#online internship program work from home online internship work from home online internship program internship with stipend work from home i

[interships-ulead]

Few hacks to crack a paid internship online!

The pandemic, recession, global heat waves, amidst all this chaos, somehow our world still keeps moving. People are on the move looking for work and opportunities. Added to that the internet has revolutionised the way we work, learn, and even intern. With the rise of online internships, students now have access to a wider range of opportunities and can gain valuable work experience from anywhere in the world.

However, competition for these work from home internships is high, and it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd. In this blog post, we will discuss five hacks to crack a paid internship online.

1. Build a Strong Online Presence

In the digital age, your online presence is often the first impression you make on potential employers. Start by creating a professional-looking LinkedIn profile and include relevant information such as your education, work experience, and skills. Join relevant groups and connect with professionals in your field of interest. Also, make sure that your other social media profiles are up to date and free of any unprofessional content.

2. Network, network, network

Networking is crucial when it comes to finding a paid internship. Joining relevant online communities, attending virtual events and workshops, and reaching out to professionals in your field can help you gain valuable connections and increase your chances of finding a paid internship. Make sure to tailor your communication to each person you reach out to, and don't be afraid to ask for advice or recommendations.

3. Develop new skills

In addition to having relevant skills and experience, companies are also looking for interns who are willing to learn and develop new skills. Consider taking online courses certifications from Unschool to demonstrate your willingness to learn and improve in your field or related areas. This can also help you stand out from other applicants who may not have the same level of training or knowledge.

4. Showcase Your Skills Through a Portfolio

Creating a portfolio that showcases your skills and projects can help you stand out from other candidates. Include examples of your work, such as writing samples, design projects, or code snippets. Make sure that your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate, and highlight your best work. Moreover, you can develop your skills from work from home internship which can benefit you in future. 

5. Follow up

After submitting your application for a paid internship, it's important to follow up with the company to show your interest and enthusiasm. This can be as simple as sending a thank-you email or following up on the status of your application. This will demonstrate your professionalism and help you stand out from other applicants who may not have followed up.

In conclusion, landing an online paid internship program requires effort, dedication, and persistence. With Ulead, your dream internship is only a few steps away!! Also, don’t forget to network, customize your application, develop new skills, create a strong online presence, and follow up, so you can increase your chances of landing the perfect paid internship. Good luck!.  Apply today!!.

[info-seo]

Online Internships with Stipend: A Step Towards a Bright Future

As a parent, I am always worried about my child's future. In today's world, a degree alone is not enough to secure a good job. Many students aim to get hired through campus placement, but not everyone is successful. This is why many students choose to attend prestigious universities. However, the best way to start your career is to find an online internship with a stipend.

There are many organizations that offer work-from-home internships to college students. If you're looking for an online internship with stipend, my best recommendation is ULead.

ULead is Unschool's flagship internship program for students who want to learn new skills, revolutionize education, and make a difference in the world. ULead offers online work-from-home internships without any registration fees. It is an internship program with a stipend for students.

ULead offers internships in a variety of fields, including:

Marketing

Sales

Business development

To apply for a ULead internship, simply visit their website and create an account. Once you have created an account, you can browse the available internships and apply to the ones you are interested in.

The ULead internship program is a great way to gain valuable work experience, learn new skills, and build your network. It is also a great way to earn extra money and start saving for your future.

Here are some of the benefits of participating in the ULead internship program:

Gain valuable work experience: ULead internships are designed to give you real-world experience in your field of interest. You will work on real projects with real clients, and you will learn from experienced professionals.

Learn new skills: ULead internships will help you learn new skills that are in demand by employers. You will also have the opportunity to develop your existing skills.

Build your network: ULead internships are a great way to build your network of professional contacts. You will meet people from all over the world, and you will learn from their experiences.

Earn extra money: ULead internships are paid internships. This means that you can earn money while you are learning and gaining experience.

Start saving for your future: The money you earn from your ULead internship can help you start saving for your future. You can use this money to pay for your tuition, buy a car, or start your own business.

If you are a student looking for a work from home paid internship, I highly recommend the ULead online internship for students with stipend. It is a great way to gain valuable work experience, learn new skills, build your network, and earn extra money.

[affordablemoney23]

Make Money Online By Reviewing Apps

[jewish-vents]

i know this is a vent blog, but i wanted to provide at least the mods with some positivity, regardless of whether you end up posting this or not. things have been tough online recently, it feels like every day that i'm blocking someone else for antisemitism, but-

a couple years ago, during covid and when i was in high school, i was part of an internship through a jewish organization in my home city. we only met in-person a couple of times (outside when the weather was warmer in 2021), but it was great to have this organizing space filled with jews.

yesterday, my college held a purim drag ball. i was working it the event as a sound tech, and during a break in performances someone came up to me and went: "hey, this is an insane question, but were you a part of [internship name] a few years ago?"

they had been a part of the same internship a year after i was, when i was working on other projects within the larger organization. they're still in contact with the program leader, so we took a picture together to send to her.

i don't know, it just made me really happy to reconnect with a fellow jew like that, a half country away from home.

.

[hotforharrison]

Life has been kind of crazy in the worst possible way this month.

It feels like so much more than 3 weeks since the day I filed for divorce on July 1, which was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I meant every word of my vows on that Thursday afternoon in September 2010 when my marriage began. I thought we were going to be each other's person for the rest of our lives, not for that to slip through my fingers because I was careless with his heart, and I can't put into words how deeply I regret it.

I never expected his embrace to hurt the way it does now, and the worst part of it is that he's the only one here to hug. He was the biggest source of my comfort for so many years, and even if he was here to hold me right now, it wouldn't be the same. What we had is completely gone.

It still kill me that I don't remember the last time we had sex, the last time we shared the bed we slept in together every night, and I woke up to him like I did so many times over the years.

He told me that we could have sex again on a friends with benefits basis, but I don't want to. It would destroy me.

Anyway, the power has been back on for a full week now after 8 days without in the godawful Texas summer heat, with only a few brief interruptions, mostly tonight when we had a thunderstorm.

We've spent the last week and a half, starting before the power even came back on, getting quotes from contractors for repairs for the extensive damages. The hurricane damages to the house I live in are in the tens of thousands of dollars.

(The house was downgraded from what was my home before my marriage ended because it feels like I'm surrounded by the devastating loss and ghosts of him and the love and life we shared for so long. It's agonizing just being here a lot of the time.)

We're not sure what the homeowners' insurance is going to cover for the repairs, which is terrifying, and we need to figure out how to work with FEMA if the insurance isn't helpful.

I'm also worried the HOA we're in will start giving us problems if we can't get the repairs done very quickly.

This month has been such shit in so many ways.

I desperately need my weekly counseling sessions, and my counselor cancelled this week. I've had only one of my weekly appointments this month due to cancellations and the hurricane, which is taking its toll on me.

In more positive and hopeful news, I had an appointment last Thursday with my job counselor at the state run employment program I was accepted into.

They'll pay fully for my schooling, textbooks, and supplies to get a degree or certificate from a local community college and offer job placement services after graduation.

I need a job I can do remotely, and I originally intended to pursue a year long certificate program in medical billing and coding. However, all of the local programs required on campus courses and capstones, which I cannot do.

I looked into every single fully online degree or certificate program that the local community colleges offered that aren't any longer than two years (my ex-husband agreed to let me stay here rent free for a few years while I get myself sorted) and settled on an Associate degree program in mobile/web application development.

I applied for the program today.

I wanted something with a decent level of job security, and I don't think phones are going anywhere. There's the possibility of freelance work on the side as well.

Considering and pursuing a career in technology is nothing new to me.

I went to a public university for an information technology program for 2 years after I graduated from high school, followed by a technical school for computer network operations for a year.

I never ended up working in the industry because it was saturated at my time of graduation, and they wanted me to have experience for an entry level position, which I found endlessly ironic.

I was told more than once by potential employers that I should have done an internship before I graduated to gain experience, which would have been fantastic to know while I was still in school and not with the days ticking down until I had to start repaying my student loans.

I desperately hope that I can transfer some of the roughly 20 year old credits over from the university I went to to cover the general education portion of the degree and maybe trim off a semester. (While technology absolutely has changed since the 2000s, some things haven't changed, like an introductory English or history course.)

[boltedfruit]

Employment Struggles

I'm going to do something shocking and use this as an actual blog post.

I am SO sick and tired of applying to jobs, only to be ignored completed, or even worse the interview is scheduled and then the role is filled before I can interview. Today the interview was cancelled a minute before the scheduled time. Then the person who would be interviewing me ignored me on email and phone.

I am mentally exhausted. I am broke all the time. I don't get unemployment because I've never been eligible for it. The only good thing about this is that I have full healthcare coverage and food stamps.

I am a medical assistant with experience, I am a certified professional medical coder with internship experience, I have experience in retail, yet I cannot even get a call back from McDonald's, let alone a good healthcare job.

I've considered becoming a behavioral health tech, but I just truly don't want to be hit/bitten at work. I also couldn't deal with the families of children disagreeing with a preset therapy plan while I'm physically stuck in their home. The other options I was looking at was security, or 911 dispatcher, but dispatch classes are few and far between into next year, and also expensive. And security can be dangerous.

At this point, being 30 and just defeated by how unsuccessful I am in life, I am considering going to a trade school. Like welding. Or automobile tech or something that is actually in demand. There is literally no other options for me and I'm literally five minutes outside of San Francisco. I am mildly considering an IT course, but tech is so unstable and unsafe while also being over saturated right now and I don't trust it. But then, you have to deal with stereotypical personalities in 'conservative' trade jobs too. The other risk is I spend time and money doing a trade school and then no one wants to hire me (like I've done twice now). I don't know what to do.

