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ONE
Pia
You’ve got this.Just win the interviewer over and go home tonight with a job.Anyjob.
I take a deep breath as I step off the elevator and into York Technology. It’s a busy place, and my palm starts to sweat as I see all the people bustling about. They all seem so put together, so confident and smart. I feel out of place next to them. Like an imposter.
I kind of am.
I smooth my black shoulder-length hair back, trying to tame any flyaways as I walk up to a bored-looking man holding a clipboard. It’s obvious that he’s in charge of organizing the interviews. He’s handsome with short blond-hair and dark brown eyes. He gives me a once-over as I come to a stop in front of him.
I wonder what he sees.
A college dropout?
A scared, nervous girl?
I paste a smile on my face, tipping my chin up and trying to appear confident as I check in for my interview.
“Hi, I’m here for my interview with Mr. York,” I tell him.
“Name?” He asks in an uninterested tone.
“Pia Lucian.”
“I’ll let them know that you’re here. You can take a seat over there.”
He points behind me, and I follow his finger towards a little waiting area that’s filled with other applicants. I swallow hard as I make my way towards them on shaky legs and plop down into the only available seat.
Everyone else is ignoring me. Maybe they’ve already sized me up and determined that I’m not a threat. Maybe they’re just focused on preparing for their own interviews.
I try to take a few deep, calming breaths, remembering what Lila told me this morning as I was getting ready.
Any company would be lucky to have you. You just need to remember that and you’ll start to portray confidence. Soon, you’ll be getting job offers left and right!
I can picture her frail, smiling face as she says it, and a wave of sadness threatens to crash over me and carry me out to sea.
The truth is that I need this job. My one at the diner near our apartment building is barely covering the bills, and with Lila getting worse, I need more money, a higher salary as quickly as I can get one.
She was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago, and she’s been getting treatments ever since, but none seem to be working. There’s a surgery that she can get, but we need to be able to pay for it first.
Lila lost her insurance when she was laid off from her job a few months ago, and we’ve been struggling to survive ever since.
I would work twenty-four, seven if I could, in order to keep her here with me. Lila is my family. We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers. She’s the only family I have left, and I just can’t lose her.
You won’t lose her.
I square my shoulders as the man calls my name, and I stand and follow him back to a small conference room.
Fake it until you make it. Sure, everyone else in the waiting area seems like they would be a better fit here, but who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen, and I’ll get this job. That would be amazing since York Technology pays better than every other job I’ve applied for.
I walk into the room, a serene smile curving my lips upwards as I take in the two men sitting on the other side of the table.
“Hi, you must be Ms….Flowers,” the man says as he scans the resume before him.
I open my mouth to correct him when he finally looks up, and his light green eyes snag mine.
The whole world seems to grind to a halt as we stare at each other. He’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen in real life, and I can only gape at him as I stand motionless across the table from him.
