Steph, Tim and James all looked at me, wincing, but I shrugged. ‘Here he goes again.’
‘He’s consistent, I’ll give him that,’ sighed Steph. ‘Man, what a douche-canoe. You’ve definitely upgraded to a better model.’ She winked at James.
‘Hey, I forgot to ask, what happened with Rae?’ I said. ‘Was it about the stolen car?’
‘Stolen car, babe?’ asked Tim.
Steph brushed him off. ‘Ah, I’ll tell you later. No, well … actually Rae offered me a job with her at the new mag.’
‘At Marilyn? That’s fantastic!’ I said. ‘And you reckon I have my life together! What’s the job?’
‘Design assistant, or features assistant, or editorial something — I wasn’t really listening.’
I stared at her. ‘You took it, right?’
Steph glanced at Tim. ‘Well, the thing is …’ Those words again.
‘Turns out we’re going to India for a few months,’ Tim said. ‘Surprise.’
James slapped him on the back. ‘Mate, that’s unbelievable.’
‘Are you joking?’ I asked, stunned that travel’s magnetic pull had claimed two more friends in a matter of hours. ‘Where did that come from?’
‘Jose, you know me, I’ve been going mad trying to be a normal person with a normal office gig,’ said Steph. ‘It feels so wrong. Well, me and Tim got to talking and we’re going to do some volunteer work over there, learn yoga, eat curries … make it up as we go.’
‘Wow, I … I …’ For the billionth time that day, I lost the power of speech.
Steph hopped off the couch and wrapped her arms around me. ‘You’ll be fine, kiddo. Hey, who knows, we may get to the end of the first week and realise we hate it. If that happens, we’ll be on the first plane back.’
‘When do you leave? In a few days?’ I had to ask. I couldn’t lose three friends in one week. I just couldn’t.
‘No way, we’re not that organised,’ laughed Steph.
‘So what did Rae say when you turned her down?’
‘You know what? I think she got it. It was Dad who was pushing her to find something for me — as always.’ She gave me another squeeze and a crumpled piece of paper fell from her pocket onto the floor.
‘What’s that?’ I asked.
Steph looked down. ‘Oh man! I almost forgot. Liani was meant to give it to you back at the office.’ She thrust the paper into my hand. ‘I’ve read it already, sorry.’
I smoothed it out. There were a few words written in swirly old-style script in the middle of the page. ‘Josie, I’m so sorry for how I treated you,’ I read aloud. ‘Please forgive me. Liani passed on your article. I don’t know what to say other than thank you for being there, even when I didn’t deserve it. Ava.’
‘Whoa,’ said Tim.
I folded up the note and tucked it in my pocket.
‘Aren’t you going to say anything?’ asked Steph. ‘Jose, aren’t you still angry?’
‘Nope.’ And I wasn’t.
‘That girl ruined everything!’ Steph said, her voice rising. ‘She got you thrown out of the internship.’
‘There is no internship, remember?’ I said, shrugging. ‘No life-changing five thousand dollars. No magical byline. No column. None of that.’
‘You’re right,’ said Steph. ‘So why aren’t you having a fit, then? The Josie I know would be in spiral of crazy right now.’
I looked around at their concerned and curious faces, and I laughed as I saw Steph tap Tim’s hand away as he reached for another slice of pizza.
‘Well?’ asked James, his eyes lighting up. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Yeah,’ said Tim. ‘Tell us.’
And so I told them about my new job in the city.
I waited for the thunderous applause and cheers. For balloons to fall from the ceiling and everyone to high-five me, then hoist me onto their shoulders to run a lap of the neighbourhood. But nothing. Not even a burp from Tim after his fifth glass of Coke.
‘Did you hear me?’ I said. ‘I got a job. I’m going to be a junior writer here in the city. Guys?’
Without warning, they roared with excitement and enveloped me into a group hug that almost knocked me flat on the floor. There were arms and legs everywhere; James’s elbow nearly poked me in the eye and Steph’s hair got caught in my mouth, but I didn’t care — although Tim’s garlic breath took the wind out of me when he smacked a kiss on my cheek.
Eventually Steph and Tim wriggled out of the clinch, leaving me and James in our own embrace. Our eyes locked and, for a moment, we were the only ones in the room. James tucked a curl behind my ear and smiled. Heart pounding, I leaned forward so our lips could meet again.
‘Let’s give them some space,’ I heard Steph whisper to Tim, and I sensed them slip away.
James and I were finally alone. All I could feel were his fingers stroking my cheek, our tongues brushing together, his warm skin when I pressed my lips against his neck — and it was all I wanted to feel. But, ever the over-thinker, I kept waiting for something to ruin it. A freak fire in the building. A call from Mum reminding me it was my turn to do the laundry. A hairy spider scuttling up the nearest wall. But nothing bad happened, and I wasn’t going to waste time wondering why life had spared me for once. So, with Hawaiian pizza in my belly, a gorgeous guy in my arms and a writing job in my future, I relaxed into James’s kisses — no interruptions, chaos or drama allowed.
Except for Steph and Tim. Less than a minute later, they charged in with a ginormous tub of chocolate ice-cream and four spoons.
James and I pulled apart, half-breathless and half-laughing at being interrupted again.
‘Dude!’ said James, hitting Tim on the leg.
‘I know, I know, but giving you space to hook up or whatever got boring,’ said Tim, planting himself on the sofa and shovelling his spoon into the tub.
‘Sorry,’ said Steph. ‘I tried to hold him back.’
