I sat by my desk, drumming my fingers while staring at my chemistry textbook, trying to cram in whatever information I could before tomorrow's final exam.
I struggled mightily with chemistry the entire semester; I barely passed the midterm as it was and I couldn't afford to fail the final, as it counted toward half of my final grade.
The kettle went off with a sudden and shrill cry in the tiny kitchen in my dorm, nearly giving me a heart attack. I ventured over to the kitchen to make myself some Sanka, preparing myself for yet another all-nighter.
I actually don't like Sanka all that much but it was a gift (along with the kettle) from my ex-girlfriend Jenny, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste.
There was a gift label that remained stuck to the jar of Sanka; I didn't have the heart to take it off as it served as a reminder of our nearly two years spent together. 'To my dearest Wayne, from your sweetheart,' the label read.
I shook my head, knowing nothing could change the past. I still missed her, and even though it created a void in my life, it was for the best that we went our separate ways.
I caught a glimpse at my reflection in the kettle as I poured out the boiling water and was horrified at what stared back at me; my short, brown hair was frazzled and I had an ugly five o'clock shadow. My normally bright, blue eyes were dull and bloodshot, with bags drooping underneath.
As I brought my coffee back to my desk I took a peek at the clock on the wall, it had just struck midnight.
'This is pointless,' I thought to myself as I skimmed the pages of my massive chemistry textbook, 'I'll never be able to memorize all this.'
With a deep exhale I said out loud, "I wish Julia was here."
Ah, Julia, my voluptuous classmate from chemistry class. I've committed nearly every detail of her beautiful face to memory; from her neatly trimmed eyebrows which rested over her big, brown eyes, to her rosy, prominent cheeks, to her ravishing red lips that sparkled with fresh lip gloss.
Her long, blonde hair had an intoxicating floral aroma that seemed to linger even when she wasn't around.
But my favorite feature of hers was the beauty mark toward the left side of her chin. I recalled the day I pointed it out and how she blushed from embarrassment. But I told her I found it endearing and she kissed me suddenly but affectionately on my right cheek.
I swear I can still feel the warmth of that kiss radiating on my cheek.
I was deeply in love with her but she had a boyfriend, so I tried not to push my luck. Still, I managed to summon the courage to ask her to tutor me in chemistry occasionally.
Unfortunately we weren't able to study together this week, as our schedules during this hellish finals week conflicted far too often.
I closed the chemistry textbook and stared out the window at the pitch-black night sky as I sipped my coffee. Then my eyes wandered over to my phone resting in the corner by the charger.
'Do I dare call Julia at this hour?' I asked myself in my head. No good could possibly come of doing so, I tried to tell myself. She's probably already asleep, ready to wake up tomorrow and ace that test.
Or maybe she was fretting about the test just like me. After all she's only human. Maybe she would want to pull an all-nighter and study with me.
But how inappropriate would that be, considering she has a boyfriend?
All these thoughts and more bounced around in my head, and after about ten minutes I convinced myself to call Julia.
The phone rang twice before she picked up.
"Hey Wayne, what's up?" Julia's soft voice answered.
She sounded like she hadn't gone to sleep yet, a good sign for me.
"Hi Julia," I started, "I was just wondering how you were doing."
"I've been better," said Julia, "I can't get to sleep right now."
"Are you stressed out about the test tomorrow?" I asked.
"No, it's something else," Julia said.
"You sound depressed, want to talk about it?" I asked.
There was silence on the line for a few seconds before Julia gave her reply.
"Come over to my dorm," she said, "we can talk here."
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. "See you in a few!" I said excitedly.
I hurriedly put on some decent clothes, splashed some cold water on my face and made my way to her dorm, which was only a couple of buildings away.
I knocked on the door, she answered almost instantly and quickly invited me in.
Julia was dressed for bed and it was a somewhat provocative outfit; her ample bosom was popping out of her white, lace-trimmed night shirt. Her white sleep pants were baggy and not formfitting but I still had the image of her long, slender legs ingrained in my memory from all the different times I saw her in a skirt.
We sat down on her couch as we began to chat.
