Aina adjusted her hair for the hundredth time while her heart raced faster than the car speeding through the city traffic. Her final year project exhibition was today — the day she had waited for, worked for, and stressed for. And now, she was running late.
Her mother glanced at her from the driver's seat, letting out an exasperated sigh."Hurry up, Aina! We're already getting late!"
"Yes, Mom, just a second. I need to grab my extension cable. Sir told us to bring our own," Aina replied, stuffing the cable into her already overloaded bag.
Laptop, charger, USBs, extension cable — everything felt heavier today, not because of the weight, but because she was carrying it all alone.
Her best friend should've been there. But life doesn't always go as planned.
Aina had been lying comfortably on her bed, scrolling through Instagram, when her phone lit up. Seeing her best friend's name made her smile instantly.
She answered the call, cheerful and curious."Hey! You sound so happy! What's up?"
Her friend's voice came through, brimming with excitement."Aina! I'm engaged!"
Aina sat up straight, her lips curving into a big smile."What? Oh my God! Congratulations! That's amazing news!"
They spent the evening talking, laughing, and dreaming about wedding plans. Aina was genuinely happy for her — her best friend, her partner in everything, was finally stepping into a new chapter of life.
But only a few days later, another call came. This time, her best friend's voice wasn't glowing with excitement — it was soft, almost guilty.
"Aina... my wedding got finalized for next semester. I won't be able to do the final project with you."
Aina's heart dropped. She paused, swallowing the sudden tightness in her throat.
"Oh... I see," she whispered, forcing a small smile through the call.
Her partner, her friend, her only real company in university — gone.
From that day, Aina had no choice but to prepare everything by herself. The long nights, the heavy files, the awkward stares from classmates who knew her friend had left. Everyone knew. Nobody said it, but the silence was enough.
And now here she was, sitting in the car on her big day, alone—with only her mother for company.
After half an hour of driving, they finally reached the university campus. But as soon as the car stopped, Aina's heart sank. Her classmates weren't there.
She stepped out, scanning the crowd of students rushing between halls, carrying their own posters and equipment.
Her mother noticed the look on her face."What's wrong, Aina?"
Aina sighed, "I don't know which hall I have to go to. And Sarah isn't here yet."
"It's too hot outside. Sit back in the car until they arrive," her mother suggested, concern lacing her voice.
She got back in the car, her heart juggling between stress and disappointment. The sun climbed higher, the clock ticked louder. Ten minutes passed like an eternity.
She stared out the window, her thoughts drowning in what-ifs and maybes. Suddenly, a voice snapped her out of it.
"Aina!"
She turned her head to see Sarah waving from the gate, her face lit with relief.
Aina quickly smiled and opened the car door, carefully managing her laptop bag and the rolled-up project poster.
Sarah wasn't her best friend or someone particularly close — just a regular classmate, but one of the few people who had always been kind and easy to talk to, especially after her best friend had left the university.
Sarah walked up with a bright smile. "Hey, Aina! You look beautiful today."
Aina, despite her messy morning, did look stunning. She wore a full black midi dress that framed her perfect figure, her waist-length curled hair softly dancing in the warm air. Her big, expressive eyes and light glowing makeup made her look effortlessly charming. Her soft pink lips curved into a small smile as she adjusted her things.
Aina adjusted the slipping poster in her hand as Sarah held the door open for her. The hallway was buzzing with students, all busy setting up their booths, chatting, and laughing in little groups.
As they walked further inside, some familiar faces noticed Aina and waved. A group of her classmates stood near one of the stalls, and as soon as they saw her, the whispers started.
One of them, with a half-smile, called out,"Aina, you're here! Doing all this alone, huh? That must be tough."
Another chimed in, "I still can't believe your partner left you at the end... that's so unfair."
Their words weren't meant to hurt, but each sentence felt like another reminder of her loneliness. Everyone in the class knew the story by now — how her best friend, the only person she truly trusted in university, had dropped the project and disappeared from her life after getting engaged.
She could still remember that phone call like it had happened yesterday:
"I'm getting married, Aina. I can't continue. I'm so sorry."
No matter how much time had passed, the wound was still fresh.
She gave them a small smile, trying to look unbothered, but deep inside her heart, it stung.
Sarah stood beside her, sensing the weight of the moment."She handled everything like a pro," Sarah said quickly, trying to break the awkward silence, "the whole setup, the code, the presentation... all of it."
Aina lowered her eyes, her long lashes hiding the sadness that wanted to escape.
"Yeah... I managed," she whispered.
But the truth was, it hadn't been easy at all.
Aina forced a polite smile, nodding at everyone as if their words didn't matter, but deep down her heart sank a little.
She glanced around the hall, watching other students laughing in pairs, adjusting banners, or fixing their code setups together — and there she was, standing alone, her laptop bag hanging from one shoulder, her poster curled at the edges, and her heart carrying the weight of doing everything on her own.
Sarah gave her arm a light squeeze and whispered,"Don't worry. You've done everything so well. Your hard work will shine today."
Aina looked at her, managing a soft smile. Even though her best friend had left, even though life had suddenly flipped upside down, she still had to stand tall.
She turned her gaze back to the hall, unaware that this very exhibition — the one she'd been dreading — was about to change her life in ways she could never have imagined.