Public Relations

1

Looking up at the large sign above me, my lightly curled blonde hair blowing in my face, I felt anything but powerful. I was practically shaking in my brand new, and way-too-expensive high heels, on the busy New York City sidewalk. 'Rochester PR Firms' this sleek platinum sign read, on the side of the large office. I sighed, and made my way inside for my first day as a public relations intern for one of the largest firms in the state of New York. I knew that this internship was an absolute dream for most straight out of college, but to be perfectly honest: I was scared shit-less...but I guess that was just me. I was too afraid to screw something up and ruin the rest of my career. Putting all fear aside, I walked up to the front desk inside the modernly remodeled and decorated foyer, where a serious-looking young woman sat with long, sleek, black hair and cheek bones that could cut diamonds.

"Hi, I'm Elise Klein, I'm supposed to start interning today." I timidly told her.

"Took you long enough to work up the courage to walk in here and stop admiring the sign out front didn't it?" she quirked a brow, and her judging stare made me blush in embarrassment. Before I could cover up my obvious discomfort, she spoke again, "Mrs. Clark is waiting for you in her office. Floor 7, room 78." she told me without even glancing up from her computer this time.

"Thanks..." Joy. The secretary already thinks I'm insane.

I waited for the elevator, and followed direction to office number 78, where upon knocking on the door I was greeted with a harsh, "enter" and no more.

"Oh, you must be Ms. Klein, I've been expecting you." a late-twenty-something woman with bright red lips and tightly tied back, bleach blonde hair, rose from her seat behind a large oak desk with a name pate on the from telling me she was in-fact, Mrs. Clark. Mrs. Clark had the reputation in the communications world of being the best PR, her clients ranged from multi-million dollar CEO's to political candidates to boy bands.

"Very nice to meet you Mrs. Clark." I slightly nodded my head.

She eye-d me up in down, and nodded in a harsh approval, no sign of emotion anywhere on her face.

Mrs. Clark was known to be a harsh boss, that would spare no feeling's in her business. She ran only a section of Rochester PR but she took her job very seriously. I knew the gist of what my internship with her would entail, I had read the documents I had been provided upon my acceptance into the program at least more than 100 times each, but I felt more than mildly unprepared under her gaze.

"Ms. Klein, let me cut to the chase: This job will make of break you. You have no incentive to work here economically, your only goal is to not get stampeded by everyone else in this business. You will be at the beckon call of everyone above you, including myself for the next 8 weeks. If at that point you meet our expectations here at Rochester you have the chance of being offered a position with us." I gulped. I knew this was going to be tough, but nothing could actually prepare a 22 year old girl for a job like this. "You will be assigned a major project to work on for the weeks you are with us. Your client will not be any less than any other employee here, so you must keep them happy, or else you will be not only let go from our firm, but any other firm in the state of New York. Do not expect to manage a small town mayor or any other pointless job, we do not bother with anything worthless her at Rochester. Your client will be strict and hard to please. Please know that any small slip up will result in serious consequences, I hope you will do well." she finally cracked a sinister smile at the end of her speech. "Understand? "

"Yes ma'am." I tried my hardest not to let my voice crack and let her know I was actually 2 seconds away from running out of her office crying.

"Good." she stood up from leaning on the front of her desk and made her way around to her desk, grabbing a file off the top. "I have your assignment here. Your cubicle is just down the hall with 3 other interns who arrived earlier today. Become acquainted, I advise you to make friends, not enemies Ms. Klein, it's all about connections in this world as I'm sure you know." She told me, handing me a thick manila folder that held my future as a PR rep inside. "I expect you to report here everyday, 5 days a week at 8 a.m. for briefing before you are on your clients watch for the rest of the day, everyday. You are dismissed Ms. Klein, please direct any necessary questions to my assistant Elaine next door." she nodded her head in dismissal and a said my thank-you's before scurrying out of the office to get started on my assignment.

I prayed it would be someone easy to please, something I was familiar with at least, inside this folder. I found my way to the set of 4 small cubicles in the open area merely 30 feet from Mrs. Clark's office. The entire floor held the modern feel I had already experienced in the foyer on the first floor, with tall windows overlooking the city and stainless steel in every direction. The desks sat near a ceiling-to-floor set of windows in the corner of all the commotion on our floor. 3 of the small desks we occupied, but the fourth which I concluded was my own remained completely empty. The cubicles were organized all facing one another in a small square. To the right of mine sat a girl with curly hair and dark skin, to the left a girl with short brown hair and piercing green eyes. Finally across from me sat a boy with lightly quiffed natural sandy-blonde hair. He was quite attractive as they all stood up to introduce themselves to me, his stature was above mine but at least a foot and a half, but I blame it on my 5' 2" height.

"I guess you're the rest of the intern gang," I lightly laughed, earning a chuckle out of them.

"I'm Elise Klein," I introduced myself, "I'm from Chicago, just graduated from USC this spring."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Garrett," The attractive guy from across the cubicle stuck out his hand for me to shake, and I did lightly. "I'm from here in New York, I went to Syracuse University." he offered me a smile.

"Layla," the curly-haired girl to my right spoke with a grin, "I'm from Tennessee, but I went to DePaul in Chicago, what a coincidence. " she shook my hand as well. She seemed quite like me, in the way she held herself. I knew that we could become good friends just by the looks of it.

"I'm Frankie, or Francesca," the last girl spoke. She towered over me as well, she could be a model if she wanted to, she was gorgeous. "From Georgia, went to Boston U." she had a slight southern accent I picked up on.

I was glad to have nice people around me, no one seemed quite rude or cocky which was a good sign, maybe we could all help each other survive the next 8 weeks.

"Who are your guys clients?" I asked them, not quite ready to open mine. It was more nerve wrecking than one might think to find out. What's inside could make or break my entire career.

"I got a publishing firm, very well known, but they just fired their last PR. I'm gonna have to organize a team to help me with everything they need with all their releases and stuff. I'm sure it will be okay though, we did a simulation with a publisher in school." Layla explained to me first. She was lucky, a publishing firm had to be an easier one to get.

"I got a job in the Saks Fifth Ave PR team here. It should be okay, It will be easy to manage with so many experienced people around me." Garrett confidently remarked. I nodded, wishing I got his as well. Knowing me I'd get stuck with the hardest one...

"And I have Etsy, you know that online hand-made website selling thing? Yeah, I got put on their small team. I'm not too excited, I've never done anything like it." Frankie sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"You all got great ones, I'm sure you'll done fine." I encouraged.

"How about you, who'd you get?" Frankie asked curiously.

"Um, well I don't know I haven't opened it," I told her.

"Oh, c'mon do it now! We want to see, I'm sure you got a great one." Layla smiled at me, and the other two chorused in their agreement.

I picked up and opened the folder I had set on the empty desk in front of me, skimming the front page for an indication of my assignment.

"I got..." I couldn't find any clue of my job, until I looked towards the bottom where it read 'please report to:' and felt my stomach drop to the floor when I read where I would work for the next 8 weeks.

"Styles Co." I spoke almost inaudibly, under the shock my body racked up in a matter of seconds after seeing those words.

"Oh shit"