Akutu's fingers raced across the keyboard, her heart pounding with panic. The assignment deadline was midnight, and she had less than two hours left. The words on the screen blurred as exhaustion tugged at her mind. One night of fun, and now she was paying for it.
Jenny glanced at her from her bed. "You good?"
"No," Akutu muttered. "I was careless. I should've planned better."
Jenny sat up, watching as Akutu struggled. "You'll finish it in time."
"But at what quality?" Akutu snapped, instantly regretting her tone. Jenny wasn't the enemy—her own poor decisions were.
Minutes ticked by like seconds. 11:45 PM. She skimmed through her rushed work, catching typos, incomplete thoughts, and poorly structured arguments. This wasn't her best. Not even close.
Still, she submitted it.
A wave of relief washed over her, but it was quickly replaced by guilt. Had she just jeopardized her grades for a night of fun?
The following week, results for the assignment were posted. Akutu hesitated before clicking.
48%.
Her stomach dropped. She had failed.
She stared at the screen, her mind blank. She had never scored this low before.
Jenny peeked over her shoulder. "Oh no."
Akutu swallowed hard. "I did this to myself."
She thought back to that night—the music, the laughter, the feeling of freedom. It had felt harmless in the moment. But this? This was the real consequence.
The lecturer's feedback was brutal: Lack of depth. Weak arguments. Careless mistakes.
Akutu shut her laptop. The weight of reality pressed down on her. Every action had a reaction. Every choice led somewhere.
The pulleys of life had moved again.