In his peripheral, Kent saw someone approach his desk and stand there. His annoyance prickled along his skin at being interrupted, even though it was a crowded room and one could expect some kind of disturbance. He didn't so much as glance up at first, not at her hand and not when she started talking about Red Bull flavors.
His fingers paused on the keyboard only so he could lift a finger at her in a universal signal to wait. Then he finished the paragraph he was working on, letting silence spread between them. Finally, before it got too much more awkward, he withdrew his hands from the keyboard and leaned back in his chair with a sigh, glancing up at her.
"Peyton Hayes. Hello." He reached out to shake her hand after that and stood up as he did. "Your assignment is pretty simple. We need a profile shot of each of the winners and then a group shot. The background can be whatever you think is appropriate, but try not to make it look like a yearbook photoshoot, okay?" He slipped a manila folder out of his leather messenger bag and passed it to her.
"This has their class schedules and dorm room assignments in them so you can track them down. I was thinking we'd get some shots while I interview them. Candid moments."