Thanksgiving break was over in a flash and next thing I knew, I was back on a plane to Chicago. The flight was long and bumpy and by the time we landed, I'm pretty sure everyone wanted to kiss the snowy ground. Grabbing my carry-on, I exited the plane and booked it towards the doors. The wind bit my neck as I pulled my coat tighter, waiting for Jess to pull her old beater around to pick me up. Maybe after New York I would actually buy my own car. At least Jess got free coffee for this.

Eventually I saw her car pull over to the side of the lane and I shuffled over, hurriedly hauling my luggage into the trunk and entering the vehicle.

"It's way too cold here," I muttered, warming my hands against the radiators.

"You're such a wimp," Jess laughed and I noticed she was barely wearing a coat.

"I just got back from eighty-degree weather. This isn't good for my health, I'm sure of it."

Jess was still snickering at my complaints before we settled into a comfortable silence. I could hear music playing, but it was just enough to fill the empty space.

"Oh, I love this song!" Jess said, turning it up all the way as she begun to sing along. "Baby, we were laying on the beach watching the sun go down! It was you and I, we were forever! Those other girls, they don't matter!"

"What the heck is this?" I asked, appalled at how awful it sounded.

"Forever by Braden Crew. Obviously. Have you been living under a rock?"

"If I was, I'm glad. What kind of garbage is this?"

"You can't diss it, it's good!"

My eyes widened in shock. "Jessica. Do you know what good music sounds like?"

"Yes, like this." She reached for the volume knob again and turned it up, singing more. "Let's go crazy, my baby! We gonna have so much fun tonight! We need to let go, hit the flo'! Let's just do it all over again!"

"Turn it off!" I yelled, covering my ears. This kind of music was too familiar. Absolute rubbish and then it got stuck in your head all day.

"I cannot believe you don't like it," Jess pouted, switching the station to some more mellow music.

"I can't believe you do! Jess. That guy is awful. He sounds worse than most teenage pop stars."

"He's not a teenager, Tal. Braden Crew is, like, twenty-four, I think."

"He's older than me?" Disbelief was evident in my voice.

"Yeah, and he's like... super hot."

"Of course he is," I said as if it was obvious. "He'd have to be to be selling records that terrible."

"They're good songs," Jess stressed and I shook my head adamantly.

"No. No, they are not."

"You are officially crazy," she concluded, but I ignored her. I'm definitely not the crazy one in this vehicle.

"Sure I am. Anyway, how was your break?"

"It was good. My gross step-cousin, Peter, was there and, oh my gosh, Talia, I thought I was going to slap him. He kept stealing my green beans, I mean, who does that?"

"That's an excellent question. The most dramatic news I had was that John and Leslie announced they were pregnant."

"You're going to be an auntie?" Jess squealed, momentarily taking her hands off the wheel to clap her hands.

"Jess! Hands on the wheel!" Her hands slapped back onto the wheel, slightly jerking the car.

"Sorry, but that's so exciting!" She squealed again. I forgot she was an only child and wouldn't experience that part of life.

"Yeah, until my mom calls me in a few months asking why I'm still single," I pouted, sulking in the front seat. I didn't mind being single. Sometimes, I really enjoyed it! Besides, I had my school and career to focus on. A guy would just get in the way.

"But hey, you're on your way to New York! There's bound to be a ton of hot guys there for you."

"I'll be working every day. I won't have time for that."

"I hope you realize that this singleness is all your own fault," Jess wagged her finger at me as she pulled into the student parking lot.

"I'm fully aware of that, but thanks for reminding me." I snapped my fingers and winked at her, trying to be as sarcastic as I possibly could.

"As for now, we both got bigger fish to fry. Mainly my final in biochemistry." Jess pretended to gag herself and I agreed. I had four finals and three of them were three-thousand word essays.

"Come on, girl, let's go finish this semester in style," I said, getting out of the car and pushing my hair out of my face.

