"Everything you need for the pitch is on this flash drive. I'll make sure to finish everything at the Expo before noon."
Vernon picked up a small rectangular flash drive from the table and handed it to Felix, who, after fidgeting with it for a few seconds, secured it inside the inner pocket of his backpack and nodded. He then looked past his friend's shoulder and asked,
"What about this one?"
He pointed at a similar flash drive on the desk and when Vernon followed the direction of his pointing finger with his eyes, he covered it with his right hand and let out a tired exhale.
"This is my team's presentation."
"Alright. Good luck to both of us, then."
Felix waved his hand goodbye and offered his friend an awkward but still encouraging smile, before leaving him alone in his room. The day had finally come. But it was only the beginning.
***
Felicity took Jane's hand in hers and put it inside the pocket of her coat––it was a small gesture they had enjoyed ever since they were kids because while Jane's hands always seemed cold, Felicity's warmth was enough for the two of them.
And since the Spring Expo event was taking place outside, in the park near the campus, Miss Walker could not let her delicate friend be inconvenienced by the whims of the unpredictable April weather.
"Was your father disappointed that you had to skip church today?"
The Walker family was not particularly religious, so Felicity could never comprehend the peculiar devotion the Devolds had displayed towards God every Sunday morning for as long as she had known them.
Aware that Fel's question carried more mockery than genuine curiosity, Jane only shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"I think Mrs. Kim was more disappointed than Father."
Jane couldn't recall the last time she had to miss church. Maybe after that incident thirteen years ago, she had skipped a few visits, but since then... It seemed like her father's devotion had only deepened, despite his previous strong agnostic stance.
It was her late mother who turned him into a believer, and their housekeeper Mrs. Kim, who was never shy about her faith, seemed to be the happiest when she could join the Devolds in their Sunday morning prayers at the local church.
"Hmm... Charles said the Business Management stall was supposed to be somewhere around... here. Do you see him?"
Felicity scanned the surroundings, hoping to spot a familiar face, but her attention kept drifting toward the attractive strangers around her.
"Wow, who would have imagined there were so many good-looking guys here? Were they always this abundant?"
Jane couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"If you hadn't s-skipped almost the whole year, you would have known this m-much!"
"Tsk. You can be quite bitter, you know? Anyway, where the hell is your boyfriend?"
Although Jane already knew a lot of people, she had to admit that having them all gathered together in one place like that was definitely making it harder to focus. It did not help that there was a rather considerable addition of high school graduates who, either forced by their ambitious parents, or of their own accord, had come to explore future opportunities and establish potentially valuable connections among the attendees.
"There!"
Jane pointed her elegant finger to their left and started waving as she noticed her boyfriend's smiling face. Freeing herself from Felicity's soft grip, she ran toward the guy and enveloped him in a warm, affectionate hug, her lovely face nestled against his chest.
"Hi, Princess! Did you miss me that much?"
Charles scoffed as his girlfriend nodded her head, still pressing it against his body, and patted her gently on the back, planting a brief kiss on the top of her head.
"Alright, stop it you two, you're making everybody cringe!"
Felicity pulled Jane away from Charles and put on a mocking grimace, a gesture that Charles wisely chose to ignore. Jane touched her boyfriend on the shoulder and smiled again.
"Are you all ready?"
Charles brushed his hand over his shining blond hair, and let out a long sigh.
"We've been working tirelessly for the past few weeks, so I prefer to believe that we are!"
The guy turned around to offer a reassuring smile to his fellow team members who returned his gesture with rather confident nods and laughs.
Jane felt proud; she always knew that Charles was capable of many things, and even though she herself was never encouraged to work this hard, she still felt a subtle sense of contentment whenever people around her were accomplishing something of importance.
"Alright, we will let you guys get ready. Jane and I will grab something warm to drink and we will see you after the presentation!"
Felicity winked at the guys behind Charles, who, in return, got flustered and offered her a friendly wave, while Charles rolled his eyes and pecked Jane on the lips.
"Okay, see you soon, Princess."
After purchasing two cups of hot chocolate, Felicity handed one to Jane, then looped her arm through hers and took a deep, somewhat theatrical breath, as if relishing the fresh air of a place far from the bustling city.
"Princess Jane, today marks the end of my carefree days, for starting tomorrow, I shall be known not only as Felicity Walker, daughter of a renowned actress, but as Felicity Walker, the second female lead in the upcoming romantic TV drama!"
Jane offered her friend a warm smile to which Fel only clicked her tongue and playfully nudged her on the side.
"I know, I know, I got this role thanks to my connections, but why struggle?"
"I'm n-not saying you should. I'm just really happy you're finally d-doing it."
"Thanks, Jane. That's the beauty of having rich friends, I guess, they rarely envy your success."
Jane offered her friend a questioning look which was successfully ignored as Felicity's eyes were now fixed on a group of guys behind one of the department stalls at the end of the pathway.
"What's going on there? It looks like they're on the verge of having a fight."