Not Your Sidekick Read Free Page B

awards left and right like her younger brother or flying around fighting crime like her sister.
    Jess groans and flicks the desktop sync on her DED. It flickers, and then her desktop projects a large workspace screen and a keyboard. Jess flicks through her documents. She could get started on a paper for world history, but that’s not due till Friday. She can put that off. Besides, there are more pressing things, like following through with finding a job.
    It has to be something cool, something she’ll enjoy, and something that will look good on her college applications.
    Jess pulls up one of the holopages her guidance counselor gave her, one that sorts listings of internships and volunteer opportunities by geographic location. She scowls, scrolling through listing after listing, rejecting one after another.
    â€œUgh, you need a job to get experience and experience to get a job!”
    The Las Vegas Philharmonic needs someone for basic office work and to keep all their sheet music organized. It sounds okay, plus she’d be around creative people, and it looks as if they’re okay with a high school student with no experience. It’d be a terrible commute, though; at least an hour if there’s traffic. Andover isn’t quite big enough to merit its own stop on the hovertrain route, so everyone who drives to Las Vegas is bottlenecked onto one road. It would be a long drive there and an even longer one back with all the people leaving Las Vegas for the outer cities.
    Jess wants to do something more. She wants to make a difference somehow, even if her best talent is meticulously organizing things—which her mother says isn’t actually a talent—and stubbornness.
    Jess blinks when she sees the next company. “No way. Monroe Industries has high school internships?”
    Jess clicks the link and glances outside her open bedroom door, where she can hear Chả busily cheeping away, still trying to vacuum. This MonRobot model was revolutionary when it came out, and it still functions today, if albeit a bit slower and quirkier. Any other brand would have been defunct by now.
    Monroe Industries has state-of-the-art technology, and their products are everywhere from the home, to the office, to private schools. MonRobots can be programmed to perform any number of everyday tasks, from cleaning and cooking to being a personal assistant, although those advanced A.I. systems are incredibly expensive. Chả is one of the basic models, used primarily for household chores. The robots in the basic line aren’t cheap, though. Jess remembers her parents being very excited about the discount they got for being in the Associated League of Heroes.
    Jess scans the listing to see if she’s qualified, and while a few science and business internships require experience and references, one position catches her eye.
    WANTED: Motivated intern for administrative and office support in select experimental research division. Responsibilities include word processing, creating spreadsheets and presentations, organizing reports and research data, and filing. Computer experience, Net research abilities, and strong communication skills are preferred. Sensitivity to confidential matters and discretion is required.
    Jess taps her fingers on her chin. It’s a paid position, as are all the other internships, but this one is surely going to be in high demand because of the entry-level qualifications. The DED listed for inquiry is registered to a person named M.
    A quick search of the company’s website brings up absolutely nothing about this person or the experimental division, so Jess doesn’t have any other information with which to tailor her cover letter, but she’s willing to try anyway.
    Jess crafts what she hopes is a compelling cover letter and résumé and sends them in.

Ch.2...

    On Saturday, Jess declines going to Crystal Springs with her parents to visit Claudia. Jess should be