Chapter one
Mariah POV
Sometimes, sleeping for an extra five minutes can result in oversleeping. This morning, I woke up at 7:50, later than planned, due to needing more rest. The previous night, I stayed up late grading papers and having a glass of wine. Reading twenty-two-page essays is challenging; however, as a college professor, it is a necessary part of the job. Hello, my name is Mariah. I am twenty-seven and a college professor at Oklahoma State University, and this is my second-year teaching. I am still trying to get the hang of it and my coworkers have college TAs and it is time I asked my students if they would be interested in the position. It is 8:15 I was supposed to be there at 8:30 but it is going to be later than that.
It is a good thing I took my shower at nighttime and did not have to rush out of the house and of course, I get stopped by every f*****g light. “Oh My Gosh, just turn green already,” I say, leaning my head on the steering wheel. “Of course, I would be late for the first day of class,” I say. I am sure the students are just wishing I did not show up today but joke on them because I am 5 minutes away and of course, I got stopped at another light right before pulling into the campus. I am finally able to get to the campus, and I am rushing inside with my bag in my hand and my water bottle in the other. Trying to rush into my classroom making sure I do not bump into anyone. As I walk into the classroom, I see students packing their stuff up “Didn't think I'd make it here huh” I say laughing rushing to put my stuff on my desk. I heard huffs and puffs which made me laugh even more.
As I am getting my computer and notes out for class I take this as a perfect opportunity to mention the TA position. “Good morning students, I apologize for being late. I overslept but I wanted to offer you an opportunity for someone to be my TA. It would help pay off student debt” I mentioned. I see a couple of them interested but not a lot are paying attention to me. “Alright let us get this started, go ahead and open your laptops,” I say as I hear the door open and see a couple of students coming in. “At least I am not the only one that is late,” I say and laugh. “Sorry professor” I hear one of them say “That’s alright, go take your seats.”
The class usually lasted for about two hours and thirty minutes but since I was a little late. I checked the time and saw it was ten and decided to let the class end 30 minutes early. “Since I was late, I’m going to go ahead and end class early,” I say, hearing thank yours and seeing most smile. As they start to leave, I mention “Don't forget to think about the TA position. If you are interested, please email me.” Hopefully, they were listening and thinking about the position. I could use the help, but you never know with students these days.
Ivy POV
“ Beep beep, can you drive already? I have somewhere to be” I say waiting in traffic, the one thing I was trying to avoid this morning. I even left on time and sadly still got caught in it. Hey, I am Ivy, and I attend Oklahoma State University. It is my second year of college, and I am halfway through. I am currently on my way to my mass communication class, but it looks like I am going to be late. Good thing I am only 3 minutes away but still I do not want to be late for the first day of class. I finally got to campus, and I am already late, so I am trying to not be extra late. As I am going in, I see other kids running in too. At least I am not the only one that is late. I walk into the class and hear the professor say, “At least I’m not the only one that’s late” and hear the students laughing. I look at her, smile, and say, “I'm sorry” Professor. She responds with “It's alright, go take your seats” and continues with the class.
We just went over the normal first-day things and after about an hour she said she was going to let class end 30 minutes early because she was late. Thank you, professor, I say in my head. As I am packing my stuff up, she mentions a TA position to help with student debt, and it is something I could think about but who wants to grade papers and read essays with their professor? Since we got out early, I can get something to eat and go home since I do not have any more classes for the rest of the day. I stay close to campus, so I do not have to drive so far. Sometimes I like to listen to music and just walk to class when the nice weather is nice. But what is waiting for me at home is one of the problems I have in my life right now.
I have the world's worst roommate ever so any time I can get away from home I take it. I do have a cat named Mateo; he is my son and the cutest cat in the world who always keeps me company, which makes it easier to be at home. I pulled into Wendy's and ordered a spicy chicken Asiago sandwich meal with a large sprite, and you cannot forget the extra Asiago ranch sauce that completes the whole order.
Once I made it home, I went to check the mail before going home and the first thing I see was a student loan bill instantly my mood changed from “It's such a great day” to “What the actual fuck.” I made it inside the house and ate my food before dealing with this student loan bill.
