Behind The Scenes

[Chapter Fifteen]

Chapter 15

Scribbling down the remainder of the conclusion, I flipped over the pages I'd already written. Twirling my pen nervously through my fingers, I glanced up at the wall. The hands of the clock were ticking slowly, telling me that I still had another ten minutes before I'd have to hand in my paper.

The stress that had built up over the past couple of hours, and over the past few weeks of studying, slowly started to dissipate as I re-read what I'd manage to write. I made sure to re-write the run-on sentences, fix the spelling mistakes I'd made in a rush to get my ideas onto the paper, and double-checked that my thesis and introduction were clear, as well as supported throughout my paper.

Erasing one last mistake I leaned back in my chair, sighing in relief as the timer at the front of the classroom went off. Looking around, I saw some of my classmates struggling to write down one more sentence while others just looked relived to be done.

At the front of the room, our professor stood up. "Your time for the exam is now over," she said, eyeing the one or two students that were still writing. "Please drop your booklets in the basket on the desk on your way out. Hopefully you all make the most of your holidays, and I'll see you next semester."

Tossing my pen into my bag, I pulled on my jacket and hoisted my bag up over my shoulder. Making my way to the front, I dropped my booklet into the bin, wishing my professor a merry Christmas before following the hoard of students out of the classroom.

A lot of my classmates seemed to be talking with one another, asking each other how they thought they did and how they wrote their paper, but as I stepped out into the quad, I found myself perfectly content. After weeks of studying and non-stop stress, I was finally able to take a breath, take my head out of my books, and relax.

Wrapping my jacket around me tighter as I strode through campus, I turned my head slightly; trying to avoid the brunt of the winds that seemed all too keen on sweeping my hair up to block my line of sight. Although it wasn't necessarily cold, the temperature had taken a significant dive into the single digits, bringing a troop of fierce winds along as backup.

Knowing it was just after three when my exam ended, I changed my direction, weaving through the rest of the students so desperate to get off campus now that the holidays had arrived and set a course towards one of the campus cafes. I'd decided that after all the work I'd put into school over the past couple of weeks, a delicious hot chocolate was a reward too appealing to pass up.

Ten minutes later I made my way off campus, en route to Abbie's day care with a warm cup cradled between my hands. The walk wasn't far, but it did give me enough time to finish my drink and toss the cup in the garbage outside the day care, knowing Abbie inevitably would've asked why I didn't grab one for her as well.

Walking inside, I hovered around the entryway as Diane dismissed the kids from the circle they sat in on the carpet, telling them to go and play. I smiled as I saw Abbie talking with two girls about her age, the three of them headed straight for the boxes of dolls that were stacked towards the back.

"Hey," Diane greeted, appearing next to me. "Are you here to pick up Abbie?"

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Sorry, I know I'm a little early..."

"Oh nonsense," she waved me off, turning towards the play area, "Abbie!"

At the sound of her name, my daughter's head popped up curiously, her blonde hair falling messily around her face. Noticing me standing there, her eyes gleamed with excitement and happiness. "Mommy!" Abbie exclaimed loudly as she skipped to my side, throwing her arms around my legs tightly. "You're here early."