Zoey was in a terrible mood. "I really didn’t expect them to be like this. A bunch of grown men gossiping about a girl behind her back. You are so lame!"
Claire chimed in, "Online trolls don’t care if you’re a man or a woman. Mean-spirited people see everything through a dirty lens. Honestly, they just can’t stand that Josie’s doing better since she left them."
Josie pulled Zoey closer. "Let me introduce you. These are my friends from college, Claire Wilcourt and Sean Reedshaw. They’re both students of Professor Wilcourt."
"Hi, I’m Zoey Harding. I’m Josie’s roommate and best friend. Thanks for looking out for her!" Zoey said, beaming at them.
Claire burst out laughing. "Wow, so you’re like Josie’s family from back home!"
"Claire!" Josie looked at her, totally baffled. She wondered why she was bringing up her family all of a sudden.
'But honestly, since I’ve never really had a family of my own, if Zoey and the others don’t mind, I’d love to think of them as my real sisters,' Josie thought.
Claire laughed again. "Just kidding! Your friends are my friends. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ve got your back."
She reached out and pinched Zoey’s cheek. "I’m so lucky. I actually got to pinch the campus belle’s face!"
'She really does pinch everyone, doesn’t she?' Zoey thought helplessly.
Sean looked over. "You are Zoey? The campus belle?"
"Oh, that was just a silly competition from the students. Don’t mind it at all," Zoey stammered, her face turning bright red under his serious gaze.
Sean’s face stayed neutral. "We’re a bit shorthanded on our team right now. Would you be interested in lending us a hand for a few days?"
"Help out?" Zoey raised an eyebrow in confusion and glanced at Josie.
Sean’s offer came out of the blue, but since their team had just been put together and was about to jump into a campus competition, there was a ton to do. Having one more person on board would be a lifesaver.
"Yeah, Zoey, can you come?" Josie looked at her with big, hopeful eyes.
Zoey hesitated. "But as far as I know, once the team roster is set, it can’t be changed. Even if I agree, I wouldn’t be able to join your team, right?"
"Yeah." Sean nodded. "That’s why I’m just asking you to help out."
Josie was so stunned by how shameless that was, she almost choked. She couldn’t help but shoot Sean another look. She thought, 'Is he just trying to score some free help, or is it just because she is Zoey?'
Claire couldn’t help but gulp, totally baffled by what her cousin was up to. She might not totally get what he was up to, but if he wanted to rope the campus belle into their crew, Claire was more than happy to play along.
She said, "My cousin’s not great with words, so go easy on him, Zoey. Here’s the deal. Our team really is short on people. Recruiting outsiders is a pain, and you never know what you’re gonna get. But you’re Josie’s roommate, and with your grades, we know we can trust you. And of course, we wouldn’t make you work for nothing. How about we pay you one thousand dollars a month as an assistant?"
Seeing Zoey still hesitate, Claire added, "You’d also be helping Josie out. She’s way busier than the rest of us right now. She’s got to learn a whole new major and get ready for the competition. With you here, things would be a lot easier for her."
'Claire’s got a point,' Zoey thought.
When Josie looked at Zoey again, she nodded eagerly. "Come on!"
"I’ll think about it," Zoey replied.
Sean didn’t press her, his attitude still as aloof as ever. "Okay, just let Josie know once you’ve decided. And if you do come, give us a heads-up."
With that, he turned and walked off, his distant vibe feeling totally at odds with how he’d just invited her. Everyone looked at each other, a little thrown off by the whole thing.