What Are the Odds?

2.

; Juliet ;

The lights are bright and I feel something wet drip down my cheek. There's a smooth, slime-like object gliding across my face that wakes me with a jolt. To my right, I see Jasper wagging his small tail, looking at me like I was a piece of meat. The sound of my yawn scares him, making him bark at me but I could care less. I pet his tiny, slobber-covered face and stretch my arms. My room is miraculously clean as I look around. Jasper hasn't bitten anything and everything is where it should be. I smile– it's going to be a good day. I feel it.

–

Twenty minutes of procrastinating and two cups of coffee later, I'm out the door and back into freezing New York. My coat doesn't keep me as warm as I'd like, and you'd think that my coffee would stay hot for longer than a couple minutes. My steps are quick and my strides are long as I walk through the busy streets. The ultimate goal is to get to work as soon as possible, without being late and definitely without witnessing a snowstorm. It's my first job and I'm still relatively new– working at one of the most renown ad agencies in the world, being punctual is a must. One second late to anything and you can be dropped right there and then. At Carter International, we do everything from ads to covering high-end events. We're almost our own magazine, if not for the magazines that hire us to do their work. So we're pretty much a classy, high profile photo company.

A couple smiles at me when we make awkward eye contact, and so does the grouchy group in the alley by my building. Even the hot dog guy at the corner of my block waves at me as I'm about to cross the street. Is everyone in this city having an already amazing day? It's only nine, and it's freezing. Maybe it's something in the air, I think. The idea quickly leaves my head as my walk turns into a jog in attempt to get to work faster; but mostly to keep warm. My eyes wander to the countless clothing brands and see a photo my friend took on the side panel of a display case. It makes me proud, seeing as we've only been with the company for less than a year.

I slow down on my jog as I see my office tower come to view, and a moment of gratitude washes over me as I silently thank whatever higher power blessed me with an apartment complex ten minutes away. With my arms almost turning to popsicles, I rush inside the lobby for warmth. My body adjusts to the temperature almost immediately. Matt at reception sees me as I walk in and waves excitedly. From what I've heard, he's developed a small crush on me; it's cute, seeing as he's only nineteen. Last week, he saw me outside waiting for a cab in this damn weather and came out with his coat.

He leaves his station behind the black marble desk and walks right past the people waiting in white leather seats. A big smile is plastered on his babyface as he greets me.

"Good morning, Claire! Can I get you anything?" He asks while taking my coat.

"Hey, Matt." I laugh, "You don't need to get me anything, nor do you need to get my coat. You're the receptionist, not my assistant."

The way the tips of his ears turned red caught my attention– how cute, he's blushing. "I know, I just want to be helpful." What he says almost comes off as a mumble. I assure him that guiding people to where they need to be and making sure our clients are comfortable in the waiting area is help enough before making my way to the elevator.

The watch on my wrist reads 9:20, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, this day will definitely be a good one. Smiles all around, and 10 minutes to spare before being late. The lift moves upward at a snail's pace, and it doesn't help that we stop at pretty much every floor. Why must we be on the thirty second story? Patience is not my strong suit. It doesn't help that the man who stood next to me dressed like a million bucks but smelled like he showered in sewer water. However, I forbid this to ruin my mood, despite the man bumping me, causing me to spill some coffee on my white jeans. He apologizes profusely, which I chuckle to. I tell him that it's alright, that it can be easily removed with soap and water. In a weird fashion, he bows and leaves on his floor.

What seems like a half an hour later, I'm finally at the office. Leila welcomes me at the front desk– the term "welcomes" being taken loosely, seeing that she grumbled it under her breath. The secretary didn't know much of the word "decent". The heeled ankle boots that cover my feet click against the white tiles of the floor making an immensely satisfying sound. Co-workers rush past me holding papers that are long overdue. They really need to learn to manage their time, I think to myself.

I push my office door open with my free hand and the smell of warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies fills the air. My first instinct is to run over and swallow them all in one go, but I know better. Plus, I'm classy. I make my way behind the table and dial for Nina. When she picks up, I request that she pays me a visit right this moment. Shortly after, I'm saying "come in" to the knocker at my door.

"Good morning, Miss Claire!" Nina greets happily, stepping into my office and onto the fluffy center rug.

"For the thousandth time, call me Juliet! I think we're on that level now." I wink as I grab a cookie off the plate. "I just paged to say thank you for the treats, I absolutely adore your baking."

"Of course, and uhm, did you just moan?" She laughs, taunting my reaction to the mouth-watering pastry.

"Okay, leave. Get out. Now!" My face could barely keep straight as she laughs loudly on her way out.

Situating myself on the seat, I admire the New York skyline while munching on my cookie. How did I find such an amazing job? Junior photographer at a huge company, in just a matter of months! Things are looking up for me. The sound of a notification removes me from my thoughts and the iMac that sits on my table lights up. An e-mail from my boss appears and reveals to me the schedule for the day. What needs to be done and when it needs to be done. I forward the email to Nina before doing anything and immediately get to the first thing on the list– make a report of my last photoshoot.

–

A few hours later, I finish typing out the last sentence of another report. It's long, detailed, and all about a conceited little upcoming star. Honestly? I give this boy a couple months of fame. This time next year, people would've forgotten about him. I mean, it's show business. It's bound to happen, right? A knock on my door distracts me from thinking further, and Nina's head pops in. Before saying a word, her eyes trail to the now empty plate where the cookies sat. She laughs as she focuses her attention back to me.

"Juliet? Mrs. Carter is calling, something about an emergency shoot? I'm not sure, she sounds panicked, though." My eyes almost pop out of my head at this. She couldn't even say anything more than that as I was out the door in less than two seconds.

It's chaos when I step into the hallway. Everyone is running around; light equipment is hitting people's backs and interns are standing flat against the wall looking like a deer caught in headlights. On a regular day, I would laugh at the sight, but not right now. Not when the head of the company is having a field day. Quickly, I run to Ellis, or Mrs. Carter's office. It's a struggle to dodge other co-workers in the narrow hallway, but I somehow manage to escape the circus in one piece. Without knocking, I enter the room to see Ellis on multiple phones, screaming to whichever poor soul is on the other side. She doesn't notice my presence until she puts both phones down and starts rubbing her forehead. She seems to move in slow motion as she sits in her, as she likes to say, "big boss chair".

"Juliet," She calls, and I obey like a puppy as I walk over. "We have huge, huge clients on the way. I can't be bothered to remember their names, but this would be an enormous win for our company if we can pull this off." I can practically see that this woman was about to explode, but she kept composure anyway. "One of our interns took the call and neglected to take note or inform anyone of today's celebrity agenda. They are fifteen minutes away and because our senior photographer is out, I need you to step in. Can you do that?"

I stood there, shocked at her words. Can I?! It's only been months that I've been working here, and I haven't done a shoot by myself! The senior photographer was always there to observe and teach. But now, it all depends on what comes out of my mouth next. My response could make this company better or break it down with one negative comment. If these people are as big as she says they are, and I fail, I may lose my job. Despite knowing this, I shock myself with what comes out of my mouth.

"Yes."