Spectrum

21

Trying to sneak by everyone unnoticed, I order my coffee and stand patiently in line.

People are already beginning to head into the conference room from what I can see. Excitement covers their faces as they laugh and talk amongst one another.

"Nat?" I hear from behind me. I turn around and see Brian approaching me with a smile.

"Oh, hey." I say, offering him a small smile.

"I texted you." He says.

"Oh, yeah. I must have just gotten busy." I reply.

"Busy getting coffee?" He asks with a small laugh, gesturing to the coffee that is now sitting on the counter in front of us.

"Yeah, I guess so." I laugh in reply. "I can barely think right now." I sigh.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll do great. You've got this." He assures me.

I smile a tight smile as we walk towards the crowd of people finding their spot for the meeting. Brian leads the way and finds us a seat towards the front of the room. I watch people fall silent as Grayson and Shane walk in, but some quiet voices can still be heard.

"Here we go." Brian whispers with what I can only assume now is false excitement.

Shane walks over towards the front of the room, with Grayson following behind.

"Thank you all for showing up. Hey, we know you have work to do and so we're going to make this quick. I have a few announcements to make concerning career advancement opportunities as well as some fun things we have planned. We're currently looking to hire on an intern for yours truly, as well as one for Travis in Finance. This is an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of this company. So if anyone is interested, feel free to come and see me in my office sometime today. I'm hoping to get this spot filled as soon as possible. We also have a few company parties coming up. We're celebrating GRIP's 3rd birthday, so that's something to look forward to. And, Yes, there will be booze." He says, earning laughs from almost everyone and cheers from some of the guys.

"Anyways, it's time for me to go ahead and invite Grayson up here to give you the news that you have all been waiting for." He says, gesturing for Grayson to go ahead and walk to the front of the crowd. I can see his nervous demeanor instantly. His hands are clenched as he quickly shoves them into his pockets and stands in front of all of us.

"Thank you all for coming. I know it was mandatory and all, but still." He says nervously, earning a laugh from a few people. I smile softly, not wanting to let out any laughter on principal of the situation. As his eyes gaze over to me quickly, I begin to panic. I can feel Brian glance over at me and then fix his gaze back to Grayson. Grayson offers me a tight smile before finishing his announcement.

"I have looked over all of the apps that were submitted and carefully picked my final few. You're all so very talented, and should be proud of everything you have accomplished. With the finalist on each team, it is not your job to pick an app from your team to focus on and help build together. This is something that will be fun and beneficial for everyone involved. Your team mates will help you throughout the way, and my door is always open for any questions or guidance. So, don't hesitate to ask." He says. Whispers of excitement come from the crowd around us, and i'm just about as surprised as everyone else. This is huge.

"For second place, I have Greg Miller. Greg, i'm looking forward to working with you and really bringing this app to it's full potential. Come by my office later today and we'll schedule some one on one time." He says. Applause is heard throughout the room, but quickly dies down as Grayson prepares to say the first place winner. I look over at Brian who looks like a puppy who just got kicked off of the couch. He looks devastated and confused. In his mind, he think he's already lost this competition. He thinks that he lost it to me.