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Stiles usually doesn’t nail job interviews. He’s awkward and doesn’t know when to stop talking. He finds out it's a group interview and for some reason he’s even nervous. She asking them each questions, some the same, some different. And Lydia freaking Martin is here.
His brain goes blank on some of them and he has to think of an answer quickly. It's stressful and other people (Lydia) are listening to his answers and judging him. How can they judge him? Over thinking it here, he thought.
“So what kind of brands are you into?” He looks at the other interviewee’s (contestants, his mind says) and down at his clothes. The manager doesn’t look too stylish but who knows what she’s been through in this store. Does he even want to work here? What’s the point if they’re so concerned with style?
“Uhhhh...I shop cheap.” He sort of blurted. All brand names escaped his mind. Where are the clothes he’s wearing from? He can’t remember.
“Yeah and there’s not much here.” The manager supplied.
There aren’t a lot of clothing options in Beacon Hills, but there are some. He could have named something.
The manager says something into her walkie then turns to the interviewee’s (contestants) “I have to go help one of my employees with something really fast. I’ll be right back.” She walked away and Stiles wiped his head.
Is he sweating? It's hot in here. It is summertime in California. He looked at the other people, they looked fine.
Lydia smiled at him and he felt himself get more nervous. Why is she smiling at him? She knows he’s bombing.
She knows.
“Hey...Stiles, right?” She said with a slight smile. He nodded. “You’re doing great. Don’t look so nervous.”
“Really?” He swiped at his head again. “I feel like I’m tanking.”
She smiled again, “trust me. You’re doing great.”
The manager finally came back and asked a few more questions then said she would call them and let them know. Stiles walked out swiftly. Dying to get outside and get some air.
As soon as he got outside he regretted it. “Fucking California. Fucking summertime.” He muttered and took a moment to hate his life. It was just as hot, if not hotter outside. The air was stale.
“Hey.” Lydia said, stopping beside him. “You’re going to be fine. She seemed like she liked you.”
Lydia was like a fashion queen if anyone had this job in the bag it was her.
And she was the furthest thing from awkward.
“Lydia, please. You were way more informed and answered way better.” He paused and ripped off his button up. “It's so freaking hot.”
“They’re hiring more than one person, Stilinski. Hey can you give me a ride? My mom hasn’t shown.”
“Uh, yes.” He said, shocked. They got in his jeep (which had NO air conditioning) and he began driving away going over everything he did wrong in the interview.
He needed this job, with the bills piling up, and needing gas money...it would just help so much. Even if his dad told him he didn’t need to.
“Hey I’m starving.” Lydia said and he glanced at her feeling confused. Lydia had ignored him most his life and now she was in his jeep and asking to go eat.
Also comforting him over the horrible job interview. Maybe he shouldn’t complain but it was weird.
“Food?” She said and he snapped out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, yeah. Where do you want to go?” She shrugged.
“Wherever. I’m starving.” He pulled into a Chilis. He wanted a huge burger.
They went inside and sat down as if it was the most normal thing to do. Like they did this a lot.
They ordered and then sat in silence for a while. Stiles felt himself getting nervous again then he thought about the job interview and that bothered him. “Ughhh.” He said.
“Am I that horrible of company?” She lifted an eyebrow towards him.
“No. No. Sorry, Lydia. I mean I would normally kill for a situation like this, but I’m just stressing over that interview.” And he did it again, talking without actually thinking.
“Kill?” She said with a smirk.
“That’s not the point.”
“Stiles, please stop stressing about it. I’ve been to a lot of interviews and I could tell that your answers were humble enough to not make you sound like an overachiever, like the other person we interviewed with, but good enough to get you some recognition. She’s gonna call you in like two days.”
Their food arrived and he began to eat immediately. Maybe she was right. He didn’t know.
“Thanks.” He said finally.
“For what?” She responded.
“For the interview thing. I mean, yeah, I spazzed out but you had my back.”
She smiled, “No problem.”
“So, uh, this is weird. Why did you want to eat with, um, me?” He asked.
“Oh well, Allison is always talking about you. I recognized your name at the interview and I was just curious.”
He felt even more confused but nodded. “Cool?”
“Was that a question?”
“It’s just a little confused, but anyway to thank you.” He pulled out his wallet and put some money down.
“You don’t have to.”
“You really talked me off the ledge. So thanks.” They got out of the booth and went to his jeep. He dropped her off at home.
“Well thanks for lunch and...we should do it again.” She said and he nodded.
“I would love that.” He stammered and she smirked.
“Bye Stilinski. See you at work.”
Three days later he got a call from the manager. He accepted their job offer for seasonal, but she sounded like she would keep him on permanently.
He went to work two days later, and Lydia was there too. Training with him.