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Burnout

Penulis: Blueesandy
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-06-19 20:41:39

I’d been a walking disaster all day.

Backpack on my back, eco bag over one shoulder, and two sketchpads cradled in both arms. I looked like a human school supplies aisle. My sleeves were stained with acrylic paint, and my hair? A mess. I had zero time for vanity today.

I was sitting in the shaded area near the Fine Arts building, eating a burger. The bench was old, but it had the best ventilation thanks to the nearby tree. Typical late March heat — sticky, humid — and even though it was just 10 a.m., it already felt like mid-afternoon.

Beside me was an iced coffee — no longer cold, but whatever. As long as it had caffeine, it worked.

“Hey, Lau!” Erika, my classmate from Painting Techniques, waved. “Girl, you look… busy.”

“Understatement of the year,” I said, trying not to drop my burger while reaching into my pouch for correction tape.

“You haven’t slept, have you?” asked Bea, the artsy-conyo one.

“Since… Wednesday. But that’s not important. I just need to pass this plate.”

“Grabe ka,
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  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Strange Affections

    Third-Person POV – ViennaShe always looked put together—heels clicking against tile, blouse neatly tucked in, phone in one hand and a stack of deadlines in the other. Vienna Xavier was the type of girl you’d assume had her whole life under control. And most of the time, she did. Or at least, she made sure it looked that way.But today? She wasn’t sure if the tightness in her chest came from the hangover of sleeping through her problems—or from the boy sitting right in front of her now.“You haven’t eaten, have you?” Jacob asked, handing her a cup of hot chocolate.Vienna raised an eyebrow. “You actually remembered that?”“I used to be your intern, remember?” he said, grinning.She smirked but didn’t answer right away. She sat down on the bench, legs crossed, eyes drifting across the quiet garden near the admin building. It was mostly empty. Just her, Jacob, and the memories she wished she could file away and forget.Jacob sat beside her—not too close, but close enough.“I didn’t thin

  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Growing feelings

    When I got home, I didn’t know what to expect.All I wanted was to sleep. To breathe. To wake up in a world that wasn’t falling apart. But no — because the moment I walked into Cole’s house, she was there.Michelle.Sitting in the living room. In a pink lounge dress, holding a cup of warm milk or whatever she thought would make her look soft and pitiful.She looked like she hadn’t left the house in days. I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more — her presence, or the way she sat like she owned the place.I froze at the doorway. Part of me wanted to leave. The other part wanted to yell.“You’re here,” she said, blank-faced. “I was just about to head upstairs.”“Don’t let me stop you,” I replied flatly.But she didn’t move.“I’m keeping the baby,” she added. No emotion, no buildup. Just dropped it like a bomb — carefully measured.We locked eyes.“Okay,” I said, flat as ever. “Congrats. Go ahead and post it. #Blessed.”Her brow lifted. “You really hate me, don’t you?”“Hate?” I gave a dry

  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Flares of War

    When I opened the front door, the air inside felt heavy. Quiet—but not the peaceful kind. It was the kind of silence that warned something was about to explode.“Mom?” I called out as I set my bag down by the hallway.I had just come from a full day of classes—my bag heavy with plates, half-finished iced coffee in hand. All I wanted was sleep.But that wasn’t what I got.A sharp slap met me at the door. No warning, no dramatic buildup—just the raw sting of skin hitting skin. It sent me stumbling back, nearly twisting my ankle in my shoes.“What the hell?!” I shouted, clutching my cheek. It burned. I could taste blood on my lip. “Are you crazy?!”“What do you think you’re doing?” Mom screamed. She was in a house dress, but her eyes—they belonged to someone else. “What are you doing to my family, Laura?!”Her family.“Excuse me?” I snapped. “You slap me and now you’re acting like I owe you answers?”“You’re humiliating me!” she yelled. “You’re humiliating me and Edward! Why are you tryi

  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Fire starter

    I hadn’t even unpacked my stuff in the studio when my phone buzzed.Group chat.FloraLux PR Team:“Hi Miss Emily, need your urgent response. A tabloid photo just surfaced. Kindly check your email.”More notifications followed. Emails. Messages. Alerts.I frowned. I’m not part of Mom’s PR team, but I picked up the issue fast enough while passing the admin office. One of the secretaries was holding her phone, whispering to another:“Isn’t that the ex who trashed Edward before?”My mind immediately jumped to Mom.By the time I got home, I wasn’t even past the gate when I heard her voice—loud and trembling.“What is this garbage they’re spreading?!” she shouted, clutching a printout of a photo—grainy, but clearly enhanced.It looked old, but the bold tabloid headline screamed:“Emily Smith involved in scandal with married man, early 2000s?”“I never did anything like this! This is fake! It’s fake!”Edward was next to her, one hand on her shoulder—supportive, but awkward. It felt like one

  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Second Guess

    “I need to print my layout later. This is getting ridiculous,” I muttered, juggling a sketch pad, my tablet, and a whole roll of illustration board. I looked like a walking art supply dump — sweaty, starving, and with what felt like dried ink on my cheek — and I was sprawled like roadkill in the hallway of the Fine Arts building.“I told you, wear sleeves next time. Look at you — like you got splashed with gouache,” Mina, my classmate from FA 2A, said while holding an iced americano and taunting me with it like it was sin in a cup.I glanced at the glass panel beside the studio door. Wow. I looked like art block slapped me in the face.“Must be nice,” I replied, eyes locked on the coffee. “I still have to eat my pride later. I haven’t even finished my commission.”“You got this, Laura. And hey — aren’t you and Cole a thing now? Built-in stress reliever,” Roxy chimed in, arms full of colored pens that looked like she robbed a rainbow.I paused.Lately, I’d been mentioned in conversatio

  • University Series 1: Tangled Ties   Introduction

    If there were an award for “Most Awkward Couple Dinner in the History of Fake Relationships,” I’m pretty sure Cole and I would win.We were standing in front of his house — or technically, the house of our parents. Yes. His dad and my mom. Same roof. Same bed. Same wedding plans.Perfect.I took a deep breath as I adjusted the collar of my blouse. “This is it.”“Smile,” Cole whispered as he opened the gate. “We’re the picture of forbidden love, Faye.”“Gross,” I said, but laughed anyway. No matter how weird this was, it really was the next step — to make our parents believe we were serious about each other… so their wedding would never happen.The moment we stepped inside, Edward greeted us first.“Cole. Laura.” He looked surprised but tried to stay casual. “No classes today?”“Early dismissal,” Cole replied while holding my hand — casual, steady, no hesitation. “We missed you, Dad.”We missed you, my ass.Mom followed right after, towel in hand. “Lau! I thought you’d be home next wee

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