Just Colleagues

16. Corporate Kids

I wake up early, my heart already racing with anticipation for my first day at Ward Cameron's internship. The sun is just beginning to peek through the curtains as I roll out of bed and head for the shower. After a quick rinse, I stand in front of my closet, contemplating what to wear. I settle on a black blazer, paired with flowy black pants and a soft pink blouse, hoping it strikes the right balance between professional and comfortable.

Downstairs, the aroma of coffee draws me to the kitchen, where I find Rafe already at the coffee maker.

"Morning," I greet him with a smile, feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves.

"Morning," Rafe replies, returning my smile. "You ready for today?"

I nod, my stomach fluttering with anticipation. "I think so. How about you?"

Rafe chuckles, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He offers to make me a cup too, and I gratefully accept, the warmth of the mug soothing my nerves.

With our coffees in hand, we make our way to Ward's office, where he welcomes us with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Briar, Rafe," Ward greets us. "Are you both ready for your first day?"

We nod in unison, eager to get started.

Ward outlines our schedule for the day, explaining that we have a meeting with the rest of the OBX staff at 10:00. He also mentions that he's sent us some virtual training modules to complete before then.

"For now," Ward says, "you're free to work wherever you like in the house. Just make sure you're easily accessible if I need to speak with any of you."

Rafe suggests we set up in the living room, and I agree, grateful for the suggestion.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I say, following Rafe into the living room.

We settle in, our laptops open as we prepare to dive into our training modules. The morning sunlight filters through the windows, casting a warm glow over the room as we begin our work, the excitement of the day ahead coursing through my veins.

At 10:00 am sharp, Rafe and I join the Zoom meeting, greeted by the sight of fifty other employees, each appearing in their own little box on the screen. Ward's familiar face is front and center as he kicks off the meeting.

"Good morning, everyone," Ward begins, his voice booming through the speakers. "I hope you all had a great weekend. Happy Monday!"

A chorus of greetings and muted responses fills the virtual room as Ward takes a moment to chat with some of the other employees, asking about their weekends and exchanging pleasantries.

After a brief interlude, Ward turns his attention to Rafe and me, gesturing for us to introduce ourselves to the rest of the staff.

"Alright, folks, I'd like to introduce you to our two new interns for the summer," Ward announces, his gaze shifting to us. "Rafe, why don't you go first?"

Rafe nods, adjusting his camera as he begins his introduction. "Hey, everyone," he starts, his tone confident yet friendly. "I'm Rafe, an upcoming junior at USC. I'll be working as Ward's managerial assistant intern, helping with things like organizing files, managing his calendar, and setting reminders."

I send Rafe an off-camera thumbs up, and follow suit, offering a wave to the camera before launching into my introduction. "Hi, everyone," I say, my nerves fluttering slightly as I speak. "I'm Briar, an upcoming junior at USC as well, and I'll be joining the team as a data analytics intern. My role involves cleaning and preprocessing data to ensure accuracy and reliability, as well as conducting exploratory data analysis to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in the business."