Pan climbs the stairs towards the foyer of the BBA Faculty building. Today is the day of setting up the booth for Open Day. As she reaches her spot, she notices Yara from afar. The girl is checking around the area.
"Yara..." Pan smiles and offers her the coffee she drank earlier. The girl takes a sip, then continues pouting.
Looks like Yara has become the Yara that Pan knew.
"I don't like the arrangement..." Yara whines. Pan pats her shoulder softly. The little girl keeps whining in a language only she knows.
"Yeah, I know it's a bit secluded and almost at the end of the row. But, remember... We have two entrances; here and there..." Pan tries to calm her down.
"But people rarely use it!" Yara banters like a child.
"What if we make people use it more often tomorrow?" Pan tilts her head a bit and gives Yara a wink.
"What are you gonna do? Wear the mascot again?" Yara winces, her eyes shrinking into a straight line, refusing the idea of using the big mascot.
"Hmm... That's not a bad idea..." Pan's lips crook up while teasing Yara. She knows her friend had a bad experience with mascots.
"No!" Yara whines even louder. Pan lets a laugh escape from her lips. She decides to leave Yara whining alone and continues preparing her booth for Open Day.
"No!!!"
Pan suddenly turns her head to Yara.
"Your whining is getting too much, Yara..." she's getting annoyed.
"It's not me..." Yara frowns, pointing her finger towards a space quite far from them.
From their spot, Pan sees a girl with her whole lower body on the floor, crying. She covers her face with her palm and sobs in front of what seems like a wrecked booth.
"What's happening?" Yara asks Pan. Her friend lifts her shoulder a bit. Yara, who slumps her body on the floor before, quickly stands on her feet and stretches her neck.
"Should we check it out?" asks Pan.
"Come! Let's check it!" says Yara.
They walk towards the booth, ignoring those eyes that glare at them. As they reach the spot, they can see the disaster even more clearly. The whole booth has been destroyed. Even the decorations have turned into pulp.
"Wow... This is..." Yara gasps.
"Too much agony..." Pan shakes her head slightly. She slowly bends down and helps the girl stand up.
"Are you okay?" Pan voices her concern.
The girl stares at Pan with her wet eyes. Instead of answering, she wipes her eyes vigorously.
"I know maybe I don't deserve the spot, but it's not like I'm ineligible for it! I work so hard for the spot..."Pan patiently listens to the girl's rant. She can only share some of her agony,
Meanwhile, Yara, on the other hand, is busy checking the surroundings of the booth.
"I think something just wrecked the booth..." Yara's eyes get larger and full of curiosity. She somehow looks like a character in a crime scene series.
"... Or someone..." Pan gushes in disappointment. The girl stares at her used-to-be hard work space, tears still in her eyes.
"I never knew being in a valedictorian's mentor group meant you had to fight like a gladiator. I thought we could help each other, since freshman year is hard..." the girl bows down and collects her items scattered on the floor with a bleeding heart.
"You know who did it?" Yara asks. The girl skims around, slowly nodding her head.
"I don't wanna talk about it anymore. I will face the person later during mentorship. I might put myself in trouble," the girl stares at her bag. Her eyes are full of agony.
"So, what's the next plan?" asks Pan. The girl stands up after gathering her things.
"I don't know... I can build up the booth again, but I don't think I have much time. Besides, we'll present our project to the panel judges soon..."
"Yara... Pan... What happened?"
They turn around to see who's calling them.
It's Kitty and Lauring.
"Something happened to this girl's booth.." Pan taps the girl's shoulder.
"... Or maybe someone just destroyed it!" Yara whispers to Lauring.
"Ai sutt! What a pussy!" Lauring stomps her little feet onto the floor and grits her teeth. She looks like an angry Tasmanian devil.
Pan grins, looking at Lauring getting mad, but her eyes then move to Yara, who is already blue all over her face. She can't say anything to Lauring when the senior curses, so she has to suppress the feeling of the sin.
Even worse, Yara heard it loud and clear. Just right beside her.
"So, what now?" asks Kitty to the girl.
"I can build a new one... But it'll take some time and I have to present the project soon..." the girl replies in a weak tone.
"Wow, what's this? A women's empowerment conference?" a male voice suddenly could be heard among these ladies.
Gradually, while the discussion is still heated, here come Seth and Han, being nosy as always.
