Chapter Two

The days after finals passed by in a blur of cards, packing boxes, tears, and farewells; graduation had come and gone and now I found myself crammed in to my small Honda Civic with all of my personal belongings barricading me in as I drove the two thousand plus miles to Fort Collins.

Johnston Corp had graciously arranged a furnished apartment that would be ready upon my arrival. The big wigs apparently wanted Harvard’s ‘brightest up and coming economist’ to live in luxury, if the pictures of the complex were anything to go by, but still it all seemed superficial and shallow. I felt like my ass was being kissed and that I hadn’t worked a lick for anything that I was receiving. I supposed that somehow karma would take care of the sudden windfall that had befallen me but one could never be sure of when exactly karma would rear its ugly head.

Johnston Corp was the biggest conglomerate in the US and had an almost monopoly on the energy industry, as most of its subsidiary companies made up more than 45 of the energy companies in the country. Energy wasn’t the main source of income for Johnston Corp by any means. The corporation had its lengthy tentacles in to almost every commodity in addition to numerous mutual funds that spread across the globe.

What was I doing there? I don’t exactly know. I had always pictured myself using my degree to teach high school economics, but never this. It was going to be more stress than I ever wanted to impose on myself and it was all because of a boy that I was too afraid to have to face again.

Speaking of said boy, David graduated from Harvard with no job offer except one from his father. He hadn’t worked his way through school, in fact it was almost common knowledge that the Russell’s paid off all of his professors so that they could retire handsomely and that their son would pass, barely.

But David did graduate with a snippet of news that crushed my poor heart even more. He was engaged. Angelica Kent was her name and she came from a wealthy family who had amassed their fortune in the real estate development industry and had gone on to be one of the most notable companies in their field.

Needless to say another slow rip began forming in the crinkled recesses of my heart. Luckily it was still intact, but only just so. I figured it wouldn’t take much to rip it the last way through. My misery still clouded my thoughts as I pulled in to the gated apartment complex and stepped out of the car for the first time in nearly six hours.

I stood in front of the monstrous building and sighed. I was on the third floor and a quick scan of the building told me that there was no elevator to be found. And so it began the longest hour of my life dragging boxes up to the third floor.

By the time I was on my last box I had long since shed my t-shirt and jeans and changed in to a tank top and a pair of short jean shorts. My hair had been thrown in to a messy bun and I was sweating 

in places I didn’t even know had sweat glands. It was on this last trip, in my grimy, smelly, oh so appealing state that I ran in to him.