Page 3 of Not Just Gal Pals

Heat crept up my face. How the hell could I answer that question in a way that wouldn’t make me sound like a superficial fool after Blake’s response? All my pride and confidence in my work had disappeared. Whether it was due to scandal, being back at high school, or Blake, I wasn’t sure.

I looked out at the crowd, hoping inspiration would hit me, and immediately spotted Mrs. Harding seated in the front row, that familiar look of disapproval on her face. Farther along the row sat the two women from the bathroom, looking similarly unimpressed.

My eyes darted to the tired wooden floor of the stage in front of me, wishing it would open up and swallow me.

“I...um, I…” I took a deep breath. Fuck it. I wasn’t academically brilliant or driven like Blake, but that was okay. “To be honest, I didn’t set out with this career in mind. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn’t have the grades to get into a good college, and I didn’t want to go to one either. All I knew was that I had to see the world.” Get the hell out of Sapphire Springs more like it, but I didn’t think Amanda would appreciate me saying that.

“My aunt, who lived in LA, offered to get me a job working at her friend’s cafe, so I jumped at the chance. I stayed with her until I’d saved enough money to move out. At the cafe, I made friends with some struggling actors who worked there. One night, I went to a party where I met Vanessa Milan. We hit it off, and she offered me a job on the spot as Chris Trent’s personal assistant.” A murmur of excitement rippled among the students as I mentioned the celebrities’ names, and I smiled, feeling more like my usual self.

“Initially, I didn’t know what I was doing. But I learned on the job, and it turned out I was actually pretty good at it. It was while I was working for Chris that I started doing TikTok videos with his dog, Alfie, and then, when I got Walter, with this little guy.” I looked down affectionately at Walter, who’d trundled over to me and was now curled at my feet. “And things kind of...blew up. Before I knew it, Walter and I were being offered advertising deals, invited to parties, and sent a lot of free dog food.” The audience laughed. Seriously, the local dog shelter loved us. We were sent far more food than Walter could ever eat, and I was constantly lugging massive bags of the stuff to them. A wave of guilt washed over me, but I pushed it down. Now was not the time to think about the scandal.

I looked at the students, giving my best reassuring smile. “So, hopefully, that gives you some comfort that even if you’re not sure what you want to do right now, things can just...work out, especially if you’re open to new opportunities. You don’t need to have your whole life planned out. And it’s okay if you don’t want to go to, or don’t get into, college.”

Regardless of recent events, I stood by my words. Society put so much emphasis on academic success, on college, on knowing what you wanted to do by senior year. In other words, on being a Blake. I wanted the kids to know it was fine if they weren’t a Blake, either. I was lucky I had my Mom, who also hadn’t gone to college, as a role model. She’d tried a few jobs, before apprenticing for a builder, a tough gig as a young woman. But she’d worked hard, and eventually gained the skills, experience and savings required to start her own, very successful, construction business. While her career was pretty much polar opposite to mine, she’d always been an inspiration to me.

“Thanks, Jenny. I’m sure our students will find that very reassuring.” Amanda smiled and then turned to Tom, who spoke passionately for over five minutes about his love of cars. I had absolutely no interest in cars, but Tom’s passion was genuine and contagious, so much so I began wondering if he needed any staff. Given my current situation, getting a job wouldn’t be a terrible idea.

“Blake, what’s the highlight of your career so far?”

Blake paused for a moment. “There’ve been so many highlights, but I’d say probably moving back to my hometown to set up its first medical practice.”

“Jenny, what’s your biggest highlight?” Amanda smiled at me.

“Um, maybe the time I met Beyonce at a Grammy’s after-party?” I winced. Way to go not sounding like a superficial fool, Jenny. As soon as it was out of my mouth, I thought of so many better responses: running my own business before turning thirty, signing multi-year sponsorship deals, and using my platform to support animal-welfare charities, advocate for reproductive rights, and other worthy causes.

“And Tom?”

Tom grinned. “I’d say the time I got to work on a 1964 Aston Martin DB. An absolutely stunning car. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

Amanda turned back to Blake. “What are the biggest challenges of your job?”

Blake furrowed her brow. “Giving people bad news is very difficult. And also knowing that you’ve got people’s lives in your hands. If you make a mistake, it really could be life or death.”

Goddamn. How did Blake manage to look so attractive even when she was frowning? There was an intensity to her eyes that was very distracting.

“Jenny?”

It took me a second to realize Amanda was asking for my response. Focus, Jenny.

“While my job is definitely not life or death, there are some challenges. The pressure to constantly think up new creative posts, the unpredictable income, and the trolls.” While they were genuine struggles I faced, they sounded trivial compared to Blake’s challenges.

The rest of the talk continued in that vein. Blake was the poster child for a carefully planned career that she’d tirelessly worked toward achieving. I was the poster child for things just falling into place, for saying yes to opportunities without any higher purpose or grand plan. And Tom…well, Tom was the poster child for pursuing his passions.

Amanda opened it up for questions. The teens asked Blake about how many lives she’d saved (too many to count) and the goriest thing she’d ever seen (she declined to answer). I was grilled about the famous people I’d met (I blanked on most of the celebrities they’d actually care about, like Billie or Harry, and said Adele and Oprah) and if they could get a selfie with Walter (yes). And Tom was quizzed about particular car issues the students had faced (which he answered with enthusiasm). To my relief, I got through the session without any questions about the sponsorship fiasco.

Thirty-eight selfies later—Walter really was the most wonderful, patient dog on the planet—we were finally free of students. I looked around for Amanda and spotted her deep in conversation with Blake in the now almost empty auditorium. I sighed. I wanted to speak to Amanda, but I did not feel like interacting with Blake, especially not after hearing how wonderful she was for the last hour. Lying on my parents’ couch, checking how my latest post had performed, and brainstorming content ideas seemed a much more appealing option. I turned toward the exit. I’d talk to Amanda later. I was two feet from the door when Amanda called my name.

“Jenny!” Damn. I eyed the door with longing before turning around and walking back toward Amanda and Blake.

“You weren’t leaving, were you?” Amanda narrowed her eyes.

“Me? No!” I responded unconvincingly. “Just taking Walter outside to pee.”

“Uh-huh.” Amanda raised her eyebrows, but then her face softened. “Thanks again for stepping in at the last minute. You were great.”

“No problem.” I was genuinely glad I’d been able to share my different career path with the students.

I avoided looking at Blake, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her nod in agreement.