Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

Abigail sat biting her fingernails as Mr. Simmons passed her yet again as her excitement mounted... this was really happening.

Her breath hitched, he was standing over her, two papers left in hand.

He'd always hand their assignments back in reverse order, the best score last... and she'd always been 'middle of the pack' - she wasn't a bad student, not exactly, but she never found the time - there was, she knew. so much more to life than homework.

He stepped away, she had to remind herself to breathe again... she'd been so sick this week, her brain all over the place but she'd struggled through, desperate to keep up her perfect attendance record and the prize that would bring.

The class laughed when she yelped... she hadn't meant to squeeze that hard, just enough to convince herself this wasn't some fever dream ('cause that'd never happened before... honest).

"Class dismissed," Mr. Simmons said as the bell rang in the background, "Abigail, a word..."

She got a few curious glances as students filed out - but the classroom was empty soon enough. She approached his desk, heart threatening to beat through her ribs, breath raspy as it squeezed past the fist that'd formed in her throat.

"Forget something Abi?" Mr. Simmons asked her, not unkindly.

She groaned, a delicate pink flush spreading over her face as she looked down... gasping in surprise to see herself fully clothed, so certain that she was in a dream after all.

She looked up into her teacher's laughing eyes as he held out her assignment... well part of it... the last section and the big red F circled on it....

"Resubmit by the end of the week," he sighed, "and don't jump to conclusions Abi... or straight to the conclusions, I need it all."

(298 words)