UNCERTAIN

8. Breaking Point

Time had slipped through Ariel’s fingers, and now, with the last week of the second semester upon her, the pressure had never felt heavier. Final exams loomed, and Ariel’s schedule was packed tighter than ever. There wasn’t a moment to breathe, let alone prepare for the mountain of exams. Her mind buzzed with the endless list of subjects, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a way to manage them all.

Her project management class had been particularly cruel. No matter how many hours she spent revising her project proposal, her instructor always found something to criticize. The countless revisions ate away at her time and, worse, her allowance. With the end of the semester approaching, she was nearly out of money. Reluctantly, Ariel asked her mother for more.

Thankfully, her mother seemed to be in a rare good mood when Ariel called, agreeing to send the money that afternoon. It was a small win, but a win nonetheless. She couldn’t afford another fight with her parents, not now. Her mind was already crammed with too much stress.

By the afternoon, Ariel found herself sitting in one of her major exams, her stomach in knots. She hadn’t studied enough—she knew that much. The weight of everything pressed down on her, but she had no choice but to push through. Before the exam began, the instructor gave the usual instructions: phones off, bags to the front. Ariel hesitated. She was waiting for her mother’s call. What if she needed the money urgently? What if something went wrong? The words sat on the edge of her tongue, but she swallowed them. She didn’t have the confidence to speak up, not today.

Instead, Ariel slipped her phone into her pocket, praying that no one would notice. She’d keep it on silent. It would be fine.

The exam began. It was hard—much harder than she had anticipated—but she focused. She could do this. One question at a time. Then, halfway through, the instructor handed back the results of their midterm exams. Ariel’s heart skipped a beat when she saw her name at the top of the list. Highest score.

For a moment, she felt a flicker of pride. Maybe she could still make it through this semester. But then the instructor called her name aloud, praising her as the highest scorer. Ariel smiled, but inside, the weight of expectation settled even heavier. The instructor’s eyes seemed to follow her, watching her every move.

Minutes passed, and then her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart raced. It was silent, so no one heard it, but she knew. Her mother’s call. She had to turn it off before it vibrated again. Without thinking, Ariel carefully reached into her pocket, trying to turn the phone off unnoticed.

But she wasn’t fast enough.

"Ariel!" Her instructor’s voice boomed across the room, freezing her in place. Everyone turned to look at her. The instructor stormed over, snatching the exam paper from her desk. "What is this?" she yelled, holding up the phone as if it were a weapon. "Did I not tell you to put your phones away? You’re cheating, aren’t you?"

Ariel’s face drained of color. "No, I wasn’t—"

"How could you do this? You, a dean’s lister! I had such high expectations for you, and this is what you do? Cheating!"

The word stung, slicing through her like a knife. She wasn’t cheating. She had only been trying to turn off her phone. But the instructor’s voice drowned her out, echoing the words over and over. Cheating. Cheater.

"I won’t allow it!" the instructor continued, her voice filled with anger. "Get out. I’m not letting you finish this exam."

Ariel felt her world crumble around her. She stood frozen, her heart pounding, her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to explain, to plead, but the words wouldn’t come. Everyone was staring, whispering. She was supposed to be perfect—the top student, the one with the highest score. And now they all thought she was a cheater.