As I relax and sleep takes over, the lingering anxiety doesn’t leave my chest, as if it’s a warning that something might go wrong tomorrow. Then I remember Cameron’s words from earlier.
“I’m just hoping we can have a peaceful semester with none of that. A drama-free semester.”
Shit. I hope he didn’t jinx it.
Chapter Four
EMMA
He jinxed it.
How do I know? Maybe because I walked into the newsroom on my first day and found that my editor is Amelia.
My editor for the semester is the waitress who helped Jake and me escape Roxy’s before the semester began.
My best friend gave my editor money, and she gave him her number, and I’m not sure what’s going on between the two.
I’m completely screwed.
She walks around theDriscoll Wolf Weeklynewsroom, delivering a speech on the rules and the fast-paced, hectic environment. She tells us there’s an online newspaper updated daily and a weekly print edition, which I already knew. Amelia doesn’t look me directly in the eye at any point during the speech. I’m not completely surprised by that; I knew she was a tough person, but I never expected her to be the waitress at Roxy’s.
She mentions at the start that she’s lived in Driscoll her whole life, is the first Black female editor in chief of theDriscoll Wolf Weekly, and is studying here before heading off to San Francisco to attend our sister school and do her internship there.
My palms sweat as she finishes the meeting and starts assigning desks. I smooth out my cream-colored, long-sleeve V-neck shirt, which is tucked into my light blue jeans, and make sure my large brown belt buckle is secure. I aimed for a smart yet soft look, pairing the outfit with brown heeled boots to match my purse and belt. Picking out an outfit that looks good makes me feel good. Still, my nerves were so bad this morning that it took me half an hour to decide what to do with my hair. I just ended up with a high ponytail and my curtain bangs hanging out.
“Emma Haywood.” Amelia flips through the iPad she’s holding.
“Here!” I raise my hand slightly, hoping she won’t recognize me.
She gives me a quick nod and points to the right side of the room. “The middle desk is yours.”
“Thanks.” I move toward my designated desk, touch the dark wooden surface, and sit in the standard office chair. This is the spot where I’ll spend the rest of my senior year, writing—what I hope will be—amazing articles. But the desk needs some work. I sit down and notice the plain desktop and black keyboard. Scrunching my nose, I decide to get a vintage-looking keyboard I saw online, a picture frame with all my friends, and another with my parents. Plus, some knickknacks to make this place feel like my second home on campus.
“Emma,” Amelia says from her desk at the front of the room, and I stand nervously.
“Yes?”
“Can you come here, please?”
“Of course.”
Crap. What is she going to say to me? Is she going to tell me to ask Jake to call? Is she going to give me an assignment, or is all of this just in my head? Or maybe, if I’m lucky, she won’t remember me at all.
Amelia’s face stays down, her brown hair in a loose bun. “We should address the elephant in the room.”
My stomach dips. “Okay.”
Her dark brown eyes meet mine. “What happened the other day won’t affect our working relationship.” She lowers her voice slightly. “Your friend and I are not dating, so this will be the only place you and I will see each other.” Amelia folds her hands and drops her professional mask. “Screw it, we’re adults, and even though I’m head of the paper and I can fire you whenever I like, let me put it as plain as day.” I nod, feeling my throat dry up. “Jake and I slept together, we had no chemistry, my job at Roxy’s is only over the summer, end of story.” My eyes widen, and my jaw goes slack as her mask slides back on. “Great! Now that that’s settled, I can hand you your first assignment.” Amelia looks through the pile of organized papers on her desk and searches for something on her computer while I remain in complete shock. Jake did call, and he didn’t waste any time. “Here it is.” She hands me a thin folder. “I need someone to cover the upcoming history lecture being given by two alumni who wrote a book together in the late nineties. It’s in two days, so start researching them ASAP.”
My shock diminishes as I hide my disappointment at not landing a feature story. But hey, it’s only the first day. “I’ll get right on it.” I take a step toward my desk and nearly smack myself in the face as I turn back around, and say, “So, we’re all good, right? Just a college journalist and her editor?”
She lets out a deep breath. “We’re all good, Emma.”
“Okay,” I whisper, and saunter to my desk, plopping down to start researching the book these two professors wrote and why it’s so goddamn interesting.
“You slept with my editor,you asshole!” I yell at Jake when he and Levi come into my line of sight in the dining hall.
Jake looks at me, confused. “What? Who’s your editor?”
