31 Thirty One

The sound of heels echoed down the empty hallway as Hayleigh paced back and forth in the middle of the corridor. She was dressed in a white dress blouse, black pencil skirt, and pointed heels; all suited up and ready for her defense. In a few minutes’ time, the double doors before her would open and her name would be called. There were only two outcomes the next time she returned down this hallway: she would either be graduating or not.

Hayleigh wrung her clammy hands the entire time she paced down that hallway. The sound of her heels on marble floors were rhythmic like a metronome, providing some form of calm and focus while she tried not to let the nerves get the best of her. One part of her couldn’t wait to have this entire thing done with, while the remaining half could barely stand the idea of entering those doors.