Level Up Read Free Page B

wheel. "Whoops. Sorry. Really hot," he apologized, wiping at it with the sleeve of his jacket.
    "I think I'm ready," she said. "You know how hard I work. And I think that I could use a promotion. I've been with MPG for four years, since I graduated from U-Dub."
    "I know."
    "So why not?"
    He took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm not firing on all cylinders. Can't this wait till tonight?"
    "No," she said, surprising herself. She put her cup in the holder and turned a little. "This isn't because I'm a woman, is it?"
    "God, no," he said.
    "Because I know it's a boys' club," she said doggedly. "It's hard to be respected as a female coder. I don't expect it to be handed to me, but if I'm being passed over or ignored just because......"
    "I swear, it isn't because you're a woman," Adam interrupted quickly. "Hell, most of us don't even think of you as a woman."
    That took her aback. He glanced at her, looking aghast.
    "And I totally didn't mean it that way," he said. "I think of you as a woman, trust me."
    Now a little, wayward hormonal burst erupted, surprising her. This is Ani's fault,  she thought, scowling.
    "And I mean that in as non-sexually-harassing a way as possible," he quickly added. "I just mean I think of you as a programmer. Who happens to be a woman. Whom I totally respect. Who is probably more than capable of handling the job." He groaned. "Who I also wish would just shoot me and put me out of my misery because eight o'damned clock in the morning is too early to be having this conversation which I seem to be totally butchering."
    She couldn't help it. She let out a chuckle. "All right. But I'm serious. I really, really want this."
    There were a few minutes of silence, the only noise the rolling of the tires on the freeway. Finally, Adam spoke.
    "Not to dig myself deeper, but...why now?" He didn't look at her, stayed fixated on the road, but she could practically feel his curiosity filling the car. "You're young. There will be other opportunities.""
    "Why not now?" She felt her heart sink, and she gritted her teeth. "It's easy to say there will be other opportunities, but you're a project manager who came from coding. You know what the engineers are like. What Abraham  is like. So do you really think I've got another shot at it at MPG?"
    They sat silently for a long few minutes as he pulled onto the freeway.
    "I'll see what I can do about talking to Abraham and the higher ups," he said. "But I can't promise anything. The engineers can be...tough to break into."
    She nodded. That was something, at least.
    "Sooooooo..." He drawled, taking a deep breath. "Other than binge watching Sherlock , do anything fun this weekend?"
    He was obviously interested in changing the subject. She sighed. "I Skyped Ani--which you know--and we traded presents. She likes to make a big deal because..." She paused.
    "What?" he prompted.
    "Um, because I've got a birthday coming up. It's so close to Christmas, she knows that it tends to get lumped in, and I don''t celebrate it."
    "You've got a birthday? When?"
    "Wednesday." She felt her cheeks heat. "Really, it's no big deal."
    "Of course it's a big deal!" He shot her a quick glance. "How old?"
    "Huh? Oh. Twenty-five."
    "Two years younger than me," he said. "I'm a summer kid, though, so I was always young for my grade."
    "I was always old for mine," she said ruefully. "It always made me feel...behind, somehow. Which is my point. I kind of thought I'd be further ahead than I am, you know?"
    He nodded. "Quarter-life crisis," he said. "Totally common. Well, not among our crew, but I've read about it."
    "I know I'm ready for a change," she nudged, unable to help herself.
    He sighed. "The thing is, it's not just about programming. It's about personalities."
    She frowned. "You mean because the guys wouldn't accept me?"
    "Because you don't socialize. You eat lunch by yourself, in your cubicle. When you get soda at the machine in the Pit, you don't talk to anyone."
    "I'm busy. You know. Working."
    "Yeah, but