I was late. So very late.
"You better run Reed!" The guy yelled, laughing as I escaped the alleyway. Alex Myers: a kid I used to go to school with and the biggest jerk I know. I was innocently walking down the road when him and his buddies found me. Just my luck, right? It's fortunate that I'm quick, so they didn't feel like giving chase.
My chest was heaving by the time I got to my destination, but I ignored it in favour of greeting the group of people gathered in front of me. "Uh hi, sorry I'm late." I greeted unceremoniously, awkwardly smiling at all of the stares directed towards me.
The group consisted of an older man and a bunch of people who looked fresh out of high school. The man stepped forward, an oddly warm smile on his face, "Can I help you kid?" I frowned at the patronising nickname.
"I'm here for the internship. The flyers said the application day was today." I stated and I hated the look of surprise on his face.
"Okay, right. Of course! We can discuss.. this.. more after the tour. I'm Captain Bobby Nash and welcome to the 118." His introduction was well-practiced and I wouldn't be surprised if he had said it a hundred times before. I only nodded in reply, choosing to ignore the surprise in his tone and body language. Honestly, could I not catch a break around here?
The group of people turned their noses up at me, glaring meanly. I gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave when I saw the captain's back was turned.
We spent the next half an hour getting a tour of the main parts of the station, avoiding the upstairs lounge where I presume his team of firefighters were. I couldn't deny the place was cool and, if I managed to get the internship, I would be more than happy to spend my days here.
Besides, an internship can't be that hard. I'd probably have to make some coffees and help them with paperwork, which was easy enough for me to handle.
Now, we had a short period of time to look around the firetrucks and the ambulances. Wisely, I had chosen to steer clear of my fellow candidates and opted to look at the firetruck off to the side of everything else. I glanced around, seeing nobody watching me, and opened up the door.
There were a number of seats back here and a bunch of other things I probably shouldn't be touching. It didn't stop my curiosity from shining through and opted for climbing inside. My hands gently picked up a headset and I turned it over in my hand, thinking about the myriad of conversations held in this one object.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you curiosity killed the cat?" The voice made me jump and my eyes darted to the man stood by the door.
His words registered in my head a second later, my mind clearly lagging behind from the surprise. "Wasn't it satisfaction that brought it back?" I answered, watching his lips quirk up in a smile.
A short chuckle and then he was climbing in to sit beside me. He outstretched his hand and I paused, nervously shaking it after a moment.
"Eddie Diaz."
"Cooper Reed."
Our introductions were short and not all that sweet, but the firefighter was being friendly. He carried a warm, paternal sort of feel to him and I would hazard a guess to say he had experience with young kids.
"How'd you get the black eye?" He gestured to my face and I awkwardly pressed a few fingers to it, flinching at the sting. "Walked into a pole." I lied easily.
Eddie didn't believe me, I could tell from his expression. Thankfully, he chose not to push me and I was somewhat grateful. It must not be easy to withhold asking questions when someone walks in with a black eye expecting to be a suitable candidate for an internship.
"Cap was just about to start rounding everyone up to come meet the team. I figured it would be better for me to find you before he realises you're snooping in his truck." Eddie winked, letting me know he was just teasing.
A small smile breached my lips and I shrugged, "I wouldn't say it was snooping, but rather my impulsive curiosity." I defended. Eddie laughed and I internally breathed a sigh of relief for making a good first impression.
We exited the truck and he led me to the rest of the group gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Captain Nash raised an eyebrow at his team member, but decided not to comment verbally.
The others in the group didn't look happy to see me, even though I hadn't actually spoken to any of them yet. Oh well, haters gonna hate.
We went upstairs and I admired the comfortable seating and kitchen area. It looked like someplace you'd call a home. Eddie gave me a smile before he brushed past to sit with the rest of his team, taking his place next to a man of similar height and stature.
"Team, meet the candidates. Candidates, meet the team. I trust them to introduce themselves as they speak to you and any questions feel free to ask. These are the firefighters on A Shift, so you'll be interning with us more frequently than any other shift." Captain Nash explained.
We nodded along, standing awkwardly as we waited to be told where to go. The captain stepped to the side, giving no indication of what the candidates or his team should do next.
Since everyone lost the ability to speak, I made eye contact with Eddie and shifted my head to the side. Upon seeing my gesture, he chuckled quietly and stood up from his seat. Everyone stared in shock as we walked over to the kitchen, leaning against the counters to chat.
"You'd think we were aliens." I whispered to him, sharing a grin with the man. This seemed to snap the others out of their stupor and conversation began picking up across the room. People gathered in groups, but nobody seemed to bother Eddie and I in the kitchen.
I thanked him as he handed me a glass of water, "We've got ice if you want it." Eddie offered. "For my eye or my drink?" I replied back, genuinely unsure which he was referring to. The comment seemed to humour the man, as he laughed loudly.
A throat cleared beside us and I gave an awkward look to the man, "Captain Nash." I greeted politely. I was raised to be a gentleman towards people, unless that person was a prick. "Please call me Bobby or Cap, either is fine." He insisted and I nodded.
"Your accent, it's not american is it?" He asked and I grinned at Eddie's confused look. "No, I'm from England originally. My family moved us here when I was eleven and I haven't ever left." I explained.
I tried to cover up my accent to the best of my ability, since it was a common target for bullying. But there were some words that really exposed my English origin. "And how old are you exactly?" Eddie chimed in and I faintly rolled my eyes.
"Sixteen."
They both paused, giving each other a look that I couldn't decipher. "This internship, I'm sorry. But you have to be eighteen and out of high school." Bobby stated and both men looked genuinely sorrowful.
I didn't falter though. "I thought you might say that, so I came prepared. None of the flyers stated a minimum or maximum required age and it wasn't stated on any official website either. A ten year old could have walked in here and still be eligible for the position, so my age doesn't affect whether I get this internship or not. And if you're concerned about my schooling, I have to do all of my schooling online apart from two in-person sessions every month." If you hadn't noticed already, I had a tendency to ramble on when I got nervous. It happened when I was excited too, but this specific ramble was related to nerves.
It was almost funny how these two grown men were stunned into silence. "Why are you in online school?" Out of all of the information I just gave, that was that Eddie focused on?
I lowered my head, somewhat shamefully, and lowered my volume to a murmur. "Kept getting into trouble, so they thought it'd be better for everyone to have me do my work away from class." I was embarrassed, but I had nobody else to blame except myself.
Bobby wasn't trying to be rude with his statement and yet it still rubbed me the wrong way, "Trouble? In a job like ours we have to be cautious of trouble." I clenched my jaw.
"I know. But I'm trying to get away from it. I got a warning off record and if something happens again then I'll get a punishment on record. They told me to find something to keep me out of trouble and that's what I'm trying to do. All I'm asking for here is a chance." I'm troublesome. That's a fact I cannot and will not deny, but I can't risk getting a criminal record for my behavior.
That would make things even harder for myself.
Neither one of us said another word after that, opting to mix in with the other candidates and firefighters. I spotted Eddie and Bobby giving each other looks once in a while or even checking up on me.
I hadn't been as chatty with the others as my previous conversation knocked me out of my confident, chatty facade. Now I was back to quiet, closed-off Cooper that everyone knew too well.