Never Letting Go

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

"So you've had no previous work experience?" Mr. Cobb asked, glancing up from the paper.

"Uhm... No." I muttered, looking down to avoid his eyes.

He started to say something else when the door burst open. I glanced over my shoulder to see a girl standing there, panting. She was grasping onto the door frame and smiling sheepishly.

"Slight problem at home."

He groaned and leaned forward, "Slight?"

She tilted her head to the side, "Well... Maybe it's more than just 'slight'."

"What'd you do?"

"Well you said you were working late so I figured I'd make dinner. But I think I did something wrong with the chicken cause it was making weird sounds and smelling funny after a little while."

"What pan did you put it in?"

She gave him a dumbfounded look, "You have to take it out of the package?"

He jumped up, looking exasperated, and quickly pulled his coat on, "You left the kids at home with the chicken in the oven like that!?!"

She shook her head, "No daddy , I'm not an idiot." He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth but she continued to speak, "I turned the oven off and tried to get it out but there was smoke coming out so I couldn't see very well. Then you know the sprinklers kicked on," a groan suppressed from her father, "So I figured I should come and get you."

He shot an apologetic look at me then rushed out the door. She looked after him puzzled.

I just sat there silently. Well, that took care of this job interview. He didn't sound like he was going to be hiring me anyway.

The girl walked over to her father's desk, looking at the papers, "Ooh! You're applying for a job? How fun! It'd be nice to have another girl my age working here. All the others are like way younger. Or in college. And they're not nice to me. Maybe it's cause I'm the bosses daughter."

I didn't comment that a good possibility was simply that she seemed to be annoying and dense.

"We'll I'm sure daddy wouldn't mind me helping out and doing your interview," she plopped down in his chair and glanced over the paper, "My name is Mackenzie, but I go by Kenzie. And you are Olive Turner, 16 years old, senior," she paused and glanced up confused, "Senior? How are you a senior if you're only 16?"

She seemed to be thinking hard about it, unable to come up with something. She didn't really look like she did too much thinking so I decided to break her out of her misery

"I skipped a grade."

She looked up at me, "Wait, they let you do that? How didn't I know! I would've skipped like soooooo many years!"

I decided cuing in that there was a level of intelligence needed wasn't necessary.

"Okay, so did you like just move here? That would explain why I don't know you. And the shyness. I was so quiet and shy when we first moved here."

"I'm sure..." I muttered.

She continued on, apparently not hearing me, "But you know after a couple days I warmed up. Being new can be tough."

I just stayed silent.

"So you didn't put anything down for previous jobs or references," she looked up, "You've never had a job? How about any volunteer work?"

"I've volunteered at the library..."

"The library...? Like the school one? That's so boring! It's like, all dark... and filled with books... Like the boring kind with out pictures."