Read Thirty Happens for Free Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Butts
I’m the Senior Editor here at the Beacon. You’ll be reporting to me during your internship. Statlin said you are the best and brightest in the Journalism program, so we circumvented the normal process.”
Wow. I mean, wow. I knew that Stat liked me and all, but the best and brightest? That was a bit much to live up to. I started chewing on my lower lip, a nervous habit I had. Some of the romance books I liked to read made that out to be something sexy and sultry. I caught myself in the mirror doing it once. It was neither sexy nor sultry; it looked like some odd form of cannibalism.
“Mr. Jenkins, I’m honored to be here and I promise I will do my best to fulfill this internship.”
His loud, boisterous laughter echoed through the granite and marble lobby. A few people stopped and turned, a knowing smile on their own faces. I got the impression that laughter was common from this man, and that relaxed me. In all the books and movies I’d ever experienced that were centered around a newsroom, the senior editor was usually a loud, angry person who was barking orders and taking no prisoners. Marv looked as if he would be incredible to work for.
“Please, call me Jenkins. We’re fairly informal around here, and everyone ends up being called by their last name. It will be a little strange having a Jensen. I’m not as young as I once was, my hearing is a bit shot from so much time near the presses. I have a feeling I’m going to get a little mixed up with how close our names are.”
He pondered this dilemma a bit, but not too long. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Eh, we’ll figure it out as we go.”
“Mr. uh, I mean Jenkins, what exactly is it that I’ll be doing as your intern? I don’t mean to be too forward asking this within a half hour of meeting, but I really didn’t get any details. I sort of was just told where and when.”
I was a little concerned that I had perhaps overstepped, but I needed to know what my purpose was here. I really hoped this wasn’t a coffee fetching type internship, where I’d be more a personal assistant then an aspiring award winning news journalist.
Jenkins shook his head while continuing to chuckle.
“Statlin really didn’t give you any of the info? Probably one of his ridiculous tests or life lessons that he wants to impart on you. We’ll go over your job description, pay, expectations and everything else after we get your paperwork taken care of.”
“Pay?” I didn’t mean for that to slip out. But seriously, I had thought this was unpaid and I was fine with it. I just wanted this experience, and hopefully a foot in the door.
“You thought this was going to be unpaid? Nope, we’re not really into slave labor here, and we will be working you more than the money you’ll be earning. You’ll be making barely above minimum, so I’m a little embarrassed to call it pay. But the experience you’ll be getting is going to blow your college newspaper time out of the water.”
He held his hand up as I quickly jumped to defend our little paper. We’d won awards, the work we were doing was really top notch.
“Please don’t misunderstand me. I’ve read your paper, and I admire your work. But remember, I worked in a college paper environment a lifetime ago. The two have almost nothing in common except for the end result. This internship will be an education beyond anything you’ve ever experienced. I think you’re up to it. That’s why I chose you.”
Huh.
It wasn’t often I was left speechless. I tended to be more like a bull in a china shop. I might be tiny, petite, or (worst of all) cute, but I liked to think I was a force to be reckoned with. At least that was what I wanted people to think. For someone to render me wordless almost never happened. And this was the second time it had happened in a month.
“I guess I don’t understand. What do you mean that you chose me?”
“We have an intern pool that we choose from. Usually, there are ten times more
Wow. I mean, wow. I knew that Stat liked me and all, but the best and brightest? That was a bit much to live up to. I started chewing on my lower lip, a nervous habit I had. Some of the romance books I liked to read made that out to be something sexy and sultry. I caught myself in the mirror doing it once. It was neither sexy nor sultry; it looked like some odd form of cannibalism.
“Mr. Jenkins, I’m honored to be here and I promise I will do my best to fulfill this internship.”
His loud, boisterous laughter echoed through the granite and marble lobby. A few people stopped and turned, a knowing smile on their own faces. I got the impression that laughter was common from this man, and that relaxed me. In all the books and movies I’d ever experienced that were centered around a newsroom, the senior editor was usually a loud, angry person who was barking orders and taking no prisoners. Marv looked as if he would be incredible to work for.
“Please, call me Jenkins. We’re fairly informal around here, and everyone ends up being called by their last name. It will be a little strange having a Jensen. I’m not as young as I once was, my hearing is a bit shot from so much time near the presses. I have a feeling I’m going to get a little mixed up with how close our names are.”
He pondered this dilemma a bit, but not too long. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Eh, we’ll figure it out as we go.”
“Mr. uh, I mean Jenkins, what exactly is it that I’ll be doing as your intern? I don’t mean to be too forward asking this within a half hour of meeting, but I really didn’t get any details. I sort of was just told where and when.”
I was a little concerned that I had perhaps overstepped, but I needed to know what my purpose was here. I really hoped this wasn’t a coffee fetching type internship, where I’d be more a personal assistant then an aspiring award winning news journalist.
Jenkins shook his head while continuing to chuckle.
“Statlin really didn’t give you any of the info? Probably one of his ridiculous tests or life lessons that he wants to impart on you. We’ll go over your job description, pay, expectations and everything else after we get your paperwork taken care of.”
“Pay?” I didn’t mean for that to slip out. But seriously, I had thought this was unpaid and I was fine with it. I just wanted this experience, and hopefully a foot in the door.
“You thought this was going to be unpaid? Nope, we’re not really into slave labor here, and we will be working you more than the money you’ll be earning. You’ll be making barely above minimum, so I’m a little embarrassed to call it pay. But the experience you’ll be getting is going to blow your college newspaper time out of the water.”
He held his hand up as I quickly jumped to defend our little paper. We’d won awards, the work we were doing was really top notch.
“Please don’t misunderstand me. I’ve read your paper, and I admire your work. But remember, I worked in a college paper environment a lifetime ago. The two have almost nothing in common except for the end result. This internship will be an education beyond anything you’ve ever experienced. I think you’re up to it. That’s why I chose you.”
Huh.
It wasn’t often I was left speechless. I tended to be more like a bull in a china shop. I might be tiny, petite, or (worst of all) cute, but I liked to think I was a force to be reckoned with. At least that was what I wanted people to think. For someone to render me wordless almost never happened. And this was the second time it had happened in a month.
“I guess I don’t understand. What do you mean that you chose me?”
“We have an intern pool that we choose from. Usually, there are ten times more