The Scramble

            Bethany held her right hand to her forehead as she pulled her car into a parking spot at the university. “I forgot, oh gosh. I forgot,” She ripped the zipper of her backpack up, and dug into the black hole. Notebooks began to scatter her car as she threw them onto the floor.

            “Come on. Come on. Give me a pen.” Her hands shook as she parted the sea of papers. Eventually, a purple pen slithered its way up from the bottom. She ripped a piece of college ruled paper from a spiral notebook and scribbled a few words, folded the paper in half, then wrote a few more words on the front. She held the paper in her left hand as she shoved the mess she created back into her backpack, which now looked double the size it was originally, thrust her car door open, heaved the backpack over her shoulder, then tapped her foot on the car door to slam it shut.

            Her backpack thudded against her spine as she raced to class. Once she tossed the door open, everyone in the hallway briefly looked her way, then back to their own laptops, phones, books, and papers. All except one, who sat crisscross on the floor with a textbook opened in her lap, smiled up at the sight of her best friend. “You okay, Beth?”

            Bethany flopped down beside Isabella, the weight of her backpack thumping against the dirty floors. “More or less.” She fiddled with the paper in her left hand for a few seconds before holding it out to her. “Sorry it’s so crumpled. I almost forgot today is your birthday.”

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