Marnie was late to class again, coffee spilled down her wrinkled t-shirt that may or may not have been clean. As she closed the door behind her and took her seat in the back of her English class, her professor gave her a glance over the dark frames of his glasses and shook his head, marking her tardy. She was embarrassed; this happened for too often, her being late. It wasn't her fault the bus never ran on schedule and the guy beside her managed to knock her hot mug of coffee out of her hands and down her shirt for the third time in two weeks.
She paid attention in class, taking notes on the professor's lecture on "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. Even though she'd already read the book three times, she still tried her best to pay attention.
When the professor released the class at 1:15, he called Marnie over. "Marnie, is everything okay? You've been late to class almost every day this week."
Marnie sighed, trying to wipe at the still wet spot on her shirt. The hot coffee had turned cold though and made her nipples perk under the thin fabric.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Roberts, I'm just having a hard time balancing everything right now," she said, switching her backpack to her other shoulder as it started to feel heavy and weight her down even more.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked her.
She thought about the failing grade he gave her on the paper she'd written on early poems by female authors and cringed. "Is there any way I can pass this class?"
"Come into my office; we'll look at your grades," he said, gathering his notebooks and leading her upstairs to his office.
It was a small space cluttered with books and manila folders stuffed with ungraded tests and papers. His bookshelves were overflowing and the place felt cramped with just enough room for a small leather chair (that most likely wasn't real leather) for his students to sit on. Marnie set her backpack down on the floor and took a seat in the chair as Dr. Roberts pulled up her grades on his computer screen. She could feel her face growing hotter; she knew there was no way to pass this class.
"How bad is it?" she asked, wishing the words had never popped out of her mouth.
"Well, according to this, you'd need a hundred and fourteen points on the final to pass," Dr. Roberts sighed.
"Shit," she said, placing a hand over her eyes. "Is there anything I can do?"
Dr. Roberts sighed. "I don't usually give extra credit to students who are habitually late to class."
"Thanks. I guess there's no point in me coming to class anymore then," Marnie sighed, wishing she'd known this before she read "The Awakening" for the third time.
Dr. Roberts leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps we can work something out," he said.
Marnie perked up. "I'll do anything."