I wanted to text him back and figure out when I’d see him again, but I almost felt like I was pushing it by doing that. I’d been called clingy once, and I definitely didn’t like the title, even if I was guilty of it. Plus, we’d just started dating, so leading off with my best foot was probably the best choice. Now that we were official, I knew that we’d get together soon, so maybe I should just wait a little bit before pestering him about it.
I put my bowl in the sink and rinsed it before heading upstairs and getting my clothes ready. I had a class at eleven, and I still had to clean off my windows and let my car heat up before slowly attempting to get to school. I knew the roads and sidewalks would still be shitty, too, so I wasn’t about to risk breaking my neck over a stupid world economy class.
Nina rushed out of the bathroom, saying she was going to be late, before rushing out the door and leaving the bathroom steamy and warm as I walked in and started the water for myself. Now it was time to take it easy.
•••
“Who did the required reading that they were supposed to do over the weekend?” Bud asked with a smile as he looked at the few hands that went up in the room.
I looked around, seeing only about a third of us raised our hands, though Bud didn’t seem to take it personally. I’d imagine you could only care so much to help and shape your students before you just can’t be bothered with holding their hands. We are adults, after all.
“Well, that’s too bad, because there’s a pop quiz today based on the reading. Hopefully those of you who forgot to read will be able to scrounge together some answers,” Bud said, pulling out a stack of quizzes from his briefcase.
He handed each row a stack of them and they made their way down the line. We all looked them over before he said to start. It looked pretty simple, about fifteen questions, and I even knew the first one right off the bat.
“You will have twenty minutes, and you may now begin,” he said, pulling out the newspaper and sitting in his chair.
I wrote down my name and period before going down the line of questions, easily answering each and every one. They were all multiple choice, except for two at the end that were fill-in-the-blank, though anybody who did the reading would have no problem with them. I suddenly became very glad that I had this instilled in me from a young age.
I handed in my quiz about ten minutes in, along with all the rest of us who read, before heading back to my seat and slyly pulling out my phone to see if I had anything. No service. I sighed, wondering if Bentley had texted me, before putting my phone away and biding my time until Bud said the quiz was now finished and to turn in whatever we had, whether it was finished or not.
The rest of the class was pretty tame, with Bud doing his usual thing and lecturing about world economies and policies while some of us took notes and the others did nothing. I was about half and half, taking some notes but not quite as much as others, though I seemed to do well enough with the method I had. I thought he was just regurgitating a lot of the book material, and I read that to study, so no problems there.
My phone got service back when I walked out of class, and two texts buzzed through a few seconds later, one from Maggie and one from Bentley. Maggie was excited about Nina telling her about Bentley, while also being mad she didn’t know sooner. Bentley was just asking about my day, causing me to smile like a madwoman in the hallway before I replied and put my phone back in my bag.
I checked my e-mail, seeing I had one from the school’s work office about an on-campus job that I’d applied for a few weeks prior. There was a limited amount of hours I could do in a week, twenty, I thought, and it paid ten dollars an hour, which would definitely help with bills. I knew having a job, even if it was a lower amount of hours per week, would be difficult, but the extra money would definitely help me out a lot. Plus it was in an office, so the work would be right up my alley.
I replied, setting up an appointment for tomorrow after classes, and I felt confident in my ability to get this. I think when you think positively, you tend to make your own luck and do better in life. I know there’s no science behind that, but a positive mind can change the world.
I texted Bentley, happy about the job, and he replied with full support, telling me how he was proud of me and that he knew I’d get it and do a great job. It meant a lot, having a boyfriend who actually cared and who wanted me to excel and be a better person, even if it meant he’d have a little less time with me each week, though this would be before I’d see him anyway.
Happy, I put away my phone and walked to the parking garage before getting in my beat-up little car and putting her in drive. I had a big bowl of ice cream at home calling my name.
•••
“So, tell me all about it,” Maggie said immediately as she walked in the door.
“About what?” I asked.
“Bentley! How did it go down?” she asked.
“We were at Harson’s, having coffee and dessert, and he just asked me,” I said.
“No big speech?” she asked.
“He wasn’t proposing,” I said, laughing.
“So what’s it like, though? Everything you thought it would be?” she asked.
“It’s been great, but it’s only been a day. I think things have changed since before when we weren’t official. Things feel better now, and I think he’s more talkative, which is nice,” I said.
“Do you see a future together?” she asked.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to say this early. I know that I like him, and obviously he likes me if he asked me to be his girlfriend and all. If things are like they are now, I can definitely see myself with him for a while. Who knows if I’ll marry him or whatever, if that’s what you’re getting at, but we’re having a good time right now. It’s fun,” I said.
“Just be careful not to let a guy like this go. He’s beautiful, intelligent, and obviously does well for himself. Most guys these days are pigs and piles of crap. You don’t need that in your life,” she said.
“Duly noted,” I said, mostly to just get her to go away.
She went into the kitchen to find food as I flipped through the channels once more, hoping I’d find something even remotely interesting as I kept my phone nearby and hoped it would buzz with Bentley’s name on the screen.
•••
All dressed up for my interview, I used a lint roller that we kept in the bathroom to get all the little hairs and pieces of fuzz off our clothes before looking at myself in the mirror with a confident smile. I was qualified, I was likeable, and I was going to get this. There was nobody better that they could pick.
When I got to the school, there were about three other people waiting in chairs at the office where I was told to go. I felt a bit nervous seeing them, mostly because I wasn’t expecting anybody else here today, but I knew that I could beat them all out. One of them wasn’t even dressed for this, instead wearing old, dirty jeans and a stained t-shirt, while the other two looked ready, though nervous as they sat there looking over some papers.
I checked in with the receptionist, a nice older woman, who said she’d let them know I was here and that I could take a seat with the other applicants.
None of us talked to each other, instead sitting by ourselves as the other two were reading what appeared to be the job listing, which I wish I would’ve printed out as well. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to have that available so that I could tailor what I said to the interviewer.
I was last in line, waiting for the rest of the three to take their turns. Each interview seemed to take about fifteen minutes, except for the dirty guy. He must’ve been in for less than ten, and the interviewer, a man, gave a less than enthusiastic handshake to the kid. I caught him squirting some hand sanitizer in his hands afterward. My chances already got better.
“Anna, are you ready?” he asked, coming out of his office.
I stood up, having only confidence, before I walked over and shook his hand. We went into his office, which had a great view of the quad, and I sat down and he went behind his desk. He opened a tan folder, looking over what I thought was my resume, before humming to himself.
“So tell me, Anna, why do you want this job? We’ve seen many applicants, and I want to know why you should get it,” he asked.
“Well,” I said, clearing my throat. “I enjoy desk work and secretarial type jobs. My mom was one, and I spent a lot of time as a kid with her at the office, so I think it’s something I’m familiar with. I’m currently enrolled in a business major, so I think that this job can help prepare me for that.”
“And how do you believe it will help prepare you?” he asked.
“I believe that working with the public, answering phones, and just overall being in a business atmosphere will prepare me for when I actually move into that career after I graduate this spring. Having that kind of office experience and work is very important for my major, and since I wasn’t able to do an internship, I think this is the next best thing,” I said.
“This job requires you to mostly sit at a desk for the entire twenty hours a week. You would also have to work a multi-line phone system, as well as work various pieces of office equipment like computers, copiers, fax machines, and more. Do you feel this is something you could do adequately?” he asked.