When I stepped through the front door that afternoon, my limbs felt heavy and my mind was buzzing with fatigue and I felt really exhausted. Knowing I had a long evening of studying ahead, I headed straight to the kitchen first. I knew if I went to bed and sleep on an empty stomach; it would only leave me feeling more drained and keep me tossing and turning.
After hurriedly eating a small snack to fuel myself, I paused in the hallway and told my stepmother,
"I'm feeling really exhausted, so I'm going to take a quick nap," I told her quietly, just so she knew not to disturb me for a bit. She gave a curt, acknowledging nod, maintaining the usual neutral distance between us.
I slipped into my room, set an alarm on my phone for an hour later, and collapsed onto the bed. When the alarm jarred me awake, I dragged myself to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. Refreshed and determined, I sat down at my desk and dove straight into my workload, powering through pending assignments, homework, and urgent review notes.
Later that night, the household gathered for dinner. Sitting across the table from my father and stepmother, I wanted to keep the atmosphere from turning too suffocatingly awkward, so I made an effort to engage in a bit of polite conversation.
"How was your day?" I asked, looking toward my stepmother as she handed me a plate.
She offered a brief, guarded response before turning the tables. "It was fine. What about your schedule? When do you need to leave for your classes tomorrow?" she asked, her tone dry but practical.
I answered her questions, then glanced at my father, asking about his whereabouts and how his day had gone. It was a mechanical dance of domestic politeness, not warm, but civil enough to keep the tension at bay.
After finishing our meal, I returned to my room to prepare for bed. But sleep refused to come. As I lay in the dark staring up at the ceiling, my mind began racing. Semester exams were looming right around the corner, and the sheer volume of material I still had to prepare weighed heavily on my chest. With assignments piling up and finals fast approaching, a quiet panic set in.
For a second, I thought about reaching for sleeping pills just to force my brain to shut off. But I quickly shook the thought away. No. I can't let that become a habit.
Instead, I reached for my phone, plugged in my earphones, and turned on my favorite soft sleep playlist on sleep mode. Letting the gentle, ambient melodies wash over my racing thoughts, I eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.
The next morning arrived with the familiar restlessness. I followed my usual early-bird routine, grabbing a quick breakfast and heading to campus ahead of schedule to beat the rush.
When I reached the classroom, the seats around me were still mostly empty. Those eccentric girls were nowhere to be seen, true to their unpredictable nature. A little while later, however, the classroom door slid open, and Luca walked in.
He looked a bit pressed for time and visibly tired. Because the exam period was rapidly approaching, his responsibilities in the student council had skyrocketed, leaving him buried under a mountain of administrative work and council preparations.
Because we were both crunched for time and he was rushing to prep for his duties, we didn't get to talk much. He slid into a seat near me for a brief moment, flashing an apologetic smile.
"Hey, Iris. Sorry I missed yesterday," he murmured quickly, leaning in. "Things have been absolute chaos with council work for the upcoming exams."
We exchanged a few fast words about our current assignments and upcoming class requirements before reality caught up with him. Luca let out a soft sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, Iris... I actually can't stay for the rest of the day," he admitted, his expression regretful. "I only managed to slip away for this one class, but I have a pile of urgent work waiting for me at the council room. There are three more classes left today, but I won't be able to make it to any of them."
He looked at me with a hopeful, tired expression. "Could you do me a huge favor? Could you take good notes for the remaining classes and send them to me later? I would really, really appreciate your help."
I nodded without hesitation. "Yes, of course. Don't worry about it, Luca. I'll make sure to write down everything for you."
Relief washed over his face. "Thank you, Iris. You're a lifesaver."
He stood up, gathering his bag as the bell for the next period began to ring. "I'll try to finish my work early," he added with a parting glance. "If I manage to wrap everything up, maybe..just maybe..I can make it back for the very last class of the day. Let's see how it goes. Bye for now!"
With a quick wave, he turned and hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with my notebook as the next lecture prepared to begin.