PLACEHOLDER OF PLACEHOLDERINESS

The most important day of Alethia's life is pretty ordinary, at the start. Oh, it's an exam day, but it's her last year of university, she's done that before. And it's just a midterm, and one she's been studying for all week at that. And, and, she has four hours of time blocked out after her last class of the day to get in some last-minute reviewing. She's not worried. 

She wakes up a few minutes before her alarm. Has her morning shower. Drinks her morning coffee. Heads out the door without eating breakfast, as usual. She'll buy a muffin during her first break. The chocolate chip one, it's less than two bucks for four hundred calories of deliciousness, and she's trying not to waste too much money on not having to prepare her own breakfast.

She is a bit exhilarated, though. It doesn't get in the way during her other classes, really, but on her walks between them she goes over the material in her head. She's always like this before a test. It's fun! And difficult! At the same time! She gets to solve puzzles in exchange for feeling good about herself! And the math is all so interesting. 

She knows most people don't experience schooling like that. She certainly didn't when she was younger. But she's so, so glad she does now. 

She hopes she can avoid getting anything wrong, it's always nice when she manages a perfect hundred.