Embark on a journey through the crisp, autumnal pages of 'Where We Are,' a poignant odyssey of self-discovery and resilience. With a tapestry of vivid descriptions weaving through its pages, this tale unfolds against the backdrop of transitioning se...
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"That was when it was made painfully clear to me. When you're a child, there is joy. There is laughter. And most of all there is trust. Trust in your fellows. When you're an adult...then comes suspicion, hatred, and fear." - Peter David, Tigerheart.
—— 01 ——
"You're about to absolutely fail this course Miss Devan. I suggest you pull up your socks for the rest of the semester."
Kyla shifted uncomfortably in her seat across the pipsqueak, grey-haired, glasses clad, elderly man she had as her department head. She borderline loathed his very being.
"Miss Devan? Are you listening to me? This is very serious," he said, tilting his head and eyeing her above his glasses. "I don't know how you could allow yourself to go from the top 5% of your class to the bottom in under just a year, but you had better undo it."
Stifling a frustrated sigh, Kyla nodded obediently to show he had her undivided attention. "I'll do my best sir," she said, not having the slightest belief that she was in a position to do so.
She looked at the time on her phone and gasped. "I need to run to my last class soon..."
Mr Huntington waved his hand dismissively towards her, ready to call in the next victim on his list.
Most left in tears, but seeing as how this was Kyla's second academic warning, it was less of an emotionally wrecking experience, but rather, embarrassing to the core.
University has a way of kicking you when you're already down, reminding you that you are indeed, the pavement that the higher-ups can and will step on.
Kyla grabbed her school bag from the seat next to her, which was often reserved for parents who would accompany their children for their hearings. But of course her parents had absolutely no idea she was there, nor would they ever find out if it was up to her and her alone.
She all but ran out of the room, making sure to dodge anyone who might know her, fearful that the people around her would notice and call her out on it.
She arrived to her Math lecture a few minutes late, earning a stern look from the plump older woman who taught the class. Her class had gotten smaller and smaller through the three years she had been attending University of Pennsylvania, and so the faint whisperings of 'You Could Be Next' were evident all throughout the room.
Kyla grabbed her seat at the very front of the class next to her best friend Tamika, who looked quizzically at her before turning her attention to the stern lecturer. She ended up daydreaming through the entire class. Thinking of places in the world she would rather be. Amsterdam for one, then France, Rome, oo maybe Namibia-
"Ky, you doing good?" She asked as soon as the class had ended, while hurriedly packing up, sensing that her vibe was obviously off.
