In the morning, Oddey came early to the computer room to accompany her roommate to print an assignment.

"Gosh, lucky for me, the line for the printing area was only three people, or else, it's gonna be a crazy morning for me. Remind me to buy one of those inkless portable printers tonight," Rita huffed.

"Duly noted," Oddey chuckled.

"Ugh! Why does Prof. Rook have to be so old school? Most of our professors want us to email our homework. Doesn't he care about saving the trees?"

"Hey, girls," Felix greeted them, then his eyes went to his crush as they bumped into each other, and became this goofy, lovey guy. "Hi, Rita."

"Hi, Felix," the art student's best friend greeted back with a sweet smile on her face.

Oddey had to interrupt the moment by pretending to clear her throat. "What's up?"

"There's this convention that the people from the film club told me. It's a silent film convention featuring classic films from the 1930s," Felix explained.

"Oh, wow, when is it?" Rita asked. Even Oddey seemed impressed by it.

"This weekend, in the Shangri-la Hotel. I have to buy the tickets, I want to invite you guys. If you guys want to come."

"I wanna go," Oddey said. "How much is the ticket?"

"It's okay, it's on me," Felix offered.

The girls were taken aback by that. "Really?" Rita responded then had a thought in mind. "Is Gage coming too?"

Oddey subtly nudged her Bestie's elbow and scowled at her too from making that initiative move. Nevertheless, that made the lovestruck guy agitated because he was still bitter about the double date incident. "Uhm... I asked him, but he didn't want to go. He's not that into that stuff," he told them. "He is more of a modern guy if you know what I mean."

"Aww... that's too bad," Rita moaned.

Felix also noticed that the art student seemed dismayed. "He gets very judgy about these things, so he's the last person I would invite," he offered.

"No, that's okay, Felix," Oddey declined, assured him. "I don't want to force anyone to do something they don't want to do."

"I couldn't agree more," He said, pretending to be empathetic.

"Great," Rita grinned. "Thanks, Felix."

"Of course. Okay, gonna get to class now. See you girls later." Once Felix walked further away from their sight, that was when he grinned like a Cheshire cat.

----

Later that day, in the auditorium, the art student was having a word with her professor, while the casts were practicing their dance steps for the ball scene on stage. "I love the new changes, Ms. Empirio," Madame Vesita said to her.

"Well, I had some help," Oddey claimed as she leered over to her Romeo as he slow danced with Courtney.

"That's wonderful. Now go on ahead and start working on it before we start rehearsing for the balcony scene."

"Alright, Madame. Right away."

Hours after the ballroom dancing, Oddey was sitting by the audience seat with her fellow set design crew to fix the props. Meanwhile, the professor wanted to start practicing for the next part. "Let us start rehearsing, please," she demanded. "Places, places, people. Romeo, Juliet, I need you both here."

"Stand over here, guy," The assistant directors instructed the two stars of the play to be front and center of the stage.

"This part is where Romeo is speaking with Juliet in private," Madame Vestia said.

"Good thing, we practiced it last night," Courtney whispered to Gage.

"This is also where they kissed the first time, and that's what we're going to rehearse today."

Oddey flinched as she darted her head to the stage after hearing that her crush had to lock lips with the actress playing Juliet. Understanding that it was just all acting, it still bothered her no matter what.

Gage reacted the same way and was more disturbed at the thought of kissing his best friend. It felt like kissing his sister.

The only person who was enjoying this was Courtney when she glanced over toward Oddey and noticed how very bothered she was about it from where she stood.

The two main casts faced each other and began saying their lines. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this," Gage recited. "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this." Courtney recited back. "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." Gage became tense because that time, he could not find to avoid having to kiss the Juliet.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thu, from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

"Good. Now kiss," Madame Vestia told them.

The Romeo wanted to get this over it and reminded himself that this was just all pretend. He gazed at Courtney's face and brushed his lips to hers. Meanwhile, Oddey wanted not to watch, but it was just too visible.

"Then have my lips the sin that they have taken."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again."

"Beautiful, now kiss again," the professor required them.

The two stars did as they were told. Courtney could feel her heart skip a beat when she got her first kiss from her crush, and what made it better for her was that it was in front of Oddey. "You kiss by the book," she said, her lines with authenticity in her tone.

Through the eyes of the freshman girl, it killed her inside. Like it was a stab to her heart seeing the actors playing the star-crossed lovers kissing with such passion. In her mind, she knew that it was not real, yet in her heart, she could not help but feel very upset about it.

The next thing she knew, everyone applauded their performance and cheered at them, even though it was just practice. Probably, they felt the chemistry from it. Oddey decided to clap her hands along with the theatre.

Gage felt uncomfortable right after and how people were howling in excitement over him and Courtney. He looked over to the art student, though he noticed that she was avoiding eye contact as she went back to work to make it seem like she did not care.

