Beside You

Chapter 1

An annoyed groan escapes my mouth as I flip myself over and slam my fist on the snooze button beside me. I arch my back and stretch my tight muscles before letting out a yawn. I push myself into a seated position on the side of my bed and rub my throbbing temples. As I pick up my phone, my heart falls to my stomach at seeing the reminder pop up, alerting me that my interview is in two hours. I had forgotten just long enough to fall asleep peacefully. I slide off the bed and my bare feet pad across the wood floor. I shakily grab my toothbrush and head to the bathroom.

The cold water on my toothbrush is refreshing, but my face in the mirror looks anything but that. Dark circles shadow my tired eyes, emphasizing my exhaustion. Only getting four hours of sleep last night was not ideal, but no amount of tossing and turning was helping me fall asleep. My blonde hair is limp and tangled and my cheeks are red and puffy.

When I return to my bedroom, I step into my closet, trying to decide what to wear to make a first impression. Does this blazer appear too 'try-hard'? Would heels be slutty? A sweater-too boring? I take a few deep, calming breaths in an attempt to calm my nerves. It's just a job interview. There will be more, if need be. I look up and decide on a blazer and black skinny jeans with a pair of nude pumps. I brush through my blonde hair and begin curling it. I add just a touch of eyeliner to bring out the caramel in my eyes, and grab my portfolio. I flip through the pages, making sure everything is as it should be. My high school and college transcripts, my official NHS acceptance paperwork, letters of reccomendation, and several copies of my resume.

I always tense at the thought that my grades will never be as good as others'. I have always been a good student, but never great. I never liked school, at all. Whenever people would ask my favorite subject, I genuinely couldn't decide-they were all terrible. I'd prefer listening to music, or even better-writing it-rather than learning the erosion patterns of rocks or attempting to learn the quadratic formula. I'm not condoning lack of work ethic; I'm just saying that I understand when people say that school isn't their thing.

I recently graduated and moved into an apartment in New York-nothing swanky, but it's always been my dream to live in the Big Apple. While the lack of both vegetation and courtesy may repel some people, I don't mind it. This world we live in is a cold, dark place, so I don't let much get to me.

"Good luck today, Paisley." I look over to see my roommate, Jess, popping her head in the door and squinting at me through tired, dark eyes, and giving me a thumbs up. Her perfectly white smile greets me and I give her one in return, silently thanking her for the encouragement. I met Jess sophomore year of college, and we've been friends ever since. She was offered a job in Manhattan as soon as she graduated, and she knew it was my dream to live here, so we decided to be roommates.

I head out the door and take the four flights of stairs down to the floor level. I pull out my GPS and head in what seems like the right direction. After about five blocks, I see it: Modest Management-the US Branch Headquarters. I swallow the lump in my throat and open the door.