GEN13 - Version 2.0 by Unknown Author Read Free Book Online

earnest look on her face. “I’m tired of people judging me by how I look. It’s like everyone I meet out there is only looking at the surface, and not at the person underneath. I get too much of that already.
    “I don’t want the kind of job that comes because of how I look. I want the kind of job that comes because of who I am.”
    Ms. Mickel kept on typing. “Really,” she said without looking up.
    “Really,” Kat replied.
    Ms. Mickel pursed her lips, then swiveled back around in her chair to face Kat. “So let me see if I understand this. You’re upset because you have a serious problem. There are just too many people out there who are attracted to your looks.”
    “Well, yes.”
    “Poor baby.” Ms. Mickel went back to her typing.
    Now, Kat was starting to get annoyed. “Look,” she said, “I don’t know what your problem is—”
    “Oh, I don’t have a problem. I just have trouble mustering up a lot of sympathy for a Barbie doll whose big complaint is that she’s too gorgeous.”
    “ ‘Barbie doll?!’ I was pulling down A’s when I was at Princeton!”
    “My mistake,” said Ms. Mickel. But her dry tone suggested that she was still unimpressed.
    “Why do you resent me so much? Because I’m pretty?” Kat said. -
    “Listen, sweetheart, I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve seen your type before. You start out all committed to working your way up the ladder. But then, when you realize that really means working your way up, it loses its appeal. So you start looking for the faster track.” Without meaning to, she glanced over at the slim, blonde woman who was coming out of the manager’s office. “You start batting your long eyelashes and passing over the less beautiful people who really deserve it!”
    “You know, there are laws about discriminating against people because of how they look ...”
    Ms. Mickel shrugged. “Sue me. Does this place look like it has a huge bank account?”
    “This is so unfair!” Kat exclaimed. “You don’t know me! You don’t know anything about me!”
    “Oh?”
    “I’m sorry if you’ve had bad experiences with those kinds of people before. But don’t you see what you’re doing? You’re doing the exact same thing they do. You’re holding me back because of my looks!”
    Ms. Mickel raised her eyebrows at that one. Her fingers paused, then left the keyboard. Ms. Mickel sat back in her chair and looked up at Kat, clearly mulling the point over. Finally, she spoke. “You really mean it, don’t you?” “Yes.”
    Ms. Mickel nodded slowly. She gestured toward her guest chair. “Sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. It’s been a bad day. Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll see what we can do for you.”
    Kat’s smile lit up her entire face. Somehow, this victory felt better than beating a hundred super-villains. She thanked Ms. Mickel and sat.
    Ms. Mickel reached into her drawer and pulled out a pen and a pad. “Name?”
    “Caitlin Fairchild.”
    Ms. Mickel started to write. “C-A-I-T ...”
    “L-I-N, yes.”
    “May I take a look at your resume?”
    Kat shook her head. “I, um, haven’t put one together yet.”
    “Mmm, all right. Well, you mentioned Princeton. What sort of degree do you have? Bachelors? Masters?”
    “Um, none, really. I did about two years of course work in computer science, but I never finished.”
    “So, are you currently employed?”
    “No. Well, yes. I guess. Freelance, sort of.”
    “ ‘Freelance, sort of.’ ”
    “Yes.”
    The comer of Ms. Mickel’s mouth turned down with
    a sardonic look. “You’re not making this any easier, you know.”
    Kat gave a small, sheepish shrug. It made her look like the largest little girl on Earth.
    Despite herself, Ms. Mickel smiled. “All right, let’s see what we’ve got for you.” She picked up one of the piles of paper from her desk and started to page through it. “Oh! Here we go! This one’s perfect for you!”
    Kat’s heart