DECEPTION: THE PACT

CHAPTER II

I was supposed to be reading Pride and Prejudice under the oak tree for the hundredth time, listening to the 1995 and 2005 movie soundtracks while biting into a juicy pink lady apple. The sky would be dotted with clouds and I would look into the sky, thinking how I would convince Mr. Collins to marry poor Mary if I were Elizabeth.

But here I am in Natalie's Volvo just haven been drenched with water in order to wake up from my sudden faint.

And where are we going?

BunexCorp.

Actually, after thinking about it, it shouldn't be that bad. I mean, I have a really good chance of getting in. What was their hiring rate? Was it 19% or 19.8%?

Oh, forgot to mention most of their employees have their Doctorates. I have a Computer Science and Business degree. My name is not Dr. Brooke Eaton, B.S.C.S., D.B.A. and what not-- it's just Brooke Eaton. Period.

I went to an awesome university, but that doesn't make them entitled to hire me.

The only reason why they would hire me would be out of pity for my current state. I put my once wavy hair into a wet bun and try squeezing the water in my clothes onto the passenger seat, to the utter disgust of Natalie. Thank God I wasn't wearing makeup.

Do I hate Natalie now? Yes and no. For starters, she booked the interview before this World War III happened, which means she had planned it all out. And second, she didn't even ask my permission. But, she promised to lend me her jacket during the interview.

Aww, how sweet.

"Nat, you know that my chances are extremely high," I state with an aggravated puff.

"Bro, you wouldn't know until you tried," she says as if she was my mom. "Plus, who would I eat lunch with?"

"Job."

"Job?"

"Ya, your prince in shining armor, Job?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Haha, very funny," she returns, turning up the music.

I sometimes question why I'm even friends with Natalie. The only thing we have in common is our love for mystery.

I'm Sherlock, and Nat's my sidekick, Watson. We've been friends since sixth grade, and in our spare time, we would act out the series. We would plead for Nat's older brother, Josh, to fill in for the other characters. He's five years older than us, but he was a good sport.

When we entered high school, we started watching the Sherlock Holmes series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. We instantly fell in love with it and dedicated one hour a week to watch it together after we did our homework and studied.

We also took our school really seriously. Before we started high school, we made a pact together: no boys, no parties, no drugs, no alcohol. Period. Yes, we had friends in school that were guys, but not to the point of making a commitment that would just lead to drama later. The pact was made because of something that happened to Natalie a while back... but it's not something I like talking about.

Natalie graduated one year before me since she had finished all her credits by eleventh grade. Yes, she's a genius. She won't own up to it, though. She got into a prestigious Ivy League university to get her degree in engineering.

I also finished all my high school credits by eleventh grade, but my parents insisted that I graduate with my class. So, I took classes at my local college and eventually got into another Ivy League. The competition was hot between the two of us, but we kept up with each other once a week using FaceTime.

And that's where we are now. She graduated last year and I graduated a few months ago. We both moved to Oregon after college was over. Oregon has been both of our "dream states." Our parents live in Northern California, so it's not that bad.

Where we currently are right now, on our way to BunexCorp, our Nasa.

"Brooke, we're here," Natalie breaks me out of my daydream.

I look out of the dashboard window and gasp at the size of the building. I have never been to the location before but have seen pictures online. There is a miniature statue of the original CEO, William Ciderman, who died three years ago. Ted Stanley became the new manager/CEO of BunexCorp.

The people of Oregon, especially BenuxCorp, adore Stanley. He's all for change and reform, the very food of this state.

And here I am, my blonde hair still wet in the bun, my jeans a darker shade because of the water, and my burgundy t-shirt squeezable.

I look at Natalie, who is motioning at me to get out of the car.

I jump out and close the door behind me.

"If I don't get the job, you are so getting me Starbucks," I warn Nat as we walk towards the lion's den.

----

Any Pride and Prejudice fans?