a few faces was completely normal.

I find a courtyard and I quickly walk out into the fresh air and ring Jenna. Ring, ring. “Hey, how’s the first day going?” she answers chirpily. “Oh my fucking God. It’s him.” “Huh?” “It’s fucking him.” “What the heck are you talking about?” “Vegas guy is the doctor I’m interning for.” “Shut the fuck up.” “I’m serious.” There’s silence down the line. “Are you there?” I eventually whisper. “I can’t believe this. Are you sure it’s him?” “It’s him!” I snap.

I mean, I always noticed eyes on me, but today it seemed like it was more than just eyes— they were soft whispers as I walked past too. “What’s going on?” I asked, unable to hide my discomfort. “Is it just me or all eyes are staring at me?” Mr. Dani scanned the hallway for a moment, before he finally spoke. “Can I let you in on a secret?” I nodded anxiously. “You are our very first intern in the history of this company…” “Things might be a bit unusual.” It took a while for the information to fully settle. When it finally did, Mr. Dani was at the door beckoning that I joined him.

It should be another office. "Oh Sandy, you're here?" A voice spoke. "Yes, I've brought her with me. I'll leave her to you." Sandy winked at Savannah. Savannah immediately stepped forward and smiled sweetly at the staff who received her. "Hello, senior. I'm Savannah Lea. I'm the new intern reporting for work today. It's my pleasure to meet you and I hope you can teach me what I need to learn." "Oh I'm afraid I can't really be of much help. I'm just hoping that you will take care of me when you've reached the top of the ladder."

It felt almost like he was looking for a response there rather than waiting for me to give one. “I’m just excited to start working on EnviroDoc.” I smile while breaking eye contact. He was my doctor. I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of an accusation as the moment. He had been kind and very helpful in this process. “I believe a celebration is in order. Getting an internship, nonetheless with a company that large is a pretty big deal.” He smiles as he stands to check my IV drip. “I’m not a big celebratory person.” That was a tactic to avoid him. That was the truth.