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Post by kroma on Jul 17, 2012 12:19:36 GMT -5
Generally, Astrid liked the library. It was a quiet place, and reading was a nice pastime. However, this part of the library was perhaps her least favorite place to be. Just as Astrid thought she was starting to get the hang of school, improving her grades, reducing procrastination, math continued to beat her to the ground. As willing as she was to get the hang of it, her years of not paying much attention were coming back to slap her in the face. It was a weakness Astrid had never been ready to confront, but now the day before a unit test, she had to. That morning she had arrived in the library just as it opened, but trudged up the stairs to where most of the math books were. She pulled anything off the shelves relating to Algebra I, II, and Pre-Calculus, as well as books promising to teach the entire subject in just a few hours or days. At that moment, Algebra II for Slackers was the current subject of interest.
However, it was also 6 PM. Most of Astrid's work was done in the morning, and she was used to beginning her night routine at 8 PM. The time crunch was starting to get to her, as eleven hours straight in a library could do to a person. Her grade in the class was a low C, but this test had the potential to bring it up within reach of a B by July break. It had been her goal all term, but it was only then that she was putting it into action. At that point, Astrid was at the point of a mental breakdown. Just being inside save for an hour long lunch and walking break was driving her up the walls.
The library was sure to be closing soon, but the idea of checking out the books felt like the start of the end. By checking them out, she was resigning herself to a night of cramming. At this point though, the notebook she had brought was filled with what should have been over a year's worth of notes. Teaching yourself math all over again in a day was one crazy task, and Astrid was sure at this point it wasn't going to happen. She dropped the book and closed her eyes. The books were just going into her eyes and onto the notebook, although she wasn't even sure she could pass the test. It all felt pointless, and she couldn't take it any longer. She dropped her pen and started to massage her temples, keeping herself from screaming in despair and outrage. In went a shaky breath that she held onto as her head tilted back to the florescent lighting that had been portraying the library in that sickly light she loathed.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 18, 2012 1:58:54 GMT -5
Studying had never been as bad for Joshua as it was for a lot of people. It did not bother him to sit in the library for a couple of hours reading textbooks and going over notes. As long as it was quiet, really, he almost liked the tranquillity. It was something that he could focus on and it was productive, too, something he loved. Josh did not do well with lazing around and doing nothing. He had to be kept busy in some kind of way so that he did not feel like he was wasting his time. Oh, the mind of an ambitious soul.
He checked his watch, the gold Rolex that adorned his wrist. He had a perfectly functional smartphone in his pocket but it was much easier to glance at the timepiece on his arm than to fish the phone out. Hm. It turned out he'd stayed four hours instead of the three he'd intended to and the library would soon be closing for the high school crew. It stayed open all night for the college students so that they could get their cramming done in case they took later classes. He could remain here for another long while if he wanted to. He had done all of the studying that he'd planned for the night, though, and it was nice to think that he no longer had a job now and he could go home to his fiancée and spend a couple of hours just hanging around her before bed.
Speaking of her, wasn't that her friend? Joshua was not originally going to approach the student sitting with the numerous textbooks but when he saw how distressed she looked he could not help as his curiosity peaked. I wonder if she's okay?
He wasn't the most empathetic person in the world and did not feel physically bad for her but there was that fleeting feeling of sympathy. "Long day?" he guessed as he was walking past the table she was at, fingers brushing along the wooden surface. He stopped near the end of the table and leaned against it with one hand bracing against the surface. His expression was stoic, not quite friendly but not unfriendly either. It could be called neutral if there needed to be a word for it. His tone was not particularly emotional, either. Josh tended to lack a lot of vibrancy and expression, mostly because he wasn't particularly enthusiastic at the moment. He felt mellow, relaxed. She apparently didn't share that feeling right now.
Sweeping a gray gaze over the books, he frowned, though it did not carry any negative emotion with it. It was more thoughtful than anything, though it did cause the Fire to look more intimidating than usual. An unsmiling, six foot three guy with a scar on his face did not scream amiable and kind. "Math, huh? Having some kind of trouble with it?" If she'd been a friend he would have made the 'having a problem?' pun and grinned cheekily but since they were practically strangers he did not bother.
