[center][h2]Harriette Moore[/h2][/center]
[sup][color=gray]Barclay Waterfront University Campus : between 1000-1100 hours[/color][/sup]
Harriette hadn't expected the student to startle as badly as he did. He must have been in a deeper sleep than she'd assumed. Though she tried to keep her features smooth and not embarrass the boy further, it was clear in Harriette's eyes that she felt bad about having spooked him like that. She would have gathered up the papers and left with an awkward apology, had she anywhere else to go. Since she didn't, that meant the both of them were stuck in an uncomfortable silence. Harriette murmured a 'thank you' to the student for giving her some more space. Just before settling in to get to work, and just after the room's other occupant had buried himself in his phone, they were joined by a third.

It was a female student, one that Harriette though she might have remembered the name of if her head had been in the right place. Then again, many students looked familiar to her. Even the young man in the room with them, when he'd raised his head Harriette had felt the tickling feeling of recognition in her brain. Harriette returned the girl's wave, and in response to her question Harriette nodded. After a moment of no response from the other student, the red head glanced over to find him still focused on the little screen in front of him.

"It's fine," Harriette said to the girl - Melly? Nyla? - speaking for both of them. "Long day already?"

While the room's new arrival curled up into her nap position, Harriette got started on her own plan. Essays were something she enjoyed reading usually. As far as the 'favors' she was usually asked for, this one was nothing. It wasn't too much work, nor was it degrading. In fact it was, literally, [i]grading.[/i] She couldn't help but pity the poor students that had been assigned an essay over the break when they should have focused on spending time with their family. It was painfully obvious which ones were hastily written the night before. Dutifully Harriette marked spelling errors, grammatical issues, and questionable statements. At some point she thought about going easy on them. It would probably be a relief to most of the students, maybe even score [i]their professor[/i] some points with them. Harriette spun her pen in her hand as she considered it. The work wasn't as good a distraction as she'd thought it would be. She was almost glad when someone cleared their throat. Harriette looked up to see the male student looking at her. 

It was then that his name clicked in her head. Barney Rynsburger. He was part of the morning Principles of English Composition class she assisted with. The one they'd both been in just a little while ago. That explained his behavior earlier, and it must have been very embarrassing because in hindsight it [i]did[/i] seem like he had been caught slacking off by staff. She cringed internally when Barney mentioned his performance in class, all but confirming what Harriette had suspected. She didn't interrupt him to correct the misunderstanding, letting Barney vent. He'd always seemed like a good guy, helpful and cooperative when his looks might have suggested otherwise. With other things on Harriette's mind that morning, it was safe to say she hadn't noticed any lack of motivation on Barney's part, but his genuine apology created a small pit of guilt in her stomach. She might not be a teacher quite yet, and they weren't far enough apart in age that Harriette could really say she felt any responsibility for Barney, but she hadn't even noticed that one of 'her' students was struggling.

"It's alright, I understand. No need to apologize." She remembered the struggles of being a Freshman quite well, and how she'd struggled to make ends meet before being able to afford college. She searched her still frazzled brain for anything she could say to encourage the young man, but he went on and pointed out something on her face.

"...of course I do," she sighed, hanging her head slightly. She'd been so flustered with one little incident after another this morning. How completely crazy she must have looked with her make-up smudged and a replacement top that didn't quite match her skirt, going from room to room looking for space. 

"Thank you," she said, though she didn't sound particularly grateful. She pushed the essays in front of her into a neat pile out of the way and pulled a compact out of her bag. [i]Third time's the charm,[/i] she thought, preparing to fix her face. At that point Barney was beginning to shuffle out, and Harriette was going to let him. She couldn't stand in the way of a student getting ready for their next class. After a moment's hesitated though she turned away from the small mirror in her hand and gave Barney her full attention.

"Barney, there are people and programs out there to help," she said, hoping it didn't sound too condescending. The guy wasn't an idiot, he might have already given everything a try. Harriette wasn't naive enough to think everything would work if someone just tried hard enough, but saying anything else felt like admitting defeat. She tried a smile on, but was sure it came out forced and more than a little lopsided, with half of her face cleaned and covered up and the other messy and tired. She swallowed a lump in her throat in preparation for the next thing she was about to say. "If you need anything, I'll do my best to help too. Otherwise what is my position even for?"

God, it felt a whole lot like lying. She had a lot on her plate already, all she'd be able to offer was disappointment if he ever asked and she couldn't come through. But if she couldn't even help one struggling student, what was she even studying for? Some teacher-to-be she was. Suddenly the last few years of her life felt heavier than ever. [i]I can still do it. Just a little longer, and I'll move away. Start over, again.[/i]

She couldn't bare to look at the student any longer and so she didn't, going back to fixing her make-up. Every now and then though she would glance at the [i]other[/i] student in the room, and eventually the girl's name came to her mind as well. Mila Ford. She was another of 'Harriette's' students, though in a different class. What were the odds?

"I hope we didn't keep you awake," she said softly to Mila, doing the finishing touches of her mascara.