MIDTERM WEEK IS here, and it's without a doubt the second most stressful week of the semester right after finals.

I'm not stressed. At least I'm refusing to attach the stressed label onto myself, because if I do so then that means I'll succumb to my stressed filled tendencies. I cannot have a breakdown, I cannot second guess myself, and I cannot fail, so therefore, I cannot be stressed.

I just took my anatomy exam and I have no idea how well I've done on it, but I'm not going to linger on the thought. I still have two more exams and I need to focus my energy on them.

I've come to baker's dozen to study more so for the free coffee than the vibes. My usual place of choice would be my room or the library but I'm cramping, exhausted, and need caffeine more than anything.

When I finish the last drop of my cup, I immediately go back up the counter to order another one.

"I'll have your refill for you in just a second," Josh says, "but this is going to have to be your last cup of the day. I can't let my favorite worker have a cardiac arrest on me."

I give him a weary smile. "I know, I know. I just have these notes I need to get through for my exam later."

As Josh goes to the backroom to bring out more coffee cups, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me ma'am, can I get a cup of coffee." The deep voice says.

"Oh, I'm not on the clock right now, you're gonna have to wait-" When I turn around to address the customer, my breath gets caught in my throat. "Theo! What are you doing here?" The surprise leaves in in slight disbelief and I rush him into my arms.

My brother chuckles. "I came to check up on you."

Something about the way he says check up on me slightly rubs me the wrong way. I know he means well, but I can't help my irrational thought of people believing I'm some weak, emotionally fragile thing. Like I need to be hovered over and watched, or else I'll go mad.

"You drove all the way here just to check up on me?" I say.

"Nah, the high school had a tour scheduled today so I just decided to hop on the bus. Thought I'd surprise you. I'm glad I decided to stop here first."

My head reaches his shoulders and when I pull back, I study his face which seems to have gotten more chiseled in the two months since I last saw him.

"What is this?" I make a gagging sound, touching the wispy skin above his lips.

"Stop playing, you know its a mustache." He whacks my hand away.

"You call that a mustache? Looks more like peach fuzz or something."

"Ha-ha." He sarcastically laughs. "Are you going to give me a tour or what?"

I nod, realizing I do need a break from staring at my computer screen for hours.

When Josh hands me my last cup of coffee, I pack my stuff and lead Theo around campus.

"What are your teachers gonna think when they realize you've strayed off from the tour?" I scold him with a stern look.

He waves me off. "There's like 30 other students, and they don't take attendance till we're on the bus. I'll be fine as long as I make it back on time."

We walk around campus for a while and I show him some of the areas he hasn't been able to explore those few move in days he's come to help me unpack. I show him one of the dining halls, then our library, football stadium, and student gym all the way back to my dorm, where we head to my room.

"How's school been going?" He walks around my empty room trying to be nonchalant but I can see the concerned looks he shoots me here and there.

"It's been fine. I'm getting through it." I honestly answer.

"Yeah, You're okay right? It's not overwhelming or anything?" He continues to dig.

"I've got a handle on things, Theo. I promise I'm fine," I say. "Now what's going on with you, how's life back in Philly?"

I want to know about Theo's life since we don't talk as often as I would like, though I would be lying if I said a certain part of me didn't want to know how things are going back home.

"I'm still staying with Tyler. I do try to visit home every few days, but the second they start fighting, I walk right out. Besides that, I mean, school is whatever. I've basically finished most of the work for the year so I'm just cruising till graduation."

Of course they're still fighting. I don't know why I thought it might've died down. Every time I send money home, part of the hope is that it helps mend their relationship, even if it's just temporary since they mostly fight about money. I guess it's just the naivety in me that believes I have the power to fix everything.

"Have you been to the restaurant lately?" I ask.

"Not recently. Last time I stopped by, they barely passed health inspections and it was basically dead as usual. I don't know how long they're gonna hold onto that junk," he says.

"You don't have to be like that."

"Like what?" He sounds defensive.

"You've gotten so harsh lately, what's up with that?" I ponder.

