Pam stood outside the New York City apartment complex. She stood in fear of the changes that this place would lead her to take. She had fears of stepping outside her comfort zone and experiencing life without someone by her side. She loaded her things on to the elevator and saw that Jan had come to visit her.

“Jan! Hi!”

“Hey Pam. How’s everything going?”

“Great. I think I almost got it all. I have one more big box then I’m done with moving.”

“You do know that there are other interns staying here as well, right?”

“Yeah. That’s what I was told. My roommates name is Andrea. I think.

“There are a few of them. My cousin is actually an intern this time. You guys will get along.”

“I can’t believe that I’m doing this. It’s crazy.”

“You’re going to love it.”

The door opened and Jan helped Pam get her things out of the elevator. The apartment was immaculate. She thought back to her apartment in Scranton and thanked the good Lord that she wasn’t living in that run down place still. She did, however, miss other things in Scranton.

“Hi! Pam, right?” A younger, pretty blonde came over to greet Pam.

“You’re correct. You are?” Pam said as she shook the girl’s hand.

“Andrea. Nice to meet you. I think we are rooming together. Our room was my first pick.”

“Cool.”

Jan went over to talk with some of the other interns. The apartment and the people that inhabited it made Pam think of school. She looked around the room and felt like she didn’t fit in with any of these people. Pam left Scranton behind to find herself, and Pam knew that the city, the other interns, and this opportunity would give her that chance.

Pam and Andrea got along well. They unpacked and chatted in their room. Andrea pulled out some picture frames and some trinkets. Pam thought about all the pictures she had brought from home. She didn’t bring many, but she had all she needed to get by for four months.

Pam pulled out a frame with her mother in it, then a picture that Michael had photo-shopped for the office. She had one little album from her childhood and college years. She had tucked in many pictures from the last few years just so she could remember what all her coworkers faces looked like.

Andrea peeked over to see Pam staring at the photos. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you already missing home?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then, let’s go make new friends.” Andrea said as she pulled Pam out the bedroom door and into the living room.

----

“Hey everyone! Do you all mind if we go around the room and share about ourselves?” Andrea said as she waved her arms in the air.

Everyone seemed to agree and came over to the couches to form a circle.

Andrea initiated the conversation. “Hi. My name is Andrea Blevins. I am from New Jersey and will be interning with the CFO.”

“Oh, trying to get in good with the big wigs huh?”

“I’ll have you know that I am interested in business and learning more about it. So, what are you here for?”

“My name is Benjamin Levinson, you can call me Ben, I’m one of Jan’s cousins. I’m from Pennsylvania and I’ll be working in graphic design. I hear that there is another graphic design intern here. Who’s that?” He said as he looked around the room.

Pam felt herself get nervous. She didn’t know why but she felt nervous about her introduction. Benjamin was attractive and charming. He had a nice clean cut look and dark hair. She blushed when he asked where she was.

“Me.” She raised her hand shyly over her head and put it back down to finish her intro. “My name is Pam Beesly. I’m from Pennsylvania as well. I work at the Dunder Mifflin branch in Scranton as the receptionist.”

Pam found out about all of her roommates. Jake was a divorcee with a business degree. He was handsome even though he hid under a thick pair of dark framed glasses. Natalie was energetic and fun. She was selected to intern for the management team. Amy was about Pam’s age and had a family in Connecticut. Terry was kind of the nerd in the bunch. He was interning under the supervisor and reminded Pam of Ryan. He was young and extremely dark headed and smug. Lance was the genius in the group. He was also interning under the CFO, had many awards and a masters. Pam was in awe that she was actually chosen to be apart of this great group of people.

----

Pam’s first day in the design department was interesting. The person that she was interning under was eccentric and fun. His name was Martin Craig. He had salt and pepper hair and a beard that matched. Pam was excited that he knew loads about art, design, graphics, and most importantly, he knew a lot about artists. Pam was in heaven.

