Jessica got out of bed and made her way across the college dorm room to her cramped shower room. Jessica was happy she didn't have to share, because else, her roommates would think she was insane for what she’s about to do.

Jessica stood in front of the mirror, overlooking the bird's nest on top of her head, and began her affirmations, which she learnt last year at an optional self-help course. Jessica does it because it's meant to help her visualize and achieve her objectives, which is something she needs after three years of college without making an actual friend.

Jessica gaze at the hot mess of her reflection in the mirror and say:

"Jessica Madison is my name. I'm a successful individual, and today I'll be brilliant, bold, kind, and forceful as needed. I plan to own my own business, a marriage, three children, and a pug... or perhaps two pugs in the future. But in any case, I'll be pleased."

It's how Jessica prefers to start her mornings because when her alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and she has to pull her sorry butt out of bed, she forgets what she's doing. And due to the chilly weather and gloomy evenings, this time of year is the hardest. Jessica can't help but wish she was back with her father and pals on the Miami beaches.

All Jessica has to talk to is her reflection, which she realizes is sad and borderline mad, and she sometimes seems like those budgie birds who have to stare in the mirror to relieve the dreadful loneliness of being alone in a cage. College did feel like a prison.

It's for this reason that Jessica repeats the phrase. This is why she must remind herself of why she made such a great effort to move up North and attend college. At the end of this, there must be a nice outcome for her.

Jessica tames her hair and puts on some clothing after the mantra; it's time to go to the library and prepare for her lectures. This is her life: she goes to work, comes home, eats, sleeps, and repeats the cycle. There are no parties, no entertainment, and, most importantly, no boys. Relationships, like pugs, arrive later. She's in her final year of college right now, and her top objective is to acquire the greatest degree she can.

Jessica immediately proceeded to the library. Her first seminar is at eleven o'clock, and the tutor who is teaching her session has a well-deserved reputation for interrogating pupils about the assigned readings. She'd had a few classes with her previously, and She'd seen her physically force answers out of kids who had no idea what they were doing.

It was excruciating to see, and people quickly realized that the only way to survive her seminars was to either know the readings inside and out, or to skip them entirely.

Jessica took a walk to the Social Science Library, where she preferred to study in the mornings. It was located in the heart of campus and appeared to be a spot where things went to die. It was a massive dismal concrete cube that stood out like a sore thumb among the lushly groomed college grounds. She had heard it was once considered an architectural marvel, but it now appeared to be a decaying wreck.