Droop.

I quickly snapped my head back, nearly slamming it into the bulletin board behind me. I opened my eyes and was greeted with pulsing yellowish lights produced from the ceiling lights. Cockroach droppings and debris litter the inside of it. I even spotted a lizard corpse, its head twisted in an impossible way.

Using my hands, I shield my eyes from the throbbing light assaulting my eyes. I leveled my head and focused on comprehending the blurry image ahead of me. My heavy eyelids decided otherwise.

Droop.

I pulled my head up again. In front of me, a jumble of equations were displayed on a whiteboard. An elderly man dressed in formal attire stands to the side of it, holding a remote. He presses his thumb down on a button, causing the screen to come to life.
The data within the projector’s light bulb changed in an instant. Billions of photons reflected off the various colored mirrors within the box. These light particles join together and exit the projector, onto the board.

This exhilarating process happened in a fraction of a second… just to display another worksheet.

A collective groan echoed throughout the room. The few students who hadn’t already put their heads down collapsed onto their desks. The man turned toward the class, confusion plastered all over his face.

“Now is not the time for napping. This worksheet won’t solve itself.”

He sat down at his desk nearby and began furiously typing on the keyboard. I pulled out a sheet of paper from my folder and tried my hand at the first problem. I strained my eyes to get a better look at it. 2√3/3√6. A lengthy yawn escaped my mouth.

Droop.

I jolt awake, swiftly raising my head. It slammed into the bulletin board with a deafening smack. Dozens of my drowsy peers jolted awake. Upon seeing the worksheet on the board, most went back to resting their heads on their desks.

A girl across the room raised her hand. The teacher faced toward and pointed at her.

“May I go use the restroom?”

I took a quick glance at him, awaiting his answer. Instead, I saw a wave of emotions flash across his face. Confusion, disbelief, depression, anger. His breathing quickened. His hand clenched into a fist. A vein popped out on his balding head. I saw a fiery rage flare in his eyes. I didn’t see the tenured professor I had grown accustomed to. I saw a ravenous beast, ready to pounce at any moment.

“Have you completed the worksheet?”

The girl’s shoulders slumped. The disappointment was written all over her face.

“But I really need to go!”

The teacher wagged his finger.

“You can wait 5 more minutes. Complete the equations, young lady.”

She didn’t dare protest. Neither did I, as my eyelids enveloped my eyes. The last thing I saw before collapsing on my desk was the teacher holding the remote… revealing yet another worksheet.

Droop.