The trades I'm considering:

Electrician

Welder (part of machinist trade) (honestly this is most appealing to me)

Aircraft Maintenance Technology (Can't hurt with SFO next to me and their planes literally falling to pieces in the sky every week)

HVAC (still don't really understand what this job even is)

The guilt I'm feeling is that I am about to finish my BA in psychology next month, and I'm waiting to hear back from the two colleges I applied to for a Master's to become a therapist. If I get in to my top choice, that's $60k+ I'll need to fund. If I get into the state school, which is slim, that's likely covered by school loans, but I'll still want to make some kind of income for three years I'm in the program. If I don't get into either program, then my last choices are: work while getting med school pre-reqs done, or work while doing an online MFT program (which I really don't want to do an online only program but if it's accredited at the end of the day I don't care.) The online only school would also be $60k+ so I'd need to work regardless.

I'm feeling guilty too because I've never been the fanartist who can drop a new print and have thousands of followers want it. I can't make money that way. Commissions have always been my most lucrative offering as an artist, but it's often mentally very taxing. It's also unstable. I don't have a lot of followers to drum up a successful pays-my-rent-every-month Patreon, and with the way of algorithms and sites are these days, I likely won't ever. I'm not trying to complain for sympathy, but this is just how it's been for me.

I know it's stupid to feel guilty for things like this, but I just am in this nebulous space between being apparently unemployable while also not being unemployable enough to receive livable benefits while continuing job hunting.

So I guess I'm looking for opinions on trade professions. I'm trans, but I pass masc in public save for my voice really. I also am not the kind of person to wear pride pins or color my hair rainbow, which would draw attention that way. I'm not too concerned about mean people in a trade job, because honestly the rudest people I've worked with have been in healthcare anyway. And a trade job would mean no customer service positions/working with my hands, which requires little mental gymnastics.

Also pointless, but true, I keep thinking of Debbie in Shameless getting her welder certification after becoming a teen parent.

I guess the takeaway here is, I'm more willing to be hurt on the job by a machine mistake on my part than I am willing to be hurt by other people assaulting me (very real in healthcare jobs/security) while working.

What do you think?

[beautifullydisconnected]

Love Letters

Joshua Hong x Reader

Friends to Lovers

Word Count: 1562

TW: None

Honestly I haven’t written in a hot minute. Let me know what you think. 

He was the first boy you ever loved. You don’t know when it happened or when it happened but you were in love with him. Joshua had been your friend since birth. Your moms had met in the hospital during a regular check up and ended up giving birth a few days apart. After that the two of you did everything together. From extra circulars in school to volunteering at the same old folks home in high school. You had followed each other everywhere, that is until now. Here you are at his going away party. 

You knew Joshua was always meant for greater things, then what the world around him had to offer, he was going to Korea to pursue his dream, and you were so excited for him. You had known for a while that he was planning on leaving, but that didn’t make being here any easier. You removed yourself from the crowds, and sat by the pool, dangling your feet in the water, trying to process all of your emotions. You were so lost in your own thoughts, you didn’t even hear when someone came and sat down beside you. 

“Penny for your thoughts,” his voice startling you out of your trance. 

“You scared the crap out of me,” you gasped clutching your chest. 

“Sorry. What’s got you so lost in thought?” His eyes focused on the water in front of you. 

“Just thinking about how much is changing, and I’m not sure I like it.” You look at Joshua, his head turning to you. His eyes have always been your favourite feature of his. They have always felt like home to you. You break the stare and move your focus back to the party beyond the edge of the pool. “We should probably get back to your party,” you get up, holding your hand out to him, and he takes it. Pulling him up, he keeps his hand locked in yours swinging it back and forth as you walk to the party.  You stay by his side the rest of the night trying to take in as much of him as you can before he leaves. 

*Five Years Later*

*You’ve reached Cynthia leave a message after the beep*

“Hi Cynthia, I am on my way to the office. Sorry for running late, there was a huge accident on the highway. I’m five minutes out.” You hang up your phone and take a few more turns before pulling into the parking lot. You grab your bags, and the coffee order your boss had you pick up. 

Just as you round the corner you bump into someone, spilling coffee all over yourself, the floor and the person you just ran into. 

“Shit. So sorry,” You’re trying to fix yourself, and quickly put down the coffee and try to grab whatever napkins you can find in your bag. Just as you go to hand a napkin to the person a sense of familiarity washes over you. You look up and meet the eyes of the man who used to feel like home standing in front of you. “Joshua,” you whisper. 

The last time you had seen Joshua was five years ago in the airport before he left. You had kept in touch for a while but between the time differences and both of your hectic schedules talking became less unless until it turned to happy birthdays, and then eventually radio silence. You never thought you would lose touch with Joshua, but you knew he had a new life and you were no longer apart of it. There had been times where you had wanted to reach out and tell him the exciting news about getting into your dream program, or the internship you had talked about throughout high school. No matter how many months or years passed he was still the one you wanted to share your good news with, but instead you settled for writing letters you’d never send. Like when you got your job at the magazine you had always dreamed of working at.

LETTER #5

Dear Joshua, 

I know we haven’t talked in a while, but you’re still the person I want to tell all my good news to. You were such an important part of my life for so long that it only feels right to tell you. I know your life is crazy, I watched some of your stuff online. I knew you were always meant for great things. I am so incredibly proud of you and this new life you’re living. I guess we’re both living our dreams, as I just got my first ever position at Vogue. I mean its nothing major, mostly I’m a glorified intern, but I’m here. Anyways, I hope life is well for you. I’ll always be cheering you on from the sidelines. 

Much love, 

Y/N

“Hey Y/N long time no see,” his smile was still the same. Warm, and welcoming. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked confused, but also so happy to see him. 

“I have a schedule here in the states for my group,” He took the napkin you were now handing him and dabbing the few specks of coffee from his chest and arms. “I didn’t realized you worked here. My mom said you were working for a magazine, but I didn’t realize you landed at your dream place, congratulations.” He pulls you into a hug, and for the first time in a long time you feel like you were welcomed home. 

“Thanks, your mom told me you were coming back but I didn’t realize she meant here. It’s so amazing to see you again. But I have to run, I’m already late. We should definitely catch up if you have time in your busy life. Text me.” You fix yourself up and speed walk to the elevator. 

As you step off the elevator your phone buzzes, you think its your manager but its from a number you don’t recognize. You open it and a smile spreads across your face. 

*It was great seeing you Y/N. I have free time tonight if you’re available.*

You respond back with the time you get off and a cozy bar just down the road from your office. The day flew by after the chaotic morning you had. Meetings went smoothly, the layout, and column s came together for the next months print. As you pack up you can’t help but feel nervous about seeing Joshua again. You know there isn’t anything to be nervous about, but you can’t help the rush of butterflies you get when you see him sitting in a booth when you arrive. 

He’s on his phone unaware that you’re there, you take that time to admire him. He’s grown so much, his face has filled out and looks more “manly” than it did when he left all those years ago. His eyes are still the same, warm, welcoming, home. He’s definitely been working out his shoulders are wider, and his arms more defined than they were. He smiles as he looks up to see you approaching. He pushes himself out of the booth to wrap you in a hug again, and shuffles in across from. 

As you sit across from each other catching up it feels as though no time has passed. You laugh at the stupid things you did as kids. Discuss what you both have been up to the past five years. Joshua talks about his group, and the difference between the American and Korean music industry. Listening to him talk about his life brings you so much job. You always knew he was going to be something, and you’re so glad to see that he is getting the love and recognition he deserves. You sit in that both for hours, it isn’t until the server comes up and asks if there is anything you want, as it is last call. Once you’ve settled your bills, and make your way outside you part ways promising to keep in touch. 

When you get home you can’t help but smile at your night. Joshua is still the same boy he always has been. He hasn’t lost himself to the entertainment industry, and you could see his genuine love for his fans and his members. You send him a quick text to let him know that you got home, and that you promise that you’ll be better about staying in touch. 

LETTER #17 

Joshua, 

There are so many things I wish I could say to you right now, but I think I fall more in love with you every time I see you, which is weird as I hadn’t seen you in five years. You have grown up so much, and the way you speak about life is so enthralling. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you. 

Love you always, 

Y/N

As you go to sleep you have a smile on your face, and a feeling like all is right in the world. The next morning you wake up to hundreds of notifications from every social media platform you’re on. You go to open it and the first thing you see is a news headline and a photo of you and Joshua in a hug, with the title KPOP RISING STAR SEEN WITH NEW LOVE INTEREST?

“Shit.”

[boo-nito-flakes]

Vertigo | Reiner Braun + Original Female Character AU: modern setting, neighbors multi-chapter story Rating: Mature Synopsis: When Josie’s mysterious neighbor becomes a temporary guardian for his young cousin, she didn’t think she’d be so involved. Reiner was a ghost of a neighbor, the two only exchanging a handful of words in the year they’d lived beside each other. Yet there she was, spending her nights watching true crime documentaries and filling out online personality quizzes with Gabi while Reiner was at work at The Liberio. There were a lot of things about this new arrangement Josie didn’t expect; how often she thought about Reiner’s forearms was near the top of the list. This could become a problem…

Chapter Three

It was all Hannah’s fault, really. Typical. In no other universe other than the one where, over a deliciously rich and greasy plate of chicken and waffles at Garrison’s that had Josie feeling all sorts of nostalgic, would she have ever agreed to this… this hell. 

