17 Nights {c.h.}

+seven+

The Seventh Day

“Damn it!” I fumed, staring at the broken glass littering the floor.

“Bella? What happened?” Cynthia yawned and rubbed her eyes, instantly making me feel bad as she exited her room from the amount of noise I created.

“Nothing, I’ll clean it up.” I grumbled, slouching onto the floor to pick up the shards and hoping I wouldn’t accidentally cut myself like usual.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She inquired, stooping down beside me.

“I’m just stressed.” I replied honestly. “I have my first exam in thirty minutes and I’ve barely studied, and I-”

“Bella, calm down,” she rested her hand on my shoulder, “trust me. You’re one of the smartest, hard working people I know. If anyone could ace this test without studying it’s you. Okay? I just need you to calm down.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I breathed out slowly to calm myself down.

“Did you take your medicine?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, checking the clock once again after disposing the hazardous objects. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll text you once I finish.” With that I left the dorm, checking my phone for texts from anyone back home but not finding any, except from Aubrey. It read: Good luck on ur exam, love u xx p.s. if you don’t already know ur gonna ace it bc ur the only smart one in our group

I smiled to myself, Aubrey might not be grammatically correct when it comes to spelling but her playful nature even echoes in her minimal butchery of the English language. I made a mental note to text her back later as I stopped at one of the little coffee carts the university supplied, ordering a half-and-half with a bit of creamer and two packets of sugar, something I had become fond of over the course or the last few months.

I straightened my shoulders when the lecture hall came into view, taking a sip of the scalding liquid before entering the semi-filled room. Let’s do this, was the last thought on my mind before I finally sat down, ready to begin the exam I had been dreading for so long.

+|+|+

I sighed in relief once I left the lecture hall, part of the stress finally off my shoulders. Sure, I had two more exams but I was done for the day and that was enough for the time being. I turned left as soon as I made it outside, my destination now Ralph’s, also the where place Cynthia spent most of her time.

“Look who survived,” Cynthia teased, rushing past me with a tray balanced above her right shoulder.

“Barely!” I called back, taking a seat at one of the empty barstools because all of the tables were filled with one of the usual late-morning rushes. I nodded to a few of the people I recognized, not really in the mood to talk to anyone but Cynthia at the time.

“What can I get you today?” Cynthia finally asked me after delivering food to two more tables and three of the other humans occupying the barstools near me.

“I’ll have a medium Americano, please.” I weakly smiled before stifling a yawn.

“Coming right up.” She promised, returning almost immediately with my caffeinated beverage. I shot her a grateful smile as I tentatively sipped the steaming liquid.

“How did the exam go?” She questioned, wiping down the countertop next to me so none of her co-workers would complain, they were always a whiny bunch of people.

“It was long and I could use a nap. I was up until four in the morning cramming for it,” I explained, taking another sip of the coffee. “At least I’ve got the first one out of the way.”