025 | manganese

                                    

                                          
× Horan
                          


                          
Sunday morning was hell, but I managed to get out of bed and make my way to the English building. I was really drunk last night, but everything kept playing in my head over and over again. No amount of alcohol seemed to erase it.
                          
I didn't sleep either. The storm didn't end until six in the morning, and the power came on sometime before that, but sleep still didn't seem to want to come.
                          
When I rounded the corner, I was surprised to find Professor Lawtherd's English room door wide open with the lights on. Being it was a weekend, it was a long shot for me to even expect him to be there, but from the looks of it, he was. Though, he wasn't inside the room.
                          
Stepping through the doorway, I walked slowly to the desk in front that faced the elevated seats of the deserted class. The white bored was clear except for some notes for the professor to remind himself what was on the schedule for the week. It looked like my class was starting a book called The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
                          
Turning my back to the board, I looked at the professor's desk and noticed a stack of papers at the edge of the wooden surface. What caught my attention was the name Lynn Mercury typed on one of the papers sticking out. I looked over my shoulder at the open door to see if anyone was watching me and stealthily snatched the paper from the pile.
                          
Prometheus and Pandora. The story of how mankind killed my parents and an awful gift that kept me going.
                          
"What a surprise to see you here, Mr. Horan," someone said from behind me, making me jump. I quickly spun around and placed Lynn's essay back on top of the pile in one swift motion, praying Professor Lawtherd didn't catch me reading someone else's work. "I would have thought you would be in bed sleeping after that win yesterday. What do I owe the pleasure?"
                          
"Uh," I said stupidly, my heart still beating a little faster from the professor's sudden appearance. "I'm here to talk to you about my grade on the myth essay," I finally spit out.
                          
He started laughing as he walked over to his desk. "You're here to talk to me because you got a ninety percent on an essay?"
                          
It sounded really fucking ridiculous when he said it out loud, but that was exactly why I was there. 
                          
"Yes," I confirm.
                          
"You should really have more faith in yourself, Niall," he told me as he pulled out his swivel chair and took a seat. "It was nicely written, really, and the only reason why you didn't get a hundred percent was because there were some grammar errors and a couple sloppy sentences that told me that you wrote it a few hours before class."
                          
"I just thought there was a mistake about my grade or something," I confessed, starting to feel really stupid for even going in to talk to the professor. "I don't know shit about this Greek crap. Honestly; I had no idea what the fuck I was writing for that essay. I was just bullshiting it."
                          
"Well, it spoke volumes, Mr. Horan," Professor Lawtherd said. "Whether you were just winging it or not, there was truth in your words. You came from a high lifestyle that ended up kicking you in the arse. Did Miss Mercury help you with it at all?"
                          
I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms, offended that he would even think that despite him being right. "She helped me think of a myth, but that's it. I did all the writing."
                          
Professor Lawtherd nodded approvingly. "I knew that girl would be good for you."
                          
"What?"
                          
"You remind me of myself when I was your age, Mr. Horan," he explained, leaning on his elbows and clasping his hands together on his desk. "Though, there is only maybe a ten year difference between us, give or take... a lot can happen in ten years."