| |
I stormed into class and sat in my usual seat next to the giant United States map. I told Mom I didn’t feel well, but still, she made me go. Not to mention, I also woke up late, missed the bus, and didn’t have any breakfast. I laid my head down since class hadn’t started yet. I was dozing off before I was startled by the clapping of heels and jangling keys.
“Good morning, class,” said Mrs. Langdon. She set her things down behind her desk and took off her coat.
“Sorry, I had some car troubles this morning.” She walked to the whiteboard and wrote the date and objectives for the day. “I’m holding off on the lesson today, and instead, I’m going to have you guys take a pop quiz.”
I cleared my throat and sat up straight in my seat. “Can you repeat that, Mrs. Langdon?” I asked. She repeated as I requested, but still, I heard nothing except a quiz. Mrs. Langdon had never done anything like this before, and there was no way she was starting now.
“I understand that this freaks some of you out, but I promise it will be okay,” said Mrs. Langdon.
I turned around and faced my buddy behind me, giving him the eyes. Yeah, right. Mrs. Langdon passed out the quizzes and then sat down at her desk in the front. I went to grab a pencil from my backpack, but I forgot I left my pencil pouch on the kitchen table last night. I raised my hand and waited for Mrs. Langdon to notice.
“Yes, George?” asked Mrs. Langdon.
“I don’t have a pencil to take my quiz,” I said, scratching my head.
“I’m sure I have one you can borrow.” She opened her drawer and searched through all her things. “Here’s one right here.”
I walked to her desk and grabbed the pencil she was holding out to me. I turned to walk away, but then I faced her again. “Mrs. Langdon, could I go to the restroom?”
“Sure, but just hurry back to finish your quiz.”
“I will.” I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. There was this brush of fresh air, and I could breathe again. Walking into the restroom, I went straight towards the sink. I held onto the sides of it and looked into the mirror. I had to pull myself together if I wanted to make it through this surprise quiz. Before I left, I splashed some water on my face and unbuttoned one of the buttons on my polo shirt.
I walked back into the classroom, and my breath became shallow again. I sat down at my seat and picked up the pencil Mrs. Langdon had given me. The pencil had no eraser, so I had to be sure I made no mistakes. I braced my hand on the paper and began to write my name and date. I was finishing up with my last name when the lead snapped. Once again, I raised my hand.
“Yes, George?” asked Mrs. Langdon.
“I broke my pencil,” I said. “I think maybe I should use a pen.”
“Sure, George, whatever you need to finish.”
“Do you have a —”
“Come up and get it, George.” This time, she grabbed from the cup on her desk and got a black pen for me to borrow.
“Please, no more interruptions, George. Everyone, including yourself, is trying to finish this quiz, and you’ve done nothing. You have a quiz and a pen to complete it with, and you’ve had a restroom break. Let’s get this done.”
“I will.” I sat back down to get my quiz done. I had trouble with the first few questions, so I turned the paper over to work from the end. All the time I stared at the questions, the heavier my heart got to my body and the more I felt lightheaded. For a minute, I closed my eyes to relax and breathe. My older sister taught me all kinds of breathing techniques she learned in college. They often worked, but there were also times they didn’t, and this was one.
I looked around at my classmates and saw them struggling just as much as I was. We stared at the paper, searching for anything that could be the answer. Some just stared at Mrs. Langdon, waiting for her to say this thing was a joke. She never did, though, and we remained stuck in our troubles.
I decided it would be better to guess. I probably wouldn’t get a good grade, but at least I’d have my sanity. I got to work, and at some point, I finished. I got up to turn in my quiz and I realized I was the very last one. I had never felt more humiliated in my life, but it isn’t my fault Mrs. Langdon threw some unexpected quiz at us.
“Thank you, George,” said Mrs. Langdon. I watched her add my paper to the stack and then politely toss it in the trash. I couldn’t believe her. After all the trouble, the nervous sweats, and the near shortness of breath, she just throws our quizzes in the trash. It didn’t make any sense.
“Why’d you do that, Mrs. Langdon,” I said. “Aren’t you going to grade them?”
“Nope, not at all, George,” said Mrs. Langdon. “I don’t care how well you guys did.”
“What do you mean, Mrs. Langdon? That isn’t fair. We’re you’re students.”
“You’ll understand when you’re older, George, it’s all a part of life.”