“I have a friend who works with a third-party recruiter they have on retainer. There’s rumors that there may be a promotion shuffle. Which means that they may have a junior position opening soon, and I happen to know someone with specialized talent who might just be perfect for it,” he said.
My heart felt like it was going to burst with excitement. A small sound of disbelief left my mouth as I tried to process what this meant. Oren held up his free hand. “Now this is still just a rumor. I don’t want to oversell anything but I thought I’d let you know.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying hard not to do something embarrassing in front of him. If it’d been just me and Mads, I might’ve started jumping up and down or shrieking with happiness.
This was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. Even if it was just a rumor, the fact that there was the slightest chance at all for a new opening was unheard of in the last decade.
And besides that, the competition was always so tight that for the most part, it'd been accepted to not even bother applying. That was one reason I’d been pushing myself as hard as I have been.
But knowing that Oren thought I might be in with a chance, enough to even share this with me… and he hadn’t been the only one. I shoved away thoughts of Lucas and tried to focus on the positive feelings of the moment.
“Thank you,” I repeated myself. “I’ll keep doing my best to earn that spot, should it open up.”
His stormy eyes flickered, the corner of his mouth tilting up into a near-smile. Then he merely nodded at me and walked back to the main campus building. As I made my own way back to the dorms, I couldn’t help but replay those words over and over in my head.
I knew Madison had made a big speech about having fun but this year…this was my sign to keep going. When I made it one day, when I reached a point where I was at my goal, then I could turn back and take a break and enjoy myself.
But would that even really be worth it? When I was older and more jaded and perhaps more afraid because I’d never truly allowed myself to let go? I didn’t know. And for someone like me, the not knowing was one of my biggest fears.
4
~
Lucas
“Alright, I’ve handed back your case study tests. This is a tricky subject, so I highly encourage anyone that has specific areas they’re struggling with to make an appointment with me during office hours. Just shoot me an email and bring your test and questions with you.”
Looking around at the defeated expressions on my students’ faces, I shook my head. “This is practice, guys. The whole point is to figure out your weaknesses in the curriculum and work on them before exam season. I’ll see you then.”
The room scuttled out, and I packed my things and headed for my office. I wasn’t expecting any of the students to have sent an appointment request just yet, but judging by the results of the test series, I was hoping they’d find the time sooner rather than later.
It’d been a disaster.
But it also allowed me the opportunity to see which students were really serious about their future careers and which ones were simply coasting through. I began responding to other messages, until a new one popped onto the screen. My finger hovered over the touchpad, my eyes glued to the From Line of the email.
June Price.
Of course she’d been the first one to make an appointment. Ironically, she’d had one of the higher scores for this test but knowing what I knew about her already, that wouldn’t be enough for her to have just passed. Not for her.
I confirmed the appointment for tomorrow afternoon but despite the indifferent tone of my response, my head was swarming. During that dinner, I’d essentially offered to be her mentor.
I wasn’t sure I would’ve done that had I been one hundred percent sober, or if she’d even remembered it. And after I’d warned her about Ronan, we hadn’t spoken about anything else except the coursework since then.
But now, if we were going to be in such close proximity, I was going to have to make sure I had my shit together. June was a brilliant student, one of my best if not the best. A single lapse of judgement could lead to an irreparable mistake and that was the last thing I wanted. Regardless of the conflict that rose in me every time I thought about her.
On the day of the appointment, she arrived on time down to the minute. Of course.
“You’re the only one who’s taken me up on the offer, you know,” I said as I welcomed her into my office. I gestured to the seat opposite my own, the desk between us. “I’m truly starting to think that I’m scaring my students.”
She laughed a little, sitting down with a slight rigidness to her body language that betrayed her discomfort.
“I still don’t bite,” I said, trying to make her feel a bit more at ease. My words, the same ones I’d said to her at the cafe, seemed to work. She visibly relaxed a little, then put the thin file of notes she’d brought with her on the desk.
“I think they’re intimidated, that’s all. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong, but this is a pretty tough topic and, well, it is difficult to admit when you need the help,” she said.
“Not for you,” I reminded her. A light blush dusted her cheeks, but she didn’t respond.
“Okay, hit me with it. Where are you struggling with this module?” I asked, taking my seat.
