Page 103 of Unspoken Rules

The first half of the day is orientation, and the room for that is located on the second floor.

I’m on the elevator with two other guys. Both smile at me, so I smile back, even though I feel like I’m going to vomit. My shirt is too tight around my neck. My belt is digging into my stomach. The seam on my sock is crooked, and I’m going to have to fix that before I lose my shit.

Once on the second floor, I make a beeline to the bathroom to fix my sock. I loosen my belt and tug on my shirt, but of course it doesn’t stretch, so it does nothing to help. I splash some water on my face and force my mind to focus on everything Cole said to me this morning.

You’re going to do great.

You look amazing.

You’ve got this.

I get to the room with ten minutes to spare and there are two other people in here already. There is one rectangle table in the middle of the room with a large screen TV on the wall on the far end. The wall across from the door is full of windows and overlooks the city. The building isn’t quite in the center of the city, but a few minutes away and on higher ground. I bet the view on the higher floors is better. Hopefully my office will be up there. It isn’t a very tall building, only eight floors. If my office is on the top floor? That would be pretty cool. This isn’t New York or Chicago, but a view is a view.

Two more people show up before the trainer walks in. She’s dressed in a grey skirt suit with a white blouse and heels that must hurt her feet, they’re so tall. At the table are me and four other guys, all of which look around my age. We’re dressed similarly, which makes me feel more comfortable. Cole helped me pick out the outfit and swore it was perfect, but my anxiety is through the roof so everything feels wrong.

“Good morning, everyone,” the woman says as she puts down a stack of folders at the head of the table. “My name is Marie Harris. I spoke to each of you on the phone recently. I’ll be with you for the first half of the day as we go through paperwork and training materials. Most of it will be via video, but there are some packets for you to take with you, and of course, lots of things to sign.” She glances at the clock. “Thank you all for being on time. If we get started right away, we can get you lunch for twelve and send you up with your partners for one. Does anyone have questions before we start?”

We all shake our heads, and she gets started. She passes out a folder to each of us, each of them with our name printed on a label in the top right corner. The papers inside are specific to our jobs. One other guy here was hired to the marketing department like me, but the others are in different areas, like productions, planning, and accounts.

We get some forms out of the way and spend an hour watching a video about the company's history. She gives us a ten-minute break; we get up and head to the bathroom. When we return, we each have a canvas tote bag at our spots.

“Gifts?” one of the guys says, looking inside. I didn’t catch anyone’s names.

I dig through my bag and pull out items with the agency logo on it.

A water bottle, post-it notes, pen, and our badges.

“You’re able to get to the second floor without a badge, but everything above us needs it, so make sure you have it with you every day.” Marie says. “Any questions so far?”

There’s a round of no’s. We fill out more papers and watch another video.

I didn’t eat breakfast because I was too nervous. By the time it’s eleven, my stomach is hurting and growling. So the hour drags. I’m ravenous once lunch comes. I expect them to order pizza, because I feel like that’s what you always see. But they order from an Italian place, and we get a huge salad, a pan of lasagna, and another of spaghetti and meatballs. Marie leaves us as we eat, and we devour almost all of it. Five guys with a ton of food? Of course we’re going to eat it. I’m grateful I don’t spill anything on my shirt. I wonder if this is some kind of test to see if we’re slobs. Like if we spill something on our clothes, we aren’t worthy of working here.

When we’re done eating, Marie comes back in and tells us to gather our things. The five of us aren’t on the same floor, so as we ride on the elevator, stopping at the ones we need, she explains what they are the moment we step off. She then brings whoever it is to their partner while the rest of us wait by the elevator bay, and when she returns, we get back on and keep going.

My floor is the sixth, which is cool. There is one guy left who’s going to the next floor. Marie brings me to the receptionist, Carol, who shows me to my desk, which is close enough to the window that I can see out over the city. I’m not sure why Marie didn’t walk me over to my partner herself, but I’m sure there is a reason. One that has nothing to do with me. Hopefully.

Carol is old enough to be my mother and looks like she’s had a lot of cosmetic work done on her face. Her shoulder-length hair is shiny, light brown with blonde highlights. She’s dressed as well as everyone else around here.

“You can have a seat and Jessie will be over soon. He’s our in-house copy machine fixer.” She rolls her eyes.

“I take it breaks often?”

She nods. “Too often.” She looks me up and down. “You know how to fix them?”

I chuckle, holding up my hands. “No.”

She nods. “All right then. Have a good first day.”

I take a seat and look around the floor. This area is open with small clusters of desks and glass paned wall partitions to separate the spaces, giving it a modern look. It isn’t at all like Mad Men, which I secretly hoped it would be. There aren’t many shows I’ve watched over the years, but that was one I binged. Bunch of handsome men in suits? Yes, please. The casual attire everyone is wearing is still nice; there’s just something about a suit.

“Good morning, you must be Bryan.”

I glance at the man walking toward my desk, extending his hand with a big smile on his face. I get to my feet.

“It’s Bryson, but I get that often. You’re Jessie?”

He could be about thirty. Dark brown hair that’s long enough to tuck behind his ears. He’s dressed like everyone else here in slacks and a button up.

---