In the Absence of Light

3

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Ivys POV

I glance down at my phone, reading the time on the screen. It's well past midnight at the moment—midnight on a Sunday night. Melissa hasn't come home yet. She's still out with her friends, and I have no idea where she is. She goes out a lot but doesn't stay out late. If she doesn't come home soon, I'm going to have to go out looking for her, and that's the last thing I want. I just wish she'd at least respond to my texts so I wouldn't have to worry.

It's impossible to study like this. I've been flipping through my textbook for over half an hour now, trying to find one specific word.

Malfeasance.

Malfeasance.

Malfeasance.

Ah, here it is. Finally.

I underline it with my pencil, reading the rest of the paragraph in search for its definition. I already know what it means. I've known for years before I even started college. It's not difficult. I just need the exact wording.

The term malfeasance refers to a wrongdoing or immoral and illegal act, particularly by a public authority or official. For example, financial fraud and embezzlement, or political corruption. 

I paraphrase the sentence, scribbling the words into my notebook. I don't get why we can't just do this online. It would make it so much easier. At least, for the students. I don't think the professor knows how computers work.

He's old. And I mean old, old.

Most of my professors are. That's one of the many downsides of being pre-law. Old professors are strict. They won't give you extensions on your assignments, and won't even tolerate you being late, let alone skipping a lecture. It's practically impossible to get an A.

Unless you're like me. I refuse to settle for anything less. I need good grades. I need to get into grad school.

It's not unattainable either. This year, I'm only taking two or three classes each semester, instead of the full four. I don't need to take anymore. In my first year, I took summer classes, and in my second year, I took five per semester. My junior year was pretty rough, but I did end up with the total subjects I needed. My grades weren't as good, but I try not to think about it. It was a bad year.

It's a good thing I did that though because now I get to take it easy with only a couple of subjects. I need the extra time. I need the room to breathe.

It doesn't take me long to answer the next few questions. This test is surprisingly easy. In fact, the whole subject doesn't seem very hard. It mostly just focuses on the basics of corporate law, just a little more advanced than the introductory classes I took in my freshman year.

Hopefully, it actually is as simple as it seems. My other class is an entirely new subject to me, so it'll require more effort than I'm used to.

Besides, I can barely focus when I'm this on edge—worrying about Mel, stressing about class, and trying to drown out the constant thumping coming from next door.

My neighbours blast music 24/7. It's like they don't realise this is an apartment building. The walls aren't soundproof. Everything we do can be overheard.