The next morning, Liv woke to find Rebecca staring at her from the kitchen. She was leaning against the edge of the counter, slicing a grapefruit. She greeted Liv with a chirpy “Good day, sunshine!” and an off-key rendition of the classic Beatles’ song.
Liv murmured something rude under her breath and rolled over, checking the time. Seven on the dot. She briefly debated whether to give herself the additional fifteen minutes until her alarm was set to go off, but decided against it. Not a good day to risk it, especially since the time difference—and jet lag—was really messing with her sleep schedule.
Liv hustled past Rebecca toward the shower, eager to get ready and get out of the apartment. She and Anna had avoided saying it out loud last night, but neither of them wanted to show up at their first day of work with Rebecca in tow.
An hour later Liv had squeezed herself into the slightly too small black skirt and light blue T-shirt Anna had lent her the night before. Her green sneakers would have to do—her feet had topped out at a massive size ten in ninth grade, so they were about twice the size of both Rebecca’s and Anna’s.
With an hour to spare before she had to be at the Music Mix offices, Liv peeked into Anna’s room to see if she was ready to go. Anna, only half dressed, made a face and agreed to escort Rebecca to work. “Save yourself,” Anna said quietly. “No need for both of us to be stuck with her. But you owe me.”
Liv smiled gratefully at her roommate, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. A coffee at one of the cafés around Oxford Street should make her feel like a real Working Girl. She closed the door behind her and skipped down the stairs.
When Liv arrived at Music Mix at ten to nine, Gloria was singing at the front desk. She greeted Liv with a little wave and a spin that made her frilly orange dress spin out around her.
“Good morning!” Liv waved back. She was in a great mood—it had been a fabulous morning. She had found a perfect little café just around the corner from the Music Mix offices, and had spent the past half hour relaxing at a quaint table by the window.
Gloria directed Liv to the orientation conference room, where Liv collected a folder with her name on it, then grabbed a free doughnut and cup of tea. As she paged through the folder and munched her doughnut, Liv took inventory of some of the other people entering the room. Some people were too cool, and skulked into the room without saying hello (the James Dean guy in leather pants and the snobby purple-haired girl in striped tights were immediately on Liv’s “to avoid” list—they didn’t even lift their eyes to acknowledge that anyone else was in the room).
Others nodded or smiled in her direction, and looked around uncomfortably. Liv later learned that the pretty Asian-American girl wearing six-inch platform boots just looked grumpy because her shoes were pinching.
Liv was the most impressed with the few people who came in and actually said something. Francesco was the most outgoing, bounding into the room like an electron and kissing everyone. Colin slid into the room behind him, shyly shooting Liv a cute little smile as he took a seat against the wall.
Just a few minutes before nine Anna showed up with Rebecca, who was decked out in an all-white pantsuit with a bright green tank under it. Liv had to admit that it was pretty hot, and definitely daring. Anna didn’t look happy, but perked up when Liv pushed a doughnut her way.
Rebecca quickly introduced herself to everyone in the room, starting with James Dean, who was forced out of his one-man world to make eye contact. Rebecca seemed to have learned personal skills overnight, since she made her way deliberately around the room, dishing out compliments and witty little remarks to each person in turn. As she swept past Liv, Rebecca flashed her a gleaming smile. Confused, Liv just stared back.
A loud, raspy sigh from the doorway broke through the awkward small talk, and everyone turned to see who had entered the room. A shortish, thirtysomething guy with tan teeth and pants to match was staring around at the twenty-five people gathered in the conference room. He moved to the head of the table and began to speak.
“Brown. That is what you’ll call me. Not Simon. Not Mr. Brown. Just Brown.” So this is Simon Brown, Liv mused. Interesting rule. She wondered if he knew his tooth color matched his name. “I am the head of this program, and I expect that each of you is prepared to work as hard as I do. You have been given an opportunity that many would die for. Consider yourselves lucky to be here.” A bit overdramatic, isn’t he? Liv thought. “Now. Inside the information folder each of you has received, you will find your summer project assignments. You’re welcome.”
There was a rustling as people sifted through their folders. Liv pulled a sheet of paper from the back of her folder that said “ASSIGNMENT: Olivia Phillips.” Scanning it quickly, she spotted what she was looking for. Three little words that would shape the outcome of her summer: “Coordinator, Hits Parade.”
Liv couldn’t believe it. Hits Parade was the hottest show on TV. The most fabulous celebrities all swung by Music Mix Europe to promote their latest movies or albums, and the supersexy Andrew Stone played the day’s biggest video hits. She read further:
The Hits Parade Coordinator will assist in the following:
Audience Control (Bouncer Liv. Nice.)
Celebrity Attendance (What does that mean?!)
Booking Confirmations
Production Support, including time-management (uh-oh)
Segment Writing
Administrative Duties, as needed
“What’s your assignment?” Anna was reading over Liv’s shoulder. “Hits Parade?! That’s so great! You are going to have so much fun.”
Liv agreed. She had definitely gotten lucky. “How about you?”
“Wardrobe in the Features Department. Sounds good to me. I like clothes—” Anna was cut short by a squeal coming from the other side of the table. Rebecca was glowing, and flapping her paper around in the air. She had successfully turned all eyes toward her, and she took the attention as her cue to share.
