Chapter 2: Office Hours

The red ink on the top right corner of the paper felt like a physical slap to Lauren’s face.

C+.

"Hindi ako makapaniwala," bulong ni Zelyth habang nakadungaw sa likod ng balikat ni Lauren sa studio workspace nila. "A C+? Seryoso ba si Professor Montgomery? Ibig sabihin, halos bagsak ka na sa criteria niya. Lauren, ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon na nakakita ako ng grade na mas mababa sa B+ sa record mo mula noong freshman year natin."

Lauren didn’t answer. Her jaw was tight, her grip on the edge of the drafting table so fierce that her knuckles turned white. The assignment was a preliminary design essay analyzing the relationship between shadow and emotional weight in monumental structures. She had spent three consecutive nights staying up until 4:00 AM, skipping meals, and meticulously drafting sketches to accompany her written arguments. She knew her analysis was sound. It was bold, innovative, and deeply philosophical—exactly what Anne had claimed she wanted on the first day of class.

But right below the glaring red grade, Anne’s precise, elegant handwriting read: 'Overly conceptual. Your structural assumptions lack realistic load-bearing applications. Architecture is not poetry for the blind, Miss Miller. Re-submit if you wish to avoid a permanent stain on your midterms.'

"Gusto niya ng load-bearing?" matigas na sabi ni Lauren, her eyes burning as she stared at the critique. Sinubukan niyang pakalmahin ang kanyang paghinga, pero ang galit at frustration sa kanyang dibdib ay nagwawala. "I clearly stated in paragraph five that the load would be distributed via reinforced concrete corbels hidden within the shadow lines. Hindi niya lang binasa nang maayos."

"Woah, chill lang, Lauren," awat ni Zelyth, medyo kinakabahan sa hitsura ng kaibigan. "Anong gagawin mo? Huwag mong sabihing aawayin mo si Professor Montgomery? Baka gawin niyang F 'yan, sige ka."

"I’m not going to fight her, Zelyth," Lauren said, packing her paper into her folder with an aggressive snap. "I’m going to office hours. May thirty minutes pa bago matapos ang consultation period niya ngayong hapon. I need her to justify this grade."

"Sige, good luck na lang talaga sa 'yo. Magpapakandila ako sa chapel para sa kaluluwa ng transcript mo," tawang-kabado na sabi ni Zelyth habang kinakawayan si Lauren papalabas ng room.

Habang naglalakad si Lauren patungo sa faculty wing, the heavy silence of the afternoon hung in the air. Ang tunog lang ng kanyang sapatos sa makintab na tile floor ang naririnig. When she reached Room 312—the office with a small bronze plaque that read 'Anne C. Montgomery, M.Arch'—she hesitated for a brief second. Pinalis niya ang kaunting pawis sa kanyang noo at inayos ang kwelyo ng kanyang gray sweater. She knocked three times, firmly.

"Come in," the voice from inside was muffled but unmistakably smooth and authoritative.

Lauren turned the knob and stepped in. The office looked exactly like the woman who owned it: pristine, highly organized, and intimidating. A tall bookshelf lined the left wall, packed with thick volumes on classical European architecture, modern urbanism, and structural engineering. In the corner, a sleek architectural model of a glass museum sat under a protective acrylic case. Anne was sitting behind her large desk, illuminated by the soft light of a desk lamp, writing notes in a black leather journal. She was wearing a tailored charcoal vest over a long-sleeved cream blouse, her hair tightly bound in her signature chic bun.

She didn't look up immediately. "Take a seat, Miss Miller. I will be with you in a moment."

Lauren sat on the low leather chair opposite the desk. The desk was a physical and psychological barrier between them. Niyakap niya ang kanyang folder sa kanyang dibdib, tahimik na pinapanood ang bawat paggalaw ng kamay ni Anne. The scratching sound of Anne's fountain pen on paper was the only noise in the room. There was a delicate scent of expensive jasmine and black coffee in the air.

Finally, Anne capped her pen and set it down. She leaned back in her chair, folding her hands together on top of the desk, and turned her piercing gray eyes toward Lauren.

"I assume you're here about your essay," Anne said, her tone smooth and entirely devoid of emotion.

