It wasn't that you didn't want to do well.

Your academic journey had been a tough one, and you had a complicated relationship with motivation, despite your passions being fulfilled while you were here. Your history professor, Slade Wilson, had been incredibly intimidating upon first meeting him, but you got the sense it was a similar experience for most - although, his first hand experience grappling with warfare certainly made him an interesting and intriguing character. People flocked to him like bees to honey, making him a quick favourite amongst students of all kinds. Some you didn't doubt was because of the things many girls whispered about him behind his back.

When you had shown early signs of your once top grades lagging behind, Professor Wilson had been ridiculously quick on the uptake and notified you immediately of his concerns via email. He'd demanded an explanation in person, giving you more of what felt like an order than a suggestion to stay behind after your next lecture with him to discuss your grades. Suddenly, motivation hit you like a truck, though you wondered if that was nerves and a mixture of fear.

Being alone with Professor Wilson was quite a frightening experience, with his steely, intense gaze behind one single, cold eye, and stone hard expression that felt like it could see right through you. He didn't even beat around the bush when you were finally alone, no formalities of any kind to make you feel welcome. You'd have thought he hardly cared about his students if he hadn't orchestrated this personal meeting so quickly after you'd botched the latest exams.

"Your grades are becoming a concern," Slade simply stated, cold cut, with no room for argument. You bit your tongue, afraid to even open your mouth to speak. "I'd like an explanation, and quickly. I'm already considering assigning you plenty of essays over the next two weeks to get your work ethic back up."