David sat in his modestly sized apartment, deep in thought as he absentmindedly scrolled through his phone. Letting out a wheezing sigh, he let his head fall back against the headrest of the wooden chair, closing his eyes to get some well-deserved rest. It had been three months now—three grueling months since he'd started this habit of intense nightly study sessions, grinding away until his brain wouldn't absorb another word. It had been quite a while since he'd gotten any proper sleep, and his habits of staying up late were already taking a toll on his body. David was now a bit emaciated, though mostly just in his face. His body was in good shape, which made it all the more telling just how much stress the young man was enduring.
"No, I can't sleep. I'll miss it," he suddenly sat up after just five minutes of rest.
He glanced around. It was still too dark to see anything.
"Where's my phone?" he mumbled to himself, rubbing his dry, red eyes and grimacing. He stretched out his hand to feel around the table, but his phone was nowhere to be found. "What's going on? I was just holding it a moment ago," he muttered, standing up.
But just before his worry could grow any more than it already had, a ding-dong sound—a unique notification tone he'd set as the default on his phone—jolted him. He looked down to find it right there on the floor.
"Oh no," David gasped in horror, reaching down instinctively to inspect it.
There was no way he could have placed his phone on the ground, no matter how sleepy he was. Which meant the only other possibility was that it had slipped out of his hand and dropped to the floor while he was asleep.
"Oh god, please," he muttered, turning it on.
To his greatest relief, it was fine.
"Haah, that was close," he chided mid-sigh. "How am I supposed to afford a broken screen when I barely have enough to go by this week?" he added before unlocking it.
The phone—a white Vivo P32—made a water drop sound, sliding open to the home screen. David scrolled down, and the notification caught his attention. It was from the school portal, specifically about his course.
"God damn it, another class?" he muttered with a groan, tapping the notification which led him to the app.
The message stated that there would be classes throughout the day—lectures from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM, followed by practical classes. There was also a threat that attendance would be taken, and those found to be absent would be penalized.
After reading the message, David just kept staring at it for the next three minutes. He didn't breathe a single word. Finally, he acted. He slapped his forehead—not once, but twice.
"I can't make it. But if I don't make it, it will reflect poorly on my performance," he muttered. "But I can't ditch work for classes. I could literally starve before I find another job."
He threw his phone on the worn mattress about five feet to the left from where he stood, then collapsed on the chair, staring at the dark ceiling. He was now stuck between a rock and a bigger rock.
At the stage he was now at in his academics, any more slip-ups could only mean expulsion. This, however, was something David couldn't afford. He was in his final year. He just needed to write the final exam about three months from now, and he would be free. Such risks weren't something he could afford at all.
But what about food? What about his expenses? The rent for this barely livable apartment? The balance from last semester he hadn't been able to clear, which had been merged with the current amount? If he wasn't able to pay these fees before the exams, then he could as well kiss the exams goodbye. He wouldn't even be let into the hall on that day without the clearance.
"Should I just give up? This stress is killing me," he muttered, closing his eyes and rocking the wooden chair back and forth. It made creaking and groaning sounds with every sway, but he was too disturbed to bother about that.
"...No," David said. He opened his eyes and sat straight. "No, I can't give up now. I've already gotten this far. I can't go back now."
David stood up, clenched his fist, and smashed it down on the wooden table, determination overriding every ounce of fatigue he was feeling.
It wasn't always this tough. Things were difficult back then too, but far more bearable. At that time, he was still part of the school's scholarship program. He never had to worry about school fees. He could just focus on his books and his part-time jobs. He'd even gotten a girlfriend during that time, someone he genuinely loved. In fact, life was perfect back then.
But all of a sudden, it all came crumbling down one day.
First was the email from the school, stating he had been removed from the scholarship program. Next was the boss of his part-time job firing him for whatever reason. And last but not least was the girl he loved so much breaking up with him—only for him to find out she was dating his wealthy cousin, someone who didn't see eye to eye with him.
From then on, life as David knew it changed. And just as it changed, he himself changed as well. He became colder, more detached, isolating himself from relationships and friends. Right now, there wasn't a single person he could boldly claim was his close friend.
David had always been a loner. He'd always found it difficult to build relationships with people. It wasn't because of his looks or the fact that he was shy—he was neither of those. In fact, he was good-looking, well beyond average standards. Those well-defined cheekbones, black silky hair, and grayish-blue eyes had always set him apart. So it wasn't a matter of attractiveness.
It was something else. Something related to his past. To the accident that killed his parents.
Whenever David felt like he was starting to get too close to a person, he would instinctively start to pull away from that individual until that relationship grew cold. The only person he'd ever let close enough was his girlfriend, Eveline.
"I'll take a bath first, then maybe, um..." he started, then trailed off. He headed to the bed to pick up his phone, which he once again turned on to reveal the time: 4:54 AM, still deep into the morning.
"Maybe I can get some sleep before 7," he said, rubbing his eyes.
No matter how the day was going to turn out, he would find his way around it. He always did.