Chapter 1
UFFFF…
The very last question of my master’s exam was finally done. I had twenty minutes to spare, so I tried to stay calm and review my answers before turning in my paper. Honestly, I hadn’t studied much for this subject, but I knew I had done fine.
It was the final semester, and with three job offers already in hand, I had barely bothered to prepare. My GPA stood at 3.9, and even if this paper gave me a B, it wouldn’t matter, my projects and other exams had gone well. Plus, in the real world, nobody really cares about grades. I reminded myself not to overthink and scanned my answers quickly for anything missing. Then I stood up, handed my professor the paper, and walked out grinning - last exam done, yay!
The first thing I did was grab my phone from the locker and shoot a group message to my friends:“Over and out :) :) :)”. Then I headed straight to the canteen for pizza.
I had four close friends Sarah, Scott, Priya, and Galen, who were also my project teammates. All of them had different exams that day. I was the only one crazy enough to pursue two specializations: Cloud Computing and Enterprise Software Development (ESD). The rest just stuck with ESD, which I had finished last semester.
As I sat at our usual table waiting for replies, hunger was making me impatient. Finally, Scott texted:“Where are you?”
Me:Guess, dumbass. What sizepizza emoji?
Scott:XXXL.Starving.
Sarah:With pineapple?please
Scott:NOOOO
Me:NO
Priya:NOOOpuke
Me:Okay, ordering with NO PINEAPPLE.
We always met at the same spot in the canteen. It had the best view, was slightly less noisy, and thanks to a little “hack” with paper stuffed into the charging socket, it was almost always ours. Galen had the adapter, so we were all set. I was already feeling sentimental knowing tomorrow this routine would end.
Scott clapped his hands in front of me, making me jump out of my daydream. They’d finally arrived.
“Jumpy much? Where’s the pizza?”he teased. Right on cue, my buzzer went off. I tossed it to Galen to collect the pizza, and Priya went to grab fries.
Me:So, how was it?
Sarah:Meh… okay.
Scott:Who cares?! It’s over! Party time! Tonight, I’m drinking till I drop!
We laughed, dug into the food, and made plans for the evening. Scott, being the party animal, suggested a club near his apartment downtown. Sarah and I went back to our place to get ready.
We lived with our third housemate, Tori, who owned the apartment and let us sublet. It was close to campus, and Sarah and I shared a room. We’d been friends since high school, and our walls were filled with memories photos from karaoke nights, pizza parties, hair-dye disasters, and endless sleepovers.
Back home, I shoved my books aside, collapsed into bed, and napped for three hours. By 6 PM, it was time to get ready. Choosing an outfit was its own drama. I finally settled on a grey skirt with a yellow off-shoulder top and black knee-high boots, while Sarah rocked a maroon pencil dress with heels. Galen picked us up, and we Ubered to Scott’s.
Scott’s apartment was big, with a balcony jacuzzi he bragged about endlessly. Priya was already there, flaunting her new car, a birthday gift from her dad. We toasted with wine:
Scott: “To no more studying!”
Galen: “To no more exams!”
Sarah: “Graduation!”
Me: “To no more boring lectures!”
Priya: “To moving out of my parents’ house!”
We laughed and drank, then headed out bar-hopping.
The first stop was Vortex Bar & Grill for shots and food. The second, Cypress Pint & Plate, was too crowded with students from our university, so we moved on to Social Club. By then, I was grateful for my flat boots unlike Sarah and Priya, who were struggling with heels.
Sarah was excited to meet her cousin there. He was just 25, owned a club, and was in town for research. Scott was impressed by his age and profession. I was skeptical. I mean, Harvard Law grad turned club owner? Really?
At Social Club, we grabbed a corner table and started talking about our futures. Scott would join his dad’s business. Sarah was weighing her job offers. Priya wanted to work abroadAustralia, Canada, or Singapore. Galen was planning a month-long backpacking trip with his $7k savings.
Scott:Amsterdam, man! Let’s go!
Galen:I can’t afford your rich-boy trips. Thailand for a month flights with miles, budget sorted. Wanna come?
Me:Calm beaches, islands, food, history, massages… sounds amazing.
Galen:Exactly!
Me:Nope. I’m staying with family and weigh my job offers.
Sarah:Show-off. Multiple offers ugh.
Priya:I don’t even have one :(
We wished Priya luck with her second interview in Australia.
Sarah went to meet her cousin, and the rest of us hit the dance floor. By then, I was tipsy. Looking for Scott, I spotted him at the bar chatting with two blondes. Typical.
I walked up, put a hand on his shoulder, leaned close, and whispered:“Baby, we need to leave. The nanny just called our son is sick.”
Scott froze. Before he could react, Blondie #1 dumped her drink on him, shouted“Delete my number!”and stormed off with her friend. lol
I started laughing so hard. Scott groaned:“Why do you do this to me?! You won’t go out with me, and you won’t let me score!”
Me:“Score?!”Ew. They’re not game points have some respect. This is why I don’t go out with you.
We ordered more shots, texted Sarah to come back, and went all in party night had just begun.