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Post by kroma on Jul 19, 2012 18:47:01 GMT -5
Astrid closed her eyes and slowly rocked her head back down. She dropped her hands, and took a long exhale. She opened her eyes to see a somewhat familiar face staring at her, walking by.
Astrid made a halfhearted attempt at a smile, and nodded. "I'm just about ready to set up a fort for the night made of books. I'll keep the ones for the roof open so I can read them while I sleep," she said. Humor was supposed to be a good tactic for relaxing, so she thought. However after saying the words they felt only like a bad hyperbole that thinly disguised a cry for help. Ugh. This is what happens when I'm tired, I can't be bothered to watch my appearance. She shook it off by shaking her head quickly. "Just tired's all," she said, "But yeah, it's math. I haven't been an ideal student all term so far, and this is my attempt at reparations. Still, the whole thing is feeling like a lost cause at the moment. One does not simply learn pre-calculus in a day."
Astrid looked back to the books in front of her. "It's at that point where I don't know if sitting here will help me any more, I'm just frazzled and nothing's processing past first semester algebra one," she continued. "And the test is tomorrow." Astrid hadn't spoken to anyone save the librarian all day. It was all somewhat flooding out now, even though she wasn't much of someone to gush out all her feelings at once. The stress was breaking down her calm and managed demeanor, but she decided it wasn't worth fretting about now.
Shh, shh. Remember, the world's not ending. It's a test and a subject. Breathe. Astrid brought herself back to the moment. "I think I'm just going to review my notes tomorrow morning and call it quits for now. I think the test is multiple choice. I'll figure it out," she said to assure her self with a smile. Yep. No problem. Denial? Nope. "I've got this," she said, but this time her voice trembled a bit with the oncoming rush of all the holes there were in her hopes. Optimism, Astrid. Optimism. She took another deep breath, and stared at the stack of books she had not yet gone through. Not important, not necessary to be happy. Right? Right. She didn't need math to be happy, right? Right. Still, she didn't move.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 23, 2012 5:03:31 GMT -5
Joshua chuckled at her joke, gray eyes glinting in appreciation of the humour. The mental image of a book fort was pretty great. "I imagine the roof would be rather hard to build." Books generally didn't have very large spans even when left opened with their spines facing up. He knew she was likely well aware of this, though, so it was more dry humour than anything.
She said that she was tired and he nodded, not surprised. "Quiet places probably don't help with that." It was like lying on a comfortable couch in the warm sun. The cat-like urge to curl up and sleep could overcome the best of folks. His lip twitched when she mentioned calculus. "I'm taking calculus," he said almost airily, raising his brows at her. Would she catch on to what he was suggesting? "Pretty good at it, too. It's a senior-level course, so." Had that sounded like he was bragging or talking himself up? He hoped not. It was true. Calculus was a part of Joshua's pre-med requirements. "Besides, I like Math." There didn't seem to be a lot of people that did. He wondered why. As a logical person that liked things to make sense, it made a lot of it.
He knew that feeling, at least. Joshua was an intelligent guy and he enjoyed studying but that did not mean he'd never experienced a blank brain after sitting and reading for so long. He remembered the MCAT studies and also recalled why he never wanted to study for them again. Thankfully he wouldn't have to. It was the Medical College Admission Test, once he was admitted into medical school he'd be home free. Since he was a confident person and had scored very high on the test, he did not think he would have much of a problem there. Astrid, on the other hand, wasn't having as much luck.
Frowning, he wondered if she really did have this. It did not seem like it. Not wanting to seem pushy but also not feeling right just smirking and walking off, he said, "Maybe I could help?" He didn't know her well but he did know his calculus. It wasn't like he'd never helped out a person that he barely knew. I'm going to be a doctor some day, then I'll be helping loads of strangers. The thought did not bother him. He had thought long and hard about his choice of future profession and was sure that it was something he wanted. Might as well remain used to helping out people that he wasn't well-acquainted with. "Mind if I sit?" He gestured to the chair beside hers and waited for an answer.
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