Page 80 of Fang Fiction

“Don’t go.” Octavia pouted as Joni threw the last of her stuff into her backpack. “It’s raining. Wouldn’t you rather stay here in a nice hot bath?”

“That does sound substantially better than teaching undergrads about modern interpretations of Greek tragedies,” Joni acknowledged. “But if I want to keep collecting my meager stipend, they like for me to show up.”

“It’s cruel, is what it is.” Octavia draped her hands around Joni’s neck. “What are you doing after?”

“I have to meet with my adviser to talk about my job interview.”

“And then?” Octavia raised an eyebrow.

“Umm, home, I guess? Shower, do some laundry, sleep in my own bed? At night?”

The excuse sounded flimsy coming out of Joni’s mouth, but she really did need to get some sleep and prep for her interview—and if past was prologue, she knew she wouldn’t be doing either in this hotel room.

“Good.” Octavia’s tone was chilly. She picked up a champagne coupe filled with blood and took a sip.

“What are you going to do?” Joni asked nervously. “Just hang here?”

“All this rain, I was thinking I might get outside for a bit.”

Octavia gestured toward the suite’s window, where the curtains were uncharacteristically open. The Manhattan skyline looked smeared and dismal in the storm; the view was so romantic Joni thought for a moment about blowing off everything she had to do and spending another day with Octavia. But she couldn’t ditch class…and as nervous as she was to talk with Dr. Vázquez about a job she was certain she wouldn’t get, she knew her adviser was generous to offer to help her prep—and Joni really needed the advice.

“Cool,” Joni said brightly, even though she suddenly felt like crap. “I’ll call you if I hear anything on Lirio?”

“Sounds good.” Octavia got up and wandered toward the bathroom, not bothering to turn around as Joni left. “See you when I see you.”

—

“Joni, you’re going to be fine,” Dr. Vázquez insisted.

“But what if the committee doesn’t take my work seriously?” Joni wrung her hands. “I mean, I study a lot of pop culture—”

“You study modern interpretations of ancient archetypes,” Dr. Vázquez corrected. “The undergrads love you, you get amazing teaching ratings, and you’ve been published in a major journal.”

“As the second author,” Joni grumbled. She was still salty that Rick Keeton had demoted her on the article they co-wrote three years ago, but she knew they never would have been published in the first place if it wasn’t for his family connections at the journal. So she didn’t complain. It was good for her to get the publication, and Rick was a nice guy who could definitely help her career in the future. It didn’t seem worth picking a fight about credit—even if he was probably about to get her dream job over her. He was the undisputed star of the department, even without that article. He probably would have gotten the job anyway.

“You’re right—this hiring process is going to be extremely competitive,” Dr. Vázquez said bluntly. “And frankly, if you don’t believe you deserve to win the job, I don’t see how you’re going to convince the committee. Our department already has plenty of pretentious blowhards who study so-called serious literature, and of course there’s value in that. But I also believe there’s value in studying popular writing—work that affects millions of people. Don’t you believe that too? Isn’t that why you’re dedicating your career to that pursuit?”

Joni’s cheeks felt hot. Obviously she agreed with Dr. Vázquez—she’d made a version of that same impassioned speech on multiple occasions (usually following three or more glasses of wine).

“You’re right.” Joni sighed. “Of course you’re right. I guess, I don’t know—I guess if I kind of quit on myself before I even apply for the job, it won’t hurt as much when I inevitably don’t get it?”

“No shit.” Dr. Vázquez smiled wryly. “But if you want something in this life, you have to sack up and be vulnerable and fucking go for it. So quit whining and do it already, okay?”

Joni nodded. “I will. I promise.”

She was feeling a lot better when she walked out of Dr. Vázquez’s office—she had a lot of work to do before her interview, but she had almost two full days. All she had to do was stay out of Octavia Yoo’s hotel room.

“Joni, hey!”

Joni looked up to see Rick waiting on a bench outside Dr. Vázquez’s office.

“Oh, hi.” Joni forced a smile. “You’re not waiting for me, are you?”

“Nah, here to talk to Dr. Vázquez about my interview.” He flashed her an easy smile.

“Wait, what? But she’s not even your adviser.”

“Oh, I’m talking to every professor in the department—aren’t you?” He looked at her earnestly.