Midterms (Part II)

"Carson is that you?"

Michelle was perplexed and surprised as she heard Carson's deep and bold voice. We were in the middle of a conversation during midterms week and in an instant this guy decided to bat in.

To cut the long story short, Carson invited Michelle to come to his house tomorrow for dinner. Unfortunately, she declined the invitation in order to focus on midterms.

Returning home, I promptly resumed work on my other midterm assignments. All night long I worked on another 300-word essay, this time for media ethics.

But after only 100 words, my eyes became fatigued and weary. All that research and thinking must have taken its toll on me.

"You're still up?" Charissa worriedly said as the clock struck midnight. "Better sleep now or you'll get sick."

Reluctantly I closed my laptop and went straight to bed. Early the next morning, however, my phone suddenly rang which instantly aroused me.

Michelle was calling. After a few yawns, I gently picked up the phone and started talking.

Michelle: "Christine, are you there?"

Christine: "Michelle, why did you call me this early in the morning? I haven't had much sleep all night."

Michelle: "Sorry if I woke you up Christine. Anyway, Kevin and Ella contacted me and said the four of us will have dinner at his house tonight. Are you coming?"

Christine: "I'll think about it later. Right now I need some rest. Go talk to me later."

Michelle: "Okay then. But let me remind you that this is a group effort. Your contributions are key here, so don't let me down. See you."

After a few more hours' worth of sleep, I woke up and resumed working on my essay. It took me the entire morning to finish all 300 words.

Just then, Charissa arrived inside the bedroom and saw my essay.

"Not bad Christine," she commented. "But in order to fully understand the Mamasapano massacre, you must watch some video and read a few articles about it. The essay is okay but it needs some improvement."

After a late brunch, I contacted Michelle regarding Kevin's gracious invitation. It took me three attempts before she ultimately acknowledged my call.

Michelle: "Christine, I'm delighted you called me this time. So have you carefully considered my offer?"

Christine: "Indeed. I knew how important this project was to us, and my grades depend on the contributions I made, so count me in."

Michelle: "Christine, you never let me down. Okay then, I'll pick you up at five this afternoon. Then again it's only a simple dinner so no need to dress something fancy."

Christine: "I understand Michelle. See you then."

Later that night, we were inside Kevin's luxurious house alongside Ella. As maids served some roasted chicken, chocolate cupcakes and garden salad, the four of us laid out a few plans for the video.

At first, we considered an infomercial-style video but then Kevin changed his mind. He wanted something more budget-friendly and compelling at the same time.

"Why don't you feature Ella and myself in the music video as a romantic couple?" Kevin wisely suggested. "Then we can have Jamie as the jealous guy."

"That wasn't a bad suggestion," Michelle sagely remarked. "But where are we going to shoot?"

"We can use my home, the whole village and our school," Kevin enthusiastically responded. "We can shoot parts of the video during our free time. What can you say?"

"I'm open with that," Michelle happily accepted. "But we must inform each other out regarding the time and place of the shoot."

"Good idea Michelle," Kevin politely nodded. "We'll go talk and book some time together in between classes as long as you're available."

After stuffing our stomachs with food, Michelle, Ella and I bade farewell to Kevin and his humble abode. It has been a productive weekend so far, but there is no time to rest for school resumes tomorrow.

Monday afternoon, Michelle and I met up with Debbie inside the cafeteria. We talked about the talk show assignment and looked at some of the prospective guests.

After an hour, the three of us settled on a popular celebrity. But as Debbie revealed the name of the guest, I cannot help but experience some horrible flashbacks.

"We're inviting Bianca to our talk show," Debbie said.

"What?" I angrily reacted to her announcement. "You're inviting that lunatic? Bianca could only incite disorder and chaos whenever she comes towards me. Don't do this, okay?"

"Settle down Christine," Debbie reminded me. "I already talked to Bianca's parents and said they'll come with her for the interview. What I envisioned is a more serious and intimate conversation, that's all."

Michelle then sat beside me and offered a piece of advice.

"Don't feel intimidated," she said. "If Bianca does something foolish to you then stand up to her. Stop thinking that you're scared."

Michelle patted my back, hoping to calm me down. Reluctantly I accepted Debbie's choice, but on one condition: that I must remain on the background as a booth operator.

After that tense exchange at the cafeteria, Michelle and I went straight to the classroom where our film production professor awaited. He then gave us sheets of paper for an impromptu one-hour examination.

None of the students took the test seriously. Even I felt shocked at the sudden announcement.

In the end, however, the test went fairly easily. The professor naturally made it a point to test our extensive knowledge of pop culture and our genuine enthusiasm towards the film industry.

When class ended, Michelle and I went directly to Ella's condominium. She promptly informed us that the film 'The Breakfast Club' is on her laptop and invited Michelle and myself for some movie time.

But this was no ordinary film viewing session. As Ella set up her laptop, Michelle and I opened ours as well and started scribbling a few words of the essay.

For the next two hours, the three of us took some time watching 'The Breakfast Club'. With a story-line centering on six teenagers spending a day in detention, it was no secret we were able to relate substantially with the story.

Once the film ended, the three of us went to work on the essay. By the time we finished, however, it was already 8:30 p.m. and Michelle and I were running late.

So we telephoned our devoted mothers and informed them that Michelle and I would be sleeping at Ella's place for the night. They instantly accepted our offer.

Another day has come to a close. But the overwhelming pressure of midterms is only beginning.