To be fair, it seemed like an okay-ish idea at the time. 

It’d been months–at least since Christmas break, if not before that–since she’d met up with Hannah. Hannah hugged her like it’d only been a few weeks (like they were long lost best friends and not just casual friends who fell out of touch with one another) and spent the next forty minutes gesticulating through rants about her degree program, her last boyfriend, and her deadbeat older brother Josie 100% didn’t have a huge crush on back in high school. 

Josie was fine to sit back and listen; not much ever changed in her life, and she definitely didn’t want to see the glimpses of pity in Hannah’s eyes when she said ‘yeah, same old same old here’ . (Maybe it wasn’t pity. Maybe it was an empathy Josie wasn’t quite ready to accept. And maybe… maybe she had a chip on her shoulder wherever things like college or the future were concerned.) Josie was safe, stably employed, and mostly happy – there was nothing to pity about that at all. 

For some reason, the thought of telling Hannah about Gabi and Reiner made her stomach turn. It was easier to shrug a shoulder and play along with whatever story Hannah was telling. 

Okay, she knew she was being a little bitchy and standoffish. How else was she supposed to act when her high school friends drifted back in her life when it was convenient for them? Josie wasn’t just in Marley for holidays and breaks; it was her home, and they knew it. So why get overly invested in stories she couldn’t quite relate to, stories about people she didn’t really know or balancing course loads with internships and clubs, when all those ‘we should get together again soon!’ fell flat when fall rolled back around? 

Years of wear and tear meant the red vinyl booths at Garrison’s were permanently tacky-feeling, discolored grooves in the shape of human legs warbling the sagging seats. Josie’s bare thighs stuck to the material, making a plastic-y crinkling noise every time she moved. She was focused on the feeling – the peel of flesh, how her skin immediately re-soldered to the plastic – when Hannah waved a ketchup coated fry in her face and said, 

“So you probably haven’t talked to Irma.”

“Like recently?” Josie scrunched her face up. Suddenly, she wasn’t all that hungry anymore. “No.”

“Hm. She’s back. Like, in Marley.” A second passed, then a curious, “She didn’t message you?”

Last Josie knew, Irma deleted all her social media profiles when she moved to Germany a month after high school graduation. So no, she definitely didn’t message Josie. 

“No, she didn’t.” 

Josie reached for her empty drink, slurping the remnants of melted ice and sweet tea from the bottom of the glass. The sludge coated a thick layer in her mouth. 

“Weird. She asked me about you.” 

The plastic straw gave way to her teeth; she gnawed on the end. What was she even supposed to say to that? Ask what Irma said? Ask if she looked happy? Healthy? Ask if it was easy for her to live her dream life overseas after abandoning Josie all her friends? After breaking Josie’s heart? Irma was Josie’s best friend. Like actual best friend. Her first friend, too, probably. 

Irma lived with her grandma in a mobile home a few blocks from Josie’s apartment complex. They met one summer during middle school and were inseparable after that. Irma was the reason Josie joined the basketball team. She was the reason Josie knew how to do a wheelie on her bike. Why she preferred her eggs scrambled and always reached for spearmint gum at the checkout aisle. Why she had any sort of a green thmb (well, that was all Irma’s grandma…) or knew that a warm water bottle compress did more to alleviate period cramps than ibuprofen. She was the reason Josie could pick a lock, drive a car like… at all (if you counted the few lessons in her rusty Ford Taurus – they gave up after Josie almost ran over a pedestrian), and loved dumb reality shows. 

Irma was her best friend. At some point, though, she stopped being Irma’s best friend back.

Josie remembered the last night she talked to Irma in waves–bits and pieces of a painful night. A few days after graduation. A party at some rich kids house in one of the confusing suburbs where the roads all had dumb, long confusing names and the houses looked like they were just dropped there from the sky – manicured lawns against stone and stucco. Dirty plastic pong balls bouncing into red solo cups and a live DJ because why the hell not? (She remembered being so fucking bitter about the DJ. Josie’s parents regularly pawned then re-bought their TV to afford rent, and this asshole had a DJ and light show at his house party.) A few drinks in and wanting to impress the private school tool she was hanging off of, Irma opened her mouth and said, “I’ll be back-packing in Europe this summer, actually.”  

Josie snorted into her own cup to keep, thinking it was a bit to fuck with or flirt with the dude. Irma’s grandma lived off government assistance, and the glass jar full of tips from Garrison’s on Irma’s dresser was hardly enough money for a few month’s rent, let alone a plane ticket overseas. But Irma kept talking. About an uncle in Germany (who she hated, this part conveniently left out of the story) letting her and her grandma move in with him. Something about a work visa, a message board full of odd jobs, and getting the fuck out of this dead end town. 

The alcohol at the party was better than Josie was used to – kegs of domestic brews and a kitchen island covered with mid-shelf liquor and mixers. While Irma talked, Josie stared into the pink tinted liquid, stomach turning, hazy reflection mocking from the depths of the solo cup. By the time her friend switched to fully speaking in German, Ich finde dich suß and Du hast wunderschöne Augen rolling off her tongue perfectly despite her inebriation, Josie felt sick to her stomach. They’d been friends, best friends, for seven years and this was the first time she was hearing about any plans to go to Germany. Immediate plans, at least. Long-term plans. Irma talked about wanting to go someday, but someday was… in less than two weeks? And she didn’t think to tell Josie? 

They argued that night. 

Not then, with Irma giggling into the ear of whatever boy’s lap she was occupying. Not when Josie let herself be pulled to one of the folding tables in the yard for a riveting game of beer pong. Not when whatever random person she was teamed up with decided their victory was best celebrated with ‘the hard stuff’ and poured at least four ounces of tequila into a little cup, floating a splash of orange juice on the top. And not even when Irma appeared with her lipgloss gone and sporting a fresh hickey, pouting about missing Josie kick ass and duh, of course she was going to win – have you seen this woman shoot a three from half court? 

But when the DJ was gone and the strings of mood lights were unplugged, the two of them searching for an unoccupied section of couch or bed in one of the many rooms in the museum-like house, Josie couldn’t help but ask, “Were you being serious? About Germany?”. Irma muttered a tired, “Can’t this wait?” . But it couldn’t. Not to Josie. She didn’t even really remember what was said that night – a blur of alcohol, adrenaline, and hurt. Voice ricocheting in the hallway until a bleary eyed head popped out of one of the rooms, telling them they had to shut up or leave. Irma threw her hands into the air and stormed off, and that was the last time Josie saw her. 

Until now, that is.

Because Josie let herself be goaded into signing up for some dumb indoor cycling class Irma was apparently teaching now that she was back in town. Looking as pleased as punch, Hannah leaned across the tacky vinyl top at Garrison’s and told her all about this gym slash spa downtown (a new gym, like there weren’t already a dozen trendy boutique yoga studios and niche gyms cluttering Marley) her mom’s friend opened the previous year. Irma, apparently, was a certified spin instructor and was teaching classes 3 days a week at Paix Wellness Studio. “She’s like, actually insane on the bike,” Hannah gushed before inviting Josie to a class the following weekend. 

There was no way in any universe, but especially in their universe, Josie could afford even a month’s membership at Paix or any other gym. Before she could laugh in Hannah’s face and tell her as much, Hannah flattened her palms on the table and said her membership covered three guest visits a month. How generous. Admittedly, Josie was curious. Despondent… but curious. So she said yes.

Naturally, Josie spent the entire week bouncing between wanting to bail and wanting to storm into the class and ask Irma where she got the nerve. 

She did neither. As merciful as she was generous (major side eye), Hannah offered to pick Josie up at her apartment so she didn’t have to spend forty minutes hopping buses to get downtown. Josie was so anxious the night before she caved and asked a twelve-year-old for advice. A new low, potentially, but Gabi was kind of the closest thing she had to an actual friend at the moment. There was another shift manager at Paradis Josie would sometimes get lunch or coffee with, but they hadn’t spent a lot of time together since he took over the morning shift. So Gabi, as mortifying as it was to admit, was her only option. 

To Gabi’s credit, she only teased Josie a little bit. She was sprawled out on Josie’s living room floor chomping on a rope of licorice, stuttering audio from TikTok videos filling the space between them. There was no way Josie was going to trauma dump a decade’s worth of her friendship troubles onto the girl, so she tried to play the ‘cool and slightly annoyed’ card – groaning and making some comment about meeting up with an old friend for some ludicrous exercise class and how she already regretted it. It took one look from Gabi, sideways and skeptical, for Josie to spill the proverbial beans. She snatched a piece of licorice and flopped dramatically on the couch before confessing it’d been over four years since they last spoke and they didn’t leave on the best of terms… how she was nervous to see her again. 

Gabi rolled her eyes, drew her body up to a sitting position – knee length rainbow socks almost mocking as they bounced with her restless energy – and said, “So what? Do you like, care what she thinks or something?”

Good question. Did Josie care what Irma thought?

“A little, I guess. I think… I think I’m more curious to see if she’ll say anything? Like, she unfriended me on everything–”

“That’s so… people your age.”

“Hey! Shut up,” Josie groused, her bite only half-serious. “This was right after high school, anyway. I don’t know. She just… she was my best friend, and then she wasn’t. I thought I was over it, but I think maybe I’m not.”

Nobody ever claimed Josie was eloquent or well-spoken, but this was a new low, even for her. She shoved another piece of licorice in her mouth to fill the silence that followed her groundbreaking admission. Something rattled in the lone vent in the room, the weak air conditioner kicking on.