Once it was over, everyone left to get to their classes or their lunch. Oddey was getting ready to leave as she stood out of the auditorium and was on her phone to text her best friend.

Gage found her there and went to her first just to talk for a bit. "Hey."

"Hey, you were great out there," she commented, trying not to sound like it bothered her that he did a kissing scene.

"Thanks," Gage replied.

"How do you think I did?" Courtney appeared from behind Gage and even glued her face to his shoulder then clung to his arm like he was her property to spite the poor art student.

"You did... great too," Oddey stammered.

"Thanks, you are so sweet. Gage, here is such a good kisser."

"Cooouurt." Gage pulled away from the annoying actress.

"What? It's true. Anyway, I hope you fix the balcony"

Oddey controlled her expression and bit her tongue so would not respond in the wrong way. It definitely pressed her buttons. "Uhm... I have a class to go to. I don't want to be late."

"Okay, I'll see you around," Gage said to her.

"Bye," Courtney said in a mocking tone.

Oddey turned around and began walking away to hide her sadness from them.

The contented actress shifted to her Romeo, yet what she got was a disgusted expression from him. "What?"

Gage decided not to say anything to avoid arguing, though he did shake his head. "Nothing. I think I left my phone. I'll be right back." He went back inside to get his cell, yet also wanted to get some air after what Courtney did.

----

The problem did not just happen at Carmela University. In the city, the Munro couple were having dinner in a fancy restaurant to celebrate to have a lovely time for themselves. However, their customers wanted to eat there, so they had to wait in line until there was an empty table for them.

"This is taking forever," Adrian huffed while sitting by the waiting area. He looked over to the other couple that had their table finished eating and wished that they had left already.

"Honey, it's okay," Marie replied, as she tried to calm her husband, who was losing patience. "Why don't we eat somewhere else?"

"No, it's alright. Besides, it's dinner rush elsewhere, either. Maybe I should make a reservation."

"Let's not ruin our evening."

But then, it could. Leon entered the restaurant and went straight to the front desk person. Adrian was stunned to see him, "Hal?" he blurted.

His wife darted over to where he was gazing and reacted the same way. She also noticed how dashing her ex-husband looked in his fine suit with a new hairstyle.

Leon happened to turn their way and approached them. "Adrian, fancy see you here. Marie, how are you?"

The ex-wife did not answer and just let out a small smile in response. "What are you doing here?" Adrian interrogated.

"Honey..." Marie whispered to her current husband not to start a fight.

"We're in a restaurant, Adrian," Leon replied sarcastically. "Take a wild guess."

"Don't be smart with me," the fuming man grunted as he got to the CEO's face, and people were starting to look.

"Adrian, don't." Marie stopped her husband by holding his arm and pulled him away before it became physical.

"Leon," a voice of a woman called out to him. The three shifted their attention to Eva wearing a beautiful sultry dress and walked up to them without knowing that there was tension just a second ago. "Sorry, I'm late."

Adrian had to back away immediately when he saw that his rival was with another woman.

"No, you are just in time," Leon smirked at his P.A.'s arrival. Once Eva stood next to him, the man kissed her on the neck. Just seeing this woman before them made the ex-wife feel insecure about how she looked compared to this Hollywood-like beauty.

"Who are they?" Eva asked about the Munro couple, pretending to not know them.

"Just some old friends."

"Wait, I think I remember you two. Does your child go to Carmela University?"

"Yes, our son," Marie confirmed. "I remember you too. You have a daughter."

"That's right," Eva replied, acting all friendly towards the ex-wife. "Small world."

"Very," Adrian muttered while glaring at Leon. The CEO glared back at him to tell him that the fight had just begun.

"Where are my manners? I'm Eva Hermosa." 

"Marie," the ex-wife introduced herself. "And this is my husband, Adrian."

"Lovely to meet you both." The woman in the pretty dress gave Marie a peck on the cheek and then to her husband afterward.

"Ahem... we love to stay and chat," Leon interrupted and had his hands on Eva's tiny waist. "But the manager said that our table is ready."

"What!?" Adrian exclaimed in anger and turned to the restaurant manager. "But my wife and I waited for ours for almost an hour."

"They made a reservation," the manager clarified.

"Adrian, stop. It's fine," Marie grunted to her husband. "I'm sorry about that."

"That's truly unfortunate," Leon mocked them. "I'd be sympathetic, but I can't do that on an empty stomach."

Eva elbowed her date on the side of his stomach. "We better get inside now." Then she shifted towards Marie and Adrian. "Have a wonderful evening." After that, pulled Leon inside the dining area as their waiter led them to their table.

Several minutes later, the Munro couple finally had their table. It was further away from the other couple, but they were visibly seen. Marie wanted to make the most out of the night.

However, seeing her husband's sour mood from Leon's present made it impossible. She subtly caught a glance towards her ex-husband with his date. Watching him, making her laugh, and Eva feeding him appetizers.