The tour

Chapter 15

Kristina involuntarily yawned at the same time her professor finished the class in the evening. She was really tired and couldn't bear to think that she now had to go and work more with Michael, alone with Michael, instead of making money or studying. She gathered her things and was ready to rush out to her car to make it to Hollywood Hills, when her professor reached her.

'Kristina, could I see you in my office for a moment?'

Kristinas heart leaped at the professors look. She already knew what this was going to be about.

'Um, actually, I have to be somewhere soon, and-'

'This won't take long,' the professor said. Kristina agreed, and walked into the office and sat down across from her teacher, who folded her hands and looked at Kristina with a sad look.

'Kristina, you are one of my best students. Or, you used to be. But these past few months your scores have gotten lower and lower, you've skipped classes, come unprepared several times and you've missed deadlines repeatedly. Not to mention that you show up in class looking like you haven't slept or had a decent meal for weeks. I even think you've lost weight, which is disturbing to me, considering how skinny you already are. Is there something you'd like to talk about?'

Kristina felt like crying. She knew she wasn't doing well in school at the moment, but she didn't know it was that bad, or that her professors had noticed it that much.

'Uh... No. I'm fine, professor, I really am. I've just been stressed out.'

'By what? I know you're not allowed to have a job outside of school. Are things okay at home?'

'Yes, they are. It's just... Uhm... I'm sorry, professor. I promise I'll do better on my schoolwork, okay?'

The professor sighed and lowered her shoulders.

'I'm afraid that's not going to be enough, Kristina. You are here on a scholarship, and as your grades are now, I can't let you continue on that. And, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but unless you ace that test tomorrow, I'm going to have to fail you.'

Kristinas heart dropped.

'But then I won't get to graduate. I'll lose my scholarship, I'll lose everything,' she whispered, the tears prickling in her eyes.

The professor shook her head.

'I know. I really am sorry. I want you to graduate as much as you do. I know you're going to be a great journalist. That's why I need you to go home and study hard for this test. Alright? Because if you do not pass this with a minimum of 90%, I'm afraid the board will decide to cut your scholarship and then you are out of this school. They have already had one meeting about you and your situation, and it was hard for me to convince them to let you continue out the semester. So please, for your own sake? You have left than six months left. This is your last exam before your big thesis. It would be a shame to lose it all now.'

Kristina just looked at her dumbfounded, and nodded. The tears were starting to slowly emerge from her eyes as she got up and left the office, leaving the professor in her chair with a worried look. She went to the girls' bathroom and gathered her thoughts. To distract herself from the bad news she took out her phone and went to Facebook. But that didn't exactly help. A picture of her three best friends from Denmark, Joanna, Sabrina and Mary, appeared. They were all smiling. They had just graduated from university earlier that day with top grades. Kristina had known this of course, but she had completely forgot the date and forgot about contacting them. They would be sleeping now, or be out partying, all happy with no worries and a fresh degree. Much different than her own situation. A few months ago she had been in the top ten of this school, and she had had everything under control. What the hell had happened in that short time? She let out a frustrated cry and banged her hand against the wall, before leaving the lavatory and walking towards her car, trying to conceal her tears.