Crossing Hearts- A Maidstone Love Story

Chapter 35

The week after the big football match seemed to blur together for Jasper. Between schoolwork, football injuries, and hanging out with Alessia, his life felt like it was constantly moving. But today was different. Today, he would finally get his Year 10 mock results. The anxiety buzzing in his stomach had been growing all morning as he sat through his usual classes, barely paying attention. The whole school day felt like a race to the inevitable moment in Citizenship when the results would be revealed.

As the bell rang for their Citizenship class, Jasper met up with Dylan, Myles, and Tyler outside the classroom.

"Man, I've been thinking about these results all day," Dylan admitted, shaking his head. "What if I've messed it all up?"

"You'll be fine, mate," Tyler said, though he didn't look entirely convinced himself. "It's just mocks."

Jasper remained silent, sharing the same nerves. Alessia had helped him revise, but he wasn't sure if that would be enough. He was good at some subjects, but others—especially English literature—had always been a struggle. He felt a hand slip into his, and when he turned, he saw Alessia smiling at him, trying to calm his nerves.

"Don't worry," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "Whatever you get, we can work on it together. You've done well, I know it."

He gave her a small smile, grateful for her constant reassurance. "Thanks, princess. I don't know what I'd do without you."

They walked into the large school hall where all of Year 10 was gathered, their voices hushed with the same kind of nervous anticipation that Jasper felt. At the back of the room, stacks of brown envelopes with everyone's names on them were laid out on a long table.

Mrs. Carter, the head of year, stood at the front of the hall, her hands clasped in front of her, waiting for the noise to die down before she began speaking.

"Good afternoon, Year 10," she said, her voice echoing through the hall. "Today, you'll be receiving your mock results. Now, before you start stressing too much, I want to remind you that these are just a reflection of where you are right now, not a final judgement on your future GCSE results. These mock exams are meant to show you what areas you need to work on. It's not the end of the world if you didn't do as well as you'd hoped. This is your chance to improve."

Jasper glanced over at his friends. Myles was fidgeting with his pen, tapping it against his knee, while Tyler was biting his lip, his leg bouncing with nerves. Alessia sat calmly next to him, though her hand still squeezed his for support.

"You'll each come up, collect your envelope, and return to your seat. Once everyone has their results, we'll talk through what they mean. Then, you can open them," Mrs. Carter explained.

As she called out each row to collect their results, Jasper felt his stomach twist tighter with each passing second. Finally, his row was called, and he made his way to the back of the hall. He picked up his envelope, his name printed clearly on the front, and headed back to his seat, his hands trembling slightly.

When everyone had their results, Mrs. Carter spoke again.

"Now, when you open these, take a moment to reflect on what they mean. Whether you've done well or not as well as you'd hoped, there's still time to improve. Don't let these results define you."

Jasper took a deep breath, fingers fumbling with the seal of his envelope. He could feel Alessia watching him from the corner of her eye. He hesitated for a moment, then tore the envelope open and pulled out the slip of paper.

His eyes scanned down the list of subjects: 

Mathematics: B

English Language: B