THE SLUMP
~MAYA'S POV~
The lights in Professor Aris's office made a quiet, annoying noise that bothered my eyes.
"Maya?"
I blinked and forced my eyes away from a coffee ring on his desk.
"Yeah. Sorry."
Aris sighed, he was a decent guy. Corduroy jackets. Framed photos of his dog, and he actually gave a damn about his students.
That made this whole thing worse.
He slid the paper across the desk. Face down. But the red ink bled through the cheap copy paper like a bruise.
"We need to talk," he said. His voice dropped to that gentle, concerned register I hated. "About this. And the attendance."
I didn't touch the paper. I knew what it was. Proof that I was stupid. That I was checking out. That I had left my actual brain in a glass house in Colorado two months ago.
"I know," I said.
