Chapter 2: A Morning of Consequences
"El, wake up!" my mother's voice came from outside my bedroom door. I was buried in sleep, oblivious to her knocking. She called louder, "El! If you don't wake up, you'll miss school again!" I groaned, turning over, "Mom, just five more minutes!"
But that plea was short-lived. "Have you forgotten today's the day your papers will be shown?" she reminded me. At that moment, I bolted upright in my bed. The memory of the blank exam paper hit me like a cold splash of water. I blinked, fully awake now. "I'm up! I'm up! I'll be ready in a few minutes," I called back, feeling a growing knot in my stomach.
"Get ready fast, or don't blame me if you're late," she warned, her footsteps fading downstairs. I pressed my face into the pillow and let out a moan. Punching the soft cushion in frustration, I dragged myself out of bed. I trudged to the bathroom, still half asleep. I was so out of it that my head hit the sink, jolting me fully awake.
While brushing my teeth, my mind raced. How should I handle today's disaster? My grades were always bad, so it wouldn't shock my mom too much, but this time I hadn't just done poorly—I had handed in a completely blank paper. I winced at the thought.
After a quick shower, I dressed in my uniform, still trying to figure out how I would explain myself. Downstairs, I sat at the breakfast table, unusually quiet. My mother was already dressed for work, too. As I ate in silence, I felt her eyes on me. When I looked up, she was staring, though she didn't say a word. The air was thick with unspoken tension.
"What is it, Mom?" I asked cautiously.
She ignored the question and went back to packing lunch. I sighed and finished my food. While I was putting on my shoes, she knelt beside me to tie the laces. Her hands worked quickly, but she spoke slowly, her voice serious. "I know you don't stress about things, El, but you need to understand the importance of studying."
"Mom, what's the point? What am I going to achieve by doing random math problems or remembering dates?" I replied, trying to dismiss the topic.
She looked at me intently. "It's not about the calculations or dates. It's about your future. You should take education seriously."
I could tell she was gearing up for one of her lectures, so I hurriedly grabbed my bag and dashed out the door to avoid it.
At school, my friend Max was waiting. "Hey, Elara!" he called, "Ready for the papers?"
I shot him a look, my face pale at the thought. Without answering, I slouched into my usual spot in the back of the class. Being a backbencher had its perks. You could daydream, ignore the teacher, and avoid most unwanted attention.
My bench partner Olivia nudged me. "So, how did you do in the exams?"
"Worse than last time," I muttered back, feeling a pang of guilt.
Our teacher soon entered, carrying a hefty stack of exam papers. The tension in the room rose. One by one, she called out students by their roll numbers. Alaric, the teacher's pet, received his results with a big, showy round of applause. Our teacher praised him like he was some kind of academic hero, and the rest of the class clapped along—everyone except me. I glared at him, imagining a spitball landing right on his perfect, smug face.
Finally, my name was called. I trudged to the front. The teacher flipped through my exam paper and shook her head. "Elara, I was expecting this, but I didn't think it would be this bad…"
I kept my head down, bracing for the inevitable scolding.
"You didn't write a single thing on your paper!" she exclaimed. The class started giggling.
I shrugged, trying to lighten the moment. "Well, you always say we should save paper, so I did."
The class erupted into laughter, but our teacher wasn't amused. "Silence!" she shouted, glaring at me. "I'll be talking to your mother again. We'll decide what to do with you after that."
I nodded, knowing it was coming. My mom was going to hear about my blank paper, and there was no avoiding it. I whistled as I returned to my seat, pretending not to care. Olivia gave me a discreet high five, her face lit with amusement at my daring response.
As the lunch bell rang, we headed outside. "Elara, you're a legend," Max laughed, giving me a playful shove.
I winked at him. "Yeah, I know."
Olivia and I found a quiet spot to eat our lunches. We were just getting comfortable when she whispered, "El, he's here again…"
I followed her gaze to see the same boy who had taunted Olivia the other day. He swaggered over, smirking like he owned the playground.
"Elara, I heard about your exam results," he teased, clapping mockingly. "Impressive work."
I tried to ignore him at first. After all, one complaint today was bad enough—two would be overkill. But he didn't stop. "Elara is a genius! Elara is a genius!" he shouted.
I clenched my fists, handing my lunch box to Olivia. I stood up, facing him. A crowd was gathering, and I could feel the heat of everyone's attention on me.
"Shut your fucking mouth," I said, my voice low but firm, "unless you want me to ruin your future generation ".
The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter. Olivia tugged at my sleeve, whispering urgently, "El, don't make things worse…"
Seeing the worry in her eyes, I calmed down and walked away, leaving the boy to stew in the embarrassment of his failed taunt. The rest of the day, I kept quiet, reflecting on how quickly things had spiraled.
When school was over, I didn't rush home right away. I wandered through the streets like I always did, delaying the inevitable conversation with my mom. But as I walked up to my house, I froze. My teacher's car was parked outside.
I stepped inside, my heart sinking. There she was—my teacher—sitting on the sofa, talking to my mom. Both of them turned to look at me. The expression on my mother's face said it all.
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