He would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous. This was his first real attempt at getting a job after high school. After failing to get into NYU, Blaine had to face the harsh reality that he would have to go with his back-up school and his back-up plan. He didn't agree with his father on a lot of things but he was thanking his lucky stars now that his father had made him apply to other colleges as back-up. So now he was attending New York University; Tisch School of the Arts. He loved it, but it hadn't been everything that he had dreamed for himself. He thought about going again for NYADA next year but until then he would have to get a part time job at least. He refused to let his father pay for everything; he didn't want to have to owe him anything. He had always strove for his independence, he was stubborn about that fact that he didn't want a dime from either of his parents.

It took him a long time to decide where to apply for a job but the first one that he really wanted to go for was Saks Fifth Avenue. He didn't have any experience in retail but he knew every designers seasonal lines like the back of his own hand. He was hoping that and his natural charm would be enough to wow his potential employers.

The day of his interview he woke up at six even though his actual interview wasn't until 10:30. He knew that he would need plenty of time to shower, do his usual morning routine, pick the perfect outfit for the interview and have enough extra time to account for anything going wrong on the Subway system that day.

His outfit was perfect, mostly black. His slacks were tight in all the right places and his shirt was perfectly crisp, as was the burgundy vest that hugged him at the waist. His shoes were expertly shining, the patent leather bringing the whole outfit together. His hair was perfectly styled and he thanked his lucky stars that his usually unruly curls weren't giving him any grief today. He was the picture perfect example of someone who belonged at one of their stores; he was everything that they didn't know they needed. He left was nearly an hour and half until he was expected to be there. Efficiency was key and even though he knew he had plenty of time, the New York public transit system didn't always have the same idea. So leaving early was always a priority.

He told himself over and over again that he wouldn't let his nerves get the best of him, that he wouldn't crumble under the pressure. Once he had cut himself off from his parents and started living on his own, he learned how to handle pressure from everyone and everything around him; he had to if he wanted to survive on his own. All he needed to do was take a deep breath and everything would turn out the way it should. He got off of the train and walked a few blocks down the busy street until he arrived at his destination - Saks Fifth Avenue. The building was all stone and windows and possibly one of the most intimidating buildings that Blaine had ever stood in front of. He tried not to gawk at every single thing that reflected brightly at him as he walked into the building. He was nearly blinded by the immense amount of lights in the lobby of the store; it made everything glow pure white. A gorgeous girl standing by the door greeted him happily as he walked in.

"Is there anything I can assist you with today?" She asked with a smile that Blaine immediately caught on was fake. He didn't pay any attention to it, he knew she didn't mean any harm by it so he just smiled politely back at her and asked to be directed towards Customer Service. He was then standing on a giant spiraling escalator that was in the center of the room. Customer Service was located on the top level of the store. Once he found his way towards the main Customer Service desk he was greeted cheerfully by someone standing behind the counter.

"Hi, my name is Blaine Anderson. I'm here for my interview with Elaina." Blaine said with a kind smile. His mom always told him that his smile could bend the hearts of women everywhere and that when he got old enough, he would learn to use it wisely. Today was going to be one of those days.

"Great. Just take a seat on that couch there and I'll let her know that you are here." She said and Blaine did just that. The longer he sat there the more uncomfortable he got. Several employees walked past him to get to what he assumed was the employee lunch room and they all sized him curiously as they walked by. Some of them, he could tell, were scrutinizing him in their heads as if they were all back in high school. The more he thought about it, working in retail, especially high-end retail was a lot like being in high school. Only the gossip was juicier. Blaine was starting to feel a twinge of anxiety as he thought about that fact and for a split second he thought that maybe applying here hadn't been such a good idea.

Just as those thoughts began to assault his mind he heard someone saying his name and he looked up, snapping out of his reverie. The woman standing in front of him was gorgeous, her long black hair hung in wavy tendrils around her face. She looked to be in her early thirties, although with the lack of wrinkles around her eyes she could have easily been younger. She smiled down at Blaine as he struggled to stand up out of the couch, it was so deep and comfortable; the kind of couch you could just sink into and fall asleep. He extended his hand to meet her own and gave her a strong handshake.

"Follow me." She said with another smile and she turned on the tips of her toes as to avoid breaking her stiletto heels. She escorted Blaine though the double doors that led to employee common area and also the Human Resources office. They stepped into her office and went into a tiny room in the corner that Blaine assumed was used mostly for interviews. Elaina directed Blaine to sit in the chair opposite her, he sat as he watched her remove folders from her bag; probably littered with interview questions meant to confuse him into giving inadequate answers. All the while he gave off a perfectly comfortable looking smile, hopefully this woman didn't see right through him.

"So, Blaine..." She pronounced the BL so harshly that it gave her an air of conceit. Blaine chose to ignore it. "...let's cut straight to the chase. Why do you want to work at Saks?" She said as she smiled and overly excited smile; Blaine wondered how long she had worked here and how long it had taken for them to brainwash her. Blaine didn't show it but he was taken aback, he hadn't expected that question so early in the interview. Elaina could see his hesitance right away and elaborated a bit.

"When most people go into professional retail...they start small and work their way up to working in bigger companies. It seems like you're going for the gusto and applying to one of the largest retail companies...without having any previous retail experience. So tell me, why?" She was testing, Blaine could see it concealed in her smile. For the most part she kept her red lips pursed in a straight line but as she watched him calculate his answer, her lips would perk upward a bit; trying to hide a smirk.

"I've always been into fashion, I'm sure you hear that from everyone that's walked in here. But I didn't always love it the way I do now. Growing up I was more into performing arts, singing and dancing. And I was the best at it, always got the lead solos and won the trophies. Selling designer clothing is like putting on your best performance. I know that if worked here I could be the best so why wouldn't I want to work at the best store in the city?" Blaine said with seriousness and enthusiasm. Thankfully he had practiced so many different answers for nearly every hypothetical question that they could throw at him. That had been one of them. Elaina raised her eyebrows and started scribbling down some notes.

"Well, you're certainly dressed the part." She said as she admired his vest from across the table. "Marc Jacobs?" She gestured to his chest and Blaine smiled and simply nodded. Elaina smiled back and the interview continued on as expected. She would ask the questions and he would give a wonderfully memorized answer. He walked out of the building twenty minutes later feeling incredibly confident that he had gotten the job. Although he was hoping that she would offer him the job on the spot, she did say that she would contact him within the next few days with news and this left a very lasting feeling of accomplishment brewing inside Blaine's gut. He felt good.