Apple's Angst (14 page)

Lyon shrugged, clearly knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

They arrived at the offices and Apple hesitated before getting out of the car.

“Okay, I'm nervous. What if I screw up?” Apple started. “What if I make someone's coffee wrong, or answer the phone wrong, or …” She hated that she sounded so insecure.

“Babe! You're freaking. I've never seen you like this before. What time do you get off?” he asked.

“I have no friggin' idea,” Apple said.

“Call me when you're off and I'll come get you, okay?” Lyon said. “It will give you something to look forward to.”

“Thanks, Lyon. That would be great. I'll need to see a face that's happy to see me, because I'm sure Emme will
not
be happy to see me.”

Apple kissed him passionately, hopped out of the car, and walked into the offices. She felt sweaty and nervous and her heart was racing. She had to go to the bathroom, but she had no idea where it was and was too nervous to ask anyone. She would have to hold it.

“Hey, Morgan,” Apple said walking up to the reception desk.

“You're late!” Morgan whispered sternly. “Hurry up and I'll try to sneak you into your office area. Let's pray that Michael hasn't shown up there yet.”

“What? I was supposed to be here at 4:30. It's 4:30!” Apple said, perplexed, looking down at her watch again.

“Actually, it's 4:32. Nancy abhors lateness. She thinks it's a sign of disrespect. If anyone is even a minute late meeting her at a restaurant, she'll leave,” Morgan said.

Great, thought Apple. What a way to start my first day. Who knew a lousy
120 seconds
was such big a deal? Apparently at
Angst
magazine, every second counted.

“Remember,” whispered Morgan. “You're an employee of
Angst
now. That means you follow
Angst
rules and must never be late. There are other things that Michael will go over with you too. Don't look so worried. It will be fine. Just don't be late again.”

“I won't. Thanks for the tip,” Apple said gratefully.

She followed Morgan, who was practically running down the stairs. Apple ran after her.

“This is where you'll be working. Emme is already here. Get in quick, grab a seat. It doesn't look like Michael has shown up yet, so you're lucky. Have fun! Got to get back to my desk. God forbid I miss a phone
call,” Morgan said, waving goodbye after pointing Apple to a door.

Apple peaked into the room, which was smaller than her walk-in closet at home. She couldn't believe that this was where she was expected to work. It was so not like Fancy Nancy's office, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy couches, and treadmill. This looked like someone's storage space or garage.

She couldn't believe that she would have to work so close to Emme, literally. If Apple exhaled, Emme would inhale her breath.

Emme didn't look up when Apple took a seat behind one of two desks facing each other. She looked very busy typing away on a computer.

“Hey,” Apple said. She was not going to let this Grumpy Emme ruin her first day. Apple had to make it work with Emme. This would be her first challenge at
Angst
.

“Hey,” Emme said. At least she responded. Maybe next time she'll even look up at me, thought Apple.

“So,” Apple started, “do you have any idea what we're supposed to be doing?”

“I'm sure we'll find out soon enough,” Emme answered, clicking away.

“What are you doing?” Apple asked, trying to sound polite. She was genuinely curious. Why did Emme seem so busy when they hadn't been told what to do yet?

“I'm just learning all about the staff here,” she answered. “I'm rereading their bios. I almost have them memorized.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Apple said, thinking, Why didn't I think of that?

“You haven't
done
that?” Emme asked, as if Apple should be punished for her stupidity.

“Um, no,” Apple said, feeling like an idiot.

“Of course
you
haven't,” Emme said. Her tone said Apple had disappointed her but that was to be expected.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Apple asked.

Apple wasn't used to confrontation. In fact, she hated confrontation, but there was just something about this Emme that got under her skin. Emme made her feel defensive.

“I
know
who you are,” Emme said unkindly. “I know that you're the
daughter
of Dr. Bee Bee Berg, the host of the
Queen of Whatever
show. I know that's how you got the job here. It's okay. I know that's how the world works and I'd better get used to it. I
am
used to it. You have the famous last name, so everything is easy for you. I'm okay with nepotism. That's how the world works. Right?”

“Um, I wouldn't say that exactly,” Apple said. “In fact, I've never used my mother to get anything before in my life.
Nancy
called
me
to work here. I didn't ask my mother to get me a job here or anything.”

“Well, they want you to be the advice columnist because
your mother
is already a famous advice personality. They want you on television because
your mother
is on television. It's good publicity for
Angst,”
Emme said dismissively.

“Or
maybe
I'm good at giving advice,” Apple shot back, trying to act like Happy would if someone
treated her the way Emme was treating Apple. “Maybe I'm
good.”

Apple couldn't believe how she had stuck up for herself. Happy would be so proud of her! Apple was proud of herself! She couldn't wait to tell Happy about this conversation.

“Maybe. But did you have to go through five interviews like I did? Did they ask to see your report cards and what extracurricular activities you do? Because they did me,” Emme replied. “Did you have to write a five-page essay stating why you should be allowed to work here?”

Apple didn't know how to respond. Emme was right and knew it, and she knew Apple knew it too. Apple did get this job in large part simply by being her mother's daughter. She hadn't been asked for any résumé. She hadn't been asked to show her report cards. She hadn't had to write an essay.