“Events Team. First Assignment: Josh Cameron Concert! Oh, my dad is going to be so excited.” Liv wanted to puke. The thought of listening to Rebecca gloat about the Josh Cameron concert for the next month was sickening. And the way Simon Brown was smiling at Rebecca as she flipped her hair and drawled on was infuriating and kinda gross. He seemed to be taken with her. For that matter, so did all the other guys in the room. Liv had to admit, Rebecca was pretty. But she was also so weird, and apparently bipolar.
“You. Hits Parade Coordinator.” Oh God, Liv thought, is Simon Brown talking to me?
“Yes, Mr.… uh, I mean… yes, Brown?”
“You’re the lucky one this year.” Simon Brown huffed out a wheezy laugh. “The Hits Parade coordinator has the profound good fortune of serving a unique duty. You’ll be at the heart of the action.” He paused for dramatic effect. “My assistant.”
Was he serious? She was going to be his assistant? Things had just gone from best to worst. Anna grabbed Liv’s hand under the table and squeezed. Liv managed a weak smile and muttered a tiny “thanks” before following her new boss out of the room to settle in at her summer desk.
“You. Here.” Simon Brown was beckoning to Liv from the inner chamber of his office. She was finally getting settled in at her desk—just outside his door—and pretended she hadn’t heard him.
Though she was positioned in a prime location near the Hits Parade studio, her “desk” was really just a small table jutting out into the hallway, en route to the coffee machine. She had to suck her belly up against the table edge every time someone needed to get past her. She felt like a tollbooth operator. Maybe she would start charging.
As Brown called out again—only slightly louder this time—Liv decided she really couldn’t ignore him, though she couldn’t imagine what on earth he needed, considering it was ten o’clock in the morning, she had just fetched him a coffee, and he had been snacking on doughnuts since nine.
He thought he had been sly about the doughnuts, but she had noticed. He was one of those people who took three of the best doughnuts before anyone else had a chance to take one. Inevitably, this meant that some poor, patient soul who had waited his or her turn would get stuck with the crusty, oozy leftover cherry-filled messes while people like Simon Brown gorged on the good stuff.
She slid out of her chair and approached his door. “Yes, Brown?”
“I need you to fetch the contract I just printed.” He didn’t look up. Liv stood in the door, trying to decide how to tell him that she had no idea where the printer was.
“Uh, Brown?…”
“GO, GIRL!”
Yowza. That guy could yell. Okay, I’ll be going now. Liv smiled slightly and slid back out the door and into the hall. Well, where to begin?
Liv shuffled down the hall, gazing into each empty room. The Music Mix office was laid out in a weird, mazelike octagon. Every time Liv thought she had made a complete circle, and expected to see her tollbooth around the next bend, she was in a new wing altogether. She hadn’t found a printer, but if anyone ever asked her for the inflatable gorilla costume, she now knew where to find it.
Turning the thirty-seventh corner (how did this building have so many hallways?!), Liv bumped into a familiar figure—Colin. His expression mirrored Liv’s own panicked face. Looking at him, Liv couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you looking for?” she asked, realizing she probably wouldn’t be able to help.
Colin held up his hands. “The watercooler. How big is this place?”
Liv pointed behind her. “I spotted a watercooler three turns back. Left, then right, then right again. You can’t miss it.” She giggled. Am I flirting? she wondered, noticing that her stomach was doing flip-flops and she had just giggled! “What department are you working with?”
Colin scratched his chin. “The Department of One: Andrew Stone. I think my production internship is really just a fancy way of saying ‘personal assistant.’” Colin had barely looked at Liv as he spoke—he seemed focused on something just over her shoulder.
“Ooh… I’m the Hits Parade coordinator.” Liv couldn’t conceal her enthusiasm. Yep, definitely flirting. “We’ll be working together!”
Colin shifted from foot to foot and gave her a thin smile. He glanced quickly over Liv’s shoulder again. “Right. I, uh, have to get going. See you later, yeah?” He breezed past her and turned the corner.
Did I just say something stupid? Liv wondered, watching Colin hustle off down the hall. Confused, she continued her quest for the printer. The next left led Liv into the round Music Mix front lobby. She stood in the center of the hundred television screens, confused and not sure how she’d gotten there.
“What’s wrong, Olivia?” Gloria looked up from her desk. She looked genuinely concerned.
“Hey, Gloria. I’m looking for the printer. Mr., uh, I mean, Brown wanted me to fetch a contract for him. You can call me Liv, by the way. Everyone else does.”
“Oh, Liv. I’m so sorry.” What did that mean? Gloria’s face morphed into a pitying smile. “Brown’s printer is in his office. He does this every year. Some sort of power thing.”
Liv groaned. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Gloria nodded. “Great. That’s just great. Thanks for the tip.”
“No problem.” Gloria shot Liv the same pitying look again. “Let me know if it gets too bad. I think I can help.”
Okay, that wasn’t exactly reassuring, but Liv appreciated the offer. “Thanks. Just one more thing—how do I get back to his office?” Gloria laughed, and pointed to one of the many doorways leading out of the lobby.
Back at Simon Brown’s office, Liv knocked quietly at the door and made her way inside. He was sitting at his desk, feet up, tan teeth flashing an arrogant smile. She walked over to his desk and plucked five printed pages from the printer in plain view. As she handed them to him, he lifted a glazed doughnut in a salute and pointed to the door.
This could be a very long, very annoying summer.