Tired Mumblings of Class

He was tired, and couldn't imagine making it through one more period. To avoid falling asleep, he had taken to pinching himself a few times a minute, and watching the clock inch towards the bell. He didn't understand the class, but at least he had expected that. The rest was what made this room into Hell itself, the reading in front of him laughing like Satan. He felt like Athena was about to spring out of his head, so he popped two Advil and went back to pinching himself. The sentences in his mind were concise and blocky, eager to get to the next idea as soon as possible.

There was a smiling Asian girl in front of him, and she disgusted him. How could she hold that smile for so long? She was nodding every time the teacher snuck in a period into the lecture, and it ticked him off. She looked like she had held that smile for the past four years, hiding from something that she felt the people around her would never understand. He wasn't sure if her emotional depth was what impressed him, or if it was just the strength of her face muscles.