When Gabi finally did speak, after a dramatic hum that rivaled the noise of the failing air-con unit, she asked, “You won’t know if you’re still mad until you see her, right? So why are you worried about it right now?”

The answer made something press against her ribcage: embittered, more agitated than amused. She regretted saying anything at all. It wasn’t that easy , Josie wanted to snap, the human brain doesn’t work like that – her human brain doesn’t work like that, at least . Like she was some kind of pre-teen mind reader, Gabi raised an eyebrow with a challenge. It said, ‘are you sure?’ and ‘of course they do’ . She looked so unshakeable in her wordless declaration. Auburn hair plaited into two unruly braids, freckled face bright, candy-like bracelets lining her arm, sporting a bleach stained Shiganshina Devils shirt and rainbow knee high socks. 

Though she still felt prickly all over, Josie let out a breath and was surprised at how light she felt on the inhale. Was it really that easy? Just… don’t worry about it until it was time to worry about it? Definitely not. But could Josie distract herself enough to convince herself she didn’t care? Absolutely. 

“You’re right,” she exhaled, stretching a leg out on the couch. Her muscles felt tight, like over-tuned guitar strings. “I shouldn’t stress out about it.”

This earned her an eye roll. Gabi put her chin on her knee and said, “Yeah right. You’re so gonna stress about it all night.” Ouch. Shots fired . Something playful tinted her expression and she made a big show of picking a piece of lint off her shorts. “So, we should definitely make cookies or something right? To, like, take your mind off it.”

Josie sent her home that night with two dozen cookies. They raided her cabinets for random ingredients, pretending like they were on a cooking show, and ended up with some wins–pretzel and brown sugar, M&M, and a tried and true peanut butter–and some losses–potato chip, and frozen blueberry. 

Hannah picked her up in the same Honda Civic she drove in high school, windows down with a poppy hip hop song bleeding into the parking lot. They talked about the most recent episode of some reality dating show they both enjoyed on the drive, and by the time they pulled into a city parking lot downtown, Josie realized she wasn’t terribly anxious to see Irma again after all. She checked her phone for the time on the walk to Paix, heart fluttering when she saw a text from Reiner waiting for her.

(10:48 AM) Reiner : Good morning. Thank you for the breakfast cookies. 

good morning! [smiley face emoji] :Josie (10:54 AM)

you’re welcome. which is your favorite? :Josie (10:54 AM)

(10:56 AM) Reiner: I’ve only tried the peanut butter ones. They feel like they’re the most nutritionally balanced. 

Josie smiled at  her phone. Since exchanging numbers, she and Reiner had texted a few times. Mostly just a few messages about Gabi or his work schedule changing last minute. He had every Sunday and Monday off but went in at different times throughout the week, usually staying to close up the bar. Josie had a set schedule with Sundays and Wednesdays off, working basically the same hours every day of the week to hit a full 40-hour work week. Nearly every night Reiner worked, Gabi wound up at Josie’s place. It’d only been a few weeks, but they were settled into a pretty nice routine. 

whatever you have to tell yourself :Josie (10:56 AM)

(10:57 AM) Reiner: To be fair, I’ve had four…

LMAO i rest my case :Josie (10:57 AM) 

“What are you giggling about over there?” 

Josie resisted the urge to jam her phone in her pocket like a guilty child as they rolled to a stop. Instead, she floundered, “Nothing! I mean, I’m not giggling.”

“Oh my God,” Hannah snorted, a smile pulling at her cheeks. “You still have such a bad poker face.”

“There’s nothing for me to be poker facing over,” Josie said, this time more impassively. 

“Right. Well… we’re here.” She waved her hand at the white brick building they were standing in front of. Josie hadn’t even realized. The front windows were frosted, a white and pink vinyl floral logo and Paix Wellness Studio stamped on one of the panes. “Ready to head in? Seriously, be prepared. I wasn’t lying about Irma being absolutely fucking psychotic on the bike.”

“Jeeze, thanks for the confidence booster.”

“In a fun way! Psychotic in a fun way.”

Josie jabbed, “That makes it more ominous! Who has ever said that? Psychotic in a fun way.”

“Me, right now. Quit stalling, let’s go.”

Josie didn’t look at her phone again until she was squirreling her bag away in a rented locker. Surprisingly, she still wasn’t nervous to see Irma. She was slightly worried this entire ordeal was part of some cult induction ceremony based on the way Hannah was acting. And the staff at Paix definitely gave off mild cult vibes, all of them in similar pink uniforms with matching smiles and bleach blonde hair. 

(10:58 AM) Reiner: [smiley face with cold sweat emoji] [smiley face emoji] 

She closed the locker with a smile on her face. 

And promptly lost that smile twenty one minutes later in a fever dream of flashing LEDs pulsing in sync with way too loud EDM music shaking the mirror lined walls. Hannah was right; Irma was fucking psychotic on the bike. Unfortunately, she was lying her ass off about the ‘in a fun way’ part. There wasn’t anything fun about sweating actual buckets, hamstrings quaking while her former best friend, looking bolder than she did at eighteen–features sharper and hair shorter, instructed her and eleven other people to ‘push harder!’, ‘attack this next climb!’, and ‘embrace the burn!’.

It was surreal, in a way, Josie realized after the fact as she wiped her face with a complimentary pink towel (embroidered with the Paix logo, naturally). Of all the ways she imagined her reunion with Irma, it wasn’t like this– at some trendy dime a dozen gym sandwiched between Hannah and a middle aged woman whose bleached curls somehow managed to not move once during the workout, her diamond ring big enough to actually glisten in the reflection of the LEDs as she cycled. 

“That was fun, right?” Hannah grinned as she tossed her own towel over her shoulder. “ God , my legs are jelly.”

Josie so didn’t have the energy for this– and her face must’ve said as much because Hannah started laughing.  

She shot her a look, only barely resisting the urge to stick her tongue out. “Fun is like, dancing naked in your apartment or playing a pickup game at the park.”

“We have to get you out more if those are your only parameters for fun, Josie.”

Irma, sweat drenched and smiling, materialized out of thin air. She shouldn’t have been surprised; a quick look around the room showed only Hannah and Josie were left. Their reflections blurred with the still flashing LED lights on the wall of mirrors.

“I get out plenty,” Josie said placidly. Her heartbeat thrummed steadily in her ears, and she told herself it was a side effect of the workout still.

Irma’s smile grew wider. “It’s good to see you, Josie. I’m glad Hannah convinced you to come to a class.”

“She said you were, and I quote, ‘fucking insane’. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see for myself.”

“Fucking insane on the bike ,” Hannah corrected with a pout. 

“Either way, I hope I didn’t disappoint.”

“Still deciding,” Josie quipped with a shoulder shrug. “But I’m a little worried I won’t be able to climb the stairs at my place, so as much as I hate to admit it, Hannah might be right.”

“Hey! Don’t say it like that.”

“We used to bike across town all the time. Like all the way out past the Flats and back.” The Flats being an abandoned strip mall at the far edge of town frequently used by local teens as a hang out-slash-party spot. Even after all these years, it was still abandoned and the police had long given up on monitoring the area. “There’s no way a forty-five minute spin class is going to be what takes you out.”

Josie figured it wasn’t tactful to say her bike was stolen a few years back and she hadn’t been on one since. “You weren’t yelling at me to ‘find my groove’ or whatever and keeping me at 150 BPMs back then.”

“Fair point.”

“There are complimentary hydration packs and fruit at the front desk. We’ll grab some on the way out,” Hannah suggested. “It’ll help any cramps, for sure.”

“Complimentary hydration packs?” Josie parroted. There was a food-covered microwave in the break room at Paradis Mart and a sign on the ancient refrigerator that said ‘smile, you’re on camera!’ to prevent theft. The thought of complimentary anything was laughable. “Seriously?” 

Hannah scrunched her nose. “What?”

And Irma laughed. “Hannah, dude. Your head is so far up your ass.”

“My ass is perky and cute, thank you very much. Great place to be. Five out of five stars.”

“Sure is, but that was like, kind of entitled sounding.”

Instead of agreeing, Josie muttered, “Cult sounding.”

Irma’s laugh turned to a wheeze. 

“I forgot how evil the two of you are together,” Hannah sulked, crossing her arms. “Besides, Irma, if it’s a cult you’re like totally involved.”

“When in Marley,” Irma shrugged. She tilted her head Josie’s way. “I know it sounds bougie as fuck, but the owner has some sponsorship deal with LiquidIV and gets massive discounts on bulk orders so it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Sure.” Josie’s stomach felt sour, and she was suddenly very aware of how tired–physically and mentally–she was after a morning of…whatever this was. Exercise and weird reunions? Regardless, she wanted to go home and take a long nap. “I graciously accept the complimentary, definitely not poison, hydration pack.”

“We shouldn’t tell her about the crystals and hot yoga class,” Irma deadpanned towards Hannah. 

“Okay, well.” Josie clapped her hand on her thighs. “This has been fun. Enlightening, even.”

“That’s my cue,” Irma laughed, smile not unkind. She always could read Josie too well. The realization made Josie’s chest tighten… and not in a good way. “I need to get ready for my desk shift, anyway. It really is good to see you, Josie.”

Josie heard herself echo, “Yeah, you too.”

