I need to get this. It might be the only shot I have left to show my dad that I want to have my job back. It’ll show him how much effort I’ve put into working on my studies while also gaining that college experience he so desperately wants for me. The SEI will be a good opportunity for me to gain some other experience outside of B&Co. To see more clearly how other businesses build from scratch.
“Stop doing that,” Scarlett murmurs.
I look up to her, shocked to find her still looking at her notes. “Doing what?”
“I can feel you fidgeting.”
It’s only then that I realize my knee has been bouncing, knocking right against hers. I pull my leg back, crossing my ankles under my chair. “Sorry.”
She lifts her head up, golden eyes meeting mine. “Are you thinking about the SEI?”
“Do you ever wonder who actually reads your application? Like, there’s got to be a huge board of people reading them. They go through hundreds a day. What are the chances someone isreading one of ours right now?” I shake my head when I realize I’ve been rambling, but it just causes Scarlett to smile.
“So, youarethinking about it.” I shrug, nodding. She rolls her eyes. “Comeon, you know you’re going to get it, Branson.”
My eyebrows furrow. “What?”
“I’ve seen the way you’ve been stressing about the application,” she says, gesturing at me. “We killed the presentation and you’re a good student, Evan, obviously you’re going to win.”
Even though itsoundslike a compliment, she still seems a little pissed about it. “What about you?”
“What about me? I’ve tried my best, but I’ve also been on a literal wild goose chase this semester.” She sighs deeply. “And, honestly, working on the list has been kind of fun. Being able to work on the designs for the winter line is all I’ve wanted foryearsand now I’m doing it. Not getting the SEI could be a blessing in disguise.”
I frown. “So, you’re just giving up?”
“I’m not giving up, but the outcome of the internship isn’t exactly up to me,” she says, shrugging. “And if I don’t get in, I’ve got a job at Voss waiting for me once I complete this list.”
I swallow. I don’t know why hearing that puts me on edge. I’ve not put any thought into what would happen if I didn’t get the SEI, and it seems like Scarlett has it all figured out. I usually have a plan for everything, and more times than not, things work out for me. My dad banning me from B&Co was enough of a curveball this year, and if I don’t get the internship, I don’t know how else I’m going to be able to convince my dad to let me back in.
I shake my head, trying to get rid of the anxious thoughts. I don’t need to think about that. Not now. Not when it’s beyond my control.
I gesture to Scarlett’s notebook. “Is that what you’re working on right now?”
“Yeah.” She twists the notebook, tilting her head to the side. “I think they’re done.”
“Can I see them?”
Scarlett hesitates, lowering her notebook back onto the table. She thinks about it for a second, her gaze flickering between the notebook and me, before she eventually slides it across.
I take in the sketches, running my index finger over the bumps of the pencil on the paper. The designs vary from skirts and dresses to tuxedos, and even children’s sweatshirts.
Before I can even say how incredible they look, she says, “I need to redesign the skirt on this one.” She points at a dress shaded in a dark-pink pencil. “I don’t think it matches the corset part of the dress.”
“Stunning,” I whisper, flicking slowly through the notebook.
“I know it’s not the typical style of what Voss usually goes for, but I’m trying to experiment a little. Hopefully trying something new will encourage my parents to do that too,” she explains, and I nod, taking in more of her work.
“These are so good. Like, so fucking good.”
“My dad doesn’t think so from the last time I showed him some of them,” she mutters, closing the book and setting it to the side.
“I think they are.”
“Thanks, but you can’t exactly do anything about it, so it doesn’t really mean anything.”
“I would if you asked me to. I’d create an entirely new fashion brand to see someone wearing these on the runway. They’re incredible.”
She scoffs. “You must enjoy lying, huh?”
