checkmate

When Rain needed to get an internship for his final year, he had no idea where to even apply. All of his classmates knew instantly where they wanted to go. Yet here he was, sitting in his room, staring at his computer screen like it would magically make the selection for him. His grades weren't bad, but they weren't the best; a fact that he knew would hinder him. Not many companies wanted to host a "lazy" student. At first he thought he would just go wherever Sky went. Nope. That company only took three interns, the other two from another university.

At this point, Rain was almost out of options. No matter what company he thought of, there was always something that would be stopping him. It was taking every ounce of his control to not start throwing a tantrum like a toddler. He groaned, pushing his keyboard out of the way before moving his head down to the desk. Why was the universe completely against him? Did someone put a curse on him? It surely felt like that was the case. His phone vibrating loudly on the desk beside him shook him out of his dread spiral. He sat up, grabbing his phone to look at the notification.

"I forgot about the meet up today." Rain sighed, the text being from his senior in his number line. They were all meeting up again today. Most likely to discuss where everyone got internships. He definitely didn't want to be a part of that conversation. Unless...

Rain got up from his desk, grabbing his car keys before rushing out. Luckily the place they were meeting at wasn't far from his home. The entire drive he was rehearsing what to say to everyone. He had to come up with a reason he was late. A reason that wasn't just staring at his computer screen and yelling at himself in his head. Maybe saying he took an unexpected nap would work? As soon as he pulled into the parking lot he wanted to leave. He barely knew any of the people in there, not even the other person from his year. They only ever talked at these meetups. If you can call polite greetings, talking.

"You got this Rain. Just walk in and sit down. That way less people will try to talk to you." He said to himself. After a few more minutes of stalling he finally let out a breath he had been holding, and opened his car door. With every step towards the door he felt anxiety rising in his chest. Would they make fun of him? Probably. They always teased him.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Tan shouted from across the room, as soon as Rain walked through the door. Rain winced, laughing nervously as he made his way back to the table. Now everyone was stopping him to greet him. First part of his plan completely failed. Rain sighed, taking his seat across from Tan, scooting in towards the table.

"Sorry I'm late. I accidentally fell asleep." Rain said quietly. The other three at the table all shrugged, just happy to see him at all. Tan however began teasing him right away. The one thing Rain really didn't need right now.

"Tell the truth, you just didn't want to come." Tan spoke, pointing his fork towards Rain. The younger man felt heat rising in his cheeks. Why was his senior so loud?

"The truth is I was looking for a place to apply for an internship." Rain admitted. He was always a terrible liar. There was no point. They would all see right through him.

"Really? You haven't applied anywhere yet?" Lock, the other senior beside Tan, chimed in.

"I tried. Everywhere is full or I didn't get accepted." Rain huffed, leaning back in his chair. Tan called the waiter over to get them a round of drinks before returning his focus to Rain.

"Getting into an architect firm is difficult. But you know, we just might be able to help you." Tan said, a mischievous glint in his eye. Yes! This is exactly why Rain decided to actually come. He knew someone here would be able to help him find a company to apply for. He just didn't expect the help would be coming from Tan.