Google It ➵ Stuart Twombly

⋆ chapter three ⋆

Cat had literally been walking aimlessly around campus for about forty minutes before she noticed lots of people wearing those stupid propeller hats all herding to one area. Confused, she followed them into a large room where Chetty was standing at the front. Slightly embarrassed about how unaware she was, Cat slid into the nearest seat keeping her head down, but not before noticing Stewie was almost directly in front of her. Once again, the boy was tapping away on his screen, acting as though he was completely unaware of his surroundings.

Groaning quietly to herself, she rolled her eyes as she saw the two older 'mental hunger games' guys moving into the seats next to her. Great. Besides seeming nice upon first glance, those two bozos were definitely on her list of the top 3 people she doesn't want to be associated with. Number 1 on the list being the lovely Graham that she was unfortunate enough to meet earlier on.

A quiet buzz filled the room as green and red paddles were handed out, everyone being given one of each, before Chetty began explaining what was going on, saying something about rules and how Google is an unconventional workplace. Cat took this time to look around at her competition and attempt to analyze what she was up against. The 2 old guys beside her were total wild cards and could either know everything or know nothing, for her sake and her chance of getting a job here, she hoped for the latter, that was unless she ended up being stuck on a team with them.

She noticed the people around her were putting the red paddle into the air so Cat followed suit and quickly stuck the red paddle up, before noticing the two older guys holding the green paddles up. Idiots, she thought and obviously Chetty was thinking the same thing, because he looked straight at them with an unimpressed expression before explaining something.

"Some of you are under 21-"

"Well, some of us aren't under 21 so if you'd like to get a cold one with me, I'd be happy to do that with you," the dark-haired man next to her said, interrupting Chetty.

"I will not be getting a cold one with you."

"No one in their right mind would get a cold one with you." Cat mumbled underneath her breath, earning a glare from the man beside her and a chuckle from Stewie who had obviously heard her. Cat knew she really should pay attention, but honestly, now was the perfect time to check everyone out.

There was Graham, cocky jerk and best to be avoided, but Cat had a feeling that he was clever and knew what he was doing, which left Cat feeling extremely uneasy. He was definitely going to be tough competition or an amazing ally. While not wanting much to do with him, Cat knew the smart move to make would be to join his team, but the downside to that is that she'll be stuck on his team and actually have to deal with him.

Then there was Neha, super sweet, but surprisingly easy to lose. She was fun, loud, bright and smart, not to mention incredibly likeable. If Cat was choosing the teams, she'd be with Neha in a heartbeat. The girl really was the full package and Cat felt like Neha was someone she could trust, which was something not only rare, but insanely important for Cat.

"Caitlyn, what is your answer?" Chetty's voice questioned, pulling Cat from her thoughts. Looking around she noticed everyone (except for the two clueless idiots beside her) held up the red paddle, so without hesitation, Cat raised the red paddle again, smiling apologetically as Chetty nodded, turning his attention back to the two beside her. The blonde one droning on about some girl, until Chetty told him that they 'say no to love'.

Hearing that, Cat couldn't help but feel her heart sink a little bit in disappointment and then wonder if Stuart had just experienced that very same feeling. Stewie was another person she'd love to have on her team, really just because she feels comfortable around him, but she assumed he was good with technology since he was constantly on his phone. Or she hoped he was good with technology anyway, because she didn't think she'd mind if he got the job instead of her. The second that thought entered her mind though, she instantly shook her head, wondering what brought on such a ridiculous thought.

Not too far away, she noticed an Asian boy with uneven eyebrows. He looked incredibly anxious and on-edge which made Cat worry about him a little bit. It was clear this internship was a big deal to him and she could tell there was obviously a lot of pressure on him to do well. He looked nice enough though, didn't seem as though he'd be like Graham at all, which made Cat feel okay about him. Although he looked as though he'd be tough competition, especially if he had a lot of pressure on him to do well.

"Uh, earth to Cat, you might want to put up the red paddle." Stewie whispered, making her aware of what was going on. Once again, Chetty was staring at her expectantly. Taking Stuarts advice, she held up the red paddle and gave Chetty an apologetic look. In response, Chetty shook his head in disappointment and began on the two idiots next to her once again, saying something or other about food.

Leaning down so her mouth was near Stuart's ear, Cat whispered, "Hey, thanks for that. I guess I'm just a bit out of it today." As Cat pulled back, Stewie turned around to face her, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Don't worry about it, although you should probably try to impress Chetty with the challenges because it looks as though he has already written you off as useless."

"Yeah, I'll do my best."

"Good luck." Stewie whispered, before getting up and leaving, causing Cat to notice that the room was now empty and her heart was pounding. Surely she wasn't getting a silly schoolgirl crush on Stuart, was she?