The Exams

Tashandra Inniss
6th March 2006
The Exams

I lay hopelessly on the emerald field with anxiety and fear rapidly taking the best of me. My every thought was left moving with the tick of my watch. My entire world seemed endless. The words my mother once told me kept repeating themselves in my mind.
“Try your best, that’s all I’m asking for.”

My surroundings were full of amusement. They were enjoying themselves; they cared nothing about the fact that their lives were about to be changed by the digits that was going to place on their grade sheets. I got up and stood against the tree and brushed the tiny strands of my hair from my big blue eyes. The pants I wore hung on my hips. As I walked around the field the sun pierced the parts of my skin that was left uncovered.

Our teacher had told us that the National Exams were soon to come but who thought it would have been this soon and now I was doomed.

Before I knew it the laughter had stopped, the place was in total silence. I was still lost in my own terror; I didn’t realize that classes had begun. Hurriedly I ran to classes, the closer I got to the room the more my pulse increased. I met my teacher giving instructions before the exams. My fear increased as I sat in my chair and I was now shivering at the thoughts of the exam. The silence was killing me. I could have heard every sound the class made. I read their faces that had many unanswered questions. I felt my teacher’s hand as she reached out to hand me my paper.

“Do not turn over until you are told to do so,” she said strictly as she stared at me without a compassion.

I was now scared of myself. Would I cheat? Would I become ill? It was all too much; I was taking this on more than anything I ever did. The walls were caving in on me. I began to bite my nails nervously as I looked around to figure out if any of my friends sat close by. The classroom suddenly seemed different than before. I now noticed all the clipboards that was on the walls.

As she stood in front of the class with the paper held against her chest, she looked around to see if there was one without a paper. She calmly advised all to open their papers and follow through their questions as she read it aloud. Her voice seemed distant, I was staring deep into her eyes but I could not hear what she was saying. I became numb.

I opened my eyes with the guilt of not studying at all, the guilt of missing all those classes. I took a deep breath and before I knew it I was deep in thoughts trying to read the words that was in front of me. I tried hard but it looked too small and too much to read. My stare increased at the clock. I hoped that it would move.

“Look at them,” I thought to myself.
“Their heads are stuck to the paper, they know what their doing!”

I wiped my eyes in disbelief then said a silent prayer hoping that this time God would answer. I looked at my paper once more with thoughts of failure on my mind. I answered what seemed right to me.

“Turn all papers down,” the teacher said.
“Great just when I’m about to answer more questions,” I whispered to myself.

I spent most of my time worrying about the test had I answered more questions. I gazed at the clock hoping that it would move back in time. “I was just beginning to get a hang of this thing.”

She silently collected our papers with this huge grin written on her face. Her make-up seemed flawless and she just so happy that we all may have failed the exams.

“Maybe she wanted us to spend another semester with her.” I thought to myself.

Soon enough I was out in the hallways trying to put the pieces together as to what I did in the exams. The gang came rushing to me asking what I did in the exams. I stood silently, then I replied, “I flew through that exams like a bird, it was easy.”
I gave them a bright smile and turned down the corridor heading to my carefree emerald field where I once lay.

My entire life was now messed up. Did I fail? Did I pass? Did I do anything at all? I couldn’t remember. It was all a blank to me.

After a few weeks I was now back in the class waiting impatiently for my results. She walked into our class with grace as thought she was on a fashion show, her smile remain the same, bright! I sighed deeply as I looked at the faces of the others as they received their slips. Some giggled while some just sent their papers flying to the nearby dumpsters. My heartbeat increased as she approached me. I opened my paper as I closed my eyes tightly, when I thought it was neatly opened in front of me I opened my eyes.

“Now you should start studying,” It read. This was just a pop quiz to test your ability to handle the real exams. You got a C.

I sat smiling to myself as I looked at my teacher while she smiled back and said,
“Now how does that feel class?”
A few weeks ago I could have killed myself now I’m here wanting to kill my teacher. She fooled the hell out of us. She tricked us into doing a pop quiz knowing we thought it was The Exams we all shudder to think about.

That was my wake up call for more studying and less shopping. I walked out of the class now smiling brightly and still wondering if it had been the real exams would I have gotten a C. I went back to my thinking field and lay there once more in deep thoughts of the real exams.