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met this girl yet, and already she was on my bad side. She got Mommy to call in favors ‘cause she couldn’t get a job on her own, and now Connie expected me to jump to her aid the second she waltzed through the doors? Oh, hell no. This spoiled little sorority bitch could wait her god-damned turn like everyone else at this company.
    Kicking out my chair, I heard it crash into the desk behind me as I hit reply to the last message Connie sent me. She may have been the senior administrative assistant, but she wasn’t my boss, and I wasn’t going to take shit from her for doing what I was actually supposed to be doing today.
    After typing out a rant, I paced the room for five minutes trying to calm down, and then read over it again before hitting send. Shit. Now I was the asshole. I deleted everything and went for simple and succinct.
    “Another project took priority. Will be in late tomorrow, but will do the set up first thing when I get in. –G”
    I hit send and powered down before gathering my keys and walking out, mindful to set the alarm before I went. All during my drive home, and even as I ate my spicy chicken sandwich and slurped down my Frostie while laughing along with the ridiculous videos Tosh presented, my mind wouldn’t relax. I couldn’t stop thinking about this yet-to-be-seen girl who had charmed Connie, seduced JT, and made me so pissed I began grinding my teeth again after five years with a mouth guard to stop the bad habit from my childhood. She was under my skin, and not in a good way.
    Well, one thing was for sure: I wouldn’t fall into the same trap as everyone else. This girl was nothing but trouble.
     

CHAPTER SIX

    “I see we didn’t scare you off after your first day,” Connie greeted me. I clutched my to-go coffee cup as I walked through the front doors and furrowed my brows.
    Am I late? Was she waiting for me?
    When I finally had made it home last night, my mother never mentioned hearing from Connie, so I assumed I wasn’t fired yet. Not that I had much hope of surviving the week, but at least I lived to see another day.
    I woke up with the sunrise; my nerves had prevented me from settling into a deep sleep for most of the night. I decided to go for an early-morning run along the beach to de-stress. The whole time I ran, I repeated the mantra, “I can do this, I can do this.” It worked like magic, and now I had half-deluded myself into thinking I was ready to face the day.
    I smiled at Connie, hoping my grin would convince her—and me. “Oh, it was fine. No problems at all.”
    I couldn’t very well admit I sucked big time at this job. If Connie hadn’t heard I was a colossal screw-up by now, I’d have another day to prove myself so I didn’t get fired. I needed the money to pay for books this fall, and I couldn’t stand to see my mother’s face if I did get canned.
    “Well, that’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re catching on so quickly.” She paused, pursing her lips like she was sucking on something sour. “IT said they were sorry they didn’t get to you yesterday, but they’d be by first thing this morning to hook up your computer and get you your login information so you can get started. Afterwards, I’ll have the girls up front know you’re ready to answer the calls on your own.” She patted me on the back, smiling widely with confidence I wished I shared.
    As I settled into my cubicle and put on my headset, I let out a deep breath and prepared for another long day.

    I slept like shit. My late-night dinner had given me mild heartburn. I tossed and turned, knowing I had to get up early. My coxswain would kill me if I showed up late to practice. My crew team had its first meet of the season in a few weeks, which could qualify us for the National Championship, so I needed to be in top condition.
    The alarm on my phone jolted me awake, still in my clothes, spun sideways on the bed with my head and one socked foot hanging off each side. I really needed to change my