A weight clung to her shoulders the entire way to the locker room, growing heavier as the silence stretched between her and Hannah. There was, at least, a lofi jazzy soundtrack to the tension, courtesy of the speakers tucked in the corner of the subway tiled room. She tapped the code to the locker into the digital keypad and swiped her bag. There was a row of sparkling shower stalls on the other side of the room, but Josie didn’t think Hannah was going to offer to stick around any longer than necessary. 

They walked past the hydration packs and fruit basket on the way out. 

And by the time they got to Hannah’s car, Josie felt like shit. The fresh air loosen whatever clung to her ribcage, and without the strobing LED lights blasting into her brain, she realized she was kind of acting like an asshole. Maybe it was justified. Maybe she could’ve handled the whole situation better. Maybe all of them could’ve handled it better. 

Hannah cranked the air conditioner and didn’t sync her music. Josie knew she fucked up. 

She waited a few streets, until they were out of the rush of downtown traffic (until she had enough courage), to say, “Thank you for inviting me today. That place was a little out of my comfort zone, but I really did have fun.” She hesitated for a split second, casting her eyes from the front window to the side pane. “I know I was kind of acting like a dick. I’m sorry. It was just… weird seeing Irma. We haven’t talked in years.”

Silence stretched down another street. 

“I didn’t know that.” The turn signal ticked a steady noise. “She seemed really excited to see you.”

“Irma’s good at reading people,” Josie said, like it was some kind of explanation.

“Or maybe she, I don’t know, cares about you? When I told her you were coming to today’s class, she was like, so happy.”

Of course she was; Irma was the main character in her own story, and she either didn’t care or recognize that other people had their own lives. In the years after she left, Josie had a lot of time to think about their friendship. Friendship in general, really… because it wasn’t just Irma that left her.

Some nights she warmed her couch with a box of wine, endless questions of ‘ what did I do wrong? ’ and ‘ maybe I’m meant to be this lonely ’ looping in her mind. A soundtrack to the memories that wormed their way out of the boxes she tried shoving them into. Maybe people like Hannah still reached out every now and then, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t cramming as many bodies as possible in the back of a Honda Civic, music blasting, shitty wine coolers poured into fast food cups, speeding down backroads. It wasn’t sleepovers with gossip and Guitar Hero. It wasn’t pick up game after pick up game. 

Other nights, the script flipped. ‘ Woe is me ’ easily turned to ‘ fuck you, and you, and you ’. It was just as lonely, but a little more cathartic. 

Josie bit her cheek and swallowed the urge to snap back, knowing she’d regret whatever she said. She let Hannah’s words sit between them for another road before composing herself enough to say, “The summer she left we got into a huge fight at some party. Do you remember? I had to call Lucy for a ride at like, three in the morning.” Lucy was the most mom-like of their friend group, the most reliable at picking up late night calls. She didn’t say a word when Josie insisted they drive by Irma’s place to make sure she was there and not wrapped around a tree. “That’s the last time I saw or talked to her. She blocked my number and refused to answer the door.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. I had no clue she was going to Germany until that night. She got mad when I brought it up, and we fought. Then she left.”

Another block blurred past the window. They were so close to Josie’s complex, she could cry with relief. She just needed to make it a little longer, a few more minutes, and then she could shower, hide under a mountain of blankets, and pretend like the entire day didn’t happen. 

“I heard about the fight, but I didn’t see you before I left for Trost.”

“Yeah. Not a lot of people did.” 

It came out more bitter than Josie wanted it to, but fuck it. What was the point in pretending like she didn’t care anymore? 

Neither of them spoke again until Hannah pulled into the weed congested lot at Josie’s apartment complex. Josie’s hand was practically twitching on the handle as Hannah rolled to a stop in front of the entrance. She kept the car in drive, the locks engaged while she idled. Before Josie could orchestrate her great escape, Hannah cleared her throat. She had one hand on her steering wheel, the other fiddling with her spandex leggings. 

“I wouldn’t have dragged you along today if I knew you weren’t, like, on good terms with Irma. I’m realizing I’ve kind of been a shitty friend, too, but… I don’t know. I just wish you would’ve told me. We could’ve done anything else.”

A dozen excuses weighed Josie’s tongue. But looking at Hannah, still a little sweaty from their class – eyes looking through the windshield and hands jittery, she felt just as guilty of being a bad friend. Maybe all those late nights in an echo chamber of  her own creation warped her perspective on things. Maybe Hannah was actually… fuck, Hannah was genuine and Josie was the one being a bitch, wasn’t she? 

“I wanted to go. I was morbidly curious, I guess.” Josie tasted iron when she spoke and the inside of her cheek throbbed. “I should’ve said something though, you’re right. It wasn’t fair to put you in the middle.”

“It’s not like I asked.” She shot Josie a warbly yet tired smile and unlocked the doors. “Next time you’re picking what we do.”

Josie’s chest squeezed at her ‘next time’ . Hearing Hannah say the words out loud made her realize she actually… she actually did want there to be a next time with Hannah. Despite the way she’d been dragging her feet and griping about well, basically every social interaction, Josie missed hanging out with someone her age who she wasn’t also going to see in the breakroom at work. 

“Maybe something involving copious amounts of alcohol?” Josie suggested mildly.

Hannah snorted. “Yes, absolutely.” 

By the time she all but crawled through her apartment door a few minutes later, Josie was drained–mentally and physically, smelled like death, and was in desperate need of carbs. A shower sounded like heaven, and there was a container of leftovers in the fridge calling her name. Instead of doing any of the things that would immediately improve her wellbeing, Josie flopped backwards on her floor in an attempt to not get her gross post-gym-ness all over her couch and groaned (rather dramatically, in her humble opinion) . A few minutes of moping was more than enough to at least ease the pit in her stomach. 

Itchy with drying sweat and guilt, Josie decided a shower was the first priority… after a handful of pretzels. She fished her phone out of her bag, ditched by the front door and forgotten, on the way to the kitchen. 

(11:19 AM) Gabi: hey 

(11:19 AM) Gabi: do u have hulu 

(11:23 AM) Gabi: [photo of tv screen with hulu pulled up and on a show called Escaping the Backrooms ]

(11:23 AM) Gabi: we should watch this 

(11:31 AM) Gabi: [screenshot of advertisement for Escaping the Backrooms ]

(11:31 AM) Gabi: wait ur at that dumb class u didnt want to go to 

(11:34 AM) Gabi: hopefully u didnt kill ur friend 

(11:34 AM) Gabi: reiner knows a cop if u need bail 

A fond, if not exasperated, smile worked itself onto her face as she skimmed the messages. She thumbed over to her browser and did a quick search of the show; it wasn’t like they hadn’t watched absolute garbage in the few weeks Gabi had been hanging out at her place. 

I don’t know if bail works like that but I appreciate the offer :Josie (12:19 PM) 

And I don’t have Hulu, but this show sounds fun. I like Darius Art :Josie (12:19 PM) 

(12:20 PM) Gabi: who 

He’s the main actor in this backrooms show lol :Josie (12:20 PM) 

(12:21 PM) Gabi: oh ok 

(12:21 PM) Gabi: reiner says we can use his hulu account 

(12:21 PM) Gabi: glad u didn’t go to jail

Was that ever a question… :Josie (12:22 PM) 

Actually don’t answer that :Josie (12:22 PM)  

(12: 22 PM) Gabi: ok i wont but reiner is also glad u didnt get arrested

Josie thought about responding with a string of key smashes. She thought about walking next door to ask Gabi why she was such a little shithead. She thought about Reiner, plain black tee stretched across his chest and face scruffy with stubble shooting her a confused smile. She put her phone down and went to take a shower. 

Escaping the Backrooms was a four part mockumentary style show with a surprisingly fleshed out set and actors, like Darius Art with his adorable head of curls and killer smile, who were actually pretty good. 

Josie couldn’t tell you a single thing about the show otherwise. Because she was in Reiner’s apartment.

She didn’t realize ‘Reiner says we can use his Hulu account’ translated to ‘hey you can come over to our place to watch the show’ . So she found herself inside her not so mysterious neighbor’s apartment, without him, on a Tuesday evening. Freshly showered, dressed in a respectable pair of leggings and an oversized graphic tee, and armed with a takeout bag from the deli inside Paradis Mart, she knocked on the door. 

It was weird to see her apartment but… not her apartment. The space was laid out the same, opening right into the living and dining space with a half-wall leading into the galley kitchen. A short hallway seemed to lead to the bathroom, a bedroom, and a linen closet. She didn’t knock on the door with any expectations but was surprised by the space, regardless. 

Like most twenty-something dude’s place, it was furnished in shades of black and a deep burgundy. A deep set fabric sofa (black, naturally) was positioned around a dark rectangular coffee table, top only housing a gaming controller, a few coasters, a sticker-bombed water jug not on a coaster, and a lit candle–something sugary and warm. A fuzzy red throw blanket was tossed over the back cushions. The TV was a little larger than hers but not unreasonable, sitting on a media stand that seemed to match the coffee table. There was a large framed black and white photo of some mountains mounted behind the television, but the walls were otherwise bare. 

Where Josie had a tiny bistro set was what she assumed to be Gabi’s space. Not wanting to breach a sensitive subject, she never asked about the sleeping arrangements at Reiner’s place. She assumed it was a 1-bedroom unit, like hers, but didn’t think too much more about it out of necessity. It was clear that Reiner did think a lot about it, though, and went out of his way to make sure Gabi had her own area. 

