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“I know. It’s been intense, right?”
Jill interrupted, playfully snatching the bag from me. “Rule violation!”
“What?” I said, shocked. “What’d I do? Not now, Jilly, seriously I’m so tired.”
And to my surprise, she actually handed the cereal bag back. “Just kidding, Mia. Geez, you look so tired. You wanna get some fries or something? Or more pizza? Come on, let’s get out of here.”
But I just shook my head, packing up my bag. “I would, but I’m beat. Next time, okay?”
And making a face at me, Jilly nodded. “Okay, but don’t eat the green marshmallows next time. You know those are my favorite.”
I had to laugh because frankly, all the marshmallows in Lucky Charms tasted the same to me, no matter their shape or color. Wasn’t it just industrial food, designed to make us want more?
But I nodded. “Sure thing Jilly. And by the way,” I said hesitantly. “I never thanked you.”
She slung her backpack over her shoulder as we walked out of the lab. “For what? The Lucky Charms?”
I stopped briefly at the placard that read Lab Facilities Donated by Pictogram and paused, reflecting on the changes in my life.
“No, Jilly,” I said, turning to face my friend. “I meant to thank you for taking my picture and uploading it to Pictogram. And sticking by me after, even when I was freaking out.”
“Oh that,” scoffed the blonde. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Besides, now that you have the hunky Theo Wainwright, how about someone for me? Got any other rich CEOs lying around?”
I burst into laughter then, because Jill will always be Jill. Trust my best friend to talk about hunky CEOs, Lucky Charms, and pizza all in the same sentence.
“No,” I said truthfully. “But how about a CTO? Would that be good enough?”
She squealed, clapping her hands. “Okay you promised!” said the blonde excitedly. “I get my millionaire next!”
And laughing, we left the lab, walking out into the darkness of the Berkeley campus. As usual, it was another late night with the stars shining up above and the bell tower looming large and eerie in the distance.
Oddly, I didn’t feel resentful of the late hours. I didn’t feel like my youth was escaping as I slaved away in front of multiple computer screens. Instead, I felt like I was home. This is what I loved to do, and I was building something amazing that would hopefully help humankind.
More to the point, Theo Wainwright had given me these opportunities and with each passing day, I only wanted him more.
***
Carrying a mug of steaming coffee to my desk, I sighed. Of course, it was already 9:00PM, but I desperately needed the pick me up. Engineers worked hard, and my night was only beginning. Seeing how important this product was, I’d probably be here until 3:00AM at least.
“Mia, how’s it going?” Brandon asked, a concerned look on his face.
I got it. My hair was probably standing on-end, and I hadn’t changed out of this hoodie in twenty-four hours.
“What? Sorry, I had a rough week.” I rubbed my eyes, blinking like an owl. “I’m good, thanks.”
Brandon merely shook his head, clucking like a mother hen. “You know, there are sleeping rooms if you need a wink.”
Oh right. I’d completely forgotten about the dark rooms where engineers could crash if it was really needed.
“Are you sure?” I asked tentatively. “Do you need me for anything? I’d love to get some rest, but I don’t want to leave you guys hanging.”
Brandon shook his head, winking at me. “You?
?ve done enough. Go get some rest. My orders.”
And with a grateful smile, I reserved one of the sleeping rooms. On a whim, my fingers typed Theo a message.
MiAnonimo: You still here? Awake? Going to crash. Room 12S. ;)
