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“Did you like it?” His smile was under control, which I knew from experience was a feat for him.
“Yeah.” I dropped my eyes to the floor.
“Oh. Okay.” He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “It’s okay to have those feelings, babe. It’s completely normal, and just because you liked it in a dream doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean you’re ready in real life or that you have to try anything. Just enjoy whatever your mind conjured up.”
I tilted my head up and smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“And when you are ready to reenact it, just let me know.” He hesitated, “But I’m not sure about Gavin being there. That might kill the mood.”
I chuckled, grateful he was back to his joking self.
“You can’t tell the others.” I gave him a stern look.
He sighed. “Fine. Take the fun out of everything.”
“Come on.” I led him over to where the guys were. I expected them to ask what we were doing or what we were talking about, but they carried on with their workouts.
Later, during fourth period, I got a call slip from the front office. Luca shot me a questioning look. It didn’t say who I was supposed to meet with, so I shrugged as I picked up my books and put them in my bag.
When I got to the front desk, a plump woman with a headset that made her look like a nineties pop star took my name and told me to sit. My stomach tightened into knots as I ran through a list of possible reasons I was here. I couldn’t be in trouble. This was my first day back since the fake internship. Oh, no. Maybe they knew it was fake. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. I did do actual work and learn how an office ran, but I doubted the school cared if I learned how to transfer a call and send out a company-wide notice.
“Ms. Bradley, Mr. Peters will see you now,” the woman called.
Mr. Peters? Why did he want to meet with me?
A tiny scrap of tension eased from my shoulders. At least it wasn’t the principal or school officer. I’d been in their offices before, and those meetings were unpleasant.
I knocked on my guidance counselor’s door.
“Come in,” he greeted.
I opened it and stepped inside, carefully shutting it behind me. “Hi, Mr. Peters.”
I sat in one of the two empty chairs and crossed my legs. It had been a while since I was here, and I wasn’t really happy about being back.
“Hi, Avalon.” He turned away from his computer screen and smiled at me, looking as handsome and charming as ever. “Sorry to interrupt you during class, but since it’s your first day back, I wanted to check-in.”
So this was about the internship? Tessa hadn’t warned me about this. What was I supposed to say?
“It’s a rare opportunity for a high school student to have real-world experience in a tech company. How did you like the internship?” He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on the point.
“It was great. I got to see what it’s like to work in an office and see how a lot of what I’m learning now will affect what I do in the future.” Lies. I didn’t learn how to write emails, answer phones, or restock paper towels in school.
“That’s great to hear. And your coworkers, how was it interacting with them? Did they seem to respect you as a part of the team, or did they treat you like a student?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I guess they treated me like a part of the team. I didn’t notice a difference between me or any of the other people in similar positions.”
Basically, all the women were treated equally horrible.
“I’m glad to hear it. What was the most important thing you learned?” he asked with raised brows like he was genuinely interested.
Who was behind Robert’s attack, obviously. “I don’t think I’m interested in pursuing a career in that position.”
That was diplomatic enough, and it was definitely something I learned. I was bored ninety percent of the time and irritated the other ten.
“Well, that is a valuable lesson. Remember that when you’re applying for jobs in the next few years.”
I smiled and nodded. Could I leave now?
