Maybe it’s a GenX male thing, but being eager, and for a job that isn’t your dream job, just doesn’t seem right. But I worked Pizza at that age and the only thing to look forward to when going to work was snacking on the pepperoni.
I’ve hired a lot of early 20s people and while they were eager to get the job there was still a bit of "I rather be doing something else, but I need the money" often with a goal in mind for the money. And when first hired or interviewed there was a worry of missing out on something. Whether it was back of their mind with "will I still have time to study" or "what are X and Y doing? Should I text them?". And lots of subtle phone checking.
Some comments like "I’m a high school girl" don’t really come out of teens. We want to be independent and adult at that age and don’t use the high school title except to get out of trouble or to pull rank on a younger kid.
Also the optimism that just put your best foot forward, stand straight, look them eagerly in the eye, will get you a job is the optimistic approach my mom tended to say. And maybe it was there sometimes but, everytime I make a live change like a new job there is always a fear of getting a job you hate or one you suck at. Especially with jobs you’ve never done before.
That said I felt she needs flushed out more in goals and desires. To get a teen off the couch when they could stay home means she needs a goal. Moving out is a good one, but how soon before she gets kicked out of foster care? The state will only pay for so long. Is there a time pressure?
And when forced off the couch you have likely been brewing on what kind of job you want and what you will NOT do. Did she pass up some stores on her trip because the people looked like the kind of people she didn’t want to work with? The optimistic "I’ll work anything" just doesn’t seem like a teenager. It seems like a parent putting words into her mouth.
But i’m a grumpy GenXer. We’re known for our attitude.
If you have the time and want to do a counter review ( you don’t have to. My chapters are really long), I could use some opinion on the Black Madonna. Any of the chapters would do. They both have an late teen - early twenty girl as main character. Let know what you think.