On their first day, Martin had Benjamin and her do a sketch for him. It didn’t matter what it was, except that it need to advertise for Dunder Mifflin. Pam watched Ben’s hand quickly start sketching. Pam’s eyes widened as she saw how amazingly talented he was. She looked on until she realized that she hadn’t made any marks on her page.

After their long day of art talk and lessons, Pam and Ben took a cab back to the flat. Ben was genuinely nice and had a smile that could kill. Plus, he was extremely talented. Pam felt herself thinking about Jim back in Scranton. She wondered what he was doing and what had happened since she last saw him in the office.

She had left the office in a hurry. He had given her a quick hug and a goodbye. She remembered that she was upset at the way it all had ended. He had just walked out of the office with his head hung low, keeping a close eye on his feet. Pam had felt like running after him, but hadn’t been able to manage it.

---

After their first month of interning, everyone had gotten to know each other well. Pam and Andrea went out on weekends along with Jake and sometimes Terry. They all melded together quite well. Natalie was already making eyes for Lance and it seemed like he was interested too. Pam and Andrea liked to gossip about it after they went into their room for bedtime. Pam felt like a college kid again. She didn’t tell anyone, but she secretly missed Scranton and the people that lived there. She missed them all, even Dwight.

Kelly called Pam frequently to give her updates (mainly about how she and Ryan were doing). Then in one conversation, Kelly told her about other things that were happening. Phyllis had returned from her honeymoon with a cast on her arm. Kelly said it was a long story and she couldn’t remember it all. She also said that Stanley got an offer from corporate and he had to declined the job. She also said that Jim and Karen had broken up and had slowly begun talking to one another again. Pam felt her heart skip a beat then slowly return to a normal pace.

“They did?”

“Yeah. Like right before you left. He didn’t tell you?”

“We didn’t really talk that much. In fact, we haven’t since the day I left.”

“Really? Well, he’s single now.”

“Well, good for Jim.”

“You should call him Pam. Or better yet, I’ll tell him to call you.”

“No. That’s okay Kelly.”

“He hasn’t been the same.”

“Me either.”

Then Pam heard his words echo in her head.

Jim had told her he didn’t want to leave it like they had last time and yet, it seemed like it was worse than last time. Pam knew that they would drift apart even further than the last time. But, she still had a glimmer of hope since now she knew that he and Karen had broken up. Pam decided that she needed to end her conversation with Kelly and get back to her sketch project she had to work on with Ben.

“Kelly, I gotta go. I have to go work on some stuff.”

“What are you doing?”

“I have to design a logo with Ben, the other art intern. It’s a really cool project.”

“Sweet! Oh, and is this guy really cool too?”

“Kelly, I gotta go. Tell everyone hi for me!”

“Will do.”

----

Pam’s conversation with Kelly had stirred up her feelings about Jim and their relationship. She didn’t know whether to call him and clear the air, wait for him, or move on. Sitting at the kitchen table, she and Ben sketched out what they thought Dunder Mifflin’s new logo should be. Jokingly, Pam drew a forest that had been cut down with Dunder Mifflin stamped on one of the stumps. She showed it to Ben and he laughed.

“I think they will love that!”

“I know.”

Ben gave her a glimpse of his amazing smile and she found herself thinking about Jim again. She lost her focus when Jim’s face popped up in her mind.

“Are you okay Pam?”

Pam snapped out of her daze. “Oh yeah. Sorry, just thinking about old friends.”

“Are you sure that they were just a friend?” Ben said with a laugh.

“Sort of.”

“Oh Pam. You are holding out on me.”

“I had a crush on him a long time ago. I thought he did too, but I think that’s all over with now. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“What’s his name?”

“Jim Halpert. You remind me a lot of him. You are tall, funny, and have a great smile. Except you have short, dark hair and you can draw.”

“He sounds like a great guy then.” Ben said as he let out another amazing smile and a laugh.

“Let’s get back to our project.”

Pam didn’t know if she was falling for another guy or not. Ben did remind her of Jim, a lot. She hated that her feelings were mixed about the situation. She wanted Jim and Jim alone but Benjamin was a great second if she couldn’t have her first pick.