Chase and Company

Chapter One: Home Runs and Runs at Home

        My body jolted up as I was woke up to Tangled’s “When Will My Life Begin” blasting at full volume from the dock my phone was charging in. I looked around at my spacious room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I squinted at the dock as I checked the time. 8:01 a.m. on a Saturday morning. A dizzy spell over took me and I held a hand up to my pulsing temple.

         Just like every morning, my first thought was, Ugh coffee.

        Breathing deeply and exhaling through my nose, I slowly slid out from my beloved king-size. Not even bothering to slip on my T-Rex slippers, I relished the cool touch of the wood floor on my bare feet while I padded softly to the kitchen.

        Eyes zeroed in on the coffee machine, I barely noticed my parents at the dining table eating breakfast. Aside from their pajamas, they matched in the satin bathrobes I gave them on their anniversary, personalized with their initials.

        “Good morning, Shay.” My dad greeted me, tearing his eyes away from his tablet to look at me, oblivious to my incapacitated state.

        After I poured coffee into my purple mug and stirred in creamer, it wasn’t until I downed a third of it did I address my father. “Hey dad,” I mustered to say immediately after another gulp.

        My mother smiled at me as I leaned against the island. “How was grad night?” she asked.

        I raised my eyebrows as I looked at her over the mug that was brought to my lips. “It was great. But you know, it wasn’t Disney World or anything.” I responded with a smile, seeing how I was now fully awake. My parents laughed at my mentioning of my love for Disney. I’m not one who claims to be obsessed and tries way too hard to prove it though, Disney just makes me happy. “But yeah, I loved dancing through the park, it just got really tiring around two in the morning.”

        Chuckles subsiding, my parents looked at me again. “Well, I’m glad you had a great time to kick start your awkward transition of a summer.” My dad said, referring to the big changes that come with moving on from high school and to college.

        “I can already tell, you’re going to have so much fun, Shay.” My mom agreed. “Just don’t have too much fun.” She winked my way.

        I laughed at her implication. “Right, as if I’m the kind of teenager who likes to run wild.”

        “Better do it while you still can.” My father said, quite serious, as if this was my last summer to do anything exciting.

        I raised an eyebrow at his expression. “If you say so. I’m going to go tidy up and then I have to leave later, so enjoy your day and let me know if y’all need anything.”

        They both smiled and nodded, going back to their meal. It wasn’t unusual for any of us to give a sort of parting message and farewell to each other. My parents were businesspeople and therefore took frequent trips out of town and spent long hours at work or working on their laptops. I don’t complain about any of it, their jobs provide me with everything I need, and not seeing each other all the time meant less annoyance for everyone.

        Pouring myself another cup of coffee and placing a blueberry muffin on a plate, I carried my breakfast into my room, setting it on my bedside table. Seeing as I was cleaning, I saw no reason to change out of my pajama shorts and oversized shirt. After clearing my desk and vanity of products and miscellaneous items, I made my bed and sat on it, criss-cross applesauce with my laptop in front of me. I sat for a minute, still unbelieving that high school ended and graduation was the day before. I checked my email and saw a message from the university I was going to be attending in the fall.

        It was really quite convenient, really. With Manhattan two hours away, I had a sort of small-town girl kind of upbringing in the small but rich city of Lakefield, but I wasn’t ignorant of the world around me. I was determined to break into business, not only becoming as successful as my parents, but hoping to surpass them. The university was one of the best in the nation and I had plans to move into the city so that I could be closer to both work and school.

        Clicking on the email, I began to read:

        Dear Ms. Evans,

                I would like to first congratulate you in your completion of high school. The university looks forward in seeing you this fall. I would also like to acknowledge your obtainment of a place in our prestigious Business program.

                As part of the guidelines and program requirements, it is necessary for students to obtain experience in business. Therefore, the program assigns their participants with internships at corporations and businesses within the city. All students must remain working at their assigned workplace until graduation. This is of utmost importance as this will greatly heighten your chance in working permanently at the company of your internship, should you choose to stay.

          I am pleased to inform you that your assigned business is none other than Chase and Company. Although this is an internship, you must still go through the procedures of an interview as the company will decide to keep you as their designated intern. Please attend your scheduled appointment tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.

        Best of luck,

        Ms. Barbara Hall

        Director of the Honors Business Program

        I leaned back on my pillows, stunned. First off, the email made it feel real. I’m actually going to college. I’m entering the adult world. Where’s my muffin?

        Taking a bite of the pastry, my eyes widened at the thought of my internship. I was beyond blessed with the opportunity. I had definitely hit a home run with Chase and Company. They were a multi-national business with a focus on fashion and style, and known for their own designer clothing line and department stores in practically every mall in America. Not only were they successful in the retail and fashion industry, but on the stock market as well. Forget home runs; I was the pitcher and I just had a no-hitter.

        But I wasn’t interested in the fashion, unlike most girls. I wanted to be behind the scenes, in the nitty gritty of sales and business. I grinned to myself. I vowed to not only score the internship, but rise to the top of Chase and Company. By the time graduation rolled around, I’d be home free, hopefully with a stable career and dental care.

        My stomach gurgled and my smile was wiped off of my face. Realizing that I may or may not have just drank forty two ounces of coffee in under twenty minutes, I bolted to my en suite.

        Forget home free and home runs, I just have the runs.

~~~

Author's Note:

        Hi, I just wanted to say, the beginning of this story is not great, but, I beg of you, stick with it! I do sincerely feel that my writing gets a lot better as the story progresses.

        And don't get put off by the short lengths of the first few chapters, please! My chapters get exponentially longer and much more detailed!

        Thank you for clicking/tapping on this book, I love you for life now,

        Lawr