This moment, in which Ware dipped her toe into the realms of “compassion” and “empathy," arrived after you walked into the room at 2:34 a.m. with your backpack on a Saturday night. Ware asked what you had been up to, and you replied, "Working."

 

The four-second pause that followed confirmed that Ware’s brain realized—for what might have been the first time in recorded history—that you, too, have finals. You have spent hours sitting in the library, holding BorrowDirect books, looking at them with your eyeballs, and pressing your pens into your college-ruled flattened tree-sheets in order to complete your final papers and exams…just like Ware has.

Ware’s inquiry into your life was the first of its kind. This past week, she shared constant updates and reminders about her impending deadlines while you ate your lunches, but she never asked about yours. She repeatedly expressed her irritation at the fullness of her supposed-to-be empty reading week as she regaled you with details of her calendar: mandatory review sessions, extracurricular elections, office hours, darties, and historic ArtsFirst Silent Discos. 

 

Ware has explained to you all about her own work habits: When the sun is out, she's really not motivated to do work in the library, so she works outside, but then it’s so distracting. She's in a fine position with her leftover BoardPlus to get coffee and is also feeling excited about ABBA’s new music.

 

You also have a couple BoardPlus dollars left to spend, which feels pretty good, but Ware has already moved the conversation onto the next thing in her life.