LESSON IN CONTROL

Part 5

Midterms ended. Everyone exhaled.

Then came the email:
“Official start of undergraduate thesis term.”

No time to breathe. Just like that — it begins.

Thesis season is here.

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The Civil Engineering Department was buzzing—papers shuffling, emails flying, and professors murmuring in low tones about the sudden announcement. Due to unexpected faculty load adjustments, the Department Chair had called an emergency meeting.

Aiah sat near the end of the long conference table, sipping her black coffee while quietly scanning her notes. She barely looked up until she heard her name.

“Prof. Navarro,” the Chair began, tapping a printed list, “We need one more faculty to handle an additional Thesis drafting. Faculty load rebalancing, you know the drill.”

Aiah gave a short nod. “Sure. Sino?”

The Chair slid the list across the table. Names, student numbers, titles — all a blur until her eyes landed on one line.

Jhoanna Santillan

There was a pause. Aiah’s fingers twitched just slightly before she spoke.

“I’ll take Jhoanna.”

The Chair raised an eyebrow, then nodded approvingly.

“Great choice. She's been delayed by a week since her adviser got reassigned. You’d be a good fit. And Santillan—she’s one of your best students, di ba?”

Aiah gave a tight-lipped smile. “She’s... promising.”

From across the table, Colet glanced up from her tablet. Her brow arched just enough to say “Really?” but she kept her comment to herself, lips curving into a knowing smirk.

Aiah didn’t meet her gaze. She just nodded again and took another slow sip of coffee—hiding more than caffeine behind the cup.

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📱 Group Chat – Prof Squad GC
(aka the unofficial faculty support group where thesis drama meets emotional damage control)

Colet:
YOU. PICKED. HER. 🤭 Out of ten available, ikaw pa talaga pumili sa favorite "STUDENT" mo. Bold of you, Ma’am.

Mikha:
GIRL. You didn’t even pretend to hesitate. Wala man lang ‘I’ll think about it’ o ‘let me check my load.’ Literal na ‘I’ll take Jhoanna.’ HAHAHAHA Hala ka talaga.

Gwen:
Reminder lang po, thesis guidance ang trabaho natin, hindi emotional rehabilitation. Ayusin mo thesis niya, hindi ang puso mong tahimik pero matagal nang bumubuntong-hininga.

Aiah:
Let’s be professional here, please. I’m just helping her catch up. Delayed na siya.

Colet:
Grabe. From ghosting her hallway presence to willingly becoming her adviser. Character development? Or emotional regression? Discuss.

Mikha:
Thesis title suggestion: Structural Analysis ng Emotions: A Case Study on Repressed Longing and Mismanaged Boundaries. 😌

Gwen:
Required deliverables: Weekly progress report, consultations, and daily chika updates. For academic monitoring and tsismis documentation.

Aiah:
🙄
Kayong tatlo ang kailangan ng intervention.

Colet:
Kami? Kami talaga? Hindi ba dapat ikaw ang in-love— ay este, involved?