“Grell… Grell! Wake up.”
Grell stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. At first, her vision was dark, but she realized that her face was planted on top of her open textbook. She lifted her head, rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes as she sat up at her desk. Blinking slowly, she saw that the clock sitting on her desk read 7:30 PM. She had been asleep for hours now.
The owner of the voice was William, who held two plastic cups sealed by a lid, one in each hand. He brought one of them towards Grell.
“What's this?” Grell sleepily asked, taking the cup. The hot liquid inside made it so that the cup's outer surface warmed Grell’s palm and fingers.
“Black tea,” William answered. “I went to the café closest to here. I grabbed one for myself, but figured you would like one as well.”
Grell took a sip. The tea was very hot, but not excruciating. There wasn't any sugar or cream added to it, allowing Grell to savor the herby bitterness.
“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” She asked William, who took a sip of his drink as well.
“I suppose you can say that I'm impressed.” William shrugged.
A triumphant grin spread across Grell's face. One hand holding the tea, she used the other to make theatrical gestures as she spoke. “Why? Because a soon-to-be deadly efficient reaper like me will learn months' worth of uni in two weeks?”
“No. Not quite.”
“Huh?”
“It's not uncommon for students to wait until the last minute to cram for an exam or write an important paper just before the deadline. But you're a special case,” William explained.
“What is that supposed to mean!?”
Unfazed by Grell's offended, venomous glare, William said, “Well, most of the students I'm talking about actually attend classes on a consistent basis. Even if they do, they do put off some studying and assignments. But you had only attended classes a handful of times at the beginning of the semester, only returning in the last two weeks. Yet you believe you'll pass.”
“I will if I read everything!” Grell objected, narrowing her eyes at her roommate. “I still have a chance. It's you who is doubting me.”
“Well, I had just witnessed you losing hours' worth of study time.” William used his free hand to re-adjust his glasses. “You studied for only a few hours only to fall asleep until now. That being said: I'm simply impressed at your determination at this point with your personal circumstances. I do hope that the studying you do goes well.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Studying isn't going well, I'm afraid.” Grell let out a tired, sad sigh. “There are just mountains of information that I just can't contain! At first, it was easy. But it seems that the more I read, the more I lose other information like water leaking from an overfilled cup!”
“That's what happens when you leave all of the studying for the last minute,” William simply said.
“Yeah, yeah, I know I brought this upon myself! No need to rub it in…” The redhead huffed in annoyance.
“What were you working on anyway?” William asked. “Just before you fell asleep.”
“This.” Grell took the documents that were on her desk and held them up to show William. “Just these old assignments.”
“Ah, I remember that one. That was due ages ago. If you're interested in my personal suggestion: Don't bother doing it. Or any overdue assignments for that class. Our instructor doesn't accept late work except for dire circumstances. Of course, you would know that if you actually went to class.”
“You just enjoy lecturing me, don't you?” When Grell was met with a shrug, she slumped back in her seat. “I'm doomed, aren't I?”
“Perhaps. But there is no need to take my word for it. Do you know what your exact grade is?”
“No…” Grell admitted. “Just an A in practical skills.”
“I would email the instructors for the other classes if I were you,” William suggested. “If you talk to them, they would confirm where you are in the class and if you have a chance at passing or not. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own work to tend to.”
Grell watched as William turned and headed back to his own desk. He opened up his laptop and worked on his homework, periodically sipping at his own tea.
“Thanks for the tea,” Grell mumbled to him. The only reply she got was a subtle nod. She looked down at her desk, seeing the textbooks and papers that covered every inch of the surface. She had what seemed to be an endless amount of work to do, with a very limited amount of time. She supposed that she should be grateful that, at least, thanks to William, she knew that she no longer had to do the assignments. But that also meant that she wasn't going to receive any credit. Thus, how well she did on the exams dictated whether she passed or not. The information taught in that class was far from easy.
As William typed away at his own laptop, Grell took his suggestion and opened up hers. She sent a couple of emails, one to each instructor, to ask about her current grade. Since it was almost eight o'clock now, it was very unlikely that she would receive a reply tonight. So Grell silently spent the next chunk of torturous hours reading, going back and forth between textbooks, reading at a steady pace in hopes to retain information in an efficient time frame. However, Grell eventually called it a day at around two in the morning when she could no longer keep her eyes open.
Grell woke up the next morning, very much exhausted. Although she wanted nothing more than to remain in the bundle of her warm blankets and return to dreamland, she knew she couldn't skip class again. She begrudgingly dragged herself out of bed, noticing that William was standing in front of his bed, fully ready for the day. He was in the middle of slipping on his backpack. Grell glanced at her clock, seeing that there was still just over an hour before class started.
“Awake already?” Grell said.
William whirled around to look at her. “I've been awake.”
“Hold on… don't tell me you stayed up all night!”
