Chapter 19 - Cramming

She spent the rest of the day with her study group, preparing for the final presentation on Li & Fung. The hotel had arranged private conference rooms for them to work in for the day. For once, she was really glad to be completely immersed in work, not having time to let her thoughts drift elsewhere.

They were halfway done with the slides, when someone brought up the issue of who would be presenting the next day. The group immediately fell into a heated discussion, everyone sharing their strong views on the matter. Having a diverse group of people from different nationalities always seemed to result in a strong difference of opinion and clashing of perspectives. But the level of creativity that emerged and learning curve that ensued made it worth the fight.

Mia certainly didn't want to be part of the conversation, so she didn't give any input. She hoped that her silence on the matter would somehow make her fly under the radar and thus, become less of a target.

"I really think Mia should present," Laura suddenly stated. She was from Germany but had lived in Italy and London for many years. She acted nothing like a stereotypical German. She constantly arrived late everywhere, and conducted herself in such a carefree manner that people jokingly referred to her as the non-German or Latin German.

Mia froze. "I...really don't think that's the best idea. You all know that I get really nervous when presenting..."

Laura pressed on. "You can barely tell. We might notice because we know you better, but someone that doesn't would barely know. It's natural that you get a bit nervous, but Mia you have such a clear voice when you speak. I think you're one of the best presenters in our class."

"Not to mention your perfect accent in English. None of us even comes close to that," Ana added. She was from Romania and was probably one of the smartest girls in class. On top of that she was extremely levelheaded and empathetic.

Mia couldn't believe her ears. "You guys are joking, right?"

"It's true, Mia. We all agree," Melissa said. "The way I see it, the people that should present should be Antonio, Mia, and Ana. Antonio can start off using his smoke and mirrors act, Mia delivers the hard facts, and Ana finishes it off by giving her piece of mind and charming the judges during the Q&A. It'll be a classic triple threat," she continued.

Mia looked around the conference table and they all nodded in agreement.

"I hardly think we need to take a vote on this one, but all those in favor say aye," Antonio said. He was from Argentina and was extremely extroverted, constantly cracking jokes at all times. Professors always seemed to love him, and had become known as the teacher's pet in class.

"Aye," the room echoed. Everyone had said it except for Mia. Just like that, it had been settled. Mia would have to present before an audience of 100 people, and for the first time.

They continued working during the rest of the evening. Mia had become extremely nervous just thinking about the following morning, but she pressed on. Since when had her group become so civilized? She remembered clearly when they were first thrown together, they had been so dysfunctional and had spent most the time arguing over every little decision. Everyone had been so eager in the beginning and wanted to prove their alpha personalities and take control over all the assignments.

It had felt like a child being violently tossed into the water, desperately struggling to reach the surface and breathe again. But sooner or later, you learn how to swim.

Working long hours together over months had exposed each member's strengths and weaknesses, and they had really gotten into the rhythm of their workflow, dividing up their tasks evenly. They had come together as a group and had almost become a tight knit family. No, she had to be strong and couldn't let them down. She owed them that much.

Mia had been reviewing the situation analysis of the case, starting to feel cramped in the dim room, when the Internet stopped working all of a sudden. Shit. "Um, guys, are you having trouble connecting..."

"I'm on it," Laura responded. She picked up a phone in the conference room and dialed 0. Mia felt slightly sorry for whoever was on the other side of the line, because she really let them have it, making threats and yelling all type of profanities.

Mia looked at her in disbelief, she had never seen her act like that. Not that she was complaining. Anything that would help improve their dire situation. They really needed to finish working on their slides ASAP.

Not even five minutes had passed, when a hotel manager walked into the conference room, telling them to follow him into another room. They all picked up their belongings in utter annoyance but quickly obeyed nonetheless.

To Mia's surprise, he took them towards the elevator and pressed a button for the top floor. It was the executive business center. The manager motioned them towards a room and when they walked inside Mia couldn't believe her surroundings.

A modern glass table took up the length of the room together with black leather chairs, drinks and snacks were stacked against a bar area, a huge plasma TV rested against a wall, and floor to ceiling windows ran across the room displaying spectacular views of the city. It looked like something out of Wall Street.

"I guess this will do. We'll try to manage somehow," Laura said with a hint of sarcasm and the manager left the room. As soon as he left, she added, "Can you believe this place? But no excuses people, let's finish working on this damn thing."

"Yes ma'am!" Antonio responded.

The rest of the group looked at each other in amusement, but soon got to working again. No messing with Laura today. Her attitude seemed to help because a few hours later they were done.

"Finally! I don't think I've ever felt so relieved in my life," Laura said. "But you know what they say, 'work hard, play hard'. I'm going out. I heard a lot of people are going to this place called Zapata's. Who's with me?"

"Definitely not me, I have to practice for tomorrow," Mia said.

"Yeah, I agree. I think the presenters should stay behind and practice. The last thing we want is to be hungover tomorrow morning. But the rest of you should go ahead," Ana commented.

"Okay, but let us know if you need help with anything," Melissa said. The polite offer had been there, but they exited the room quicker than you can say Shanghai.

Mia, Antonio, and Ana went over the game plan for the presentation and ran through it several times until they finally got the timing right. An hour later, Mia felt completely exhausted. They agreed to meet for breakfast early the next morning and go over their parts one last time. After all, preparation was key right? She just hoped she would be able to keep her nerves in check.

Mia walked into an empty bedroom and decided to practice her part again, this time in front of the mirror. People said that always helped, but it still felt awkward. She finally felt content after a few rounds and decided to call it a night.

She set the alarm and plopped on her bed. Just as she was getting settled in, the door to the room opened.

"Hey, where have you been all day?" Victoria asked as she walked into the room.

"Preparing for the stupid presentation tomorrow. Ugh, I just want it to be over with," Mia answered.

"I know, tell me about it," she said, setting her things down. "So what ended up happening earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Leo, Mia. Did you think I would forget?"

"Oh, that. God, that feels likes ages ago."

"Yes, that. Did you finally make up?" she asked curiously.

"Not really, I guess. We talked a bit, ended up fighting and yelling at each other most of the time," Mia sighed.

"That's it? Give me the good stuff, Mia."

"Well, he did kiss me," she said, knowing that was what Victoria wanted to hear. Actually he did a lot more than that, she thought.

"See, I knew it! So are you getting back together?" she asked excitedly.

"No, we just fought more after that. It seems like that's the only thing we're good at anymore. Bottom line is he's still mad at me."

"You're crazy, Mia. He would do anything for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? I would kill to have that," she said shaking her head.

"It's just not that simple, Vicky," she answered quietly.

"Is anything in life?"

"I guess not."

"I'm telling you, Mia. You should really think about this."

"Believe me, I've thought about it way too much over the last few months."

"Well, you're obviously not thinking about it in the right way. Just remember what I told you, okay?"

"Okay, I will."

"Good," Victoria said, walking towards the bathroom and declaring the conversation settled.

Just not the night before the big day, Mia thought. Adding Leo into the mix right now would simply make her head implode. Sleep was the one thing that would prevent her from having a nervous breakdown.