A Page Of My Future

02| Chemistry

The class was quite as we all awaited the teacher. It was funny how I felt so bent on nailing my grades in chemistry this year while some others couldn't wait to get over with the overhyped chemistry exam and get on with their romance which had earlier been interrupted by the bell in the hallway .

   " Let's all be quiet I'll drop the questions
    on the desks of those in front seats and
    they'll pass it to the back . I want a pin
    drop silence people. I wish you all the
    best. Based on what I've heard this will
   not be a very easy exam."

    " Way to encourage us Mrs Hardin"

I muttered to myself as the question paper was dropped on my desk. One quick look at the paper I knew I'd be lucky to have a C . After spending almost my whole night studying,it's all pointless. I raised my head to look at the rest of the students many of them were in the same situation. But Janet seemed to be in love with the questions. She was happily scribbling on her seat which was on my left. As she looked up our eyes met. She knew , because of the look on my face that I didn't know what to do.
    
      " I thought you said you knew the law"
     
      " I suddenly can't remember " I mouthed back not wanting to attract the attention of Mrs Hardin.
    
Janet sighed, her hand covering a portion of her face in disappointment. She faced me properly and mouthed after checking to be sure that Mrs Hardin wasn't paying attention.
 
     " Do you remember the formulas to
       answer the other questions? "
   
     " I think  I do "

     " Great. I'll write down the formulas
       while I'm at that, do the other questions "
 
       " Thank you "

I mouthed with a smile to which she shook her head slightly and continued writing . About twenty minutes into the exams, my eyes started to close I struggled to keep them open but I was only deceiving myself. I knew that if I continued I'd end up drooling on my question sheet. Popping a gum ball in my mouth , I was good for the next ten minutes . At least it would get me through theory then we'd have a break. I struggled through theory and was glad when I heard the words  " pens down "  it brought me back to consciousness. Just before  my answer sheet was taken, I realized my eyes were partially closed. Flicking them open I  saw my answer sheet blank...but for the first two questions which I'd managed to answer.
   
DOOM ! Was written all over my face I was speechless when I saw the rest of the answers written on my question paper instead of the answer sheet . I knew I had been writing with my head placed on the table but what I didn't realize in time was that I was writing all the answers and solutions on my question paper in no organized manner. I was dazed when I realized what had happened and I knew I had to do something about it.

Dashing out of the class, I struggled to catch up with Mrs Hardin who was way ahead of me with our answer sheets in her hands.

    " Mrs Hardin !" I yelled just before the door to the staff room closed. The last thing I wanted was to face the whole room of teachers   explaining how I'd dozed all through my Chem exam. Luckily she heard me and stopped wondering why the school's untrained fighter ran after her looking so frightened.
    
     " Martina, what do you want? "

     "First of all Mrs Hardin I have to say
      a huge thank you for stopping to
      listen to me even though I know that
      I don't deserve it. "
   
      "Okay...   go on "

      " I know it's crazy but somehow I
        stayed up almost all night last night
        trying to study and as a result I didn't
        get so much rest I ended up sleeping
        all through chemistry exam . I only
        managed to answer two questions
        the rest of it is here.. I'd written it here
        on my question paper while I was
        sleeping. "

Heaven only knows how much I hoped that she would be nice enough to give me another chance, even if it meant retaking the whole thing. She was not really in a great mood but she knew that I wasn't going to leave unless she said she'd do something about it. So she said

       "Okay, whatever it is, I'll do something
        about it tomorrow "
  
      " Tomorrow ?"
    
       "Just go and get ready for the objective
        part of the exams now, and tomorrow
        you can retake the theory "

With this assurance, I thanked her and left. It was good she decided to let me retake the exam but it was terrible that I'd have to write the exam alone without any assistance. I was going to be on my own totally and it really freaked me out. I wasn't a dullard or anything like that but I'd never written any exam without my two greatest buddies, Janet and Daniel since like third grade. Then I didn't have much of a choice. Janet walked alongside me and asked why I was looking so off and we managed to talk about it over a cup of coffee from the Cafe........ and thankfully we'd finished talking when Daniel came right up and politely stole her with a smile on his face .

Now ... I'm home and I'm lying on my bed with my shoes on, wondering how I'd survive the next day's Chem theory. There was a knock at my door.
    
       " The door's open !"

As much as I didn't want to speak to my mom, I had to.
        
      " Honey, what's wrong with you
         you came home pretty early today
         I thought you'd hang out with Jane"

        "  You're supposed to be at work "
    
       " Yes but I had a terrible migraine
         so I came home to rest "
    
      " Then you should go and rest
         don't worry about me I'm fine okay?"
    
      " How did your exams go today?"

       " It was fucked thanks "

Noticing that Martina was in her " I don't like your face" mood, miss Klein stood up and left knowing that whenever Martina acted like this she just needed space.
  
Don't blame me, sometimes I just don't want to talk to people. It may seem like I'm crazy and I actually think I am. I hate people... that's me for you. I'm what you can call "antisocial" which is enough explanation for why I have only two friends ( Janet and Daniel)  it took me years before I started talking to them. Janet was always there to give me a hint during exams and was the only one who wrote me notes after I got trashed for fighting with my annoying classmates.

       " Sorry, please don't fight again"

But sure enough I kept fighting and receiving similar notes from her. Eventually I decided to woke up to her while she sat at a lonely table during lunch break. She looked really sad and since she'd always showed care for me, I tried to do the same for her. I sat next to her and kept wondering how to start a conversation. I didn't have much experience in talking to people so I wrote her a note, even though I was just beside her. It read:

      " Hi... I'm sorry I don't know your
        name but I just wanted to say thank
        you for all the notes in class. What's
        your name though so I could write back
       saying thank you just in case I got
       punished for fighting again"

She read it and smiled and wrote her name for me to see . I could not continue the conversation so I nodded and left. And that was how it happened...we became friends and she was my only friend until Daniel came along.

Damn me !
I have Chem theory  retake tomorrow and i was lying in bed with my school bag still on and my shoes untied . I quickly got out of bed and made the moves. Finally at 4:13 pm, I was at my reading table with a pen in my hand and my Chem text book wide open, a calculator sat next to my jotter and I was like this, studying until it was time to go to bed. This time I didn't try to stay up so late. I didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier today.