Starry Eyes

Fear and Strength

My name is Juliette Skyes. I am sixteen years old and am currently panicking. It is judgement day for me and my fellow secondary school classmates as the GCSE results were to be unveiled today.

"Proceed to the hall for your moment of Glory...or gloom" our headmaster's voice crackled over the Public Address System.

"Enough with the lame jokes...thank goodness this would be the last day we would have to entertain his cold jokes!" someone muttered under her breath.

My friends and I made our way to the hall in utter silence. Usually a chatty bunch, we made our way to our seats in utter silence. Wild and unwelcome thoughts ran through our minds like a whirlwind. Hundreds and thousands of "what ifs" were plastered all over my mind. I couldn't wait for the release of results so I could be freed from my prison of suspense.

"Hey guys," chirped our class monitress and close friend, Neera Mohammed. Although she sounded as upbeat and cheery as usual, fear was evident in her large brown eyes.

Licking my lips nervously, I clung on to the sweaty palm of my best friend, Alyssa. Although everyone had started seating themselves in their rightful positions, I remained by my her side, too frightened and tense to budge. It was then the third member of our little group, Margot, had finally jostled her way through the crowd of anxious students and found her way to where we were sitting.

"I'm so scared..." she whispered; her big blue eyes welling up with tears.

Saying nothing, I reached out to her and we embraced one another tightly.

"I missed you so much! I can't believe I didn't get to see you at all before I returned to Queensland! Curse the damn rain!" she added, attempting to take our minds of the treacherous results. By now our teachers had already taken their place at the respective stations. Before them was the stack of envelopes that contained our fate for the next two to three years of our educational journey. Margot and I glanced at them briefly and hurriedly turned away, swallowing huge globes of saliva that had accumulated in our throats.

"Guys, we'll talk later ok. Let's just sit in our register numbers."

"Anne-Marie?!"

The final member of our gang had arrived...but she looked nothing like how she did when we last saw her. She definitely Annie-Marie; petite and stout with long, thick curly black hair tamed into a single braid...it was her right eye. Her entire right eyelid was swollen and a nasty blood-red.

"I know...the eye acted up again yesterday. My mum is taking me to the National Eye Centre after I get my results."

"I'm so sorry. Please get better soon..." we said in unison, patting our dear friend on the back.

"I don't want to sit in register number..." Margot sobbed, clinging on to my hand for dear life.

"Girls! What are you doing?! Why aren't you sitting in register number order?!" You can hug and cry to your hearts content later...GET TO YOUR SEATS NOW!"

"Ok...ok...we're going..."

Minutes seem to crawl by as we sat with fidgety bottoms as we waited for the Principal and Year Head to finish their talks on the possible education pathways to take and the never-ending announcements regarding the number of distinctions and the " grade point average" across our cohort. I played with my fingers clumsily as I looked on towards where most of my friends sat in the first row. Saying nothing, we exchanged muted and fearful glances.

To make time pass by faster, I partook in the splendour of imagination about. All I ever wanted since the end of the examinations was to get into a Boarding School for girls. Although it meant having to travel halfway across the country and survive the school immensely intensive two year Pre-University Programme, everyone knew that it was the one-way ticket to getting into a local University. I was hoping to get into Marnock Heights in particular. I had visited their website and was in awe of its gorgeous campus and intrigued by their Special Music Elective programme. How I would give anything to get into the school...what the heck! As long as I get into a Boarding School I'll be happy!