Studio 22 | Mary-Kate Olsen

Chapter Sixteen

May 19th 2022 - New York City - Jazz's Parents House

Mary-Kate wasn't wrong about the storm coming in. I stepped foot outside of Jazz's house this morning from under the porch and was completely soaked in seconds. This meant I had to go back inside, get laughed at by Jazz's parents because I ignored their warnings and go upstairs and get changed.

Thankfully James, Jazz's dad, was available to give me a ride to work. I know Mary-Kate offered but Jazz lives in the opposite direction to the way she'd be going and I didn't want to add to the long drive she would already have to do in the city traffic. On the drive to work, we spoke about my mum and dad and my brother. He asked me about the apartment and I told him we still needed to unpack. This led to him scolding me for still living out of boxes. Honestly, being close with your friend's parents is like having two sets of parents.

By the time he finished telling me how to fix the leaking tap in our bathroom, we arrived at work, he took me to the basement garage so I didn't get wet walking from the car to the front doors of Studio 22. I got out of the car at the same time Mary-Kate was pulling up.

"Nice car," He says impressed, I looked over my shoulder as I leant at the car. "It's one of my bosses," I tell him as I look back into the car. "She good to you?" I nodded. "You sure?" "Yes, James," I say, dragging out the words. "Good, no one upsets my Bluebird," I smiled at him, being close to your friend's parents does mean two lectures over the same thing but it also means twice as many people care about you. "Go on, you'll be late." He nudged his head up telling me to go to work. "I'll be here at 6 to pick you up," He told me. "You don't have to do that," I tell him as I straighten up, adjusting my bag on my shoulders. "The storm wouldn't have blown over by this evening." He tells, he leant into the back to get me the folders I needed. "I'll take a look at that tap for you and add a lock to your front door." I smiled, Jazz must have told him I didn't feel ultra-safe in the apartment. It was in a rougher area to where our family lives. Sage insisted on getting a place there because it's where all his 'friends' were but I hated it. We could have gotten something so much nicer closer to the city but nope, it had to be Brooklyn and it had to be in the worst neighbourhood ever! "Thanks, James." He passed me the folders through the window, I waved at him before making my way to the elevator.

I waited for Mary-K for a few minutes holding the door for her, she eventually arrived. "That your dad?" She asked as she jogged through the threshold. "No, Jazz's dad," I said casually, as I finished up a text on my phone. "He's protective of you." "Huh?" I questioned as I pressed the 22nd button. "He told me to look out for you. That you were a bright girl." I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as she told me James had spoken to her. "I'm gonna kill him," I muttered and she chuckled. "He's not wrong though." I shot her a look which only made her laugh more.

We rode the elevator in silence as we got started on the work day. I assumed we were both emailing and scheduling things. We stepped off the elevator together and Chloe was right there her smile flattered when she saw me with Mary-K and I kind of felt a little smug. "Morning, Katie," She sang,  picking her smile back up. I think I threw up a little when I heard her call her Katie. No one calls her Katie, she doesn't like it. "Morning, Chloe," She says in a hurry to get across the lobby. "Morning Blaze," She says with a smug smile. "Morning, Clara," I replied, not letting the fact that she still refuses to say my actual name get to me. MK pulled at my arm to hurry me. "Coffee?" I asked. "No thanks." She continued to pull me. "No?" I questioned not following her, she always wants coffee.

We got through the doors and were officially in the offices. "Katie?" She questioned me. I laughed loudly and she nudged me with her hip. "That's why you were in such a hurry," I say in a teasing tone. "Katie? Who calls me that?" "Clara apparently," I said, completely serious, which only added to the mockery. "Do you hate each other that much?" She asked me, referring to the fact neither of us said the correct name. "I've worked here for weeks, my name is a basic colour that you learn when you're like two. It's not hard to remember." Now she was laughing at my annoyance. We make it to our area and I dumb the folders on my desk. "Okay, I'm over the annoyance, can we get coffee now?" She asked, adding a smile on the end in my direction. "Didn't think it would last long," I say amused she only made it to my desk without requesting a coffee. "Go to your office I'll bring it through," I tell her knowing she wouldn't have had a cigarette this morning and if she doesn't have it before she sees Eric in 30 minutes she'll get agitated and they would argue and it would be a bad day for everyone. "No you don't have to do that," She says I could see the guilt in her eyes. "It's kind of my job," I say, chuckling slightly that she forgot I was an intern for a second. "Thank you," She said looking up at me with innocent eyes and she twisted from side to side looking like a small child.