"Oh God..." Dalia's voice was a hush, conscious of not wanting to be penalised for speaking aloud in the exam room, but her heart thudded so loudly that she felt sure her neighbour could hear it. Panic gripped her, beginning at her core, spreading outwards and up to her now dry throat - they had just been told by their Maths lecturer that calculators would not be allowed and had to be removed off their desks immediately.

How could that even be possible? How could you have a Maths exam without calculators! They weren't even the CAS, or 'Computer Algebra System', calculators used in high school where text notes could be saved and referred to - on that note, it was always ironic that high schools made you buy a fancy calculator you wouldn't be allowed to use throughout university.

It would have been less of a shock had their lecturer forewarned them in those last few classes before Study Week that they would be expected to do all calculations by hand like in the days before technology, so they could at least have been mentally prepared, but to tell them literally minutes before they were due to start the exam itself was just cruel!

As the examiners allowed a few extra minutes for everyone to get settled while they put away their calculators, Dalia glanced around the large room that was filled with rows upon rows of wooden desks leading up to the organ feature of Winthrop Hall. Her eyes scanned the faces of her classmates as if to gauge if the revelation had also been a blow to their nerves as much as it had been for her - as sadistic as it may seem, she drew strength from the sense of fellowship in knowing they were all swimming in the same pot of stress.

Dalia found herself meeting Mikaal's concerned gaze cast her way. It almost made her wonder if he could pick up on or read the distress in her expression. She tried not to think about the fact that she still hadn't heard from him, not even a Facebook 'poke' - if that even still existed.

Unexpectedly, he broke into a wide smile, his warm green eyes almost saying to her that everything would be okay. She felt a calm wash over her, descending down from her shoulders, shrouding and sedating her racing heart.

She didn't have time to process the meaning behind his look in light of where their relationship was at, as an elderly voice surprisingly filled the large room, saying, "Your time starts now."

Dalia liked to begin by reading the whole exam and circling the questions she would attempt first - by getting the easier questions out of the way, she had figured it would buy her extra time for the more challenging questions. However, as she skim read one question at a time, she only found the stress she had felt moments earlier return and rise with more and more intensity. It felt like she had walked into the wrong room and was sitting another class's exam - she just couldn't recall if they had even covered a lot of the content she was reading!

Dalia looked around again - careful to look at tables at least five rows in front and to her left so she could not be accused of trying to cheat - feeling better at the sight of frowning faces that implied it wasn't just her, that she wasn't going insane! But when she noticed one of the three clocks at the front of the room, she realised ten precious minutes had already passed without having yet attempted a single question, so she forced herself to just start, flicking back through the pages of black on white print, her eyes seeking the few questions she had circled.

By the end of the two most excruciating hours of her life, Dalia could swear she wreaked of sweat, feeling hot and sticky in her red sweater and skinny blue jeans. As she packed her blue pens and correction tape back into her fluffy, purple, Smiggle branded pencil case, she could not help feeling forlorn as she recalled the number of questions she had not been able to attempt. She felt sick thinking about the number, which caused her to feel certain that she had not even done enough of the exam to pass. It just wasn't fair - it was surely an injustice to give them such an exam!

In an attempt to shift her mind before it spiralled down into a depressed state, she tried to focus on the fact that at least that was the last of her exams and she had the five week break to look forward to...

Dalia felt a pat on her right shoulder. "Simon!" she said, her eyes delighted to see a friendly face she could vent with. He was back to wearing his usual blue, denim jeans and navy, zip-up jacket over a grey T shirt - he was back in what she was used to seeing. Although they had stayed in touch via text since dinner the week before, their chatter had not tread into territory beyond the usual friendly concern and banter - Dalia even questioned if she had imagined the night being more than ordinary...

"That was horrible," Simon said, but in his usual style, he said it with a laugh. It amazed her sometimes how he could find the funny side to any situation. It magically drew out a smile out of her - his jovial presence was exactly what she needed.

"Oh Simon," she said his name again with a sigh, "I'm sure I failed this one..."

"I'm sure everyone in this room feels the same, but let's forget about it. This was your last exam as well right?"

"Yeh."

"So let's celebrate!"

Dalia hesitated, realising how shattered she felt, as if she had just completed a marathon. "I don't know if I'm up for it... I'm so exhausted. I feel like that exam sucked the life out of me."

Simon laughed, but he was persistent. "How about karaoke? There's a few karaoke places in the city, only ten minutes away. We could lounge on those comfy couches they have in the booth to relax?"

Relaxing and karaoke were not two words she would normally associate together. Rather, she knew from his suggestion that he was on a mission to get her mind off the horrid afternoon through making her laugh - his lack of rhythm was perfectly coupled with his inability to sing, not even to save his life!

"We can also order some food, so that should help get your energy back up." Simon's eyes lit up as if picturing the scene in his mind, before they looked into hers with hope.

His enthusiasm was just so infectious that she found it hard to say no, so she conceded. But just as they started to plan which karaoke joint to go to, suddenly, Simon's face became hard at exactly the moment she felt another tap on her shoulder.

Dalia found herself facing Mikaal this time when she turned around to her left. He was wearing the same brown, ribbed, long sleeved top that she had last seen him in, with the three buttons at the collar but all done up this time. She was a mix of emotions that conflicted with each other, as had been the theme especially during those last couple of catch ups.

"Hey, I just wanted to check on you," he said, his green orbs peering into her hazel ones, as if studying her thoughts before she even became conscious of them. Once again, there was that sense that he could read her, and while that should frighten her really, why did she find it comforting? There was also a strength in his voice, a 'manliness' about his tone that made her feel like she could lean on him for support.

"I'll survive," she said with a shrug, then remembering Simon was still next to her on her right, as she turned back his way, she added through a grin, "Plus Simon's convinced me to celebrate the end of exams with some karaoke."

Dalia's smile disappeared, reminded that the boys weren't on good terms when she saw Simon's cool expression. The tension between them was ever more present with how Dalia had tried to bring Simon into the conversation. But without warning, Dalia felt defiance grow within her. If they were going to leave her in the dark about what was going on between them, well that was their problem. She could just act normal like she would with any other friend and they would just have to put up with it in their damned silence.

Turning back to Mikaal, his face was much harder to read. He always looked composed, as 'calm as a cucumber'.

With the anxiety of the exam having finally subsided, Dalia realised she really needed to use the toilet. "Need to use the loo; I'll be right back," she said to them both before walking out of Winthrop Hall's entrance in a pace that almost looked like a jog - much in the way those marathon 'walkers' looked at the Olympics - before veering left to the ladies.

When she made her way back to where she had left the boys a few minutes later, confusion and almost fear overwhelmed her at the sight she saw. She had never seen Simon's expression so angry, his face contorted, his mouth twisted as curt words were clearly being spat out at Mikaal - who somehow maintained a calm demeanour in his responses. Dalia was too far away to be able to hear what they were saying, but as she approached them, although it was something she didn't like to do out of respect for others' privacy, the idea of eavesdropping entered her mind. But as quickly as the idea had formed was the opportunity missed, Mikaal turning towards the hall entrance that exact moment and catching her eye, before he quickly motioned to Simon with his head as if to warn she was approaching.

Although Simon immediately went silent mid-sentence and his expression changed in what seemed like nanoseconds, Dalia felt her heart pounding so hard that she could feel the reverberations at her now trembling fingers, having just been within earshot to catch Simon's last words, "But you promised to stay away from her after - "

---

Hey hey hey

And the plot thickens... *evil laugh*

Until next time... :)

Thank you for the continued support - for letting me know about typos, for the votes and comments! They motivate me a lot :)

-Noelle