Second Impressions

It took me a few days to recover from acting like a college student all weekend, which meant I pretty much did nothing all week besides go to work, binge watch Netflix and prep for my second interview with Blast. The interview was scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday with Renee Carr and a guy named Michael Schwartz, who from a thorough LinkedIn stalking sesh appeared to be the CEO. So, ya know, no pressure.

It had also been nearly two weeks now of Ash avoiding me. However, I had convinced her to go to Happy Hour with me on Friday, so I was anxious to see what she had to say about the whole Steve/James debacle. 

I left obscenely early for the interview on Thursday morning, because when I need to be anywhere important I’m convinced that the journey will be similar to Mario Kart, with unexpected obstacles at every turn. Just as I was locking my apartment door, my phone rang.

“Hey Mom,” I answered as I descended the steps of my apartment building. 

“Oh good, you’re awake!” she chirped on the other end. I swear the woman thinks I spend my days sleeping until noon and lunching. Her idea of the New York lifestyle was some sort of Carrie Bradshaw/Rachel Green hybrid, and it never sunk in no matter how many times I sent her emails from my office at 8 a.m. that I’m a real-life working woman.

“Yeah, just on my way out the door though, what's up?” I replied anxiously. I only had about two blocks until the subway. 

“Your brother is coming home next weekend, so I think you should too,” she said. “You haven’t been home in forever Dani.” I did a mental calculation. She was right, the last time I made the trek to Philly was back in January #horribledaughter. 

“Okay I’ll look at my calendar when I get to work and text you,” I replied. 

“Please try, Danielle,” she said sternly. “We miss you.” 

“I will, Mom. Love you,” I replied before hustling down the subway steps. 

When I got to the Blast office, two other girls around my age were seated in the waiting area. I checked in with the same receptionist as last time and took a seat next to a blonde girl, shooting her a polite smile which she did not feel the need to return. Apparently, this was my competition. 

The blonde with a stick you-know-where, who apparently goes by the name Hillary, was called in before me. I’d never been in a mass-interviewing situation and it was definitely rattling my nerves. At 9:20 the receptionist squeaked out my name and lead me to a conference room. Renee was seated along the far side of the table with a stack of papers in front of her, with a man who looked to be in his mid-50s next to her. They both stood when I entered, extending their hands in greeting. 

“Nice to see you again Danielle,” Renee said, giving my hand a firm shake. “This is Michael Schwartz, our CEO.”

“Hello Danielle,” he replied in a very deep, radio DJ-esque voice.

“Great to see you again, and wonderful to meet you,” I said, directing each comment at the appropriate person.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Renee apologized. “We’re just running a bit behind schedule!” She was so much more cheerful than the woman I had interviewed with two weeks ago. I couldn't tell if that meant she was super impressed by Hillary or excited to see me again. For my confidence's sake, I decided to believe the latter.

“No problem,” I replied giving her the most genuine smile I could muster. The first ten minutes of the interview consisted of me recapping my background for Michael, along with a few other standard questions. We covered the job description again, my work experience and why I was interested in Blast. I tried to be as animated as possible with my responses in the hope that would make up for my sub-par answers. But honestly, how does anyone answer the question "What are your weaknesses?" It's a trap, I tell you!

“Great, Danielle. Thanks for coming in, we should be making a decision within the week,” Renee said, standing to signal that the interview was over. That’s it? 

Taking a deep breath, I stood and shook hands with both of them, making sure to get Michael's business card so that I could send him a thank you note. I was out the door and on my way to work by 9:45. I wasn't sure why the interview had been so short and ended so abruptly, but I was not taking it as a good sign. 

I hailed a cab on Church and headed uptown to work. Once I was settled in the soft leather seat of the taxi, I pulled out my phone. My stomach flipped seeing both Nick and Bray's names on the screen. I decided to read the text from Bray first. 

What are you up to this weekend?

An involuntary smile played at my lips at the memory of the last time I saw him. I was definitely ready for round two this weekend. I clicked on the message from Nick next. We hadn't spoken a word since Penn State, so I had no clue what he wanted. 

Hey D, I just wanted to invite you to a party at my apartment this weekend for Trevor's birthday. Saturday night. You should at least swing by.. I don’t like how we ended things up at State. Let me know. 

I wanted to slam my phone into the plastic partition in front of me. He “didn’t like how things ended”, yet he was the one who couldn’t come up with any words when we were standing there on the street. Taking a deep breath, I realized exactly how I could answer both of them. I started typing my response to Nick.

Sure, okay if I bring someone with me? 

Maybe once Nick saw me with Bray he would finally give up. Smiling at my newly-hatched plan, I slid my phone into my bag.