Ethically Speaking

3.1

•- Quincie Jackson -•

Midterms.

They weren't half as stressful as finals but they did require my time and energy as I sat in my room bent over a pile of books trying my best to refresh my memory on all that had happened since the start of the fall semester.

Most midterms were settled with a paper. It was a better way to gauge our knowledge as opposed to an exam, but it was still a stressful time of trying to sort out what we understood and what we struggled with.

I was working on an English paper about Old Literature. English was one of my better subjects rather than something more difficult like mathematics. I never could understand much after basic algebra.

I'd been at my studying for hours trying to figure out the best approach to my English paper. But I was only becoming more and more stressed the more I pondered what I was doing.

Slamming closed my textbook, I let out a sigh of relief having forced myself to study a lot longer than I should have.

Deciding the best cure for stress was a tub of ice cream, I leave the confines of my bedroom for the first time in hours.

I'd been stuck in silence since I left my only class today. Now I was pushing myself to the extreme for success but not for the reasons I'd usually push such overachievement.

It's been a week since my fight with my father and a week since I'd been with Elijah.

Between studying and him prepping for his classes, Elijah and I stuck to short phone calls at the end of the night and stolen glances during classes. Overworking myself was proving to be a great distraction from how much I was starting to miss him.

And as for my father, I want to prove I'm smarter than he thinks. I want to earn my grades and while I can't exactly stop him from changing my scores, I could earn them myself so he wouldn't feel the need to make my grades so spotless.

As I walk into the kitchen I'm stopped in my tracks.

Anthony, who I thought would be at work, was standing in front of the microwave while simultaneously texting on his phone.

I know it made me a coward and even more so a terrible friend, but since the night of Anthony and I's date, I'd managed to avoid him.

It wasn't easy but having lived with him for so long I grew aware of his patterns and schedules. While I thought he had to work today, I seemed mistaken. He managed his academics and work life very well, and I knew he had no classes today either.

"I thought you were working today," I say as I approach the refrigerator with caution.

I keep reminding myself that it is only Anthony and we've known each other for so long. But my heart was nearly pounding from my chest.

He looks up and shrugs before glancing back to his phone.

Ouch.

"I took the day off."

I nod in understanding before reaching into the freezer. I pull out a small tub of ice cream and thank the universe that my roommates hadn't eaten it before me.