-Eric-

The weekend came and went like a blur.

It was a tedious, yet productive time, all things considered. I managed to get enough studying in, though at the grievous renouncement of any and all forms of enjoyment. There were brief reprises of mindless indulgence here and there, such as when I coerced Mason into bringing me a deep-dish pizza on his way back to the dorm; however, most of my free time was spent trying to finish assignments and—ugh—reviewing my notes.

And really, I doubt I could've managed that on my own with how distraught I felt. So, the weekend was mostly spent at the nearby coffee shop with Ricky and Mel, who might as well just sign my adoption papers at this point.

They were already planning to study there since Mel also had an upcoming exam, though I was lucky they chose one that was nearby: she liked their brew and the wi-fi was strong. So, I decided to be a shameless third-wheel and walk over to meet them. Hell, it didn't even take much convincing on their part, especially when Mason was spending every non-waking hour out of the dorm. That damn simp.

Still, I couldn't pretend I'd gone in good faith.

To be quite frank, part of me had sort of expected there to be far too many distractions to focus, and perhaps I had even hoped for that too, deep down. And so, imagine my surprise when everyone was relatively quiet and the coffee tasted good?

That obviously didn't stop me from trying to waste time, though Ricky was surprisingly good at keeping us in check. The first time I tried to sideline our progress by suggesting we go watch a movie, he smacked me upside the head.

Which was rude, yes.

The second time, however, he thankfully avoided violence and encouraged us through the blitheful promise of free food at the Korean BBQ across campus. All for the small price of shutting the fuck up and focusing. And considering Ricky was not the type to just treat people very often, I most definitely jumped at the idea.

So, yeah... studying went well. And the meat was delicious.

I made sure to send Ricky a thank you text after leaving class on Monday, the exam having gone a lot better than I expected. The only problems I couldn't quite figure out hadn't even been in our notes, so I counted that as the professor's error and washed my hands of it...

Thank you, King, I messaged Ricky while leaning against the side of the building, chuckling when he replied with a dry ass thumbs up emote. He was likely still in class right now, so I let it slide.

I also thanked Mel, who at least had the decency of congratulating me and spamming me with adorable cat emotes. You got this too, legend, I texted back about her afternoon exam, grinning to myself when she confidently agreed. What an icon.

Suddenly, I heard a soft groan of disillusion and glanced up, awkwardly waving at Linh as she successfully escaped the class's clutches and joined me outside. Unfortunately, she looked downright defeated, clinging onto her bag's strap for dear life.

"Tell me to drop the class," the poor girl pleaded, perhaps a bit too loudly considering we were just outside the class and definitely within the professor's earshot. "I can't carry on."

I released a weak chuckle while tugging her along and away from the open door, patting her back sympathetically. "I can't do it in good conscience," I replied. "The cut-off for withdrawals was, like, a week ago."

Linh sighed in annoyance. "They timed that shit on purpose, huh?"

I nodded my head in agreement, snorting when she took out her study guide and started to dutifully cross-check her answers from memory. And honestly, it seemed like the kind of thing I would typically do as well. She did seem pleased at most of the pages, though that expression only lasted for so long. "Should I be scared? You usually get higher marks than me," I asked, chuckling nervously.

Linh just shrugged, yawning under her breath before sitting at one of the nearby benches. "We didn't even cover some of the shit they brought up."

I gasped. "Right?"

Lihn glared down at her guide, grumbling about a few answers before shoving the paper back into her bag. When she glanced up, she seemed ready to head home for the day, which would've been an issue considering we also shared next class.

I shook my head, glancing down at my phone. My class wouldn't be for a bit longer, since we'd been let out early. "Let's go get breakfast."

"Let's do that, yeah," she replied while lighting up, a grateful expression on her face.

---

I got off the bus, sighing in frustration.

After hanging out with Linh and moderately focusing through my second class of the day, I had foolishly convinced myself that I was ready for whatever happened at work. I'd hopped onto the bus rather confidently, my heartbeat steady and my mind not yet drifting aimlessly through pessimistic scenarios.

"Maybe you won't even cross him," I reminded myself while entering through the open, glass doors. It didn't matter that Shawn wanted me dead if he never saw me, right? And, all in all, there was no way someone with his job title and pay grade just had the time to hang around, ready to ruin a random dude's life.

Nah, he was probably insanely busy and didn't even remember my name anymore. I was clearly getting worked up over nothing.

