nineteen and unravelling
The heavy textbooks slipped from my grip, crashing to the carpeted floor with a loud, echoing thud.
The voices in the alcove instantly went dead silent.
I bent down frantically, my eyes stinging with hot, burning tears of pure shame as I tried to gather the books. I just wanted to disappear. I wanted to run back to the empty loft and never show my face on this campus again.
Suddenly, another pair of hands reached down into the dim light of the aisle, steadily picking up the heaviest volume before I could reach it.
I looked up through a blur of tears.