No Matter What

1 | friends

Alexandra

Life can really go downhill when you literally don't have one. It was quite difficult for a homeless person, much like myself to get any social status when all I did was walk around and ask for money. And much more when you want to hide away in your tent. Being young and female, I've been mistaken many times for a prostitute. It's disappointing, yes, but it's also reality. So money has been a hard thing to come by, but that was up until the day that Merla performed a miracle. Merla was the kind, elderly homeless lady who took me in at a young age. It was definitely not the kind of lifestyle that I wanted to grow up in, but it was all I had.

Besides, without Merla, I wouldn't have landed such an amazing internship at Wilshire Real Estate. Butterflies fluttered throughout my stomach as I stepped foot into the lobby of the beautiful and tall building. My breathing hitched at the beautiful interior. I'd never been obligated to work - or even step foot in - such a well-designed place. I looked above and all around me as other people walked to and fro each direction, my brown hair swaying around. I looked at the ground, admiring how my new, $10 shoes tapped on the marble floors. It intrigued me quite a bit, since I was gazing at the ground for a few moments, moving my feet in random ways until I heard someone awkwardly calling my fake name.

"Ellie Northstern?" I heard a female voice call. I looked up to find a smiling blonde trying to catch my attention. I blushed in embarrassment as I shuffled over to her.

"Yes, that's me," I responded.

"Awesome. I'm Piper. You're here for the internship, correct?"

I nodded shyly in response.

"Perfect. I'll bring you up to our floor."

I smiled at her gratefully as she led me to the elevators. I stepped in, jumping slightly at the sight of the doors closing and the elevator beginning to move beneath my feet. I'd never been in an elevator before.

"Never been in an elevator before?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

Panic kicked in once I realized my actions. "Of course I have," I said, laughing nervously.

I blushed as I looked at the floor in embarrassment, just as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. I followed Piper and onto a wide spread room - the entire floor - filled with cubicles, chatter and people.

"Follow me," Piper said. I hadn't realized that she began to walk through the cubicles; I was too busy looking around. I guess I got distracted easily. I eagerly followed Piper through the cubicles.

The walls of the cubicles were all over one metre tall, each had someone working on the computer. Piper stopped at an empty cubicle.

"This is your cubicle. If you need anything, I'll just be next door." She sent me a genuine smile before moving over to the next cubicle and sitting down. I stepped in my own, examining everything.

It felt desolate. Everyone else's were filled with family photos and other personal items. I frowned. I didn't have a family, and barely any belongings. There was a clipboard, a notepad, a few pens, and a computer on my desk. I sat down and stared at everything, not knowing where to begin. Apparently, I was staring for too long because a male voice sounded behind me.

"You know, work doesn't get done by itself." I froze. That most definitely did not sound like Piper.

I turned to the source of the voice. Behind me stood a man in his mid-twenties in a baby blue dress shirt with a black tie, matching black pants and shiny dress shoes. He leaned against the cubicle wall, his dirty blond hair perfectly done on his head. His featured face was shaved, his brown eyes gazing at my matching ones with a smirk playing on his lips. I almost swooned from the sight of him standing before me.