A twin sized bed with built in storage beneath the mattress was tucked against the wall. The bed was sloppily made, a fluffy comforter with a rainbow ombre pattern wrinkled with one edge flipped up to show the neon pink sheets. There were at least a dozen stuffed animals lined against the wall: a shark with a missing eyeball, bears in 3 different colors and sizes, a handful of Squishmallows, and a tattered looking cat rounded out the bunch. A slim nightstand, wide enough to hold a lamp and not much else, tucked against the bed. A phone charger wrapped around the lamp base. Beside the nightstand was a three shelf bookcase cluttered with what she assumed to be Gabi’s things–nail polishes, piles of bracelets, brimming craft bins, a few board games, and a remote controlled monster truck Gabi enthusiastically demonstrated for her later in the evening. 

So maybe it was a little difficult to focus on the plot of a cheesy, yet well cast, mockumentary when she was nestled up on the couch, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket that smelled like Irish Springs and something distinctly male. And maybe when she looked over and saw Gabi fast asleep on the other side of the couch Josie let her eyes close instead of turning the TV off and walking the short distance back to her apartment. Could anyone really blame her? She dreamed of yellowing backrooms, of warm hands and a broad chest.  

“Josie.” 

She tugged the blanket up to her chin, groaning at the new chill at her feet, and tried burrowing into the couch further. 

“Josie… Josie, hey. Wake up.”

“Mmm. No. Go away.”

There was a low chuckle. “I’ll go away in a minute. First I need to get you to bed.”

“Bed?” She mimicked, scrunching her face as she rolled a little towards the voice. The couch was nice; she was warm and cozy, but not all that comfortable. There was already a slight kink in her neck from laying at an awkward angle, and Gabi’s leg was stretched out and wedged under a cushion so that one of her feet was jammed into Josie’s side. “Bed sounds good.” 

“Yeah?” A gentle touch to her shoulder had Josie melting deeper in the couch. “I bet. Come on.”

The warmth around her started to disappear. She reached for the top of the blanket only to grasp at air. Josie made a pathetic languid noise and forced her eyes open a crack, just enough to squint at… wait… to squint at…

“Reiner?” She mumbled. It was him, alright. The room was dark but she could still see him, backlit with some kind of angelic fucking lighting as he kneeled next to the couch. He was warm and close and God, he smelled so good. So she was still dreaming, then? A dopey smile lifted her lips a little, and she struggled to open her eyes more. “Reiner, hi.”

“Hi, Josie.”

“You’re in my dream.”

“Ah, man.” His hand was on her arm–her bare arm. (Dream Josie was so lucky.) When he laughed, it was a tiny abashed noise that melted into the darkness. “You must be a deep sleeper. Okay… shit.” 

A new determination to not let the dream version of herself have all the fun settled in her sleepy, Reiner-addled brain. Her arm was as heavy as Excalibur, but she lifted it enough to press her palm against Reiner’s chest. The warmth she was missing from the blanket came back, and then some. She curled her fingers into the fabric, humming at the hard wall of muscle that greeted her.  

“Bed?” she asked Dream Reiner. Legs stiff but somehow tingling, she scooted her body to a half-upright position using his chest as an anchor point.

He sucked air through his teeth; the hissing noise echoing through the otherwise still room. It reverberated through her bones. Even this version of Reiner was hesitant, if not bashful. Maybe it was a trick of the light–or lack of light–but through the sleepy slits of her eyes, she watched a blush bloom down his neck. Any and every version of Reiner was handsome, she decided, no matter what universe or dreamscape he landed in. Luckily, this version was close enough to the real thing that Josie’s heart ached at their closeness. Her fingers twitched; she wanted to be closer, curled up in his warmth with that blush beneath her lips.

Reiner covered her hand with one of his own, fingers looping beneath hers. Her name was a soft breath. “Josie.”

This was the part where Dream Reiner would swoop her into his arms and carry her to bed.

This was the part where… Dream Reiner… pulled her hand away, his hold moving to her shoulder, and helped her to her feet. Okay. She could get behind this. The fuzzy blanket that was now way too warm and sticky feeling fell to the couch as Josie took a wobbly step past Reiner. The hand on her shoulder tightened as she swayed on her feet. The bedroom was only a few steps away; she quite literally could make the walk in her sleep. Her next attempt at a step was slightly more productive than the last, but she didn’t make it very far. Reiner’s hand flexed then loosened on her shoulder, still holding her in place. Her shirt must’ve rucked sideways at some point because a few of his fingers pressed against her bare collarbone. Was that her heartbeat she felt or his? 

Bleary-eyed, Josie looked over her shoulder (well, over and up – did all versions of Reiner have to be this tall?!?) and mustered enough energy to furrow a brow. She parroted. “Bed?”

A few things happened all at once.

Reiner’s expression went from disconcerted to tormented back to disconcerted before softening into a smile. His hand slid down her arm, fingers leaving streaks of warmth Josie hoped never faded. Voice tender and guiding, he said, “Josie, wake up. You’re at my place still.” 

Josie squinted at him for one of those impossibly long seconds that bled into another impossibly long second. The haze holding her somewhere between dreamworld and reality vaporized, and she realized with a painful clarity that he was right–she was at his place still. Which meant her whole roaming hands act was perpetrated on Reiner, not some fantasy dream version of him she cooked up in her brain. Her brain that was now short circuiting as she tried piecing together bits of her weird dream that maybe definitely wasn’t a dream. If Gabi wasn’t still dead to the world and snoring lightly on the edge of the couch, Josie would have screamed. 

She settled for a wide-eyed harshly whispered, “Oh. Cool, um, yes. I am awake. Hi.”

Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness (the vent light casting a fluorescent glow from the kitchen helped, she was sure), and now without sleep crusting the corners, she could see Reiner more clearly. He was dressed in his standard black work tee–now visibly dirty–and a pair of jeans, blonde hair unusually disarrayed and sticking in every direction. A stubble that seemed permanent curved around his jaw, around the amused quip to his lips–an almost smirk. And even though he looked exhausted, there was something bright and searching reflecting in the hazel sparks of his eyes. 

“You’re a heavy sleeper, too, huh?” He waved a hand towards Gabi. “She sleeps like the dead. When she was younger my mom and I took her to one of those Christmas rock orchestra shows. She fell asleep during one of the first few songs–not even the pyrotechnics woke her up. I carried her three blocks to the parking garage and strapped her into her seat before she even made a noise.”

Josie thought of a teenage Reiner sitting dutifully in the audience with his mom. She wondered if Reiner took after her or his father. She wondered if they were around, if they still talked to him, if he still went to Christmas shows with them. She thought of Reiner hoisting a tiny Gabi, probably still stressed loudly and definitely, over his shoulder and carrying her through the streets. She thought about what it would be like to have family like that–to have family, at all. 

“More a deep sleeper than a heavy one,” she said, fighting and failing to keep a yawn at bay. She hid it poorly behind her hand. “Sorry.” Was she apologizing for the yawn, falling asleep, or groping him? All three, probably. She took a step towards the hallway. “I’ll just um, head to bed. My own bed.”

Reiner gave a half-snort, half-laugh. “You might want to go the other direction. Out that door, a few steps to the right.”

“Right, yes, totally!” Josie was too tired not to scowl at him. She started walking in the correct direction, then double backed to grab her bag from beside the couch. Her keys were undoubtedly buried near the bottom of the mess. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Goodnight, Josie. Thank you for hanging out with Gabi.”

“One, anytime. Two, goodnight. Three, please forget I was here.” 

She felt more than heard his laughter through the closed door. Josie waited until she face-planted in her bed to scream. 

Reiner (11:41 AM): Are you home right now? 

Kinda :Josie (11:42 AM) 

[photo of the shared apartment laundry room – a dingy linoleum lined dungeon with cracked concrete floors, standing water pooling by a drain near the door. half the room was shroud in a yellowy hue, the other half dark – the flimsy plastic cover over the strip lights left dangling] :Josie (11:42 AM)

Might get murdered down here… or accidentally gas myself. I think one of the dryers is venting into the room? [frowning emoji] :Josie (11:42 AM) 

There weren’t any messages waiting for Josie by the time she finished loading her laundry into a washing machine, scowling at every quarter she jammed into the shitty piece of equipment. An “are you home” text was just as bad as “can we talk” . Had she not woken up and immediately remembered the mortifying circumstances of her existence, she wouldn’t be worried. But she’d basically groped the man, for fuck’s sake, so the lack of a text back sent a spiral of anxiety through her. 

Josie’s shoe scuffed against the second to last stair on the way back to her apartment, and her heart dropped to her stomach. Reiner didn’t message her back, but he was waiting for her in the hallway; leaned against the wall between their units, his eyes shifted from his phone to Josie. He slid his phone in his pocket all while aiming a measured smile in her direction.

“Hey.”

She adjusted the laundry bag under her arm as she approached him, mimicking a “hey” back. It was unfair how good Reiner always looked. There was almost always a scruff clinging to his jaw and a smudge of darkness beneath his eyes, his hair a little wild. He was wearing a bright white shirt with some athletic company logo printed across the chest and a pair of black sweatpants. Until that point, she was pretty confident his wardrobe was filled entirely with shades of black. 

“I thought I’d just run down to the laundry room instead of texting. Made it out the door before I thought it might be weird to just drop in on you,” he admitted sheepishly. “Waiting by your door is just as weird, I guess.”

The itchy anxious feeling in her stomach gave way to a bubbly sensation. Josie laughed as she unlocked her door. “Well stop being weird, then, and come in.”

