Dear Piper (Toby McDonough Fan Fiction)

If You Get a Bad Grade

School hadn't gone so well. The day started off like it did every other day. It was another blank canvas to be filled by what the world had to offer me. And today, it was an F on my math test.

I don't usually fail tests, and when I do it's just something that bothers me. For the rest of the day, I'm left wondering what I did wrong or what else I could've done. The matter's not too heavy though. It's just one of those things that you keep thinking about, and it eventually turns a day that had the potential to be grand into a somewhat disappointing one.

Of course, when I'm with my friends it's always mentioned in a casual way, and they get the impression it isn't something that would bug me. It actually does, I just don't say so. So it went the same way today.

After shoving my history book in my locker, I turned to Talia. She clicked her phone to a lock as I shut the locker with a loud thud. As we walked swiftly to the cafeteria, Talia said something I didn't quite hear. She seemed a bit distant from the conversation, as if something else was in mind when she uttered her words. I realized that was kind of what was happening with me too. I assumed whatever she had told me didn't really require a response since she hadn't seemed to mind my silence anyway. I brought up the math test as subtly as I could, finding I was still fixed on my result. She brushed it off, saying she got, "a B or something". I mentioned that I failed it nonchalantly so it wouldn't come off as a big deal.

And that's the thing, it's not a big deal. At all. I'd failed tests before. There's just something about it in particular. I guess, this one's was that I hadn't really had a hard time with the lesson. I thought I'd do well, but I didn't. There was something about that that just made something eat my insides.

Even now as I open the brown box, it's what I'm worrying about. I purse my lips slightly as I pull out the thin envelope I'd remembered in the bus. I noticed it while going through the letters before. I figured, now would be a good time to open it.

If You Get a Bad Grade

Dear Piper,

It's alright. There's nothing wrong with failing a test or getting a low score on a project. The world isn't going to explode just because of a bad grade. It's a score on a piece of paper. Of course it matters, but it shouldn't matter enough to ruin your day or do anything of the sort.

So what? Maybe it's not the grade you wanted or hoped for. That's ok. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Don't let it discourage you. It doesn't define you or how intelligent you are. And let me just say, you are very smart.

Something as simple as a low mark shouldn't make your lovely smile disappear. You'll do well next time. I know you will. And you did a good job. You did what you could, and that's the only thing that should matter. Just please don't let it upset you more than it should, ok? Don't be too down or too frustrated with yourself because of a bad grade. It's alright.

-Toby