"Are you blind, Summer? They've been putting us through hell, they nearly destroyed you and don't even seem to care about it. If you didn't have a whole breakdown, they'd probably still be badgering you to help pay the bills."

I bite my lip from his statement, straying my eyes away from him.

"They're not badgering you to help pay the bills anymore, right?" He seems to have taken notice of my guilty look.

"Um," I toy with my nails. "They might have."

"But you told them to go to hell right? Because you only work part-time and you have you own shit to worry about, right?"

Heat covers my body and I feel flustered. I hate when Theo gets all wise and mature like this, leaving me to feel like the younger sibling, leaving me to feel like a child again.

"I had to help." I raise my hands in defense. "They're our parents, how could I say no. How could I say go to hell, I've got my own stuff to worry about."

"By saying go to hell, I have my own stuff to worry about." Theo lowers his head. "You see, this is your problem. You don't just care, you care so much that you'll drop everything, you'll put all your problems and hopes and dreams aside to help whoever it is that needs help. When you're like that people are going to take advantage of you, even our parents. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I got so harsh because I realized their game. They're selfish, they're bitter, and they'll gaslight you and they'll guilt you until they get their way."

"Times are hard, if I can help why shouldn't I?" I feel like I have to defend myself and our parents.

"The thing is you can't. If you had finished your degree and you were making 80k a year, then I would get you being able to help with expenses, but you're a full-time student and they had you juggling a full-time job to send money home while they spent their whole time screaming in an empty restaurant. That's selfish, if they can't keep themselves up, then maybe they just need to fall."

I don't look up at Theo, because if I do I know I'll cry. He's right, but things are so much more complicated than he's making them out to be. I'm thinking about the worst case scenario, our parents ending up on the streets. After providing for us for most of our lives, how can I just leave them hanging?

"Look." Theo pulls me out of my thoughts. "Next time they ask for money, just tell them to call me. I've been working at Wawa to save for college, and since I'm basically done with school, I don't have to worry about juggling all the things you do."

"Well, you have to save for college. It's not easy, everything is super expensive." I don't like the idea of Theo helping. I want him to have the full college experience without the stress of working and making money once he gets there.

"I'm good for it. After my scholarships and grants I should be getting a good refund check every semester. It'll hold me over."

"Okay." I agree partially in my head. If they ask for money again, then maybe I'll let Theo pay some of it, though not all.

He looks satisfied with my agreement and he lowers himself onto my desk chair, spinning around.

"Where's Aleennaaa?" He starts to sound flirty.

"She's in class. How's Kayla again?" I ask about his girlfriend he's been with for at least a year.

"She's cool. She thinks Aleena's hot too." He smirks.

I roll my eyes at him, trying not to laugh.

I miss Carter. It's a random thought and I find myself thinking about him all the time now. Those few moments when my mind would be focused on anything other than school or work are focused on him. It's comforting to have one thing that automatically makes you happy.

Theo leans back against my chair to the point where it looks like he's either about to break it or tip over, knowing I hate when he does it. "So I've got a few hours till my school leaves. What's the move?"

"The move is to the STEM building because I have my next exam in an hour," I say, and drag him by the collar of his shirt out of my chair. "Come on, let's go."

We get to the building and situate ourselves in some chairs near the entrance. I pull out my laptop and dive back into my work.

"When's spring break for you guys?"

"Next week." I don't look up from my laptop

"You coming home? You can stay with me at Tyler's if you want, his mom doesn't mind."

"No thanks. I'll stay on campus." I shut him down.

Spring break has never been a thing for me. I don't usually waste it going back home, and I certainly won't this year. I mostly spend it sleeping in and working extra shifts. The whole going down to Florida and drinking and partying just seems like tv and movie nonsense to me. I've never experienced any of that.

"Suit yourself." He sighs and continues texting on his phone.

I hear my phone vibrate soon enough and check it to find a message from Carter.

What are you up to right now?

I try to keep my smile at bay but it seems to have a mind of its own.