Even though Josie spent a majority of the past few weeks hanging out with Gabi in her living room, she’d yet to have Reiner over. There’d never really been a reason. Josie tossed her bag onto the couch and, in an effort to keep pretending like she wasn’t maybe totally freaking out at Reiner being in her space, she tilted her head towards the kitchen and asked, “Do you want any coffee?”

“Sure,” He said after a moment of hesitation. 

“It’s a fresh pot,” Josie explained, happy to let her nervous jitters fill the quiet, as she pulled down two of her favorite mugs. A ceramic mushroom-themed gnome house, rim shaped to be a bulbous red head with white spots and a painted on front door and shuttered windows, for herself and for Reiner, a promotional item for a random crab shack–a white and blue checkered pattern wrapping the cup behind a cartoon crab waving from the front seat of a pink cadillac. “I have a caramel creamer and milk.”

“Just black, thanks.”

“So,” she reached for the fridge, holding the door with the side of her foot so she could quickly add a splash of creamer to her cup, “We’ve established you’re definitely not being weird by sending cryptic texts and lurking outside my door.” 

“I wasn’t lurking, ” Reiner puffed to her back, the linoleum floor crinkling as he stepped into the kitchen. 

Josie raised an eyebrow, turning to hand him the steaming crab mug. “Okay. You weren’t lurking.”

“I wasn’t,” he said again.

Josie would’ve made fun of his pouting a little more, but their fingers brushed as he took the cup and she short-circuited, a memory of her palm scratching into his chest stuttering behind her eyes. She curled her fingers into her palms and turned for her own drink.

“You weren’t lurking,” she repeated, grinning at him over the rim of her cup. “So you’re here because…”

The tips of Reiner’s ears were red. She told herself it was from the heat of the coffee. 

“I know it’s short notice, but Sunday I’m taking Gabi and her friend Falco to the State Fair. I wanted to invite you to go with… us.”

“Oh.” That was absolutely not what she expected. The State Fair? She went once in high school with some of the girls from the basketball team. They spent too much money on ride tickets and fried foods, flirting with strangers and getting too competitive over carnival games. It was one of those classic, all American teenage nights that was a core memory for her.The thrill she felt was short-lived, though, when she remembered there was a reason she didn’t go to the State Fair more often–it was a few hours away by car. “I um, would love to go, but I really don’t have a way to get there.”

A twitch of disappointment, then confusion, pulled at Reiner’s face. “I know. I’m offering to drive.”

She found herself once again saying, “Oh.”

“What type of asshole would invite you somewhere almost three hours away and not also take you?” He asked with an impish edge. She caught the edge of a smile before his cup covered it completely. 

“I don’t know!” Josie whined. 

“To be clear, I’m offering to pay, too.”

“Reiner,” she protested, whole body going flush.“That’s too much, no. ”

“It’s not though. Consider it a thank you for your help lately.”

“It’s not… I’m not–”

“I know.” Reiner put his cup down and looked at Josie with what was undoubtedly fondness–a type she wasn’t quite ready to face head-on. “I know you’re not. I just.. I just want to do this for you, Josie.”

She didn’t want to face it, but she found it impossible to look away. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to go to the State Fair. It sounds like a fun time.”

Over the past few weeks Josie learned that Reiner had all sorts of smiles. Exasperated ones, often directed at Gabi. Self-effacing ones and relieved ones and ones that stayed trapped between his teeth. There were cordial smiles in the hallway and appreciative ones on the other side of her door. Smiles for baked goods and smiles for bad jokes. 

This was probably her favorite smile, though, if she had to pick. Hazel eyes twinkling with affection and a row of teeth peeking from behind widely stretched lips.

“Same. One of my coworkers mentioned it started last weekend. Gabi’s never been, so I asked if she’d want to check it out.”

“Like any twelve year old would say no to deep fried Oreos and carnival games.”

“Yeah,” Reiner laughed a little, “I didn’t even get the whole question out before she was inviting Falco.”

“That tracks.”

“It’ll be good for them. They go to the same school, but they haven’t seen each other a lot lately,” he confided, fingers curling around his mug. “The Grice’s were my neighbors almost my entire life. Falco and Colt are like family, honestly.” His shoulders slumped a little. “We had Gabi a lot. Her dad wasn’t around, and her mom was working two jobs. My mom had a part time gig so she was able to help with Gabi. But she left my dad my senior year, and we moved in with my grandparents in Arcadia. Val–Gabi’s mom–doesn’t get along with their parents, so she stopped asking my mom for help.” 

“That’s a dumb reason… sorry.”

Reiner set his empty cup in the sink between a cluster of unwashed silverware and her unwashed oatmeal bowl from breakfast. “No, it’s okay. I was getting carried away, anyway.”

“Can I ask you something that’s probably too personal so feel free to say no?”

“Sure.”

“Why isn’t Gabi with your mom now?”

“Ah. Well,” He smiled, and it was one of those tender-eyed ones that made Josie’s heart do somersaults. “She remarried last year, and they just moved a few hours away for Ron’s job. Val only agreed to get help if we kept things as normal as possible for Gabi. Staying with me seemed like the best option all around.” 

Agreed to get help. Both Reiner and Gabi were rightfully tight-lipped about the situation with her mom. It wasn’t like Josie was prying, anyway. She knew how complicated and messy family could be. She wasn’t going to ask him to clarify what kind of help – this was already plenty of information to fill in the gaps. 

“I agree,” Josie said softly. 

“Speaking of Gabi, I should probably get back over there. We have some errands to run before my shift, and I promised her we could stop at the craft store while we’re out.”

“So I should be prepared for slime and or a lot of yarn tonight?”

“She said something about making soap, actually,” Reiner chuckled. 

“Got it. Soap making, I can handle.” 

He raised an eyebrow playfully. “Were you worried about yarn?"

“Yarn is a very dangerous item, thank you very much. A lethal weapon in some places.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do my part in keeping yarn out of the hands of our youth.”

“My hero,” she drawled sarcastically.

“It’s a hard  job, but someone has to do it.”

“Okay,” Josie snorted. She placed her empty mug in the sink with a lot less finesse than Reiner, cup clattering with the silverware. She felt bubbly enough to ignore the voice in her head that said touching him was a bad idea. She bumped her shoulder lightly against his arm. “Thanks for your dedication and vigilant service.”

“You know, something about that doesn’t feel all that genuine, Josie,” Reiner tsk-ed, eyes bright. 

“I’m being nothing but genuine, Reiner,” She said back. 

They were by her door, neither seemingly overly eager to say goodbye. A few seconds of silence stretched comfortably between them.

“I’ll let you know more about Sunday when I actually figure out what the plan is. I think I saw online that they do a fireworks show every weekend. Gabi and Falco will definitely want to stay for those, so it will probably be a long day.”

“Fireworks, huh?” 

A wistfulness settled into Josie. She wanted to drink a ridiculously sugary lemonade with a bendy straw. She wanted to listen to a kind of really good local cover band play alternative music from the 90s. And she wanted to watch fireworks with Reiner. 

“Yeah, fireworks.” Reiner smiled at her from the open door. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Have fun with your errands. Don’t let Gabi bully you into slime.”

“Or yarn,” he added.

“Or yarn, right.”

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Josie closed the door to her apartment and promptly fell into her bed face first. She groaned a pathetic noise into the sheets. She was in deep. Too deep, probably. Fuck. 

When she went to flip her laundry a half hour later, the light was fixed–fluorescent bulbs changed and secured behind the plastic screen, there was a handwritten ‘out of order’ sign on the questionably murderous dryer, and the stagnated water puddle was gone.. Josie moved her clothes to one of the non-life threatening dryers with a smile on her face.

[ulead]

Top Strategies to Manage Anxiety During Your Internship

In today's world, internships are becoming increasingly popular, especially online internships that offer the flexibility to work from home internships. it's essential to learn how to manage anxiety that can arise during your work. Anxiety is common, and it can prevent you from making the most of your internship experience. To help you overcome anxiety, here are five effective tips:

Practice the Power Pose and Powerful Thinking: Stand with your feet apart, hands on hips, and chest up to boost your confidence and minimize worrying thoughts. Pair this pose with positive affirmations to build mental strength and confidence.

Make Exercise Your Friend: Exercise is a great way to address work anxiety. Running, dancing, or practicing yoga can help channel your energy and "turn off" your brain, keeping your body healthy, controlling your breathing, relieving stress, and preventing illness.If you're an intern looking for the best paid internship opportunities.

Learn That You Can't Control Everything: Trying to control every aspect of your work can contribute to anxiety. Accept that not everything will happen as planned and learn to manage your emotions instead of trying to control everything around you.

Limit Coffee Consumption: Caffeine, found in coffee, can worsen anxiety symptoms. Limit your coffee intake and switch to decaf or herbal teas.

Face Your Anxiety Head-On: Seek out activities to ease your stress, such as attending free public speaking classes, reading books on managing anxiety, or watching TED talks on the subject.

If you're planning to enroll in an online internship program, consider the ULead flagship internship program. It's an excellent opportunity to upskill yourself and become a corporate leader in the future, and it's a great way to practice incorporating exercise into your routine. Leadership is a highly sought-after skill, and ULead can help you develop it. Don't let anxiety prevent you from making the most of your internship experience. Take time for yourself, focus on becoming mentally stronger, and develop resilience to manage your work without anxiety.   Apply now!!.

[info-seo]

ULead: The best online internship program for students

As a student in my final year of graduation, I was starting to feel worried about my career. I knew that the job market was tough, and I wasn't sure how I would stand out from other applicants. I started searching for online internships that were paid and offered work-from-home internship opportunities, and that's when I found ULead.

