The blaring sound of Ere'ana's alarm clock shattered the early morning silence in her dorm room. She groaned, slamming her hand on the snooze button, but before she could drift back into blissful unconsciousness, Avarina's voice broke through.
"Ere! Get up! We're late!"
Ere'ana shot up like a spring, her hair a wild mess and her mind still foggy with sleep. "What? Late for what?"
"Class, you idiot!" Avarina was already halfway dressed, hopping around the room as she struggled to pull on her socks. "It started fifteen minutes ago!"
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Ere'ana scrambled out of bed, grabbing the first clothes she could find. She yanked on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, muttering curses under her breath as she tripped over her own feet.
"You didn't set your alarm!" Avarina accused, stuffing her books into her bag.
"I did! It just—" Ere'ana stopped mid-sentence, realizing she'd hit snooze three times already. "Ugh, this is your fault!"
"My fault?" Avarina shot back, grabbing a hairbrush and running it through her tangled locks.
"Yes! You didn't wake me up!"
"You're a grown woman, Ere!"
"Shit, shit, shit!" Ere'ana repeated as she grabbed her phone and shoved it into her bag without even checking the screen. She threw on her sneakers and bolted for the door, Avarina hot on her heels.
The hallway was empty as they sprinted toward their classroom, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the building.
"Maybe they won't notice," Avarina panted.
"They'll notice," Ere'ana shot back, her breath coming in short bursts.
"Not if we—" Avarina began, but she didn't get a chance to finish. They skidded to a stop outside the door, exchanging panicked looks before quietly pushing it open.
The teacher, Mr. Grayson, paused mid-lecture, his piercing gaze landing on them immediately.
"Well, well," he said, crossing his arms. "So nice of you two to join us."
Ere'ana and Avarina froze in the doorway, trying to look as innocent as possible.
"We—uh—got lost?" Ere'ana offered weakly.
"Lost?" Mr. Grayson repeated, raising an eyebrow. "In a building you've been in for four years?"
"Y-yeah," Avarina stammered. "You wouldn't believe how confusing it gets."
The class erupted into laughter, and Ere'ana felt her face burn.
"Sixteen minutes late," Mr. Grayson said, checking his watch. "Go ahead. Find your seats. Don't let me stop you from gracing us with your presence."
Ere'ana and Avarina quickly shuffled to the back of the room, sliding into their seats as quietly as they could. Ere'ana pulled out her phone, trying to text Jack under the desk while Mr. Grayson resumed his lecture.
Ere'ana: Guess who just got publicly shamed for being late.
Jack: Lemme guess… you?
Ere'ana: Ding ding ding. Winner winner.
Jack: What happened?
Ere'ana: Me and Avarina overslept. You know, because life hates me.
She smirked at the screen, about to type another message when—
"Miss Walker."
Her stomach dropped. She looked up to find Mr. Grayson staring directly at her, his arms crossed and a no-nonsense expression plastered across his face.
"Care to share what's so important that it can't wait until after class?"
Ere'ana quickly shoved her phone into her lap. "Uh, nothing?"
"Nothing?" Mr. Grayson echoed, walking toward her desk. "Because it certainly didn't look like nothing. Hand it over."
Ere'ana hesitated, her grip tightening around her phone.
"Now," Mr. Grayson said firmly.
With a reluctant sigh, she handed it over. Mr. Grayson glanced at the screen, then smirked. "Ah, texting during my class. Let's make this more educational. Why don't you come up here and read your conversation to the class?"
The entire room erupted in laughter as Ere'ana's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly," Mr. Grayson said, motioning for her to stand.
Ere'ana groaned, dragging her feet as she walked to the front of the room. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she turned to face her classmates, all of whom were watching with eager anticipation.
"Go on," Mr. Grayson said, leaning against his desk. "We're all waiting."
Ere'ana glanced down at her phone, then cleared her throat.
"Guess who just got publicly shamed for being late," she read, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Louder, Miss Walker. We can't hear you," Mr. Grayson said.
She glared at him before continuing, this time louder. "Guess who just got publicly shamed for being late."
"Who were you texting?" someone from the back called out.
"No one!" Ere'ana snapped, her face burning.
"Keep going," Mr. Grayson said, clearly enjoying himself.
"'Lemme guess… you?'" she read. "'Ding ding ding. Winner winner.'"
The class burst into laughter, and Ere'ana groaned inwardly.
"'What happened?'" she continued. "'Me and Avarina overslept. You know, because life hates me.'"
"Do you need a moment to vent, Miss Walker?" Mr. Grayson asked, smirking.
"No," Ere'ana muttered, shoving the phone back into his hand.
"Good. Then maybe you can focus for the rest of the class."
Ere'ana trudged back to her seat, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. Avarina gave her a sympathetic look but couldn't hide her grin.
"Don't," Ere'ana hissed as she sat down.
"Not a word," Avarina whispered, still grinning.
Ere'ana buried her face in her hands. This was shaping up to be one of those days.