December 20, 2016

I woke up in the Math Lab and someone was asking me why I had a hotel key on the desk. I told them that I was planning on returning it but needed it for my Japanese class. “Who can use the library?” they continued to ask.

“I’m a student” I replied, assuming that they asked as a means to question my right to be in here. Instead they were asking because they had seen my cousin enter the building earlier. I had to explain that during certain hours of the day, the library was open to the public. “The doors usually lock at 8 PM” I added.

“People love your presentation” they said, while gesturing at a PowerPoint file that was open on my screen. I told them that I had barely started and only had five slides. I was feeling too much pressure from their unnecessary and outright false praise since no one had seen it yet.

I walked out of the library and checked my watch to see that it was 2:11 in the morning. I looked up to see that it was still bright out and considered taking a photo for the occasion while I walked towards the bookstore for some snacks. “I love when this happens” I told myself.

The bookstore had recently been under investigation from the police and there were two people chatting inside the now-partitioned store. “We’ve got ten days. Do we want that?” one asked. I looked through the shelves and got myself some Oreo cupcakes and Oreo O’s.

When I went to the register, I had to pay $35.01. A large part of it had gone to a mandatory “exam fee”.