Mr. Prick

Part One - Getting Ready

Asher's POV

Beep

"No."

Beep

"Noooo."

Beep

"NO!" I slammed my hand down on my phone, dragging the device in front of my face. The light from it blinding me as I struggled to stop the incessant beeping. I let out a sigh of relief once the noise stopped. Placing my phone back down on the table, I heaved myself into an upright position, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. God, I hate waking up, I thought to myself.

I got up and showered quickly then got dressed. My outfit consisted of a two-piece grey suit, a white collared long-sleeved shirt, a black tie and some leather derby shoes. I looked at myself in the mirror, grey/blue eyes stared back at me. I wish I always looked like this.

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible considering it cost me almost a whole month's wages to buy this suit - despite it being the cheapest one in the shop. My eyes flicked to my dirty blonde hair, still slightly wet from the shower, yeah that isn't going to do. I walked to the bathroom and grabbed my tub of styling gel, working it into my hair until it looked somewhat presentable. Once I finished, I looked at the mirror again and wow, I think this is the first time in a long while that I, Asher Reid, looked somewhat handsome. The suit fit me perfectly, it wasn't too tight that it was difficult to move and it wasn't baggy enough to make it look like I was drowning in it.

I grabbed my phone, keys and a cheap briefcase I had found at the shop, I'm not going to lie, the only thing that was in there was my passport for ID - I only bought it because I thought the case made me look smart. I quickly exited my apartment and locked the door, making my way down the stairs and onto the street of bustling New York City. People were walking in every direction, businessmen and women dressed in smart attire on their daily commute to work (that'll be me one day), kids and teens walking to school, cars and buses driving to attend to their business.

I had been living in America for almost two years and I still wasn't used to how lively this place was, even in the early hours of the morning.

 I called for an Uber and settled into the seat. I asked the driver to head to the Gold Law building, which earned me a grunt in response then the car started moving. I took that as my cue to not talk again so I took out my phone and began aimlessly tapping on apps then coming off them, pretending that I had friends to talk to.

It was sad really, I had been here 23 months and still had no real friends, I mean sure, I spoke to my co-workers but we never conversed outside of that. When I moved here I expected it to be fairly easy to get a job in the business sector but I was so very wrong. 

It turns out that no one wants to hire a nineteen-year-old who doesn't have a degree. Thus, I began working at Walmart but since the pay wasn't that great, I had to pick up a second job; working at a local bar at night. Even then I struggled to make ends meet, I was often behind on rent for my one-bedroom apartment and sometimes I went without meals so that I could have some extra money to pay bills. I knew how to drive but I definitely couldn't afford a car nor the insurance that came with it.

Somehow though, I managed to survive and today I was hoping to make some changes in my life so that I was happy again. I had given my two weeks notice at both of my jobs last week and started to look for a new one, hopefully, a job that paid more and catered more to my skills. At school my favourite subjects had been maths, English and business studies, I had received top marks in all those subjects and I was even offered an unconditional place at London Business School. Everything was going well for me then everything with my mother happened so I moved here. But that's a story that I didn't want to think about ever again.

Within ten minutes we had arrived outside the Gold Law building, I thanked the driver, paid him then exited the car. I straightened my tie then started towards the glass double doors. The word 'GOLD' was situated above the doors in big, bold letters, the colour matching its name. Under it was the word 'LAW' in a slightly smaller black font. The building stretched up hundreds of feet.

Everybody knew who Gold Law was, they were notorious for winning high profile cases. Their lawyers were expensive but worth it, they did every bit of research you could think of and then some. Anyone with a law degree wanted to work there, and for those studying law, they offered placement programs and internships. A few of their floors even contained mock courtrooms so that they could practice their defence on all types of cases. And little old me just so happened to have gotten a job interview as a PA there (for an accountant though).

A smartly dressed man outside opened the door for me as I drew closer, I muttered a quick thanks which he returned with a curt nod. As I stepped into the building, I noticed how clean it was; the floor didn't hold a speck of dirt and the walls didn't show even the tiniest crack of paint. I noticed a waiting area to my right and a reception desk to my left. I took a quick breath then headed towards the desk, as I approached I saw a pretty brown haired girl about my age, typing on the computer.

When I reached the desk, she looked up and gave me a one hundred-watt smile, I couldn't help but return it. My eyes flicked down to the name tag clipped to her blouse, it read Samantha. "Hi, how can I help you?" Samantha asked.

"Um... I'm here for a job interview," She turned towards the computer again and began typing. The clicking of the keyboard was the only sound filling the silence.

"Asher Reid?" She questioned. I answered with a nod. She began typing again then turned and smiled. "Alright, if you just take a seat over there," she gestured towards the waiting area, "Mrs Willis will be out shortly."

"Okay, thank you." I walked over to the waiting area and took a seat, placing my briefcase down next to me. I took a series of short breaths before I relaxed a little; I didn't realise how nervous I was. I was beginning to sweat and my hands became clammy. I shrugged off my blazer in hopes that the air conditioning would cool me down. I noticed an older man sitting across from me, focused on his laptop. "Hello," I said, hoping to make conversation. The man looked up at me then back down at his laptop. Well, alright then.

Before I could pull my phone out to busy myself, a ding echoed from the back of the room. I looked up and watched as two women came rushing out of an elevator, the woman in front was young, her face bright red and jaw clenched, her bobbed blonde hair was messy as if she had been tugging on it. The woman behind looked calmer, her auburn hair was tied up into a neat bun, her glasses were perched on the edge of her nose, threatening to fall off. She was gripping a clipboard tightly almost like she was trying to snap it in half. They were both dressed smartly, they must be workers here. As the younger woman reached the door, the older woman fixed her glasses then called out to her,

"We'll be in touch, Miss Jenson." This Miss Jenson turned around and glared at the other woman, seeming to turn even redder. Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and stormed outside. I continued to stare at the door, not knowing what just happened. I didn't even realise that the older woman was talking to me until she tapped my shoulder, "Mr Reid?" I snapped my head in her direction, my cheeks flushing red in embarrassment.

"Yes, sorry. Hello," I stood up, folding my blazer over my forearm then picked up my briefcase. I subtly wipe my hand on my trousers before holding it out to her. She took it and gave a curt shake before dropping it and smiling.

"Well, first of all, I'm Mrs Lyndsey Willis. I'm an accountant here and I'll be conducting the interview. Secondly, I'm very sorry about Miss Jenson. She was angry because she didn't get the job." Mrs Willis let out a small laugh before shaking her head. I offered her an awkward smile, not knowing if I should laugh or not. Before I could think of a response she spoke again, "if you'd just follow me, we can head up and begin."

I nodded and drew a deep breath. Well, here we go. I tightened my hand around my briefcase then followed her into the elevator.