Chapter 185
**Sara**
I raised my glass, clinking it against Jessica's. "To finally be done with this torture they call an MBA!"
"To freedom!" Jessica whooped, sloshing her margarita dangerously close to the rim.
The bar buzzed with Friday night energy, with other celebrating graduates and regular weekend warriors. We'd managed to snag a corner booth, though Jake had to fight off a group of frat boys for it.
"I can't believe we made it," Mia sighed, nursing her second mojito. "Remember that Financial Derivatives exam? I thought I was going to have an aneurysm."
"Please, don't remind me." I shuddered at the memory. "I still have nightmares about those option pricing formulas."
Jake returned from the bar with another round of shots. "Here's to never have to calculate another Black-Scholes equation again!"
"Unless you end up in derivatives trading," Jessica said with a smirk.
"Don't you put that evil on me!" Jake clutched his chest in mock horror.
The shots disappeared quickly, leaving a burning trail down my throat. The room had started to take on that pleasant fuzzy quality where everything seemed funnier than it should be.
"Oh my god," Mia suddenly burst out laughing. "Remember when Jake fell asleep during that guest lecture and started snoring?"
"He was practically sawing logs! The poor speaker looked so offended!" Jessica exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with the memory.
"Hey, that lecture was boring, and you know it." Jake defended himself, cheeks flushed. "Besides, I wasn't the only one sleeping. Sara was drooling on her notebook!"
"I was not drooling!" I threw a cocktail napkin at his head. "I was taking very detailed notes with my eyes closed."
"Sure, sure." Jake dodged the napkin. "That's why there was a puddle on your paper."
"Speaking of embarrassing moments," Jessica's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Remember when Mia's phone went off during final presentations?"
Mia groaned. "It was my mom! Who calls during class hours anyway?"
"With your ringtone set to 'Baby Got Back'," I added, ducking as Mia tried to swat me.
"That was the best day of the entire program," Jake declared, signaling for another round. "The look on Professor Wilson's face was priceless."
"At least I didn't spill coffee all over my presentation slides five minutes before having to present," Mia shot back at Jake.
"That was totally not my fault! Someone bumped into me!"
"Yeah, your own feet," Jessica snorted.
The night continued with more drinks and increasingly louder reminiscing about our MBA mishaps. By midnight, Jessica had convinced Jake to demonstrate his infamous drunk dance moves, which mostly involved flailing his arms like a deranged windmill while attempting to moonwalk.
"Make it stop!" Mia pleaded between fits of laughter. "I can't unsee this!"
"You're just jealous of my smooth moves," Jake called out, nearly taking out a passing waitress with his spinning.
"Smooth is definitely not the word I'd use," I managed to say through my giggles. "More like hazardous to public safety."
The bartender looked at us warningly as Jake's dancing threatened to clear a five-foot radius around our table. Jessica grabbed his arm and yanked him back into the booth.
"Okay, Michael Jackson, that's enough entertainment for one night," she laughed. "Let's not get kicked out before the last call."
"Party poopers," Jake pouted but settled back into his seat. "Fine, but next round's on whoever laughed the hardest at my amazing choreography."
"That would be all of us," Mia pointed out. "Equally."
"Then you're all buying me drinks!"
"That's not how math works," I protested. "Even with an MBA, that calculation makes no sense."
"Who needs math when you've got these moves?" Jake attempted to stand up again, but Jessica yanked him back down.
"Sit your dancing queen butt down before you break something. Or someone." Jessica flagged down a waitress. "Can we get some water over here? And maybe a straightjacket?"
"I can't believe we're finally done. What am I supposed to do with all my free time now?" Mia sighed dramatically.
"Sleep?" I suggested, feeling the pleasant buzz of tequila warming my chest. "I forgot what that feels like."
"Oh please," Jessica rolled her eyes. "Like any of us are going to sleep. We'll be too busy having mental breakdowns about finding jobs."
Jake grinned, finally giving up on his dance revival. "Some of us already have employment lined up."
"Bartending doesn't count as using your MBA," Mia teased.
"Hey, my fancy drink-mixing skills totally complement my financial expertise." Jake waved his hand dismissively. "But yeah, I need to find a real job soon. Actually..." He leaned forward, nearly knocking over his glass. "If any of you land somewhere decent, put in a good word for me?"
"Are you kidding? Finding one job is like trying to catch a unicorn these days. You want us to wrangle two?" I shook my head and took another sip of my drink.
"Come on!" Jake gave us his best puppy dog eyes. "I'll be your best friend forever. I'll even throw in free drinks whenever you visit my bar."
"We already get free drinks from you," Jessica pointed out. "Last week, you gave away so many that your manager looked ready to strangle you."
"I'm just investing in future business connections. That's what they taught us, right? Network, network, network!" Jake insisted with his infectious grin, waving his hands around like some overeager motivational speaker.
"I don't think they meant getting your friends drunk for free," Mia said with an exasperated sigh.
"Shows what you know about modern business practices." Jake attempted to straighten his tie but realized he wasn't wearing one. "But seriously, guys. Help a brother out?"
"Look," I said, trying not to laugh at his increasingly desperate expression. "Finding a job is already giving me stress hives. Maybe you should focus on your own search?"
"Fine," Jake slumped back dramatically. "I'll forge my path alone. A lone wolf in the corporate jungle. A solitary-"
"Oh my god, shut up!" Jessica threw a wadded napkin at him. "You sound like a bad LinkedIn post."
"My LinkedIn game is top-notch," Jake protested. "I've got all the buzzwords. Synergy. Paradigm shift. Disruptive innovation."
"Do you even know what those words mean?" Mia asked.
"Not a clue! But neither does anyone else posting that stuff."
I couldn't help but laugh. "If we hear about anything good, we'll let you know. But no promises."
"That's all I ask." Jake raised his glass. "To future employment! May we all find jobs before our student loans come due."
"To not live in cardboard boxes!" Jessica added.
"To pay the rent with actual money instead of empty promises and good intentions!" Mia chimed in.
We clinked our glasses together, the sound nearly lost in the bar's noise. Jake tried to make a speech about his future corporate empire, but thankfully, the arrival of more shots cut him off mid-declaration.
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