Halfway through their session, she let herself take in what was happening: not only was she having a meeting with Ryan Thompson, but Ryan Thompson thought her ideas were killer. Ryan. Thompson.

She held back her grin but couldn’t stop the bubbly feeling inside. This was what ValleyStart was about. This was not just going to be her week but her summer. And she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything take it from her.

So their app was ranked tenth. Tenth meant nothing. Tenth was fine, great even. Strategize. Tenth was how they’d sneak past the other teams.

“Good stuff, this is all good stuff, Lucy.” Ryan sat back and raked his hand through the front of his hair without disturbing a strand. “I’m debating something here. Give me a sec.”

“Uh, okay, sure.” Lucy’s pen hovered over her notebook. Ryan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Lucy waited. And waited. Eventually, she thought he’d fallen asleep. Should she wake him or leave quietly? Just as she was about to slide off her chair, his eyes popped open.

“Okay, I’m doing it. But this has to remain between us. Mentors are under strict rules to encourage, answer general questions, and point our students to ways to solve problems on their own. One thing we are forbidden to do is offer guidance for what the judges will be looking for on Demo Day.” Ryan’s eyes widened. “Oops. They should know I live to break the rules. So, Lucy, this one’s for you: it’s not so much what you present but how you look doing it.”

Lucy’s pen slid across the page. Was he giving her fashion advice? “Uh, look? You mean—”

“Confident. Commanding. Owning the room. You must exude it. Believe me, I know from personal experience how much it can mask. Not that your app won’t be there, for I firmly believe it will be, but if it’s not . . . Own. It. Combined with a Pulse of 7 or higher to demonstrate your influence, and, well, I think I may just be sitting across from my next Pulse-tern.”

Pulse-tern. Pulse intern. That might just be the cutest thing Lucy had ever heard. And yet, she was only a 4. Racing was 7.

She licked her bottom lip, resisting the urge to suck it in. “Since you bring it up, I’ve been hoping to get a chance to ask, and I hope it’s okay that I ask, but I just—”

“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. I saw you at the club. Shy isn’t in your lexicon. Out with it. Consider me a Reddit AMA.”

“Well, the thing is, I seem to be having trouble with my Pulse. I’m doing all the right things, at least I think I am, but I can’t seem to get any traction.”

“And you’re looking for a tip?”

Lucy nodded.