"Nope! More like a plan to kill some dirty-minded bitch," Lauring spits fire at them, making the boys jump a bit.
And again, Yara turns grey and her eyes stun like they are out of order.
"Senior Seth... What did you just say?" Pan asks him in a hurry.
"What did I just say?"
"About this gathering..."
"A women's empowerment conference..."
Yara, from being a toasted robot, suddenly wakes up, snaps her finger and grins widely. It seems like the words ring a heavy bell in her mind that awaken her. It sounds like a solution for the problem.
Eureka!
"Pan, what's your product?" asks Yara. Pan stares at Yara, her mind puzzled.
"Beauty products. Rose oil soap bars, organic facial wash, rose oil..."
"Mine is accessories! Rings, anklets, earrings! What's your product?" Yara asks the girl.
"Me? Organic makeup. Lip balm, deodorant..."
"I have an idea. I don't know if this will work, but I certainly have an idea!"
Yara's giddy reaction makes everyone stunned in surprise.
***
"A Beauty Hub?" asks Pan.
"Yes! We'll combine our booths and make a beauty hub, exclusively for everyone, especially those who love beauty products. We'll have a free makeover using her makeup products, maybe a beauty class 101 with your skincare products, and charm assembly activity," says Yara while showing them some charms, beads, and strings.
"Sounds interesting..." says the girl.
"It is indeed interesting..."
"What we're gonna do is combine my space with Pan's space. Then, we put displays in this area, set up a space where visitors can come and do fun activities like makeovers, charm assembly, and free testers," Yara now looks like a contractor explaining how the space works.
"Come to think of it, all these three are somehow connected to each other. People who like makeup need skincare as well..." Pan nods in agreement.
"And... To complete the style, they need some accessories..." the girl points at Yara.
"That's why it's a one-stop beauty hub. Where everything about fashion compiles in one huge space!" Yara spreads her hands and shouts merrily. Both Pan and the girl cheer along with her.
"Thank you for saving the day and me!" The girl sounds like almost crying.
"No problem! We're always here to help!What's your name anyway?" Pan asks.
"My name is Em," the girl smiles at them.
"I'm Pan. And this is Yara..."
"I know both of you. You guys are quite famous," Em sheepishly smiles at them. "Especially you..." her finger points at Pan.
"Me?" Pan is surprised.
"Yeah. You're bold and brave. Your friends also have the same trait. You and the guy..."
"It's Han," Yara and Pan nod to each other.
"Yeah. Like... You're my idol..."
Pan snickers a bit while shaking her head. Yara playfully smacks her friend's shoulder and teases her.
"Dek dek... What's the progress?" Kitty greets them. Lauring follows her from behind, being chill with her snacks.
"Did we get permission, senior?" Pan asks Kitty anxiously.
"Well... Yeah! Thanks to Lauring, by the way..." Lauring puts up her hand and snickers.
"I told the organizer, if they refuse, the BBA council will wreck the whole event..."
"Stop bluffing, shortie!" Kitty nudges Lauring's waist. The little one hisses at her before sighing.
"I told them, there is no way they want to bring more equipment for the booth and it might be a waste of time... And money," she finally reveals the truth.
Pan, Yara, and Em finally smile as a sign of happiness and relief by the decision.
"However..."
"I know there will be a but!" Yara sighs.
"Because it's a combination of three small businesses, the business is considered a partnership instead of a sole proprietorship. That means all three of you must present together," says Lauring.
"What are we gonna do? We have separate slides?" Em starts to panic again.
"Don't worry about it. I can help!" Han comes out of the blue, bobbing his brows up and down. He has a laptop with him.
"You're a true savior, Han!" Yara jumps and hugs him tight. Pan can only look at them and smile.
"Don't kill me before I start my job, miss..." Han chokes between words. Yara lets him go slowly. She steps back and sheepishly laughs at him.
"Are they...?" Em whispers to Pan.
"A couple? Nah, that's normal for them. Besides, Han is gay," Pan replies to her calmly.
"Ah..." Em's reaction goes bleak. Pan shakes her head slightly, as she can't help but smiles a bit. "Why? You like him?" Pan casually asks.
"Looks like I lost my chance..." Em looks disappointed. Pan snickers and softly taps Em's shoulder to ease her.
"Okay. Everything's set! Let's get it, queen!"
They cheer for one last time before starting the surprise project.