"Name?" a man abruptly asked from behind the main reception, pulling me from my thoughts. The secretary was formally dressed in a light blue dress shirt and black slacks, his brown hair slicked back away from his face. He was also on the phone while shooting me a curious glance, seeming a tad bit wary about my presence.

"Does someone else work Fridays?" I asked while reading over his plaque. Paul.

I was almost certain that I'd spotted someone else on Friday, but that didn't have to mean anything negative. Perhaps they had different schedules? After all, there was no way—

"Yeah, we can definitely make that work. Thank you so much, Eileen!" He cheerfully proclaimed it into the phone while staring blankly ahead, forcing a fake laugh before rolling his eyes. "That'll be all? Oh, no worries! Just to confirm, it'll be next Wednesday at 3pm!"

I frowned.

"Mhm! Have a blessed day!"

I warily glanced around as he exchanged a few final pleasantries over the phone and then finally hung up, his eyes never once leaving me. And I had no real reason to think so, but I felt... slightly judged? I tugged on my hoodie, realizing that, once again, I was slightly under-dressed.

"What do you need?" Paul asked after finally hanging up, forcing a smile.

"I—"

"Appointment time?" Paul cut off.

I chuckled weakly. "N-no, not that. I actually—"

"Also, he did cover a few days, but he was fired on Friday," Paul supplied monotonously, frowning to himself as if he hadn't fully processed the implications of that. Though, he quickly brushed it off in favor of glaring at me. "Anyways, do you have an appointment or not?"

I opened my mouth to reply, except that Jacqueline chose that precise moment to pop up out of thin air, patting my back before turning towards Paul. "He's our new intern, Paul! Be nice to him, alright?"

Paul shrugged, but nodded his head in reluctant agreement.

"Can I order him around, then?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Nope! But you can make him a pass," Jacqueline retorted, not missing a beat.

"Noted," Paul replied before curiously glancing at me. "Pick it up on your way out."

I just darted my eyes between them, unsure of what to make of any of this. I nodded my head just as Jacqueline started pulling me towards her office, flashing a sheepish smile and waving at Paul as I went. He didn't seem very nice, but I couldn't really blame him. The last time I'd worked customer service, I'd nearly lost my sanity.

---

"Eric, my sweet child," Jacqueline started after we were in her office, settling down on her chair before looking up at me quizzically. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I certainly felt at a loss for words when she asked, "How do you feel about prison?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at that, conflicted by her question. "Uhhh... never been."

"No, no. How do you feel about going to a federal prison?" she corrected herself while glancing down at her watch, impatiently tapping her foot. Except, her correction didn't help at all. "It's kind of important."

"Yes?" I tried, unsure if she was legitimately asking me to break the law for her. Was I being hazed?

"You seem unsure."

"Are—are we killing someone?" I replied in a hushed tone, my eyes widening in disbelief. If we were, would it really be reckless enough that she couldn't get us out of it? "How many years are we talking?"

Jacqueline stared at me like I'd grown a second head, sizing me up and down before slowly realizing what I was implying. And as soon as she did, she burst out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief. "Visiting! We'd be visiting, Eric! I need to go meet a client."

I sighed out in relief, yet nodded my head with as much feigned confidence as I could muster. I'd never really visited a prison before, but how bad could it be? "I—I can do that."

She looked at me for a moment, really looked at me, before slowly shaking her head. I started to protest, but she just waved me off. "Nevermind. You're staying here," she suddenly declared, getting up as if there was nothing left to discuss.

I scoffed. "N-no, why? I—I'm not a child."

She gave me an unimpressed look, patting my shoulder. "I really don't want to potentially scar you on your first day here. Besides, there's some training you'll need to go through. It was in one of the e-mails, and I guess you didn't have time to go through it over the weekend?"

"You—you don't know that," I bluffed, which she didn't buy at all.

"Eric..."

I flashed a sheepish, guilty smile. Yeah, no, not at all.

"Just take any calls that come in, help Paul with anything he may need, and study the documents Ira had sent you," she ordered before signaling towards my desk. "Is that understood?"

I just nodded my head, trying not to show my disappointment. I didn't need to be babied, really. Though, perhaps she did have a point about easing me into things. "Fine."

She smiled. "Nice. I'll be back, alright? Paul is at the front if you need help. He doesn't bite; I promise."

I huffed. "If you say so..."

---

A/N: Thank you for reading!