Zaain's POV
1st Semester - First Day of Classes
10th of August, 2020
Monday
5:49 am
Routine.
An irrationally large amount of people find routine and monotony dreadful, depressing, repetitive. But, I don't see it that way at all.
Routine forms the pillars of our existence.
Routine is the glue that keeps everything together. Think about it.
You only get results in the gym if you're going consistently and eating right.
You only have good grades if you continuously study and score well.
You only achieve your goals in life if you keep waking up, wanting it.
Even our own sun rises and sets everyday since our planet's conception, right?
We need discipline, we need structure, we need routine. It makes my life as uncomplicated and simple as possible. Simplicity is efficiency.
There's no surprises with routine, no confusion, no false sexual assault allegations.
Everything is laid out clearly.
After I finish offering Fajr, (Muslim morning prayer) I start my day.
Everything has to be done just right.
My body, especially my face and hands, must be clean. I like my hair styled a certain way but barbers in the shops are unreliable, you see. There's too many variables at play. You never know who's going to be working that day or if your barber's maybe had a bad day and decides to take it out on your head, or if they're tired, overworked, underexperienced etc,. It messes up the routine. So I do it myself.
I even have a calendar where I plan my clothes in advance as well so that I don't have to waste time thinking about it in the morning.
You get the point.
Right about now, you're probably sure that I have OCD or I'm an overbearing perfectionist, but no.
I just need stability to rely on. I need it. Or else I start to...nevermind.
What I'm trying to say is, routines never disappoint me but people do.
So you see, the Teacher's Assistant program kind of ruins this for me. They send a grad student over to be my TA to "assist" me in my class even though I don't need it and I sure as hell don't want it.
I've told them I don't, I told them. They know very well how much I hate it. I've refused it, I've fought it, I drove away five teacher assistants in the first month of classes but they keep sending me more. No matter what I do to run them out, a new one will be in their place by the following week.
Staring up at me with their fake smiles and hopeful gawky eyes, filled with the ignorant bliss of one who's had their lips firmly wrapped around a pretty silver spoon their whole lives. I don't need some keener nepotism baby who weaseled their way into the graduate program brown-nosing me for a letter of recommendation. It's as if I'm a challenge to them, a game. But guess what? That's a game that I am more than willing to play.
I've even began to take a sick pleasure in getting teacher's assistants to quit in under a week. My record to break is five days.
I already have a new experiment to start the year off with.
I received an email last night that I've already been assigned a new teacher assistant for the first day of classes this semester.
All I know is that she's a young lady, nothing more. I closed out of it before I had the opportunity to read the entire email.
But I don't need to know her name to know that this girl won't even make it to the first exam.
I'm sure of it.
Author's Note
I feel like this chapter is boring as hell. I'm sorry y'all. But what do you think of him so far?