the rivals play ━━ logan huntzberger

19| you've got mail

AFTER TURNING IN TWO ARTICLES for the Yale Daily News, closing dozens of boxes worth of Christmas donations the sophomore council created, and editing Rory's piece on a ballerina play, Audrey opened her email to find a rejection letter from the spring internship she applied to.

Dear Ms. Wilde, we regret to inform you... she stopped there when she understood what would come next. Groaning irritably, she dug her face in the palm of her hands in agony. Looking up, she sighed. She didn't intend on reading the rest of the letter, but before closing the tab, she got a glimpse of the sentence; The position has already been filled by another member of the Yale Daily News.

That was enough for Audrey to change into her clothes with alacrity, skirting past the boxes to get to her apartment door. She walked out of the apartment building, heading to the campus, determined to find out who got the internship. She wasn't sure what she was planning to do, exactly, it wasn't as if she planned on threatening them into turning down the internship. She simply wanted to find out of curiosity and an inkling suspicion that they might've gotten it because of an unfair advantage, but that could be her narcissism talking.

When she reached campus and made her way to the newspaper office, she saw Bill by his desk. She didn't bother to look around the office for another member, but instantly headed to the first person she saw. "Hey, Bill."

"Audrey, hi." Bill greeted her, glancing up from his computer screen.

"Busy?" Before he could answer, knowing that he clearly was, she continued. "Do you happen to got the internship at Partridge's?"

Bill looked up from his screen again, sighing in annoyance. "Yeah, Patrick Ray got it."

"Patrick?" She looked up, searching for him across the room, but couldn't spot him. "Horrible, misogynistic article on women in business, Patrick? The son of Partridge's founder's best friend, Patrick?" She asked eagerly.

Uninterested, he turned back to the screen, typing on the keyboard. "That's the one."

Audrey let out a huff prodded by infuriation. She instantly regretted not applying to other internships, but she was so sure she had this one in the bag. Nepotism, one. Me, zero. "Thanks, Bill." She muttered, stepping away from his desk.

Spotting Paris from afar, fanning Doyle with a notebook, she approached her. "You know what I'm sick of?" She asked.

"Men?" Paris suggested.

"Men." Audrey replied in unison. She did a double take at Paris, confused. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

"It's a gift."

Turning her attention on the distressed man slouching on the chair, she furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong with Doyle?" She whispered to her.

"Mitchum Huntzberger just left."

      "Logan's dad?"

      "My entire body is numb." He said, exasperated.

      Intrigued, she leaned against the desk, wanting to know more. "Well, what was he doing here?" She asked.

      "What was he doing here?" Doyle scoffed. "Busting my chops, which are now numb." Then, again, more frightfully, his hands touched his face. "My god, my chops are completely numb." He said woefully.

      "Don't speak." Paris advised, still fanning him. "Don't speak."

       Audrey furrowed her brows. "What was he doing here? Serious answer this time, please."