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Jessica
The notification sound from my computer scares me more than it should have. “Deep breaths,” I repeat, looking around my tiny apartment. My eyes dart to everything but the purple laptop.
I take another calming breath. “Here goes nothing.”
My phone rings before I can open the email. Relief washes over me as I pick up the small device.
“Hello?”
“Did you get it?” Chloe asks. Only my best friend would be more excited than me about my possible job.
“It just came in,” I whisper, even though I’m the only one here.
“Well?”
“I’m checking!” I slide across the trackpad and click on the bold subject line. My eyes move faster than my brain By the time I’m halfway into the letter, my head catches up.
The edges of my lips fall as I watch the screen. It takes a few moments for Chloe’s voice to register in my mind. By now, she has guessed what the news is.
“I’ll be right there.”
Chloe knows me more than most people, so she appears at my front door with the biggest tub of ice cream she could find. I don’t budge from my spot on the bed until I hear her knocking.
I open the door to her soft, sad smile. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the job,” she says.
I let out a sigh, shrugging. “It’s fine. This is only the sixth refusal in two months.”
She moves past me, her blonde hair brushing under my nose as she passes. She rushes to my bed and closes the laptop before sitting on it.
When I sit down with her, she hands me a plastic spoon. The tub of ice cream is opened to reveal creamy goodness. As I take a scoop of vanilla, all that appears in my mind is the rejection letter.
“I thought for sure I would get this one,” I sigh.
“Did you, though?” I look up, not bothering to hide my surprise. My mouth forms a gasp, making Chloe roll her eyes. “I don’t mean it like that,” she states quickly.
“What do you mean, then?”
A little groan. “Jess, I love you, but you’ve been doing this since you got to New York. I know there are a lot of opportunities here, and it’s a bigger place for business than Bennington, but still…you may need to slow down.”
I shoot her a confused look, still not catching on to where she's going with that.
“I’m saying maybe it’s time to aim for a job in your weight class. It’s nice you’re reaching out to only big companies, but let’s face the truth—those places will most likely not give the time of day to someone fresh out of college with no experience.”
Her words fly around my room before hitting me. “What should I do then?” I gasp, surprised that she might have a point.
“Try something a little more reachable,” she suggests. “Something more entry-level.”
I blow out a harsh breath as my eyes fall on the pile of bills on my nightstand. They are long overdue, and I don’t have any way to pay them.
If applying for bottom-of-the-ladder roles in smaller firms lands me a job, then I’m game.
“I guess you’re right,” I inhale deeply. “At this point, I don’t mind becoming a cleaner just so I can have some money in my pocket.”
Chloe shakes her head in disapproval. “Of course not. It hasn’t gotten to that. No offense to cleaners, but you are going to get an entry-level position soon.”
“I hope so.”
