Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

SASHA

My feet drag across the tiles as I shuffle my way to class. This past week has been an absolute shit show.

I spent the entire weekend job hunting with Monster and Rio, but unfortunately, nothing caught my interest. I know beggars can't be choosers, but the hours for most of the places hiring are horrible, and they pay pennies. Unfortunately, if I want to continue to have a roof over my head and put food in my belly, I have to find something as soon as possible.

Spending the weekend with Rio was confusing and awkward. Normally, he acts like he'd rather not be around me, although he never actually leaves, even when he can. But the past two days, he was acting differently. Not a lot, but enough to weird me out.

I've had a crush on him since I first met him. But I always thought I was just an annoyance to him, so I didn't do more than flirt and push his buttons when I could. I knew there was no chance of him liking me back, at least that's what I assumed, but things felt different this weekend. But there are more pressing matters to worry about at the moment, so I try to push the ridiculously hot soccer player out of my mind.

"Hey, Sasha," Carter shouts out, pulling me from my thoughts. I pause, turning to find him racing down the hall toward me.

"Hey, handsome, how's it going?" I ask, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"It's going," he replies with a shrug. "But I've got a proposition for you."

I place my hand on his shoulder and sigh. "You're hot as sin, but I've already told you we're better off friends."

Carter throws his head back, laughing. "Not that, you idiot. But if I did swing that way, I would totally be begging you to date me," he jokes with a wink. "I was just meeting with my coach and overheard the Director of Spirit Programs and Events say they need a new mascot. I guess one of the guys who has been doing it for the last three years got arrested. She was upset because she didn't want to hold a whole new audition process. I told her I knew the perfect candidate, and she said you could meet with her this evening. I hope that was okay. I assumed you had time since this is normally when our dance session is, but obviously, we canceled it this week."

"You want me to be a mascot?" I question, my eyebrows jumping up to the top of my forehead.

"You need the job, don't you?" he retorts. "I have no idea what the position pays, but it's something. Plus, you'd get to dance and have a good time."

I press my lips together, processing what he's telling me. I don't see the harm in at least talking to the director. The worst that could happen would be it's not the right fit for me. The best would be that it hopefully pays well, and I enjoy doing it. This is my last year at GSU, so it's not like I'd have to do this forever.

"Did she say when and where to meet her?" I ask, making Carter's face light up.

"Six o'clock in her office," he tells me. "I can take you there if you want."

I smile at him and nod. "That would be great."

"Cool. I'll meet you at the east wing entrance at five forty-five," he says before heading off to his next class.

I stare at the back of his head as he walks away. I guess I'm going for an interview tonight.

My palms are sweating, and it feels like I have a live wire coursing through my body as I follow Carter down the hall to the Director of Spirit Programs and Events office. I haven't interviewed for anything in a long time, and I'm hella nervous. What if this lady doesn't like me, or what if she doesn't think I'm the right fit for the job? The only thing that's stopping me from full-on hyperventilating is the knowledge that I actually have experience being a mascot. The dance academy puts on a carnival every year and I've been tasked with donning the unicorn costume each time. Mostly, my job is just to stand around and greet the children, but I also do a dance routine that has the children laughing and cheering every time. But that still doesn't mean I'm cut out for the job of a full-time mascot.

When I first started at GSU, I considered auditioning for the school mascot. But at the time, I was trying to keep a low profile. All I wanted to do was keep my head down and do the work I needed to do. Obviously, no one would know it was me in the costume, but I still didn't want the attention. I was very much in my hiding phase I was afraid of someone from my past finding me, and that would have been detrimental. After a year of living in the shadows, I was sick of suppressing myself. I wanted to be the guy I used to be. The one who loved to laugh, be over the top, and not give a fuck what people said. Since the man I was hiding from hadn't shown up in a year, I figured it was safe to finally start living my actual life.

Now that I'm unapologetically myself, I'm not afraid to be the center of attention. In fact, I crave it. Hopefully, my over-the-top personality and talent will be enough to convince this lady to give me a chance.

"Want me to wait for you?" Carter checks once we've arrived at the office.

I wave him off. "Nah. Who knows how long this is going to take. But I do appreciate you showing me the way. I've never been on this side of campus before."

Carter smiles, his pretty chestnut eyes lighting up in the process. "Not a problem, I'll see you around. Hopefully, we can figure out a place to continue our dance lessons soon."

He nods and then heads in the opposite direction of me. I stare at the door for a moment, taking a deep breath before finally gaining the courage to knock.

"Come in," a female voice calls out. She sounds tired, and I pray she's in a good mood, or at the very least, a hiring mood. I need this job.

"Hi, I'm Sasha Lawrence. Carter told me you'd be expecting me," I say as I enter the office.

The woman smiles at me, and even though there are dark circles under her pale blue eyes, they seem warm and inviting. "Yes, I'm Evangeline, Director of Spirit Programs and Events. It's nice to meet you. Please have a seat."

I take the seat across from her desk and then wait patiently for her to continue.

"Thank you for coming to talk to me. Carter told me you're a dancer with mascot experience," she checks, looking up from her sheet and eyeing me.

"Yes. I've donned the unicorn costume at the Green Spring Dance Academy summer festival for the last five years. Obviously, that is only one day a year, but I know I can handle the mascot costume. I've been dancing my entire life and am strong enough to maneuver the outfit with ease. I can show you one of the routines I've done in the past if you like."

"That would be wonderful," she tells me with the same warm smile on her face.

I quickly pull up the video of my routine from this summer's festival then pass my phone over to Evangeline.

She watches the video of me doing a flawless routine full of flips, cartwheels and dancing before handing it back to me.

"You're extremely talented," she starts, and I can't help but preen a little from her praise. "I'll admit this isn't how we normally do things. Usually, a tryout is held, and we have people audition for at least a full day, but time isn't on our side right now. We already held tryouts the week before school started and picked a team we thought was solid. With the loss of one of our team members, we are scrambling to find a replacement. We already went through the list of people who were in the top spots but didn't make the cut and have had zero luck finding someone to take the position. Everyone already has commitments that make it impossible for them to take on the role."

"That sounds intense," I respond sympathetically. "But depending on what the position pays, I could definitely help you out. I recently lost my job at the Green Spring Dance Academy due to a flood, so my schedule is wide open."

"All of our mascot team members receive fair compensation as we know it's a fairly heavy time commitment," she assures me before sliding a piece of paper in front of me.

I quickly scan the contract, smiling at the rate that's being offered. It's a bit less than what the dance academy paid me, but the access to the athletic center means I'll no longer need a gym membership.

"There are some strict rules to being a mascot that you'll have to adhere to. They are outlined at the bottom, but they probably aren't much different than what you had to do with the dance academy," Evangeline explains.

I move my head up and down as I read the rules. It's pretty much all the normal stuff for mascots, like rules that prohibit talking, removing the head, or breaking character in front of crowds, but there is also a mandatory grade average I'll have to keep, which won't be a problem for me.

"None of this will be a problem for me," I promise her. "Does that mean I got the job?"

She chuckles and shrugs. "I don't see why not. The first month will be extremely intense for you as you'll have to learn all of the group routines with the cheer squad, as well as creating a few original solo routines. You'll also be shadowed for the first couple of weeks to make sure you're a good fit for the job. Does that all sound okay for you?"

"Absolutely," I respond quickly. "I know I can do this."

She smiles then reaches across her desk. "Welcome to the team."

I shake her hand, thanking her for the opportunity before taking the contract home with me to more thoroughly go over before I sign it.

When this school year started, I had no idea I was going to be a koala mascot, but here we are. Let's just pray I don't fuck this up.