"OH MY GOD, Ella, I'm freaking out." Meredith rushed into her apartment with her heart pounding, all her movements erratic as she dropped her bag, nearly tripped as she ran to her laptop. Her roommate's eyes widened as she met her where she stood.
"What? What happened?" When Meredith ignored her, she grabbed her arms, pulling her to a stop. "Talk to me."
She took a deep breath. "I just got the first interview with Thomas Bentley after he announced he was running for president, and I need to get the article out within the hour."
Ella's eyes widened. "Oh god, what? How did you-- I only saw the live broadcast, but he didn't take any questions, did he?"
Meredith shrugged, ego pervading her smile. "Perks of the Secretary of State almost hitting you with his car, I guess."
By then, Ella's eyes were bugged out. "He what?!"
"Well, technically it was his driver's fault, but still." Meredith finally found where her laptop had been charging and surged toward it, breaking from her roommate's grasp. Ella could only watch in horror as she frantically slammed the power button, urging the computer to go faster as she emptied the contents of her bag onto the kitchen counter.
As the computer turned on, they both let out sighs of relief, though for different reasons. Ella was just glad Meredith hadn't quite Hulk-smashed her own keyboard.
The remainder of the night was a blur, with Meredith hardly aware of the time that flew by as Ella nearly had to force-feed her any sort of dinner (it was ultimately several individually-packaged bags of chips and a few glasses of gas-station alcohol, really) and Meredith proceeding to push just a few yards past the medically-advised limit of coffee in her bloodstream, just to the point where she was shaking, her fingers a blur as they glided across the keys of her laptop.
The article was finished by 7:30 pm, hardly proofread in her eager haste, and forwarded to her editor the moment the last word was typed. Meredith's eyes widened as she sent the email, and she proceeded to close the laptop, taking a deep breath as a grin played at her lips.
"Guess who just sent in her article!?" she sang, jumping up from her seat as Ella glanced back from the living room. She snorted.
"Finally. Maybe now I can stop hearing Thomas Bentley's voice played on repeat from your phone."
Meredith only shrugged. "Internalizing what was said is part of the creative process, Ella."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, whatever. Just go eat some actual dinner, and do your very best not to pass out from the caffeine in your system."
"No promises." Meredith walked over to the fridge, rolling her shoulders after she pulled the doors open. "Damn, I feel like I could run a marathon."
"But it might be just a bit better for you to take a nap," Ella interrupted, and Meredith pursed her lips.
"I mean, either way," she agreed, and they shared an amused grin. "Alright, now I've just gotta wait for my editor to read it, and I'm golden."
"Or, you have to make several edits and accept thorough draft feedback, and then you're golden," Ella pointed out, and Meredith rolled her eyes, running a hand through her hair as she rummaged through the fridge.
"Always a cynic." Her eyes widened slightly, and a moment later, she withdrew a bottle of champagne. "Hey, can we crack this open to celebrate my first exclusive?"
"Hmm?" Ella craned her neck back from the couch, and smiled when she saw what her friend was holding. "I mean, sure, but I think you'd be obligated to invite Liam and Audrey over."
Meredith scowled. "You're right; you're right."
The pair had been gifted the bottle by Ella's sister and her husband, but only on the condition that they opened it only when it really merited the celebration (it's an excellent vintage bubbly; 1920 was a long time ago, as Liam had lectured them) and that Liam and Audrey were there. It was a strange choice of housewarming gift, but Ella and Meredith appreciated it nonetheless.
But in that regard, there was nothing left to do with the evening except drop herself onto the couch and wait for the green light to publish (in extreme apprehension, of course).
And Meredith was far from aware of the fuse she'd just lit.
_______________
@Mere_Grcia: My new article is up now, direct from the Washington Post! First hand news not only about the future of our government, but about the 2020 presidential race.
The First Steps Into the Race
https://washingtonpost.com/veryreallink/presidentialrace
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@ThomasBentley: Just so you don't have to read the article, here's a spoiler: I'm running for president 🎉
Replying to @ThomasBentley:
@Mere_Grcia: why can't you just let me do my job
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@ThomasBentley: Where's the fun in that?
Replying to @ThomasBentley:
@Mere_Grcia: The fun is that people read the article I worked hard on????
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@ThomasBentley: So should I assume I can't count on your vote?
Replying to @ThomasBentley:
@Mere_Grcia: why are you like this
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@LiamHaber: See this is what I've been telling you
Replying to @LiamHaber:
@Mere_Grcia: can't you stay out of this
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@LiamHaber: Ok but where's the fun in that
Replying to @LiamHaber:
@Mere_Grcia: God, you're just like him
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@EllaSadek: 👀 that's serious shade, considering who you're talking to
Replying to @EllaSadek:
@ThomasBentley: Call him out
Replying to @ThomasBentley:
@Mere_Grcia: You're literally a politician, why are you part of this
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@Thomas_Bentley: This is called public relations, last I checked
Replying to @Thomas_Bentley:
@Mere_Grcia: this literally started with you telling people not to read my article; you're awful at public relations
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@Thomas_Bentley: I was just saving people time. I haven't even been elected yet and I'm already making steps for the public interest
Replying to @Thomas_Bentley:
@Mere_Grcia: Spoiler alert: Thomas Bentley's election will cause unemployment rates to spike because he thinks he's better than everyone at their jobs
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@EllaSadek: that's tough shit right there 🐸☕
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@LiamHaber: mere can i pls sponsor you just for that
Replying to @Mere_Grcia:
@Thomas_Bentley: yeah, I'm definitely counting on your vote :)
Replying to @Thomas_Bentley:
@Mere_Grcia: leave
...
@Thomas_Bentley started following you.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments