I'm not American, nor have I ever been there, so if any kind of descriptions or such are a little wonky, that is why. English is also not my first language so please excuse any grammatical mistakes or just general confusion that might appear language-wise. This is also my very first proper fanfiction so please, give me opinions and ideas! Now, enjoy the first chapter. :)
With a shaking hand I pull the brush through my auburn hair before I leave my apartment, greeted by the chilly february morning. Instantly, my efforts go to waste as strands are lifted by the wind and dance around my face like a teasing fire. I sigh and pull a green beanie on, it doesn't matter if it ruins it even more.
"Great job. Awesome. Way to go Emelie. Just how I wanted to show up on a job interview." I mutter sarcastically as I board the bus, avoiding eye contact with everyone as I as swiftly as possible pick an empty seat in the back of it. Living with social awkwardness, ladies and gentlemen. This is also why I am terrified of this 'new job-new life' thing that's going on. Let me recap for you.
About a month ago, January eighteenth to be precise, a small mail made it's way down my mailbox. It was a notification from YouTube, telling me that the channel Smosh Games Alliance uploaded a new video. I was at the moment on the floor, having trouble breathing and wiping my tears away in a stinky, public bathroom. The video was titled 'NEW SMOSH MEMBER??' and as I sat there, yearning for any kind of comfort, I decided to watch it, not caring if someone walked in and saw me sitting there without headphones, crying and watching youtube. You see, I was at work. Not only was I insanely stressed, which is not very difficult for me to become thanks to my idiotic instabilities, but my boss, that absolutely disgusting pig, first verbally abused me, calling me a 'whore' and a 'naive idiot', and then touched me on the ass on his way out. It wasn't much, I know, but enough to push me and my insecurities over the edge.
The video talked about how Smosh was hiring a new person, similar as to when they hired Mari, and that all you'd have to do was send a mail with your name, past experiences, location and a short motivation, and you might be called to an interview. As you might expect, I wrote a mail, and a crappy one at that. It went somewhere among the lines of "I live close by and I have a really crappy job at a graphic design company where the most creative thing I get to do with my three year education is sort papers". Yep. I sounded pretty grumpy and snooty. You could definitely say, that when yet another mail came last week, calling me to an interview, I was practically hyperventilating. You see, I had a thing now that I haven't had in forever, and that is some proper hope and excitement.
So that's basically why I'm now on a cramped bus, ready to throw up but also not quite able to remove the little smile playing on my lips. I'm going to meet the Smosh-guys. I've been a fan for some time, about two years. I watch as the urban landscape flashes by outside the dirtied window, trying to make time pass faster, but of course, failing. Only when the bus stops a block away from the headquarters (that sounds almost as cool as it is) am I able to focus on something else than the churning of my stomach. Opening the GPS-app on my phone, because you haven't seen me navigate (I seriously got lost in eighth grade gym class. We were in a fifty yards big park with ten trees..), I excitedly type in 'Smosh Games' before smiling dumbly at it and erasing it. It's not going to be that easy. I find the mail and type in the address, before I start walking in the now warmer weather. The sun finally peeks out from behind a cloud, warming my shoulders to the point that I take my thin jacket off. I'm wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, which is basically the only kind of pants I have, and a fairly loose military green shirt tucked into them. A pair of red vans shelter my feet from the moist asphalt as I hurry between the tall buildings. I don't want to be late, and I swear, I had loads of time, but I'm somehow almost late anyway.
A rush of excitement and nauseating nervousness hits me as I look up on the tall building. All I can think of is that there's a lot of cool people in there. With a heavy breath and a determined 'fuck it' inside myself, I grab the handle to the glass doors and pull. Guess what? They didn't open. Sweat breaks through on my temples as I try again in panic. Pushing, pulling, twisting it. I'm going to be late. I only have ten minutes and I still have to find my way through the huge building. Tears push from behind my eyelids and I try my hardest to calm my shaky breathing. Was it all a prank? I knew it was too good to be true. My melancholic thoughts are interrupted by my hand sliding from the handle as the door carefully opens. I slowly look up to see a pair of curious eyes looking at me, chocolatey warm and instantly comforting.
"Are you just going to stay there or do you want to come in?" He asks, cheer present in his bubbly voice as he smiles a cheeky smile. I nod, still not fully looking at him. I'm scared that I'll fangirl or something. He stops me however before I can fully pass through the door he's holding open, reaching out his hand for me to shake. Make a good impression. As soon as I let my eyes scan the big man's face recognition flows through my head.
"Wes." He says politely, not faced by the fact that I haven't said a single word yet. I awkwardly clear my throat, knowing that my voice needs to be awaken.
"Emelie, thanks for letting me in." I send him a smile and I instantly feel better as I watch him cheer up even more. He laughs a very contagious laugh, similar to a child's and I can't help but smile even bigger.
"No problem. You're going to the interview right?" I nod eagerly. Maybe he can show the way and save me from more embarrassment. As if he read my mind, he captures my eyes with those honey warm ones, which to be honest, kind of sends my heart racing a little extra, and speaks up again.