I took a deep breath of the chilly early December air and made my way towards the dorm. Only three more weeks of this and then I was on my way to New York City.

-   -  -   -   -   -   -

To: Professor Christopher Walsh ([email protected])

Date: December 03, 2014 at 4:18pm

From: Talia Parker ([email protected])

Subject: Spring Semester Internship

Good afternoon Professor Walsh,

I am writing to inform you that I have been selected for Close Up! Magazine's Spring Semester Internship and my first day is January 15, 2015. In order to receive credit, I will be sending you bi-weekly updates of my time there with lessons that I've learned as well as registering for online classes to apply in my new work life. Please let me know if you require anything else or if I should be aware of any changes.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to returning to your classes next fall.

Best regards,

Talia Parker

To: Talia Parker

Date: December 04, 2014 at 10:22am

From: Professor Christopher Walsh

Subject: RE: Spring Semester Internship

Talia,

We are so happy to hear that you were accepted into the internship at Close Up! I look forward to your reports and will grade you accordingly. Remember to bring your current transcript and resumé to Close Up and have your intern manager sign the appropriate grading sheets for proof of your work for credit upon your return.

I hope you do very well at Close Up and I wish you the best of luck.

Tell Georgia Duncan that I say hello.

Professor Walsh

University of Chicago

English Department

- - - - - - - - - - -

Before I knew it, the semester was finished, Christmas and New Year's had passed, and I was on a plane towards New York. The plane bounced as we hit the tarmac and I could barely contain my excitement as I unbuckled my seatbelt and made my way to the terminal. Exiting the gate, I saw Eva waving at me furiously.

"Hey Eva!" I said, hauling my suitcases behind me.

"Come on, woman, you are so slow." She didn't bother hugging me hello. She just grabbed one of my bags and started darting off to the exit. "Jeez, how much stuff do you need?"

"I'm here for five months. I need all of it."

"You aren't going to have room for this. I've been telling you, your room is miniscule."

"I'll make it work, I promise." Eva grunted out something that resembled a, "yeah, you better," before she hailed a taxi and got us on our way towards my new home.

I felt like I was stuck in an alternate universe as we drove down busy roads and past skyscrapers. New York was a much different feel than my little town in Arizona and I really hadn't been able to experience Chicago much. Other than the coffee shop down the road from school, the bookstore where I worked, and the actual campus, I didn't get out much.

And now I was in New York City.

About to work at my dream job for a full five months.

Somebody pinch me.

"Ow!" I squeaked when I felt an actual pinch.

"We're here. Jeez, you need to pay attention." I looked out the door to see a looming building waiting before me. Stepping out of the cab and stretching my limbs, I moved towards the trunk to pull out my suitcase. Eva hulled my duffle over her shoulder and made her way towards the door as I struggled with a suitcase, backpack, and purse.

"Thanks for your help," I grunted as I reached the door.

"Yeah, no problem," Eva smiled innocently before she took my backpack and entered the apartment building with me trailing behind her.

"Hey George," Eva said, approaching the front desk where an elderly man stood in a security uniform. "This is my sister, Talia, the one I said would be living with me."

"Eh?" George looked up, fixing his glasses that were lowered on the edge of his nose. "Your sister?"

"Yes, George, my sister. Talia. She's living with me for the next six months," Eva spoke slowly and loudly as I stood smiling at George awkwardly.

"Wha d'ya want from me?" George squinted at me, possibly deciding if I was trouble.

"The spare key to the apartment," Eva told him. "We discussed this yesterday."

"Oh right!" George finally said, pushing away from his desk and scuttling over to a rack of keys. "Yer in 6B right?" Eva nodded as George brought the keys over and held them in front of my face. "This one 'ere is for the front door." He pointed to the door we just came through to make his point. "And this one is for the room. Got it?"

"Got it," I told him, but mainly because I just wanted to get up to the apartment and sleep.

"Good. I'll be seeing you, Talia." He tipped his hat to me as I smiled uncomfortably and made my way to the elevator.

