university | lrh

41 - your student

Elise Halder
————

If I had a specialty, it would be procrastination.

In fact, I'm quite good at it. Better than good, really, for I seem to have outdone myself this time. I think it has something to do with the way I'm wired, or maybe I'm just lazy. Whatever the cause—I find myself to be sorely unprepared for the semester's end.

It doesn't help that my closest friends—also being the only people I choose to spend my time with—are absolutely, wholeheartedly, enablers.

"Just do it later."

If I could count the amount of times I'd heard that exact suggestion in the past hour, I could cement that as the most academically driven activity I've done all day.

"I asked you guys here to motivate me," I groan, putting my chin in my palms with a frown. "Not to make it worse."

"Well that was a dumb decision on your part." Michael shrugs, rummaging through Cassie's backpack—presumably for the shaver she stole from him.

"You have finals to prepare for too, you know." I huff.

"The difference is—" he pauses, a triumphant grin on his face as he holds up the stolen device in his hands with an 'a-ha!'. "—that I don't care."

"That's a lie," Calum calls out from his spot on my bed, muffling a yawn. "You were panicking so bad yesterday."

"I was not—"

"You came running into our room, tripped, dropped all your stuff, and kept muttering 'shit-dick-fuck-balls' to yourself for like 4 hours straight," Ashton deadpans, looking straight at the boy. "You were so panicked."

Michael pauses. "Okay, maybe I was."

"See!" I huff. "It's stressful, and you guys are being too calm. I need someone to be stressed with me."

"Sorry, Lisi, no can do," Calum grins, stretching his arms behind his head and positioning himself rather comfortably atop my bed. "I'm all caught up."

"Thanks to me." Ashton mumbles.

Calum rolls his eyes. "I ask for help with one math question, and I never hear the end of it."

"That didn't sound like a thank you."

"Congratulations. Your ears work."

"Hey," Michael pipes up before Ashton can argue any further. "Where's Cassie?"

I wince. "I kicked her out."

The three of them pause, thinking about it for a moment, before shrugging. Michael only nods in response. "That's fair."

I raise my brows in response. "Aren't you going to ask why?"

Again, Michael only shrugs. "Let me guess. You told her you needed to study, and she did everything she could to distract you?"

"I—" I close my mouth because I hadn't expected him to nail it on the head. "Well, yeah, actually."

Michael laughs, moving my various notebooks, papers, and textbooks alike from their scattered position on the floor so he can lay down. I glare at him, thought I'd be lying if I said he had disrupted any real work going on.

"Thought so," He grins. "Good thing you got us instead, huh, Lisi?" He nudges me and I frown.

"No," I cross my arms. "You guys are even worse. I have so much to do." And saying that, I choose to mimic Michael and fall back against the floor, staring at the ceiling and contemplating all of my wrong decisions.