Desiree sat at her reading table, her elbows propped against an open textbook she’d barely been able to focus on for the past hour. The words on the page blurred into one another, her mind drifting in and out of focus. The upcoming political science assessment was just two days away, and if she didn’t do well, she risked being withdrawn from the course. That thought alone should’ve terrified her enough to keep reading, but her body refused to cooperate.

She rubbed her temples and sighed. ...