Dear Dakota | Academic Rivalry Story

Nine | Math Test

N Y L A D Y L A N S

The blank faces on all of the students who walk out of our math classroom are making me worry. My class is standing against the wall, waiting for the remainder of the last-minute kids to turn in their tests to the teacher. To make matters worse my teacher is collecting the test at the front door, meaning I can see the half-empty answer documents.

At this point all Delaney can do is let out a cold laugh when she gets back from talking with someone who just left the class. "I have accepted failure on this test. Nyla, everyone is telling me it is difficult."

Great, I came into this class halfway through this unit and don't know anything. If only this teacher was as lenient as my language arts teacher and would make this optional for me.

Anneliese your calculator skills better work right now.

Surprisingly, the boys aren't waiting till the one-minute warning bell to come to class. As we wait for the last few stragglers from last period, I go to the back of the line to stand next to the boys. "The last class is saying this test is torture."

Atlas blows a breath. "I cannot wait to Ace this test." He says in the most unenthusiastic tone possible.

"What about you?" I ask Dakota who is reviewing his notes.

"Shh don't ask me anything. I will get distracted from my work."

I put my hands up. "Whoops, sorry."

The teacher starts letting our class into the room and now my nerves are skyrocketing. I have taken hundreds of tests in my life. And no matter what the feeling of nervousness for a test will never go away. My palms get sweaty and my hands start shaking.

Also, I can't forget how a stupid song always has to get into my head right before I start a test.

I can't even describe what random songs pop into my mind. Once it was a breakup song. The most recent one was about a couple living a happy life and I almost broke down because I wanted to be just like them.

When we get into the room the paired desks are now all separated and facing forward toward the board. The instructions on the whiteboard say to put our phones in the phone holder and put our bags upfront. Nothing but a pencil and our calculator can be on our desk.

I take my time putting my things away. Maybe just maybe the teacher will remember I don't know anything on this test.

The teacher takes the biggest stack of papers in his hands and it just now hits me. It is our test.

Yeah, go ahead. Just give us a whole packet for our test.

He doesn't let us start until every person in class receives their answer document. As soon as the last one is placed on the last person's desk it is a race against time.

The first page, easy we just learned this.

The second page, easy I remember doing this in Florida.

Third page, oh my. Math was so easy until some idiot decided to put literal words into math equations. I click on every possible button on my calculator until I remember the trick I was taught. I type the whole problem into the calculator then hit the math button in the top left corner.

Please, please work.

It did.

I could internally scream with excitement right now. I circle the answer, write out some bs of work then continue to the next five problems on the page.