Tom DeLonge's Intern

Chapter 2: Meeting Mark and Tom

     The next morning, I jumped out of bed around noon, the medicine worn off by that point. My heart was racing the minute I opened my eyes. Was I going to be interviewed by Mark, or even Tom? Or was it going to be just a representative of theirs, since this was only for a college requirement? Who was going to be my boss if I ended up landing the job? Would it be the blink guys? Would I even get the job? Was my portfolio good enough for them? I hoped so; it had taken me five years to work on. Anyways, I grabbed the address from the internet and left my house around 1:30 that afternoon, figuring it would take about an hour to get there. I lived right outside of San Diego in a suburb.

     Once at the small shop, I checked my watch, which said 2:45 p.m. I had taken the long way since I knew I'd be early. I made sure that my long brown hair was free of any mishaps and that my red button down dress shirt was perfectly centered before I got out of my car and cautiously approached the doors. I opened the door to find a small retail shop in the front full of Macbeth shoes and other basic merchandise like stickers and hats since it was just starting out. There was a younger guy standing behind the retail desk, wearing a Macbeth hat with tattoos on his arms. He looked at me, smiled and asked how he could help me.

     "I'm here for an interview at 3, for the internship position." I said nervously, a little shakiness present in my voice.

     "Oh yeah, Chloe is it? I talked to you on the phone yesterday, I'm Roger." He said, walking out from behind the desk and shaking my hand. "You're in luck today. The big bosses are in town for a while. That's why I scheduled you today. You've got to impress them to get the internship." He gestured to a chair that was near the desk he was standing at.

     I became even more nervous, but sat down anyway, awaiting my interview. Roger picked up the phone and called up to the offices upstairs. After he hung up, he asked for me to follow him. We walked up a flight of stairs past a door in the back of the small retail shop. Lining the stairwell were various pictures of blink and pictures of Mark and Tom performing on stage. My anxiety was really building up now; I clutched my portfolio so tight I thought I was going to put my fingers through the paper. We reached the top of the stairs and through another doorway was a giant hallway lined with glass windows that showed tons of shoe designs in the room and the designers who were working on them. On the other side were people on computers, each with their own little cubicle. At the end of the hallway on the left was an office door, and Roger knocked on it before opening it cautiously.

     "I have your 3 o'clock here for an interview," he said.

     "Let her on in! Don't hesitate!" I heard a deeper voice say.

     "Alright, you heard him. Go on in Chloe. Good luck!" Roger said. I gave him a nod and a small thank you before walking in the room. Standing behind the desk was no other than Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus. Reminding myself to be professional, I shook their big hands and sat down in front of them. Tom was wearing a crooked forward brown San Diego Padres hat with a green brim, a silver lip ring, a black Macbeth shirt and a pair of long shorts. His hair was a slightly longer, straightened and colored black and his bangs were swept just to the side of his face. Mark, on the other hand, was wearing an Atticus shirt (their other company), long brown shorts and his hair was short and brown, spiked upwards in the front.

     "So, Chloe is it?" Mark said. "Mark Hoppus. Pleasure to meet you."

     "And I'm Tom. I'm more handsome and better than he is. But seriously, I'm more good looking, don't you think?" Tom said, looking down at my application and smirking a little bit.

     I let out a small laugh, not really knowing what to say or how to respond. I mean, they were both really good looking. They took my silence as an answer, and I saw Mark elbow Tom to get him to shut up about the topic.

     "So, you're just about to graduate I see. We've been looking at what you sent us for your portfolio and we're pretty impressed. You can design really well. Most of the other applicants were like teenagers wanting to work with us. I mean that's cool and all, like Tom really digs teens, but we need someone with experience. I see you have a little job experience working part time. But I think you're on the right track for us. For me, at least. Tom's a little harder to convince. Do you have any more of your work with you?" Mark asked, looking into my eyes with his really pretty blue ones.

     "Yes, Mr. Hoppus, I actually brought the rest of my portfolio with me today in case you wanted to see more," I replied, handing him my work that was in a little manila folder. He and Tom scanned my pictures, looking impressed and nodding.

     "So Chloe, what do you think you'd bring to us here at Macbeth?" Tom asked after observing the designs in my portfolio, folding his hands and setting them on the messy desk in front of him.

     "Well, I am really dedicated to my work and I can do a variety of designs. I'm very adaptable to any environment and I enjoy working with people and exploring new things. I don't like to limit myself, because when you limit yourself you are throwing away all kinds of opportunities and possibilities. I'm flexible and am open to learning new things both technologically and career-wise. I think by doing my internship here I'd get a really good idea of how this field would satisfy my career choice, which I'm very enthusiastic about," I replied, wondering how much of an idiot I just sounded like.

     Mark and Tom nodded, both of them looking at me. Tom leaned back in his chair, twirling a pencil in his fingers before dropping it suddenly on the floor. 

     "Dumbass," Mark said under his breath. I heard Tom kick him from under the desk. They grinned, breaking the seriousness of the tension in the room surrounding the three of us.

     "Well, I'm very impressed with your work and I think you would enjoy your time here. We'd love to give you this internship opportunity, if you'd be willing to take it." Mark said, looking back at Tom, who nodded in agreement.

     I could feel my face start to grow warm and my hands start to shake before saying, "yes, absolutely, I'd love to take this opportunity."

     Mark and Tom stood up, gathered my things in the folder and handed it back to me. Mark stuck out his hand, "welcome aboard, Chloe. I'll see you tomorrow at 10 a.m. sharp."

     Tom shook my hand as well, maybe extending it more than a normal handshake. I could feel my knees getting weak, but I stopped myself.

      "Thank you so much, guys," I said, "You will not regret this decision. I promise."

     They smiled and led me out the door. I went back downstairs to the small retail area where I found Roger once again. I told him the good news and that I was excited to start working with him. Once I left the building, I got into my car and left the premises, disregarding the speed limit signs out of excitement as I was more than ready to begin my new internship the following day.