"Well, do you know where you're going?" I smile sheepishly and look at the floor. He's one of the main Smosh guys, he won't have time.
"I was kind of hoping that someone would help me." I say silently, my cheeks burning furiously, almost matching my red vans. A loud laugh echoes next to me and a big hand gives me a playful shove.
"Of course. Come on, it's not far from here." I look up at him and give him a sweet smile that he instantly repays. He always seem to be smiling.
"Thank you." He nods and we walk through the white painted corridors of the building. It's through some small offices and past a couple of rooms before he stops in front of a white door. Next to it is a large window and I can see Ian, Anthony, Sohinki and Joven through it, instantly making me nervous. Warmth and pressure is applied to my shoulder and when I look, Wes is holding it. I glance up at him in surprise.
"I can't follow you in there, but just relax, you'll do fine." I swallow anxiously though I smile at his sweetness.
"But I'm so nervous. What if that's all they can see?" He chuckles, and sends them a playful glare through the window, though they're not looking.
"You make them sound like monsters. They're cool. Besides, you were nervous when you met me too right? And I like you. Now, get in there and show them. Also, don't forget to mention geeky stuff." He jokes and with an appreciative nod, I turn away from him, taking a deep breath and opening the door, instantly bringing all the attention to me. I quickly glance at the clock. I'm late. Something moves behind me as I hesitantly walk in.
"Sorry that I stole her for a couple of minutes. It's not her fault that she's late." Wes says, and the guys nod in understanding. I send him a thankful smile before he closes the door. This is it. I look up at the people who practically will determine my future. Joven smiles kindly, Sohinki... God knows what he's doing. Anthony and Ian looks professional as ever, not really giving anything away. I realise that they're waiting for me to start talking, probably to see if I can take initiative. Be chill. 'Sup bro?' Oh jesus ignore what I said, just go.
"Hi guys." I say with a not over the top cheery voice and a small wave. They greet me back and I'm instantly filled with rushing adrenaline. Maybe I can do this. I hear Lasercorn chuckle as he walks by outside, talking to someone on the phone. It makes me smile. I'm with friends.
"Are you nervous?" Sohinki asks, curiously looking at my silently tapping foot. I make it stop.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't. This is huge, but I'm also very excited." I answer, feeling happy with myself. I'm doing pretty good. Just keep cool now. Sohinki smiles and nods.
"I know that feeling of being new in the office. I didn't have to go through the whole interview thing though."
"Oh yeah you were asked along with Joven and Lasercorn right?" He chuckles but nods again.
"I see you've been doing your research." He jokes and I proudly mention how I've been a fan for some time. It's not something I'm ashamed of.
The interview goes on for another ten minutes with similar back-and forth conversations and questions. It gets to the point where I forget my anxiety and enjoy myself, feeling happy with myself. So when I get the question in the end on how I think it went, I actually went as far as to saying that I'm happy with how I did, even if it isn't enough, and if it is, then I know that I earned it by trying my best. This warm feeling stays with me as I walk out of the conference room. Now that I think of it, I think they recorded an episode of lunchtime with Smosh Games in there. As soon as I close the door behind me, the guys huddle together to decide my destiny. Distracted by this, I almost walk into a beleathered body. A leather jacket on a torso with other words..
"How'd it go?" Wesley asks excitedly and my heart becomes a puddle for a couple of seconds.
"You waited for me?" I ask surprised. Like, what the hell? We just met! He must meet dozens of possible co-workers every day. Or maybe he's assigned the job of taking care of them?
"Of course, you seemed so nervous and I'm genuinely curious on how it went." Oh. Oh. If this was someone else, not Wes and not me, I would totally ship it. I smile at him, finally able to relax a little.
"I honestly think it went pretty good. If I don't get the job then I just wasn't good enough. I definitely did my best." I say, slightly puzzled over how much comfort I feel around this man that I don't really know. Wes smirks as an idea cartoonishly pops into his head.
"That's great, it really is. Would you mind waiting here for a minute before I follow you to the door?" I shake my head with a raised eyebrow but on the inside I'm smiling like a little child. I never asked him to help me out. Such a gentleman.
Wes nods and hurries inside the room I just excited, making the four men lift their heads at the same time, looking quite comical. He walks over to them and while I try not to peek, I see him confidently say something very similar to 'I like her'. I turn my head away before I can see anymore and shake my head at the silly smile that spread on my lips. He might as well have said 'I don't like her' you know. Not even the self conscious, sarcastic part of me really manages to bring me down. I feel on top of myself today. Wes soon exits and follows me through the corridoors, making jokes all the way to the main exit.
"Well. Good luck, and you'll probably get an answer in a couple of weeks." He says, a little less cheery, which is very understandable as he just basically said 'there's a very small chance that you'll get the job here but I sort of hope you do'. At least I hope that's what he meant.
"Thank you Wes, I hope I'll see you around." I smile sadly, knowing it's been one cool adventure but that I probably won't get to return. Wes nods, muttering something like 'I do too' before waving and closing the door.
And I start the long journey back with a lot on my mind.