Sam rolled onto the other side of the bed. Grabbing the alarm clock off the bedside table, she read the time: 9:30.
“Heck!” she mumbled. “I’m late for the interview!”

Still half asleep, Sam rushed out of the room and tumbled down the stairs towards the kitchen.

“Hey, looks like you finally woke up.”

Sam’s dad, Mr Miller greeted her.

“Dad, please, please can you drop me off to the job interview? I’m already behind time and I don’t have a ride,” Samantha said through her mouth-full of cornflakes.

Mr Miller shook his head.

“I’m sorry, honey, I gotta take the twins to Little Athletics. It’s Saturday morning, you know.”

Samantha sighed, then, with breakfast bowl still in hand, she rushed to the master bedroom.

“Mum, mum can you please drop me off for the job interview?”

Samantha held her breath (and the cornflakes that were still inside) as her mum finished putting on the final touches of her make-up on. Dropping the lipstick tube in her handbag, Mrs Miller turned around to face her daughter. Samantha could already tell what the answer was by looking at her face.

“Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry. I’ve got to leave with Tina in five minutes for the farmers market, or otherwise we won’t have any fresh food for next week.”

Sam looked down at her shoes with bitter disappointment.

“Well how on earth am I going to get there in time?” muttered Samantha, almost daring her mum to think up some way of getting her to the important interview.

“Well—” said Mrs Miller, stuffing her handbag full of the ‘necessary’ things a woman might need on a shopping expedition.

“I know, why don’t you ask Liam if he’ll drive you there before football?” Liam was the oldest of the eight Miller kids, and since getting his drivers licence, both parents had knighted him the third chauffeur of the Miller family, (of course, this was all done unofficially).

Sam turned on her heel and running down the hallway ran smack bam into Liam.

“Sorry, Liam! Um, I really need a ride down to the job interview; and everyone else is stuck doing something different and I was wondering please, please can you drop me down there before football?”

Liam, after getting over being run into, opened his mouth to say “No”, but then looked at his sister’s pleading face.

He paused.

It wouldn’t really harm to miss out on five minutes of match, would it?
In one more final attempt, Sam clasped her hands together and fell at his feet and looked up and said in her most distressed tone:“I’m desperate.”

Then they both collapsed into a fit of giggles. Liam shook his head and gave his sister a hand up.

“Alright, I’ll drop you off, Miss Desperate.”

Sam rushed off down the hallway. “Thanks Liam, I owe you one. I’ll just get dressed quickly— don’t leave without me!” she yelled down the stairs.

“Well I just might, knowing how long it takes girls to get ready!” Liam replied.

Sam rushed to her wardrobe and flung the doors open. After chucking most of its contents on the floor, she finally decided on a floral top, some beige-coloured jeans and a pair of purple ballet flats. Opening a bottle of blue sparkly mascara, Sam splashed some quickly on her eyelashes, screwed open a tube of light pink lipstick and put some of that on as well. Grabbing her denim jacket of the dressing table and thrusting her mobile in her jean pocket, Sam stomped down the stairs, only to run straight back up again to snatch her wallet and then she was off. Banging the front door open, Sam saw that Liam and Ben were already waiting in the car.

“Hurry up, Sam, we’re gonna be late!” cried Ben, leaning over the drivers seat to honk the horn for added enthusiasm.
Opening the car door and plonking down on the front seat, Sam replied:

“Well, Liam wouldn’t have left me behind; besides, you’re always late for your footy matches anyway!”

Liam hid a grin. Everybody knew Sam hated being late.

“What are you smirking at?” huffed Sam, rather grumpily.

“Oh, nothing. Which café shop are you applying for?”

“The one in town next to the mall; it’s called….uh…” Sam racked her brain, but the name had just slipped her mind.

“Ha, you can’t even remember the name of the place you’re gonna work at!”

Sam looked at her little brother in frustration. Liam quickly intervened before World War III broke out.

“Ben, just give her break. We’re nearly there.”

“How can we be nearly be there when we don’t know where it is?” whined Ben.

Suddenly Sam remembered. “Mandies Milkshakes!” she cried, causing Liam to swerve a little.

“Crikey!” yelled Ben, just as loud as Sam.

“Okay, both of you just shut up until we get there!”

Sam glanced over at Ben. Liam hardly ever yelled at them; much less told them to shut up. Ben shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t his fault Liam was upset; Sam was the one who made them late in the first place!

Pulling up outside the shop front, Liam turned around to face both of them.

“Sorry I yelled at you guys,” he apologized. Sam and Ben nodded their heads.
“Okay, well, I think Sam’s got a job interview to go to and we’re already late for the footy game!”

Laying his hand on Sam’s arm, Liam whispered: “Good luck, sis. I know you’ll get this job easy.”

Sam nodded in reply. “Thanks.”

Pushing the door open of the café, Sam took a look around her. She was standing a huge old-fashioned milk bar, with lots of bright colours. There was hardly anyone else in the shop; one oversized guy eating a hamburger, two old ladies gossiping over a cup of coffee, and a girl about her own age standing with her back towards Sam. Looking closer, Sam felt that there was something vaguely familiar about the girl. Abruptly the girl turned around. As the light fell upon her features, Sam gasped.

“Sky!—what—what are you doing here?”