Page 57 of The Fallacy of True Love
“Don’t,” he insisted as he scanned the QR code to pay. “You’re still looking for a job. Let me help.”
I agreed because I wouldn’t be able to afford Inang’s meds otherwise. “Thank you, Eric.”
Shaking his head, he nudged his knee against mine. “Stop that. You’d do the same for me.”
No arguments there. My friends had given me hope and happiness when I thought I’d never experience both again. They’d given me a home. I would do whatever I could to take care of them, even if it meant swallowing my pride.
Alonzo
When I walked into my first class of the second semester, my classmates who’d barely said hello to me previously headed my way. I smothered a sigh and arranged my mouth into a smile.
“Lonzo!” Tommy slung his arm around my shoulders. “How was your break?”
“Good. How about yours?”
“Not as good as yours was. Dude, why didn’t you tell us you knew Jason Meyer?”
Rico, one of Tommy’s friends, joined us. “You’re almost brothers now, aren’t you?”
I chuckled and tried to play it casual. “Not exactly.”
“He’s marrying your sister, right?” Tommy asked. “Damn, your family won the jackpot. You don’t even need to be a lawyer anymore—the guy can hook you up with anything you want.”
“I prefer to earn what I have,” I said lightly. “And I actually want to be a lawyer.”
Rico shrugged. “I get what Tommy’s saying. Why put yourself through three more years of this when you don’t have to?”
“You could make a fortune selling signed merch,” Tommy suggested. “You know, go the business route. Bet that would impress your girlfriend.”
My smile almost faltered. They’d met Dani a few times, and she must have left an impression on them, as she always did.
Before I could come up with a response, I heard Miggy saying, “Santos is coming up behind me.”
Tommy and Rico scampered away at the mention of our professor’s name. Miggy and I sat on the third row from the back.
Looping his bag’s straps around the back of the seat, Miggy asked, “You good?”
“Yeah. You saved me there,” I whispered as I pulled out my notebook. “Thanks.”
A few seconds later, our professor strolled inside the classroom.
Miggy held out his fist to me, and I met it with mine. “Good luck.”
Ready or not, this was my fresh start. Time to give it everything I had.
Chapter Twenty
Cam
After two practice rounds with Nikki and Eric, a third on my own, and my first real interview last week, I was as ready as I’d ever be for my video call with the hiring officer of Tritech Corp. I’d stalked Elaine Domingo online, so I knew she was a Filipino-American living in California, and she’d been with the company for almost a decade.
The interview began with her correcting me when I defaulted to calling her Miss Domingo. Tritech operated on a first-name basis regardless of position, she explained, because they wanted to emphasize equality. That made me want the job even more.
“We’re impressed with your portfolio, and your testimonials contain all good things,” Elaine told me. “However, we couldn’t help but notice from your application that you didn’t complete your college degree.”
I’d hoped the topic wouldn’t come up, but of course it did. Thankfully, my friends had prepared me for this line of questioning. “Yes. I was lucky to get a scholarship, and I enjoyed my classes. I got good grades, but something happened toward the end of my second year, so I decided to leave after finishing my requirements. I did continue taking online courses while I built my freelance career.”
“Can we discuss why you dropped out?”
