Tutor

Hange's Regret

This is a heavier chapter than normal for this fic, with implied emotional abuse and a controlling parent. If that makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to skip this chapter. That being said, we're getting to the meat of the story, every one! I really hope you enjoy it.

-Parks 🖤

"You don't need to go into that much detail, Miss Zoe," the professor sighed.

He took his thin framed glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. Grey streaked through his thinning hair, and wrinkles crowded the corners of his eyes and mouth. Hange watched him return his glasses to his face before he looked up at them across his desk.

"While I appreciate your meticulous work, I must ask you to restrain yourself. This is only a six-page essay, yet your outline would require at least fourteen pages."

"There's so much information! Six pages isn't enough," Hange tried to argue, but he cut them off.

"Narrow your focus, Miss Zoe, or you will fail the assignment."

Hange pressed their lips together to prevent themselves from saying something rude. "You got it, Professor," they forced a casual reply.

Hange turned on their heel and left his office. With the door closed behind them, Hange frowned and pushed their glasses up their nose. Idiot.

Thoughts of their paper were lost when Hange looked around the professors' lounge. Plush couches sat around a long coffee table that was centered with a massive fireplace. Chairs with tall backs stood in pairs around small, circular tables along the edge of the room. On the stone floor, intricate rugs overlapped each other, while paintings in ornate frames hung on the walls between doors to other offices.

They scowled at the opulence of every part of the Inner Wall's prestigious campus for further education. Every day, Hange felt smothered by the crowded rooms, busy walls, and pompous people. They had been at the school for two years after they were accepted at seventeen. Technically, they had two years left, but Hange was confident they could finish in one. The only thing that kept them going was the dream of working in the field.

I'll get there one day.

Hange's mini-pep talk was cut short when the exit to the professors' lounge opened. They dreaded the prospect of having small talk with another professor, but relief washed over them when they saw a young woman walk through the door instead. Curiosity quickly followed. Hange tilted their head to the side and raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

The woman looked detached from the world, entirely unaware of what went on around her, including Hange's presence in the lounge. Her eyes were focused on the ground in front of her, which gave Hange the time to really look at her. She had a sullen energy about her, especially with the dark bags under her eyes and hollow cheeks. She was listless, and Hange was intrigued.

"Hi, I don't believe we've met before," Hange stepped into her path.

She flinched and snapped her head up. For a split second, her eyes were wide before she regained her composure and looked away. She didn't respond to Hange, choosing to walk around them instead, but Hange was far from discouraged. They walked backwards next to her and smiled.

"I'm Hange. Are you a student here?"

She glared at Hange from the corner of her eye.

"Oof," Hange placed a hand over their heart. "Keep looking at me like that and I might fall in love."

That got her full attention. She scoffed and turned her head with her mouth open.

"Is that how you talk to strangers you've just met?"