"Kiara, what are you doing?" I asked as she threw shirt after shirt, skirt after skirt, on my bed.

"I'm trying to find clothes that match and aren't all black!" She told me as she held up a pink pencil skirt. "Is this mine?"

"We live in the same apartment, half your wardrobe is in mine, and half of mine is in yours." I told her and she nodded as she held th skirt up to my hips. "I'm not wearing pink."

"You're so difficult!" She huffed and I shrugged. "You're not wearing all black, you'll scare the boss away and you'll never get the job."

"Black is classy and professional-"

"Black skinny jeans, a black rock n roll t-shirt, and boots is not the way to go." She told me and I crossed my arms. "You can't go in slacks either! The professional world is sexist, men wear trousers and women wear skirts with heels!"

"Maybe this job isn't for me-"

"Come on, it's high paying and a great way to get into the business industry without a college diploma." She told me and I rubbed my temples.

"An assistant?"

"Not just any assistant, Shawn Mendes's assistant. He's the biggest name in music Monica." She told me and I looked at her.

"Then why dress up? He's just a musician-"

"Who's record label is one of the most well-known and most successful one. Seven times platinum and he's had three albums only. Let's not mention, he's barely in his mid-twenties." She told me and I nodded.

"That doesn't make me feel the need to dress up. It just makes me nervous." I told her as I sat on my bed.

I felt something poking my thigh and I looked, seeing a hanger attached to one of my grey pencil skirts. "You're genius." Kiara said, picking the skirt up. "Go blow dry your hair! I have a perfect outfit and, I'm fixing your makeup so don't even think about it."

"Fine." I said and stood up, removing the towel from my head as my brown hair fell down my shoulders. The nappy, wet locks dampened my tank top and dripped on to the tile floor of my bathroom.

Just great.

-

"Okay, no slouching, no mumbling, and minimal eye contact." I repeated quietly to myself over and over again as I fixed my black button up so it was straight.

"I'm sorry." I said as I bumped shoulders with someone who was rushing to give coffee to someone else. I took a deep breath and went up to the counter, seeing a lady with a headset.

"No. Ma'am you have the wrong number. Mendes Enterprises are not associated with that television show. Try Syco." She said and nodded. "Yes ma'am, I am aware. You have the wrong number. Would you like the number for Syco?" She asked and I tapped my fingernails against the counter.

"I can help you over here." Someone else said and I walked up to him. "What brings you here today? Dropping off a demo?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I have an interview with with Mr. Mendes. My name is Monica Ramirez, the meeting is schedules for two minutes from now." I told him, chewing on the inside of my cheek as he typed on a computer.

"Ah, Ms. Ramirez, please follow me." He told me, grabbing a clipboard. I nodded and followed him through the hallways, feeling a bit out of place.

These people were so much more experienced than me, so much more mature, most likely caught in their early to late twenties. I, on the other hand, have never been any kind of assistant and am fresh out of high school, barely even eighteen.

"Right through this door. Please sign here to show you indeed showed up today." He told me and I quickly signed in the box. "Meet me after to record what time you left his office."

"O-Okay." I said and he walked away, his dress shoes tapping loudly against the shiny tiled floors.

I faced the large door and took a deep breath, making sure my breath didn't stink. I opened my purse and then took a mint out, popping it in my mouth as I mentally recited what Kiara told me.

No slouching.

No mumbling.

Keep eye contact to a minimum.

Don't ask too many questions.

Don't seem too desperate, but also seem like you really want the job.

I knocked on the door gently, hearing a chuckle and a 'come in' from the other side. I grabbed the handle and twisted it, pushing the door open.

I walked in and he looked at me as I closed the door, awkwardly picking my skirt down since it rode up considerably high. I looked at him and he motioned for me to have a seat in one of the leather chairs infront of his large dark oak desk.

I crossed my legs and folded my hands over my lap, unsure if I should talk first or not. "Your name?" He asked, his arms crossed against his chest, causing the material around his arms to outline his biceps.

"I'm... I'm Monica, Monica Ramirez." I told him and he nodded. "I'm here to-to try to your assistant. My friend set up the interview for me."

"Right, Ramirez." He said and leaned forward. "I'm sorry. Today's been busy, I seem to have forgotten."

"It's okay." I said and he checked his watch. "Um, I don't know how this works. I've never tried to get a job as an assistant."

"How old are you?" He asked and I shifted in the slightly uncomfortable leather seat. "You don't look a day over twenty."

"I'm eighteen." I said, wondering if he had an age limit of twenty. "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all." He said and I nodded. "Why do you wish to work for me?"

"I think it'd help me jumpstart a career into the music industry as a producer and manager to help you, or just like... you know, be around this kind of stuff all the time." I told him, unsure how to word it.

"You just got out of highschool?"

"Yes, I just graduated with a 3.5 GPA." I told him, rubbing my arm a bit as he stood up.

"Hm." He hummed as he walked around his office. I watched as he opened a filing cabinet, pulling out a cream colored folder. "Monica Ramirez correct?"

"Yes sir." I said, resulting in a low chuckle from him.

"Have you tried applying for any other job?" He asked me and I couldn't help shaking my leg in anticipation. "Any other job on your mind? Dream careers?"

"No sir, I want to be a music producer. It's been my dream." I told him honestly. "I was kind of hoping this could go well and maybe I'd get the job. I don't exactly have a backup plan."

"Backup plans are important." He told me and I nodded, even more nervous as he looked through a folder. "It says here you have no experience working in the real world." He commented, leaning against the filing cabinet as his eyes skimmed over something.

"This would be my first job yes." I said, feeling like this whole thing is going down quickly. "Go big or go home?" I said, and he looked up at me, an amused smile on his lips.

"Right." He said, his eyes running up and down my body. I looked at the floor, ignoring the way he was blatantly checking me out, and then stood up. "I have lots of applicants for this job, most, if not all, being more experienced than you."

"I-I can learn quickly, and since I don't know what I'm doing, it'd be easier for you since you could teach me what you'd like." I accidentally panicked, causing him to set the file down.

He walked up to me, towering over me despite my heels. "Oh, I'm sure I could teach you, but what makes you think I will?" He asked me, looking down into my eyes.

"Nothing sir, I'm sorry." I said, my throat tightening at his intimidating stare.

"You're a very beautiful woman Ms. Ramirez..." He told me, turning avway and leaning against his desk. His finger tapped against the strong wood and I gulped.

All I could hear was the tapping, right alongside the tick of the clock as each second passed. My heart was beating quicker than ever, nearly ready to burst from my chest.

"Did you hear me Ms. Ramirez?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face. "Did you hear a word I said?"

"No, I'm sorry sir." I said and he shook his head.

"Already zoning out and not paying attention. My, if you were working for me, you'd be fired right now." He told me and shook his head. "I said be back here Monday, same time. We'll talk then, understand?"

"Yes sir." I said and he smiled as he checked his watch. "Have a good day Mr. Mendes."

"And you too Ms. Ramirez." He said to me. I turned around and walked up to the door, feeling his eyes on me around I opened it, pulling it towards me as I left his office.

The door shut and I slammed my palm against my forehead. "You're never going to get the job now!" I said, walking away from the door, mentally scolding myself.

I went to the front desk and looked at the clock at the wall. "Hey, it's me again." I told the guy and he smiled, handing me a clipboard.

I wrote the time down and then left after saying a goodbye to him. I looked up at the building and then called for a cab since Kiara had dropped me off, immediately going to work after.

I just wanted to sleep and wallow in self pity at this point.