The alarm was set for 7:00 AM, but Maya woke up at 6:43, her heart already racing. She hadn’t slept well again. For weeks, she’d been checking her email obsessively, jumping every time her phone buzzed. This is ridiculous, she told herself, rolling onto her back. It’s just an internship. If they say no, you’ll find something else.
But it wasn’t just an internship. It was the internship the one at the publishing house she’d dreamed of working at since she was fifteen, the one she’d spent three sleepless nights perfecting her application for. The one she was sure she’d already lost.
She took her phone, thumb hovering over her inbox. Nothing yet. She exhaled, tossing it onto the pillow. Maybe today. Or maybe
Brrrring. (phone rang)
The sound made her jolt. An unknown number. Her stomach dropped. Spam? But who called this early?
She swiped to answer. “H-Hello?”
“Is this Maya Lawson?” A woman’s voice, warm but professional.
“Yes, speaking.” She sat up, gripping the sheets.
“This is Clara Ruiz from Hartwell Publishing. I’m calling because ” A pause. Maya’s pulse thundered in her ears. Please. Please. Please.
“we’d love to offer you the editorial internship.”
The words didn’t register at first. They floated in the air, weightless. Then
Oh.
Oh.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Clara laughed. “I take that as a yes?”
Maya’s hands flew to her mouth. She was nodding violently, as if Clara could see her. “Yes! Yes, absolutely! Thank you thank you so much!”(so excited)
They talked logistics start date, paperwork but Maya barely processed any of it. The moment she hung up, she screamed into her pillow, then immediately called her mom.
“You got it?!” Her mom’s shriek nearly blew out her eardrum. “I knew it! I told you!”
Maya laughed, tears pricking her eyes. All those rejections last year, all the times she’d wondered if she was good enough none of it mattered now. This was real.
She threw open her curtains. The morning sun hit her face, golden and warm. For the first time in months, the tightness in her chest was gone. She could breathe.
Downstairs, she made coffee, still grinning. The kitchen radio played some cheesy pop song, and for once, she didn’t change it. She danced a little, spinning in her pajamas.
Her phone vibrate a text from her best friend: WELL?!
Maya took a sip of coffee, savoring the moment. Then she typed:
Guess who’s moving to New York? things can change for you within a seconds dont just give up on yourself .
