Why Are YOU Awake?

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You let out a yawn and a sigh as you run your hands down your face, finally finishing up your Lit essay.

It was already given an extension and due tomorrow right before your first lecture, and you know you won't be able to finish if you fall asleep, so, running on exactly forty-seven minutes of sleep and two tumbler-fulls of coffee, you powered through it and turned it in.

Your dorm is quiet save for the hum of your fan; bathed in pitch black darkness if not for the white glow of your Google document, and the digital clock on your desk which reads a quarter past three.

It's maybe ten minutes later when you're just about to shut your laptop down and hit the hay, but a notification pops up on both your phone and the side of your screen.

Professor Swift
03:27
98 — extra credit for being up so late. Now go to sleep, Miss Y/L/N.

You laugh softly and reach for your phone to reply.

professor, why are you still awake?

Why are YOU still awake?

well, i had to finish up the assignment

Go to sleep.

i will, i will

Good girl.

You wake up the next morning to a text from your professor saying everyone who stayed up past midnight was excused from all morning lectures.

You can't help but smile at your phone, grateful for the sudden free morning.

You roll over onto your side and allow your eyes to drift closed for a few more hours. When you open them again, the sun is much higher in the sky, and the usual hustle and bustle of campus is lessened, with most of your batchmates probably taking advantage of your professor's generosity.

With a soft, groggy groan, you muster the strength to roll out of bed and get in something decent to go out to the café just off campus.

When you enter the café, the smell of coffee hits you.

You order your usual and take a seat by the window, pulling out your phone again.

There's another message from Professor Swift, this time private.

Professor Swift 
08:15 
Enjoy the morning off, Miss Y/L/N. You earned it. Next time, though, don't cut it so close!

You chuckle and type a quick reply.

yes, ma'am. lesson learned! thank you for the break.

As you sip your coffee, you notice someone approaching your table. It's Professor Swift herself, dressed in a casual outfit rather than her usual lecture attire. She has a coffee cup in hand and a warm smile on her face.

"Mind if I join you?" she asks, gesturing to the empty chair across from you.

You're a bit surprised but nod quickly. "Of course, Professor."

She sits down and takes a long sip of coffee as she does so.

When she finally sets the cup down, she turns to you and asks, worriedly, "How often do you stay up that late just to finish assignments?"

Your eyes widen slightly, and you blink a few times, counting in your head how many times you've pulled near-all-nighters like last night.

"Um . . . I'd have to say twice or thrice a week."

Now it's her eyes that go wide, and she nearly chokes on the sip of coffee that she was taking. "Thrice a week?" she echoes, almost sounding incredulous.

You shrug.

She shakes her head. "No, that's simply unacceptable. It's not sustainable nor is it healthy. Burning both sides of the candle will catch up to you sooner rather than later."

You sigh and shift a little, taking a sip of your coffee. "I know, professor, but —"

She cuts you off with a raised hand. "No buts. Tonight, you're going to sleep at a reasonable time after finishing the work you can, and those you cannot, I will help with. Do you understand?"

"Yes, professor."

ayie peyboritism kinilig siya o

sampilungin kita diyan aba

anyway

Hugs and kisses,

Zee

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