When the doors shut with Eva and I behind them, Eva burst out laughing – at me I could only guess.

"What?"

"Your face! The entire time George was talking, you just looked so uncomfortable!"

"He was weird!" I protested.

"George is the nicest man you'll ever meet. You just have to be patient with him."

I made an unsure noise as the elevator came to a halt and we stepped out into the hallway. Eva maneuvered around my stuff before heading towards the door across the hallway to her left.

"Welcome home, Tal." She unlocked the door and stepped inside, while I followed, hauling my luggage behind me.

The lights flickered on and the apartment illuminated. Eva wasn't lying when she said it was tiny. The kitchen and livingroom took up one half of the apartment and then there were three doors, leading to the two bedrooms and, what I was hoping, the bathroom.

"Okay, so here's the deal." Eva dropped all my stuff on the floor, standing before me with her arms crossed. "Number one, no wild parties."

"Are you kidding me, Eva?"

"Number two," she held up two fingers to exaggerate her point. "No drugs or alcohol. You're underage, chica, and I am not watching you fall down that dark and dangerous path."

"Dang it, now I have to go throw away all my weed," I told her sarcastically.

She glared at me, her two fingers still held up for me to see.

"Number three. You call me when you're not going to be home before ten. It gets scary out there and I am not wanting to get a call from the police saying you got mugged in Harlem."

"What would I be doing in Harlem?"

"I don't know, but it could happen. You call me, okay?" I stared at her with one eyebrow cocked up in an are-you-for-real manner. "Okay?"

"Okay!" I finally agreed.

"Good," Eva instantly looked more at ease. "That's about all the rules I have other than you better clean up your dishes, otherwise I'll kill you."

"Of course," I told her. "Now can I see my room?" We were still standing in the entryway, coats and shoes still on. Clearly she didn't want me getting too comfortable without knowing what I could and could not do.

"Sure thing. It's this one." She walked across the small hall and opened the door on the left. Grabbing my things, I followed after her and walked into the space.

There was a double bed with a simple black and white duvet cover sticking out from the far wall, along with a simple desk. Opening the closet, I found a dresser.

"It's perfect, thanks Eva."

"Hey, as long as you help with rent, we won't have a problem. But I'm glad you're here, Tal. I've missed having my sister around." She smiled at me and I couldn't resist hugging her. "Okay, okay, enough love. I work early tomorrow so I'm going to make some Mac and Cheese and then I'm going to bed. If you want really good coffee tomorrow, there's this place called The Pearl in Lenox Hill where my hospital is. If you want you can come with me and hang out there, or you can just find the place on your own tomorrow."

"How early tomorrow?"

"I'm leaving at six."

I grimaced at the thought of getting up before the crack of dawn. "Yeah, no, I'll find it. Just give me the address and I'll Google it or something."

"Sure. I'm going to go make dinner. If you want to shower, towels and everything are already in the bathroom."

"I think I'm okay."

"You stink, Tal," Eva said bluntly.

"Nevermind, I'm showering!" Eva smiled as she headed towards the kitchen.

"And Tal," she stopped and turned back towards me. "I really am glad you're staying with me."

"Me too," I smiled genuinely.

"Now go shower."

I stuck out my tongue and made my way for the bathroom, a hopeful feeling in my heart. This semester in New York could open so many doors and I was ready for them.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could possibly get in the way of me achieving that.

-----------------------------

So The Pencil Prize has been called off therefore I am free to publish THE INTERN freely! I AM SO EXCITED GUYS. I've been waiting to continue this and haven't been able to, but now DOBBY IS FREEEEEEEE.

Sorry.

Not really.

But here we go! What do you think of Talia and Eva?

The story will start picking up in just a few short chapters, so stick around.

It's gonna be the bomb diggity guys, seriously, I am so excited.

Please please please remember to vote and comment.

Love you all and stay classy,

- Kate