Present Day
The past fades away once more. "Hey, you okay?" a passing student asks.
"Yeah," you say.
"You were standing there for a long time like a statue, is all."
"I'm fine." It's a lie, but the student accepts it and leaves you be.
You stare at the now-empty room, though you don't really see it. You and Manish became friends despite the rocky start.
For all the good it did you.
Next
You climb the stairs to Dr. Ellison's office at the end of the second floor hall. The bright-faced student assistant at the desk in the outer room apologizes for the department chair. She's been delayed another hour. "I'm so sorry," the assistant says.
You wonder why this upper-class student is deferring to you, and then you remember that you're not a first-year anymore. The memory pattern has left you rather unstuck in time.
You'd best let it play out since you have more time.
Onward