Rick and Nisha have been trying their best to keep me on track, dragging me to the library almost every day. But even there, between Rick cracking jokes and Nisha trying to act like a strict tutor, I just can't escape her. 

My mind keeps wandering off to that last conversation we had. I know I should be paying attention to my studies, but her memory is overwhelming.

"Hey, Azer, did you hear me?"

 Nisha’s voice breaks through my thoughts. She's staring at me, eyebrows raised, holding up a page full of math problems.

"Uh, yeah, totally," 

I lie, glancing at the page but not really seeing it.

Nisha sighs. 

"Focus, Azer. We’ve only got two weeks left, and you’re already in deep water."

Nisha looks like she wants to push, but Rick jumps in with another joke. 

"Maybe you need a tutor who’s not so scary. Someone who won't make you solve three problems for every one wrong answer."

"I’m just trying to help!" 

Nisha protests, but she’s grinning.

Rick leans back, hands behind his head. 

"I bet if you solved problems like you think about your crush, you'd be top of the class."

I feel my face heat up. 

"Shut up, man."

Nisha laughs. 

"Okay, let's get back to it before you fail miserably. And don't blame us when you do."

Despite their efforts, the rest of the two weeks don't go much better. Even on exam day, Rafa is still in my head. I stare at the questions, trying to concentrate, but the thoughts of her keep surfacing. 

I scribble down answers, feeling like I’m in a daze. Somehow, I make it through the exams, but it’s all a blur.

After the last paper, we head to our usual coffee shop to relax, though the nerves about the results are still eating at me. 

I sit there, staring at the bottom of my coffee cup, hoping that somehow things won’t turn out as badly as I expect.

Nisha is sitting across from me, making faces at the waiter. 

"Hey, Azer, think you passed? Or are we gonna have to start looking for jobs together?"

I sigh, trying to smile. 

"Well, if I fail, maybe I'll just work here and perfect my coffee-swirl game."

Nisha grins. 

"Not bad. I mean, at least you’ll have skills. Rick, what about you? You got a backup plan?"

Rick looks up from his phone, smirking. 

"Yeah, I’ll be Azer’s boss and make him serve my coffee."

We all laugh, but there's still tension in the air. I can feel it. After a few more jokes, Nisha checks her phone and suddenly sits up straighter. 

"Guys... they're up."

I freeze, the sinking feeling in my stomach starting all over again. 

"Oh no. Oh no."

Nisha waves her phone in front of me. 

"Come on, stop freaking out. Let’s go see how bad it really is."

I stand up so fast that I nearly knock over the table. 

"I’m screwed, I know it. But I need to see it with my own eyes."

Rick chuckles and stretches lazily. 

"Dude, calm down. You don’t know for sure."