I turned to her. "This place is great."

"Isn't it?" she said with a twinkling grin.

"You know what I'm going to do next?"

"What?"

"I’m exhausted from traveling, so I’m going to take a bath in that fabulous bathtub. I have a week before my job starts, so maybe tomorrow I can go shopping."

"That sounds awesome,” she said, hugging me. We wondered back to the kitchen and she handed me a soda, grabbing one for herself. "Are you excited about your new job?"

"Well,” I said, swallowing the hesitation I felt. "When I was driving across the border into California. I couldn't decide if I wanted to leap for joy or run away. But now that I’m here... I guess it's just a little bit overwhelming. I can tell you one thing though. I'm going to get that job. Game on."

Kelsey laughed and raised her soda can. "To new beginnings," she said. I clicked my can against hers feeling a grin break across my face.

"To new beginnings,” I said.

The following week consisted of getting furniture for my room and mentally preparing for the first day of my upcoming job. I had settled on a futon so I would have both a sleeping area and a place to sit if I decided to do any work in my room. Even though Kelsey had offered me the use of the desk, I liked to have my options open. I also invested in a cute bean bag chair and a fun colorful throw rug to give the place a homey vibe. I placed a few pictures of me with my parents from my college graduation on the top of my bookshelf. I felt pretty good about how it turned out, as I collapsed on the futon, having spent the day putting it together.

I glanced over at my closet ruminating on what to wear next week when I would meet my competition.

I wanted to wear something professional, slick and maybe even a little intimidating.

I could do that.

I stood up and stepped over to the closet, pulling open the sliding door to reveal my wardrobe. As I slid the hangers across the metal bar, I wondered if I needed to go shopping again except with an eye for clothing this time. I had plenty of casual items as my life up to this point had consisted of college classes and high school before that.

I wondered briefly if there would be any significant drawback to being a female competing against a male.

I hoped not.

My closet was filled with tops, blouses that could be dressed up, but I needed a few more skirts and pairs of pants to do so. Maybe I could ask Kelsey if she wanted to go shopping tomorrow. She had wanted to show me the neighborhood since she had already been here for a few days before me.

It felt pretty good to have a friend here, otherwise I would have been battling loneliness along with the butterflies of the new situation.

Kelsey and I had known each other in high school, but ran in different circles. She had been one of the charismatic and popular kids, always with the starring role in the school play. I was more of a book worm, an introvert who liked to keep to myself. I didn’t speak to many people while at school except for my best friend Aiden, who also lived a few houses down from me.

Oddly enough, Kelsey and I didn’t become close until after high school, when we stayed in touch through social media. It had started just as a social nicety on my part, with a few comments on various posts that we both liked.

Then one day I had gotten trolled and she defended my argument with panache. She messaged me and the conversation had never really ended. We had stayed in touch through college, and when circumstances revealed that we were both coming to California, albeit for different reasons, we decided that it only made sense for us to get a place together.

I was glad that we did.

The transition already felt better with her here.

I thought about my old friend Aiden Player, and wondered briefly what he had been up to. I found it amusing that someone who I barely crossed paths with had become a close friend, but someone who I spent every spare moment with had fallen completely out of my life.

Aiden had been a scrawny kid, but full of life and energy. We had been polar opposites for the most part. Where I was an only child he came from a huge family. I had always joked that he looked like a toothbrush, with his thin build and shock of blond hair that stuck out over his forehead and into his eyes.

Two peas in a pod is what my mother called us.

I thought through a mental list of what I would need to do over the next few days to prepare. I needed to brush up on California Law even more because I wanted to be prepared. Luckily I had brought my text books with me, despite my peers telling me to sell them back and pocket the little bit of cash that I would get. I treasured my textbooks and the knowledge they contained, stating that there wasn’t dollar amount that could replace them. Besides, I had said, give me a book over a website any day.

I would be starting next Monday, so I had plenty of time.

I relaxed on the futon the next day while Kelsey was out. I couldn’t help but wonder what the background of the man I would be competing against. Probably some over blown rich kid who got the opportunity through family connections, much like the arrogant frat boys that graced the halls of my college, strutting around as if they owned the buildings. Depending on which last name they had some of them did.

"Blair!" I heard my roommate’s voice from the living room, having just returned from a series of auditions.

"I'm in here," I called staying put on my comfortable futon.

Kelsey stuck her head through the door.

"Some friends of mine are going out to dinner,” she said. "You should come. I'll show you around the city."

"I don’t know," I said. "It sounds like fun, but—"

"You need a night out,” she said with a grin. "You won't have much time when you become a big hot shot lawyer."

She was right…

“Fine, but not too late because I need to stay on some type of normal sleeping schedule so I’m prepared for work.”

“Sweet!” she shouted.

She helped me pick out a more casual outfit, a blue sundress with strappy heels. I checked my reflection as she stood behind me looking me over. I could go professional any day, but I always felt awkward wearing casual trendy clothes.

I let Kelsey inform me in situations such as these.

"Why don't you let me do your make up!" she said.

"We don't have to do all of that,” I said. "It's just dinner with friends."

"Maybe, maybe not,” she said as she took me by the shoulders and steered me to the living room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Sit down and I'll be right back,” she said ignoring my question.

She disappeared and returned with her large plastic make up case. It looked like a tackle box with various cubbies and fold out compartments. Each one contained a small pallet of color.

Kelsey pulled out a small plastic bag of makeup brushes. She stood back and looked at my face as if it were a blank canvas, picked up a brush, loaded it with color and stroked the bristles across my cheekbones. A dab here and a blending fingertip there. Twenty minutes later, she laid down her brush and a smile spread across her face from ear to ear.

"You look gorgeous!"

I rolled my eyes. "Do I need to look gorgeous?" I asked.

She glanced at her watch. "We should go,” she said. "Like I said, some friends of mine from school are meeting up with us. There is this adorable little Shabu Shabu restaurant just across from the sign."

"I've never been to the sign,” I said.

"There's a lot you haven't seen," she said. "You’re going to love living here, I swear,” she gushed.