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Overview
It's the summer before her final year of high school, and Amy and her best friend Elise are stoked about their summer job. Two months, no parents, a dreamy twenty-something boss, and a remote Vancouver Island resort. It sounds like the perfect opportunity for shy, artistic Amy to reinvent herself. But when her dream boss turns creepy, Amy has to decide how far she's willing to go to get the recommendations she needs for her future.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781552775325 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers |
| Publication date: | 11/18/2010 |
| Series: | Lorimer SideStreets Series |
| Sold by: | De Marque |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 1 |
| Lexile: | HL790L (what's this?) |
| File size: | 406 KB |
| Age Range: | 14 - 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1 "I've got our plan of attack all ready," said Elise. Her pearly-peach acrylic fingernails gleamed against the see-through, blue plastic envelope in her hand. Amy took a deep breath and nodded. She watched as her best friend gulped the last of her cream soda, smoothed her bone-straight, blonde hair, and pushed open the double doors leading out of the cafeteria. Amy fluffed her own wavy brown locks, trying for that tousled look. "I scouted the place just before lunch and found a few 'definitelys!' and a handful of strong 'maybes.' Stick with me and follow my lead. I just know we'll find the absolute best jobs. Wouldn't it be so incredible if we got hired at the same place?" They paused in the hallway along a floor-toceiling glass wall that separated them from the gym. Inside the gigantic room, Amy could see hundreds of students milling around booths, clutching armfuls of paper. The career fair at Cedar River Secondary was held every year near the end of May. Here, high-school kids were supposed to connect with employers, and vice versa. For Vancouver Island students these connections meant entry-level tourism and retail work for the most part. If Amy and Elise landed jobs their summer days would likely be spent folding and selling clothes, guiding tourists, scooping ice cream, running a cash register, or some other similar service job. The girls knew finding work would be harder this year. Now they were competing with more experienced twenty-somethings laid off during the recession. Amy's pulse quickened. She looked down at the folder tucked under her arm. She had only a short list of volunteer work and trumped-up odd jobs for her resum . Her family had been pressuring her to find employment since school started. Her dad had started saying things like, "It's about time you got out of the house and started earning a wage." And, "You kids have it easy now with all the work that's out there." Like he would know. In those moments, Amy was tempted to tell her dad to look at his own job security. She wondered what he planned to do if he got laid off again. Walking toward the gym entrance, Amy tried to think of a way to "sell herself." She looked at her reflection in the glass. She saw a plain, doe-eyed girl nothing special. Fighting the urge to run, she reminded herself why she wanted a job. First would be the money. Second, it would get her parents off her back. And lastly, the only reason that truly mattered, it was the chance to get a reference letter she needed to get into the Vancouver Film School. She dreamed that one day she would make a name for herself as a fashion designer. She wanted to be the creator of clothing worn by all the biggest stars. In her daydreams, Amy pictured herself walking down urban streets lined with trendy shops. Or she would be creating masterpieces in a light-filled loft studio. Or styling models backstage at a fashion show. The best boutiques across Canada would put her new creations in their windows . . . As Amy and Elise neared the gym doors, Amy's stomach tightened as she took shorter breaths. She felt this pressure every time a social challenge came up: strangers, boys, noisy rooms, impatient people, pushy crowds. "El," whispered Amy. They entered the room and began weaving through the crowd. "You know I won't be able to remember anything, so you'll have to get them to ask me questions. Like how you introduce me to guys. Only this time, try not to take all of them for yourself." The sound of chatter rose and fell around the giant room, making it sound like a busy restaurant. Students from grades eight through twelve pushed past with envelopes and books and brochures. Amy hung back while Elise fought through cluster after cluster of students gathered at her target booths. Big franchise booths like Starbucks, Bluenotes, and La Senza were so busy that the people staffing them had left a drop-off point for resum s. Amy placed her lonely sheet on each pile, soon to be buried by another and another. Frustration turned to panic as she started to wonder exactly how many students she was competing against. Amy thought back to the announcement in yesterday's Textiles class about a design scholarship in Vancouver. Miss Fitton had interrupted them just as Amy was finishing the skirt she was making. "Class, can I have your attention?" Miss Fitton had said. Like all teachers, she was not really asking. "I have an announcement about a new scholarship program at the Vancouver Film School." Then Miss Fitton's serious expression had softened into a smile. "Next year, senior secondary students in British Columbia will be invited to submit a portfolio to the film school's Costume Design Certificate program to be considered for a full entrance scholarship. Other than your portfolio, you need three reference letters, at least one of which must be from an employer." The teacher had cast her gaze around the class before her eyes came to rest on Amy. Amy's