“Okay, you're right,” Apple told Emme. “I didn't have to go through all that, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to work my ass off here, just like you.”

“We'll see,” said Emme in an annoying tone. “We shall see.”

Apple gulped. She had no comeback. She was out of her league. And the worst of it was that Emme wasn't even wrong. She was simply stating a fact.

T
hank God, thought Apple when a tall man wearing a beautifully designed suit walked in, interrupting the uncomfortable silence between her and Emme. He rubbed his hands together and clapped them loudly twice.

“Welcome to
Angst,”
he said. Emme jumped out of her seat. Apple followed suit, standing up as if she was greeting a member of the royal family. She had the urge to bend down and kiss his feet.

“I'm Michael and I'll be your boss, your guardian, and your god. Feel free to bow down to me whenever I walk into a room,” he said. Apple immediately liked him. She could tell he had a good sense of humor.

“You're Michael Manchester. You started at
GQ
twelve years ago and worked at the
Times
of London before moving here to be the editorial director of
Angst,”
Emme said, as if she were reciting lines from a play. “I saw your photograph and read your bio on the website.”

“Very impressive,” Michael responded. “You are?”

“I'm Emme,” responded Emme, standing up taller, looking proud. “Nice to meet you,” she added, sticking out her hand to shake Michael's.

Michael turned to Apple. “And you are?”

“I'm Apple,” she answered, trying to sound professional, sticking her hand out for him to shake too.

“Well, that's certainly an
unforgettable
name, isn't it? Apple pie. Applesauce. I'm sure you've heard them all before,” he said nonchalantly.

“Yes, I have,” said Apple, laughing. She couldn't help it. She had met this Michael only a second ago, but she already knew that he'd be a good guy to work for. Michael reminded her of Guy, and it made her feel instantly more comfortable.

Emme shot her a sly, dirty look.

“Well, I love the name. We love unique here,” Michael said. “And your name is unique. It's perfect! Now that we've all met each other and you've gotten to see your wonderful office, I'm going to take you up to see Charlotte in styling. If you work at
Angst
, you must dress the part. Follow me, my little minions.”

Apple had never felt so grateful to have such an unusual name. Emme knew Michael's entire career history by memory, but all Apple had to do to be memorable was to have a unique name. Ever since she could remember, people had commented on her name. She was named Apple, because her mother had craved apples when she was pregnant and had thought it was a “delicious”-sounding name. Her mother had clearly not been thinking of Apple's future. But today, her name had paid off.

Apple and Emme raced behind Michael. Apple couldn't help but notice that nobody at
Angst
seemed to ever walk. Everyone was always running as if a fire alarm had just been set off.

“Can you feel the energy?” Michael called out ahead of them. “Can you just feel it? Feels good, doesn't it? Feels great!”

“Oh, God, yes. It's unbelievable,” Emme said. “It's a dream come true.”

“That's the right attitude, Emme. You're going to do well here. I can tell you're ambitious,” Michael called back. Apple felt a jab of envy. Though it was clear Emme was an overly ambitious suck-up, it seemed to work. Apple wished she had more of a suck-up gene. But never before had she really had to suck up to anyone.

They were led to a room that looked like a mini Niemen Marcus department store. In fact, it was as large as a department store floor and full of just as many clothes.

Happy would be in heaven here, thought Apple. Racks of designer clothing were everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds of pairs of shoes were organized on shelves. Apple couldn't believe her eyes.

“Hey, Charlotte! The new interns are here!” Michael called out. “You want to make sure they look
Angst
-worthy?”

“One sec,” a voice called out. The woman was speaking with pins in her mouth. “Fucking actresses,” she muttered. “They get thinner and thinner. Even the size zeros don't fit, and we have a shoot tomorrow for our cover.”

Michael explained that Charlotte was the magazine's head stylist, one of the most important and busy jobs at
Angst
.

“Okay,” Charlotte finally said, standing in front of Emme and Apple. “What do we have here?”

Emme stood up straight while Apple tried her very best not to feel like she was about to be picked last for a team. Standing next to Emme made her feel short, even though Apple's height had always been average.

“Your name?” she asked, looking at Emme.

“Emme.”

Apple felt relieved that she wasn't picked first.

“Perfect, Emme. You don't need to be dressed at all. In fact, I love your belt. Where did you get that little gem?” Charlotte asked.

“Paris,” Emme answered. “I was on a scholarship there last year for a semester and I saw it at a vintage store.”

“Gorgeous. Now you,” she said, looking at Apple. “The shirt doesn't fit you exactly right. See here?” Charlotte said, tugging at her shoulders. “The material is bunching up. I'm going to give you a blazer to throw over it. Do not get it dirty. Do not take the tag off. Just tuck it in. Nancy wants everyone—even the interns—to look like they should be in the magazine. And that means fashion-forward. You work at
Angst
and people should want to dress like you. Your shoes are cute, but a little scruffy. Make sure that you clean them before coming in. Here's the blazer. Hurry! Hurry! I don't have all day! You never know who you're going to bump into in these hallways, so a little bit of advice? Always dress more up than down.”

Apple silently repeated Charlotte's advice to herself three times: Always dress more up than down. Always dress more up than down. Always dress more up than down.