You were proud when the department asked you to be a TA. It was proof that your professors trusted you, that your brains and work ethic actually mattered. You thought the students would respect you for it.
Two frat boys, cocky and unbothered, the kind who coasted through every class on charm, looks, and sheer confidence. The first time you saw them in the gym, they laughed, pointing right at you.
āYo, thatās our TA. Look at him ā doesnāt even know how to load a bar.ā
The other smirked. āNah, not here. Here, heāsĀ ourĀ student. Welcome to class, nerd.ā
You thought it was banter. But it became real fast. They werenāt asking ā theyĀ toldĀ you what weights to lift, how many times, and when you failed, they made you do it again. You were wrecked after every session. And still, at the end, theyād shake their heads and mutter, āPathetic. Youāre not even passing this class.ā
It only got worse when the semester picked up. In lectures, theyād lean back in their seats, arms folded, and wink at you while you collected assignments. Blank pages. Then later:
āYouāll fill those out for us, right TA? You wouldnāt want us to fail. Weāve got more important things to do than sit around writing essays.ā
And you did. Their essays, their homework, even group projects for classes you werenāt enrolled in. Hours of your life poured into their grades ā while you secretly hoped theyād reward you at the gym. Maybe a pat on the back, maybe some respect. Instead, all you got was that same smirk.
āYou think good grades mean you passed our course?ā one of them laughed after forcing you through a brutal set of deadlifts. He slapped your shoulder hard enough to make you stumble. āWrong. Youāre still failing here, buddy.ā
Private tutoring was the final humiliation. Theyād show up late, hungover, spreading out across the couch with their laptops open but untouched.
āExplain this chapter, TA,ā one would say, shoving his book toward you without looking.
The other would just kick his feet up in your lap ā socks damp with sweat from practice ā and grin. āAnd while youāre at it, rub those. My dogs are barking.ā
So you sat there, voice trembling as you broke down theories and formulas, your fingers kneading the soles of his feet. Theyād nudge each other, laugh, then ask you to repeat yourself because they āwerenāt paying attention.ā
Everywhere else, you were the smart one. The responsible one. The guy professors relied on. But with them? You were the student who could never pass, the tutor who got laughed at, the TA who did all the work and got none of the credit.
And the worst part? You never quit.
Because deep down, you didnāt want to.