3 Years Down

'None Left to Go.'

"This is my last day." The young woman chanted to herself under her breath, a way to console anxiety as it bubbled to the surface. She looked down at the food she had scarcely touched from the college's cafeteria and swept off her long black hair that had fallen onto the edge of the tray.

"This is my last day. This is my last day. Who cares, anyway?"

She stared around at the crowd around her as it seemed to get louder as the minutes ticked by.

"It is about that time." So Sierra thought to herself while looking at the clock and confirming it was just a little before noon. She decided she may as well pack up and head to class, albeit a bit early. As she stood up to discard her lunch, someone beckoned for her attention.

"Whoa, whoa. Are you throwing that away? Is there something wrong with it?" The guy asked.

"No."

"Can I have it?"

"Sure." Sierra said while placing the tray on the garbage can lid, then walked away with little more than an "Enjoy."

As she walked away, she heard the guy brag to someone else, "See! You gotta do what you can to get free food in college and always jump on that opportunity. Beats another day of cheap noodles."

Sierra felt a small smile flash across her face. She knew she was abrupt, but couldn't find the energy to express herself any more enthusiastically. Although she was glad that perfectly fine food didn't go to waste, she felt pangs of guilt every time she had fed that trash can.

Sierra's next stop was the campus coffee shop. After waiting in a small line, she had ordered a basic blended mocha. As the drink was being prepared, the barista tried to make conversation. Sierra noticed that this barista, in particular, always seemed to make small talk. She appreciated it, though it felt uncomfortable that she never seemed to offer any meaningful responses.

"Midterms this week. How are you doing? Have you been studying?"

Sierra shook her head, "Not particularly."

"That's no good. Which classes did you say you were in again? I think you said you were Bio, right?"

Sierra nodded.

"Yeah, I had a friend who went into Bio, though she eventually switched to psych. She said she couldn't handle the late-night labs. You think you'll be okay?"

Sierra made eye contact with her. "Huh? Oh yeah. Things will be okay." Sierra said with an implied double meaning she knew nobody would understand.

She accepted her coffee and held it between her hands, cradling it while she stepped outside to head to the classroom. It chilled her fingertips on an already cold day.

"I should've got something warm..."

As Sierra approached the building containing her classroom, she saw a man sitting on the stairwell, clearly waiting for her arrival. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Got your coffee, I see, ready for the big day?"

Sierra didn't respond to him immediately while she glanced over her shoulder to scan around her. She turned to her right and walked into a grassy alley nestled between her classroom's building and an adjacent one. The man stood up and followed her, saying, "And away we go. Away from those pesky prying eyes."

Sierra spun around to face him. "What is it?" She asked while crossing her arms. "You know I will not make a habit of talking to you in public."

The man shrugged at her. He matched her crossed-armed, slightly slouched posture. "Just checking in. I wanted to see how you're doing, how you're feeling about the test coming up. Do you need to do some last-minute studying?"