James caught my eye, his cheeky dimples making me wish we were still alone. Then, clearly not wanting to be outdone by Tim, he jammed a chocolatey scoop the size of a tennis ball into his mouth. The two guys exploded with laughter, moaning about their competing ice-cream headaches. It wasn’t obvious in the dimmed room, but I could see that Steph’s eyes had misted over. She didn’t say a word, though, just squeezed my hand.
I smiled and reached for a spoon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Taking The Intern from my imagination to publication was like riding a roller-coaster — there was plenty of laughter, shrieking and nausea. With much love and my deepest thanks to those of you who lined up with me and buckled in for the ride:
The wonderful Helen Littleton, who saw something in me that I was yet to see in myself. You nudged me in the right direction and for that I am eternally grateful.
To the publisher of my dreams, Lisa Berryman: without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for taking a chance, trusting in me and cheering every step of the way. I can’t wait to do it all again soon.
The brilliant and kind Nicola O’Shea, who edited, wrangled and coaxed The Intern into the best shape of its life. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with you.
For their guidance, support and hard work, I wish to thank the rest of HarperCollins, especially Rachel Dennis, Gemma Fahy, Amanda Diaz, Tim Miller, Libby Volke and Hazel Lam.
To Sam Faull, Amanda Ryan and Simone McClenaughan, your friendship, feedback on the first draft and pep talks throughout the process were invaluable.
Thanks to the teachers, editors, authors and writers who have nurtured my creativity and inspired me to follow this path (some intentionally, some from afar): Cathy Edwards, Marg Ryan, Peter Cox, Felicity Packard, Simone ‘Boss Lady’ Amelia, Fiona Wright, Gemma Crisp, Jacqueline Mooney, Zoë Foster Blake, Andrew Humphries, Gretel Killeen, Martine Allars, Kylie Ladd, Kerri Sackville, Margaret Clark and John Marsden.
A special note for Sarah Ayoub, who bravely rode this roller-coaster first, and squeezed
my hand through the scariest twists and turns. And to Georgia Kemmis, another creative pea in my pod, it’s been a pleasure collaborating in the lead-up to The Intern’s release.
My darling friends — you know who you are — you inspire me to aim for the stars (and thanks for understanding when I was too busy working on the book to catch up).
To the McMillans and the Tozers, I love you all. For introducing me to the joys of reading, I want to thank the best parents a girl could hope for, Allan and Annette. All those MS Readathons and books for Christmas paid off! Much love and gratitude to my little sister, Jacqui, who styled my outfit for my first job interview in the big smoke (yes, that part in The Intern may have been semi-true …).
And finally to my beloved husband and first reader, Jason — for your patience, for your creativity, for your logic, for your enthusiasm and, most of all, for loving me at my best and worst (even those times when I was eating peanut butter from the jar when the finish line seemed so far away). We did it.
Now, let’s ride the roller-coaster again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gabrielle Tozer is an author, journalist and copywriter from Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Since moving to Sydney almost a decade ago, she has worked as a managing editor, deputy editor, chief subeditor, senior features writer and freelancer for publications including DOLLY, Girlfriend, Cosmopolitan, Bride to Be, DisneyGiRL, Disney Adventures, The Canberra Times and Mamamia. Gabrielle’s writing has also appeared in the creative anthologies Take It As Red and GOfish and she is a previous winner of the ABC’s Heywire competition. When she is not churning out her next novel (yes, that’s why she hasn’t brushed her hair for a while), she loves tweeting, eating chocolate and watching too much television.
Say hello:
gabrielletozer.com
facebook.com/hellogabrielletozer
twitter and instagram: @gabrielletozer
PRAISE FOR THE INTERN
‘If you loved The Devil Wears Prada, I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll dive right into The Intern, which looks at the world of Aussie glossies. Josie’s adventures in mag-land ring entirely true, from first-day outfit nerves and beauty sales to interviewing dreamy celebs. Josie is warm, funny and completely lovable, even when she’s a total dill. I loved this fun, cheeky read, as well as the genuine heart at its core.’
Lauren Smelcher Sams, Cosmopolitan associate editor
‘I was totally hooked within the first few pages of The Intern. It’s impossible not to get invested in Josie’s adventures as she navigates life in the “big smoke” as well as in the world of magazines. I’d call it a YA version of The Devil Wears Prada but I’d be doing The Intern a disservice. I’m sure readers will enjoy it as thoroughly as I have.’
Tiffany Dunk, former Dolly editor
‘If you ever wondered what it was like to work in magazines, Tozer gets it exactly right! I couldn’t put it down.’
Jessica Parry, Cosmopolitan deputy editor
‘I loved this book! The Intern’s Josie is smart, funny, compassionate and absolutely impossible not to love. Gabrielle, too, is one of those special types of authors that you feel compelled to want to hang out and eat pizza with — you just know she’d make you giggle and be an amazing best friend.’
Dannielle Miller, author of The Girl With
The Butterfly Tattoo and Loveability,
CEO of Enlighten Education
COPYRIGHT
Angus&Robertson
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
First published in Australia in 2014
This edition published in 2014
by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
harpercollins.com.au
Copyright © Gabrielle Tozer 2014
The right of Gabrielle Tozer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
HarperCollinsPublishers
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
A 53, Sector 57, Noida, UP, India
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JB, United Kingdom
2 Bloor Street East, 20th floor, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8, Canada
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022, USA
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Tozer, Gabrielle, author.
The intern / Gabrielle Tozer.
978 0 7322 9705 3 (pbk.)
978 1 7430 9948 3 (epub)
For secondary school age.
Journalism—Juvenile fiction
Interns—Juvenile fiction.
A823.4
Cover design by Hazel Lam, HarperCollins Design Studio
Cover images by shutterstock.com
Author photograph by Simona Janek, gm photographics
The Intern Page 23