I'm in the STEM building, my physiology exam is in half an hour.

We've had to rely mostly on texting and calling these last few days. With my work and Carter's basketball practice, there hasn't been much time for us to hang out. Which also mean there hasn't been time to define our relationship. It makes me nervous but besides that, things have been going well.

When I hit send and look back up, Theo is gawking at me with a confused expression.

"Who's got you smiling like that?"

"No one." I drop my phone and focus back on my laptop so he doesn't continue to ask.

It's not the right time to tell him about Carter, especially since I don't even know if we're a thing. We'll see how the rest of the semester goes before I start introducing him to my family.

"You guys have a vending machine or something in here? I need a snack," Theo says.

"Go all the way to the end of the hall, and make a left. The vending machine should next to the first class." I direct him. " And my class is about to start so I'm just gonna start heading off now. You stay here. I'll be back in an hour and a half and we can grab dinner before you go back." I get out of my seat and start packing my book bag.

"Cool." He hurries, disappearing among the crowded group of students maneuvering their way to their classes.

I hang back for a few seconds, just to let the crowd die down before I get to the second floor since I hate the claustrophobic feeling of being squished among groups of people.

When the crowds dissipate and the chatter dies down, I begin to make my way.

"Summer!" I hear my name from a familiar voice.

I turn around, not knowing what to expect, when Carter comes running up through the door out of nowhere.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" I ask.

Sweat sheens across his forehead and his breathing is heavy and labored. I down and see him gripping a handful of daisies in them, with the dirt and soil still attached to the bottom that leaves a trail from the door to the spot he stands in right in front of me.

Could he be sick again? A million thoughts are running through my head on why he's decided to bombard me out of nowhere right before my exam. I'm happy to see him, I'm just more confused than anything.

The hall is mostly empty and the few people who are sitting around don't care enough to pay attention.

"I'm fine," he says in between breaths. "I ran all the way here from the business building. I wanted to catch you before your test."

"Why?" I ask.

I bring him into a hug and pull back to push some of his curly hair away from his sweaty forehead.

"Because I need to say this." He swallows, holding out his bouquet of flowers. "Summer, will you be my girlfriend?"

I start to laugh. It's a nervous and giddy laughter that covers my speechlessness and pounding heart. 

"You came all this way to ask me to be your girlfriend?" I accept the flowers and hold them upright so more dirt doesn't continue to fall to the ground.

This is cute, this is insanely cute. He looks so nervous and he clearly just went and plucked up some flowers from the ground outside, but I don't care. I love the flowers. 

"I've been wanting to ask for a while, I was just too in my head about it, so I decided to just be spontaneous and rip the bandage," he says.

"This is definitely spontaneous."

"So..." he steps closer to me.

"Oh, yes. Of course I'll be your girlfriend." I answer.

I don't need to think about it or second guess it. This feels right, this feels natural.

"Yes!" He picks me up and begins spinning us in a circle.

My heart isn't just racing right now, it feels like it's going to burst. I squeal and drop my head into the crook of his shoulder until he lowers me back down.

When he does, I hook my hand around the back of his neck and pull him down for a kiss. It's not quite a peck, but its slow and quick, just to get another taste of him and let him know how happy I am.

"I'm taking you on a date after your exams." He doesn't ask, he just says and I like the way he takes charge.

"I can't wait." I give him another kiss.

When I take a step back. he looks flustered and his face begins to get red.

He leans down and whispers in my ear. "If you keep kissing me, I'm gonna get hard."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I step back and look around to make sure no one has heard.

He makes a rugged sound. "It's too late."

"Really?" I laugh.

"I should get going," he says, taking his book bag off his shoulders and holding it against his lower stomach.

I clutch onto my chest laughing even harder. "I'll talk to you later."

He still reaches down for one last kiss before he runs back out.

I watch him leave, feeling completely overwhelmed.

When Theo comes back with a soda and chips in hand, I shove my flowers into his other and make my way to my class with a new feeling of happiness and ease.

I'm gonna ace this exam, I can just feel it.