After Hours

42. Setbacks

"So what it is about philosophy that you like so much?"

The soft-spoken voice matched the kind woman perfectly. Golden locks, a warm smile and a stunning pair of honey flecked eyes. The same question that had been asked for the umpteenth time that evening ringed in her ears.

She wondered whether or not to lie or to tell the truth this time.

"Well," replied Rainy, metal scraping against the plate as she attempted to cut into the tender chicken. The skin around her almond eyes crinkled as she laughed hastily. It was a pity laugh, there was nothing hearty about it. "If I'm being totally honest, I hate it. But I'm way too deep into this degree to stop now, so I might as well try and finish it, right?"

Since she could feel the dull ache grow, she had chosen the latter option.

"Oh, that's uh interesting, what brings you here then?"

No, it definitely was not. Still, the curiosity in wanting to know more made her feel partially better.

She felt terrible that she had nothing more to say to the friendly stranger.

Her nose scrunched up as the awkwardness seeped in. "I didn't want to risk failing the year and attendance was mandatory." She explained sheepishly, reaching for her glass of wine.

The smile on the stranger's face fell and quickly replaced with an awkward nod. Soon enough the conversation began to feel less interesting and it wasn't long before it drifted off completely.

Back to being left alone.

Rainy could feel a continual throbbing between her eyebrows as she stared down at her plate of food.

Sitting in an uncomfortable chair surrounded by mindless chatter was encouraging her headache to intensify. Weary looking bags hung low beneath her eyes, but luckily, the concealer was doing wonders for masking her lack of beauty sleep.

She grimaced catching a glimpse at the busy dining hall. She didn't even know this elegant hall existed, but it sure as hell was nice. From high ceilings that were decked in costly chandeliers, to the abundant lengthy oak tables, the room was nothing short of spectacular. From some of the smartest scholars to admirable professors, she felt totally out of place being in the same room as them.

A stupid department dinner to remind her that she would never be as smart as the rest of the people in the prestigious institution. That was what she had been dragged to. Or at least, that was the dummied version of what she had interpreted the fancy event to be.

And to make matters worse, she was dressed in a tight-fitting gown that was proving to be just as uncomfortable as her headache.

"If everyone is almost finished, we have one final speech given by the Dean before the evening is officially over, " A loud voice boomed throughout the active room, "please may you start making your way towards the exit where you'll be escorted into a private assembly hall. Thank you all again for attending tonight's extraordinary dinner, we have put a lot of effort into making this evening the best it could be and the response we've received has been outstanding..."

A stumpy, balding man with a microphone drawled on with additional last words of the night rendering her to boredom.

Thank fuck for that.

Relief washed over her as she started to hear the scraping of chairs and rustling from people clearing out of the dining room. She wasn't sure why but she stayed put, wanting to be one of the last few to leave.

The mess of paper napkins and plates were an overwhelming sight to see. Rainy frowned feeling awful for the exhausted cleaners that were filling the space picking it all up.