Inilapag ni Lauren ang kanyang paper sa ibabaw ng desk, iniharap ang nakasulat na C+ kay Anne. "Opo, Professor. Gusto ko lang po sanang itanong kung bakit ganito kababa ang grade ko. Sabi niyo po sa komento niyo, overly conceptual at walang realistic load-bearing applications ang gawa ko. Pero kung babasahin niyo po ang page four, paragraph five—"

"I read it, Miss Miller," putol ni Anne, ang kanyang boses ay nanatiling kalmado ngunit mariin. "Nabasa ko ang tungkol sa reinforced concrete corbels na itatago mo sa shadow lines. Do you think a simple sentence about hidden corbels justifies a cantilevered concrete roof spanning over thirty meters without central columns?"

"It’s a theoretical essay, Professor Montgomery," depensa ni Lauren, medyo tumataas ang boses dahil sa frustration. "Ang sabi niyo po sa syllabus, we are exploring the philosophy of space. I was focusing on how the heavy shadow creates a sense of psychological pressure on the visitor. Hindi ko naman po alam na kailangan ko nang magsumite ng complete structural computation at blueprints para sa isang five-page essay."

Anne leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk. The distance between them shrank, and Lauren could see the tiny flecks of dark silver in the professor's eyes. The sheer intensity of Anne's gaze made Lauren's breath catch in her throat, but she forced herself not to look away.

"Philosophy is not an excuse for bad science, Lauren," Anne said, dropping the 'Miss Miller' for the first time, her velvet voice dropping an octave. "Ang pinakamasamang bagay na pwedeng gawin ng isang architect ay ang mag-design ng isang magandang pangarap na mamamatay sa sandaling itayo na ito sa totoong mundo. Gravity does not care about your poetry. Gravity does not care about your emotions. It will pull your building down if the physics are wrong."

"Pero tama naman ang physics ko, hindi niyo lang ako binigyan ng pagkakataong i-explain!" bawi ni Lauren, leaning forward too, her stubborn pride flaring up. "Kung titingnan niyo po ang slope ng side walls, ang load ay hindi lang napupunta sa corbels. It is transferred diagonally down to the foundation. Ginamit ko ang principles ng structural expressionism!"

Anne stared at her, seemingly taken aback by Lauren's fierce refusal to back down. Students usually trembled in this office; they cried, they apologized, or they quietly accepted whatever critique she handed out. But Lauren Jade Miller was standing her ground, her cheeks flushed with anger, her eyes blazing with a passionate fire that Anne hadn't seen in a student in years.

For a long, agonizing moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them grew thick, charged with an unspoken tension that had nothing to do with architecture. Anne's eyes shifted down to Lauren's parted lips before moving back up to meet her eyes.

A sudden, sharp silence descended upon the room.

Anne slowly reached out and pulled the paper closer to her. Her long, manicured fingers traced the red ink of the grade she had written. "You are very stubborn, Miss Miller."

"I am passionate about my work, Professor," Lauren corrected quietly, her voice softening slightly as she felt the shifting atmosphere in the room.

"Passionate," ulit ni Anne, na parang nilalasahan ang salita sa kanyang dila. "A dangerous trait in this profession. Nabubulag ng passion ang mga mata mo sa mga simpleng pagkakamali."

Anne stood up from her chair and walked toward the tall bookshelf. Magaan at elegante ang kanyang bawat hakbang. She reached for a thick, leather-bound volume—an advanced German textbook on structural mechanics—and brought it back to the desk. Inilapag niya ito sa harap ni Lauren, ang tunog ng mabigat na libro ay umalingawngaw sa tahimik na opisina.

"Basahin mo ang chapters 3 at 4," sabi ni Anne, habang nakatayo sa gilid ng desk, napakalapit sa kinaroroonan ni Lauren. Lauren could smell her perfume clearly now—a intoxicating blend of clean linen and night-blooming jasmine. "Kung kaya mong i-rewrite ang structural framework ng design mo gamit ang tamang diagonal load distribution formulas na nandoon, at patunayan sa akin na hindi babagsak ang bubong mo, I will change your grade to an A."

Lauren looked up at Anne. Mula sa kanyang posisyon, kailangang medyo itingala ni Lauren ang kanyang ulo. Anne was looking down at her, her expression still guarded, but there was a strange, unreadable glint in her gray eyes—almost like admiration, or a challenge that went deeper than schoolwork.

"Seryoso po kayo?" tanong ni Lauren, ang kanyang galit ay biglang napalitan ng panibagong determinasyon.