Postgrad Partners

Out and Proud

As soon as the door opened, Tori and Jade were met with hugs from both Piper and Nora. After words of encouragement and apology were exchanged, they gathered around the dining table, prepared to eat re-heated breakfast meat and whatever fruits were still fresh.

In between bites, Tori's eyes fell to her phone on the table, grimacing at the wide cracks on the screen from when she dropped it so suddenly. She tried to tap a message notification from her parents, but to no avail. It was safe to say her poor phone was beyond saving...again. She shook her head and looked up, seeing that Piper was looking straight at her like she wanted to say something.

"Sorry to ask this so suddenly, Tori," Piper cleared her throat to speak clearly, "But how are you feeling now? Are you going to be okay, come tomorrow?"

Tori just shrugged and gave a faint smile, "I'll be okay. There isn't much I can do now, anyway. I'm just gonna keep my head held high and work just as hard as I always have."

Piper smiled and raised her water glass, "Thatagirl! Actually, I was meaning to ask something of you...kind of related to your work."

"Oh?" Tori blinked, setting down her food, "What is it?"

"I want to interview you," Piper took her wallet from her purse and handed Tori a small business card. On the card was clearly printed: Piper Hastings - Independent Journalist. "I never had the chance to tell you two what I do for a living. I studied journalism in college and did some reporting here and there for papers in LA and here in Miami, but I'm a solo act now—well, solo as far as work's concerned~" She passed a wink to Nora, who simply rolled her eyes as she drank from her glass.

"Anyway, when Nora told me that you moved here because of a big record deal you got with Neutronium, I thought it'd be an interesting story to try and cover, but now that I've gotten to know you better...maybe you'd be interested in talking about more than just your singing career?" She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, looking at Tori's contemplative expression for an answer, "But it's okay if you don't want to; I know it's a bit soon, considering..."

"I'll do it," Tori took the card and nodded resolutely, "I want the chance to tell my story on my terms, and I know I can trust you to help me do just that."

Nora and Jade nodded in silent encouragement as Piper grinned back, scribbling something on her notepad. "Great! In that case, let's meet tomorrow morning by the Neutronium offices! I'm sure Nora can arrange a private room all to ourselves?"

"On a Sunday? Sure, nothing odd about that," Nora rolled her eyes again, but nodded. "But Tori, before you do that...you should give your family a call. They've been trying to reach you all day."

"Oh," Tori frowned, imagining how worried they all must be, "I would, but..." She pointed to her broken phone, but Nora flashed a smile in response.

"Well, not to worry. I was supposed to give this to you on Monday, but considering the circumstances..." Nora reached into her bag and handed Tori a small, white box with a familiar tech company logo, "Your new phone, courtesy of Neutronium Records!"

Tori's jaw dropped—though perhaps not as much as Jade's eyes widened—as she took the box almost immediately and opened it to reveal the brand new, pristine-looking smartphone inside. She carefully removed the phone and powered it on, examining every detail from the large camera lens, to the traditional rectangular design, and the sapphire-blue finish on the back with her name engraved along the top.

"Hey, Mom," Jade called, still staring at Tori's new phone, "I got a new job, you know? Right after graduating, too..."

"Oh, Jade! Is that the newest PlayStation next to your TV?" Nora feigned a dramatic gasp, not missing a beat, "That must have cost you quite a lot of money! I'd say you could have easily afforded a new phone if you'd gotten that instead..." Jade simply growled in response, knowing the tone all too well.