Mina observed her father over the rim of her glass, noting the exactness of his movements. There were obvious indicators to his emotional state if you already knew what they were and at that moment, he hovered between exasperation and concern. The tell-tale signs were all there; sharp intakes of breath; hands trembling slightly; crease in his forehead. She narrowed her eyes and wondered what he would do if she started dancing and yelling at the top of her lungs. The image appeared in her head and she snorted, spluttering as some of her morning tea went down the wrong way. Her father glanced towards her then seeing as everything was still alright, returned to reading his paper.

Mina sighed and wished her father was more forthcoming with his emotions as she wiped her face with a napkin and dabbed primly at her sweater sleeve. Her uniform was freshly laundered and pressed and she didn’t want any reason for it not to be especially on the first day of the term. She stood up and said goodbye to her father, grabbing her bag from the housekeeper. The chauffeur bid her good morning as she exited the house and held open the door for her. Mina got in and watched the sky swirling above. The grey blanket was beginning to give way to the blue skies of spring but for now, it looked cold and unwelcoming. She shivered in her blazer and turned as she heard her name.

‘Miss, we’re here. Would you like me to help you get your bag?’

Mina shook her head and unbuckled her seatbelt, stretching as she stepped out of the luxurious car. She yawned softly and grabbed her bag from the trunk, watching as the car merged easily into the traffic. She headed towards the school building to her locker and sorted out the books she’d need. A sudden tap on her shoulder caused her to jump and she span around to see a concerned expression on her teacher’s face. “Sorry Mr. Han,” she said, bowing. “I didn’t notice you.” The teacher slowly lowered the previously raised eyebrow and smiled funnily.

‘You’re not in trouble or anything. I just wanted to tell you that we did get manage to get someone to take the time to stay after school and help you out. I’m not sure if you got the email so I just wanted to confirm with you.’

Mina nodded affirmatively. She had received the email during the second week of the holiday and in the breaks between classes at her cram school, had wondered how the teacher could help. She had never had to take any remedy classes or had a one on one tutor so her experience in the matter was limited. She shrugged a shoulder, deciding not to worry too much. She yawned and glanced up to the clock, noting the time. She made her way down to her form room and sat with some anticipation as she waited for the day to begin.

Hours later, Mina cursed the fact that she’d have to stay after school. All day long, she’d been bombarded by teachers with notices about upcoming assignments and had done her best to pay attention, making notes where she could. However, her brain was taxed from the amount of information she’d had to process and now she wished that she hadn’t organised the after school sessions. Gritting her teeth, she discarded the needless thought and followed her teacher as he walked towards the staffroom. He told her to wait and disappeared inside, appearing a minute later with a sheaf of papers. Waving them slightly, he handed them to her then explained that the booklet contained some of the term’s material that she’d missed as well as some extra study that might be useful when she had time.

Mina listened with half an ear as she shuffled through the papers. The booklet was quite thick and as she flipped through, much of what she saw was unfamiliar. Finally, her teacher stopped speaking and he smiled encouragingly. “Hopefully this can be a new start for you,” he said. Mina nodded at the words, thinking something similar. “Um excuse me, which teacher is going to…” she asked, trailing off as she realised that Mr. Han had already returned to inside the staffroom. Sighing, she turned around and headed towards the library.

The library was where the sessions would be held and though logically it was sound, Mina was glad for the added fact that there wouldn’t be many other students to see her. It would be embarrassing for them to see her staying afterschool for make-up classes. She entered the library with its domed ceiling and airy tomes, walking slowly as she tried to find the teacher who would be helping her. There was no one seated at the tables in the main area so she started to check the small rooms. Each room was empty until she reached a room with the blinds drawn.

The door was open and she pushed it slightly to look inside. “Come in,” a voice said. Mina frowned at the young sounding voice but the person had been expecting someone and she stepped into the room. The room was the same as the one she’d observed the last time she had come to the library and a student was similarly seated at the table in the corner. “I’m sorry,” Mina apologised, looking down. “I’m looking for a teacher.”

‘Ah yes. No need to worry about that. I will be overseeing your education in these sessions. The teachers are too busy at this time of year.’

Mina nodded, mollified and entered the room to take a seat at the table. She put her bag down then froze as she recognised the student already seated. Hirai Momo was reading a book as she sat, leaning her chin on her palm. Her brown eyes stared intently at the words on the page and she made infrequent notes on the margins. Trying to act casual, Mina sat down beside Momo and got out her stationery. She opened a few times, looking for something to say before finally deciding on, “Hi.” Momo frowned and turned to her, a moue of surprise as she in turn recognised Mina. “Well this is a nice surprise,” she said delicately. “Fancy running into you again.”

Awkwardness and shame filled Mina at the memory of their last interaction and she swallowed. “I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry again for what I did last time. It was really stupid and immature and if there’s some way I can pay you back?” she asked. “It’s of no real concern,” Momo said lightly then put her book down. “I am to assume that you’re here for the remedial lessons then?” Mina nodded.

‘Alright. Choose any one of those worksheets in your booklet and start working on it. When you get stuck, feel free to ask me.’

With that, Momo picked up her book again, immersing herself in the novel. Slightly put off kilter, Mina selected a sheet at random and placed it in front of her. It was a simple reading comprehension worksheet with some questions at the bottom of the page but everything looked to be a challenging task to her tired brain. She willed the words to make sense but nothing came to her. She crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed disdainfully. The page was filled with text and information she didn’t understand and didn’t care to.

Momo glanced at her from her book and registered the uninterested expression on Mina’s face. “It isn’t going to magically complete itself if you just look at it you know,” she said, turning back to her book. “That’s if I want to complete it,” Mina snapped, irritated. The busy day had drained most of her energy leaving her slightly cranky. “Scowl all you like. It isn’t going to change anything, except maybe the amount of time you’ll have to spend here,” commented Momo, then cocked her head to the side and rested her cheek on her palm. “Or did you think you would just have to s