ULead is Unschool's flagship internship program for students to upskill themselves while reinventing learning and transforming lives with them. They offer online internships with stipends, and students can choose from a variety of roles, including youth influencer, sales intern, and marketing intern.

I applied for the youth influencer role, and I was thrilled to be accepted. In my role, I worked on marketing Unschool courses and gaining traction online. I also built operations and got matches, and I advertised on different social media platforms.

The ULead internship was a great learning experience for me. I gained valuable skills in marketing, sales, and operations. I also learned how to work independently and as part of a team.

One of the things I loved most about the ULead internship was that it was flexible. I was able to work from home and set my own hours. This was really helpful because I was also able to focus on my studies.

Another great thing about the ULead internship was that it was paid. I was able to earn a stipend, which helped me cover my expenses.

Overall, I had a great experience with the ULead internship. I learned valuable skills, gained work experience, and made money. I would highly recommend ULead to any student who is looking for an online internship and offers work-from-home opportunities.

Here are some of the other benefits of the ULead internship program:

Mentorship: ULead interns are paired with mentors who can provide guidance and support. This is a great opportunity to learn from experienced professionals and get feedback on your work.

Networking: ULead interns have the opportunity to network with other students and professionals from around the world. This can help you build relationships that can lead to future job opportunities.

Portfolio-building: ULead interns can work on real-world projects that they can add to their portfolios. This is a great way to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers.

If you are a student looking for an online internship with stipend and offers work-from-home opportunities, I encourage you to check out ULead. It is a great way to upskill yourself, gain work experience, and build a strong portfolio.

[affordablemoney23]

Apply For Home Based Online Jobs

[aman5005]

Perks of having connections to get an online internship

Most college students are intimately familiar with hard work. Whether applying their full attention to a challenging assignments workload or going for a part-time job during their college. However, understanding how to build connections to land the right unpaid or paid internship can be a different story.

Building network connections is especially critical for those students who can’t rely on who they or their parents already know. Therefore, this blog can help you learn how to build these invaluable networks without depending on anyone. Let’s look a little deeper into how connections are beneficial to helping you secure your dream work-from-home internship.

Invaluable sources of industry-specific information. High-quality connections are helpful sources of information for students looking to land a productive online internship program. They can tell you what industry-specific skills you should develop, what online sources to use, which blogs to read, and recommend some of their connections who can teach you even more.

As a result, it allows you to jump to the front of the line. Quality connections can put your name and resume on the top of the application pile and sometimes allow you to bypass it altogether.

Steps to Networking

While many college students know how challenging a work-from-home internship can be to land, many are left wondering how to access internship opportunities. 

Contact Your Existing Network

The easiest way to build connections is to look through your existing educational, professional, and personal networks. First, consider the companies where your family members and even distant relatives work and ask yourself if they are in industries where you’d like to work.

Then find out if they offer campus ambassador internships. Perhaps a favourite professor once worked in the role you‘d like to pursue. Even a connection with a few degrees of separation from you is better than a blind application.

1. Research

Take a moment to figure out precisely what you’re looking for in an internship experience. Ask yourself these questions:

Are your unpaid or paid internship goals to gain relevant experience and connections in a specific role and industry for future employment?

Or, are you looking for any internship opportunity to help you narrow your future employment goals?

Based on your answers, find out what internships are available and which companies you are attracted to. Figuring out your goals before networking will help you focus on making meaningful connections and set you on a more fruitful path.

2. Join Online Professional Communities

Online communities like LinkedIn are precious sources for building your network. Ensure your profile is optimized and highlights relevant skills. Consider increasing the frequency of your posts on professional social media sites to increase your industry authority and make your profile more visible. Finally, reach out to connections to get unpaid or paid internships.

Sign Up With a Virtual Recruiting App

Since employers are no longer visiting career centres on campuses due to the current environment brought about by COVID-19, virtual recruiting applications have emerged as a leading opportunity for students to build and maintain meaningful connections with employers. Therefore employers needing to boost their talent pools are hosting increasing numbers of virtual events to get interns.

Likewise, Ulead offers a paid online internship program for students to upskill themselves while reinventing learning and transforming lives with us. Embark on a fulfilling journey to experience, create, nurture and carry out multiple aspects of what makes our organisation click, from sales, to marketing in various segments.  We are looking for spirited individuals who are looking to challenge the way the system works. We are on the same page if you believe that exceptional and well-rounded education is the way to change the world.  Apply now!!.

[femmefatalevibe]

I live in a traditional and very religious household where women need to stay home till married. My mom is bipolar, my dad is a narcissist and I have my own problems as well, I'm not perfect. But I can not stand to live with my parents any longer. They would never allow me to move out and I need an exit plan but I dont know how because I dont have the money. Do you have any tips for that? Tysm.

Hi love. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this situation. I have no idea how old you are, but if it is legal for you to start working (especially if you're over 18) get a remote internship/job, sales, or another entry-level job to start saving money. If you're still in school, you might just need to live at home until you're 18 and hopefully, you can do some retail/paid internship work online. If you're approaching/over 18, look into academic programs and scholarships to see if you can get away from home through education grants and opportunities. Otherwise, just work as much as you can and save all of your money. Keep it a secret until you have all of your plans finalized to move out in the (hopefully not too distant) future.

Stay strong! Hope this helps xx

[qqueenofhades]

Hi! This is not relevant to your current political discussions at all and you def don't have to answer this! But you're the only person I know who is an Academic™ and I was hoping for some input from somebody with a more balanced view of college education. For some context: I enrolled in a VERY shitty online college when I was 16 and entirely screwed my chances of getting freshman scholarships to other colleges now that I'm 18 and trying to switch schools. Additionally, that college only has national accreditation and not regional so my credits won't transfer anywhere and my family's EFC is too high to get any federal help. (but my parents don't actually have money to help me pay for school)

All of this puts me in a super fun situation where I can't get almost anything except for competitive private scholarships and student loans. So it seems like I have 2 options: (1) I could take out thousands in student loans to go to a cheap university out of state (living with my brother to save on dorming) and get my bachelor's degree or (2) Go to my local community college, try to get their institutional scholarships, and probably get through college without debt. Big downside to this is that I would probably end up living at home and that's the very last thing I wanted.

I'm obvs not asking you to make a decision for me, but I was hoping you'd have some input that could help. I'm really worried that if I go to cc that I'll end up in another dead end job making $12 an hour like most people around me, but I also don't know if 20k+ in student loan debt for a degree is worth it when college degrees are (according to the headlines) getting less valuable in the job market. Any thoughts??

P.s. I'm going for Business Management

P.p.s. I promise I'm not a capitalistic monster

Aha, welp. This is indeed a super fun situation (not), and I understand your dilemma, so let's see if we can think it through together.

As someone else who was also DESPERATE to get away from home and live elsewhere during college, I understand the feeling that living at home, and/or attending a community college, would be a terrible disappointment. However, while you might not qualify for federal student aid or government programs, there is often other funding available to help students like you. It might not be full-scholarship-level money, but if you search for educational/student resources for your city/state and see what comes up, you might be presented with some other options. There are foundations, grants, funds to help students who fell through the financial-aid cracks, and while it might not cover everything and you would still have to end up taking out some loans, it would at least be a boost. Competitive private scholarships are often awarded on merit, which can be tough and feel like there's no way you'll measure up, but there ARE community organizations and local lawyers/advocates/educational professionals who are able to help and/or get you some award money on a need basis. So yes, do a little Google digging and see what comes up. Of course, you need to make sure that these resources are legitimate and not like the crappy online college, but that can be done.

Likewise, and while I fully understand that my 18-year-old self would have HATED to hear this: getting through college without debt is not to be underestimated, even if it means you have to live at home for a few more years. If you have to get an associate's degree and possibly work part-time while you're doing it, well, that is an option and might even allow you to save a little money (instead of emerging from college dead-broke like uh, most people). While community college is sometimes looked down on as a "lesser" or "inferior" education (which is stupid), that certainly doesn't mean it has to be a dead end, especially if you take advantage of career counseling, liaisons with local businesses or internship placements, and in general seek opportunities outside of just your main program. There are certainly ways to be proactive about getting both a classroom and a practical education, even if it's not the original degree program or school that you saw yourself attending, so yeah.

Also: you mention attending a cheap university out of state, but is there anything in-state that might work for you? Public universities generally offer lower tuition to in-state residents, so if you do have your heart set on moving away from home and getting a bachelor's degree, you could still explore what options might be available to you in a state university system. You should also email admissions, financial aid, or student-services officers at those institutions, explain your situation, and see what they suggest. They might have internal resources that they can connect you with, you might be able to use high school grades to qualify for some school-specific scholarship money, or anything else. You would be surprised what can happen if you take the initiative and ask for it, because there are certainly plenty of resources inside a university that don't get advertised or public-faced, but are there to be used in some shape or form.

Anyway: these are things for you to think about, and to at least give you something to do to make sure that you've explored all your options before deciding one way or the other. I will say that getting a college degree without debt is something that you should definitely consider, even if it means you might be at home for a few more years (and believe me, I ABSOLUTELY understand the "I've got to get out now!!!" feeling and I know it sucks). But there are certainly other resources for you to explore if you do want to get a bachelor's, and if worse comes to worse, well, you'll have student debt. Lots of other people do as well, and there are flexible repayments, income-driven repayments, and other systems for managing it long-term. It's not ideal, but it's still an option and doesn't have to be the ultimate factor on you deciding what works best and what you want to do.

Good luck!