“I did.” When Grell took a closer look, William's eyes did look the opposite of refreshed. “Thought I would get ahead of all of my assignments while I still could. That way, I have more time to study for exams.”
“How did you manage to stay awake for that long!?”
“Simple. There is a café that is open twenty-four hours a day, every day. I walked over there and got more tea.” There was a small garbage bin right next to his own desk. It was filled with empty plastic cups.
“As of now, I've caught up on all of the assignments for the rest of the semester,” William went on. His voice was still monotonous, but Grell could still sense some pride in his tone. “Now, I'll head to class while the room is still quiet.”
After William left, Grell got ready for the day. Just before she left, she remembered that She had sent emails to the instructors. She quickly went to her laptop that was still at her desk and opened up her email. Only one of them replied, confirming that he doesn't accept late work and that she currently has an F in the class. The only way she can pass the class is if she earns an A on the exam. But if she turned in the upcoming essay on time that was also worth an A, along with doing the rest of her assignments, then she would still pass. But she would still pass with a low score.
Although it didn't surprise Grell in the slightest, she had hoped for better news. There was hope that she would be offered extra credit, at least. But clearly, that wasn't the case.
Since the other instructor hadn't replied yet, Grell would have to speak to her in person today.
Despite how much she dreaded it, Grell left for class and arrived just in time. Unlike yesterday, she didn't sit next to William, but behind him instead. As she tried once more to keep herself awake and attentive throughout the lecture, she noticed William yawning here and there.
As soon as class ended, Grell packed up her things and rushed to her next one. Those who witnessed her passing by could only see a flash of red. She accomplished her goal, having arrived several minutes early.
“Professor Belle!” Grell announced her arrival as soon as she sped into class. Her heels skidded on the ground as she abruptly halted in front of Professor Belle's desk.
“Hello… can I help you?” Professor Belle looked as though she didn't recognize Grell. It made sense, as this was only the second day she was here this week.
“Did you get my email last night?”
“What's your name?”
“The one and only… Grell Sutcliff, of course!” Even though she was slightly out of breath, that didn't stop her from performing her flamboyant introductions.
“Ah, Grell! Yes, one of my students this semester! Let's see here…” Professor Belle navigated through her computer until she found the email. “Here it is! Sorry I didn't see it. I've been trying to catch up on grading.” She skimmed through the email. “So you want to know what your grade is?”
“Please,” Grell pleaded. “I know I've missed class, and I only have myself to blame. But I worry I won't pass.”
“I see…” Professor Belle exited out of the email and went onto the platform that displayed every student's grades. “Grell Sutcliff… it looks like you have an F here.”
Even though it was what Grell predicted, it still pained her chest to receive that confirmation.
“I see… but do I have a chance at passing?” Grell asked hopefully.
“Maybe! If you pass the exam and catch up on your assignments! But remember that I only do partial credit on late assignments. And I do partial credit on most of them. You just won't pass with an A.”
“Oh, thank you!” Grell exclaimed sincerely. It was the best news she had heard all day. If it weren't for the fact that class was starting now, she would have reached over and pulled Professor Belle into a tight hug. She was kind of pretty, Grell had to admit… She wouldn't mind seeing her in certain crimson attire.
Although the next two weeks were going to be painful, Grell now had a glimmer of hope. After her practical class, she grabbed a to-go lunch from the main building on campus. This time, with no sign of her ex-boyfriend anywhere. Though, he was the last of Grell's concerns at this point. He was willing to edit and re-edit an essay until he was certain it was optimal quality.
When Grell went back to her dorm, William was already there. But his body was completely slumped forward on his desk. Grell carefully approached him, making sure that he was still alive by watching the fall and rise of his back. His head rested on top of his notebook, with some saliva slowly trickling down from the corner of his mouth.
“He really sacrificed a whole night of sleep, just to have more study time,” Grell thought. Normally, she would sneer at him, looking at him with annoyance as she perceived him to be a boring man. Even if he was boring, that didn't change the fact that he spent all of his free time this entire semester not only making sure he completed all of his assignments, but made sure he created quality work.
Grell, on the other hand, spent her time skipping class, putting off assignments, and spent late-nighters with a man who broke her heart in a way that made her feel repulsive on the inside to this day.
Finals were near, yet William got to sleep. On the other hand, Grell wasn't going to sleep much for the next two weeks, and her grades were now hanging by a thread.
In other words, as much as Grell loved to envision herself as a powerful reaper in the future, it was really her roommate who deserved that title. He was the kind of person who would move up in the reaper community. The one with superior knowledge and leadership skills.
Grell considers waking him, but she figured that it was very likely that William had only meant to rest his eyes for a few moments before he drifted off. Instead, Grell grabbed a gray sweater that lay on his bed and draped it over his shoulders to keep him warm as he napped.