It's All For One

one; throwaway puppets

[POV: Oli Empyreal]

"Hurry, hurry!! I don't have much time left! Go pencil, go! Go go GO!!"

The sound of pencil moving against paper became louder as the countdown began. Hearts began to race, erasers erased faster, and pencils could've broken in half had it not been for the metal protection them.

I hate this. It sucks. I don't have enough time. I can't do this. Wait! Don't doubt yourself! I can't risk that, not when there's fives minutes left! There's still time left! There's still —

"Time's up."

At that moment, I felt everyone's heart stop. Pencils slipped from fingers and rolled off the desks, covered in sweat due to nervousness. I looked at my shaking hand with wide eyes, then heard heavy footsteps coming my way.

"Today was the last day of testing for the 3rd nine weeks," the deep voice announced. I put on the widest smile I could muster, clasping my shaking hands under the desk. "I assume you've all done well?"

All twenty-three students wearing all-black uniforms nodded like soulless puppets.

The principal smiled, although it didn't reach his empty brown eyes. "Your results will come out tomorrow. Everyone's required to arrive at 11 PM on the dot. You know what happens if you don't."

"Yes, Principal Mavis," we all responded with strained smiles.

The bell rung. Quickly, I speed-walked out of class, ignoring the burning stares I got from others. I sighed, breathing in the air of the school hallway.

"Oli!" I heard from behind me. Looking behind and seeing it was Jayla running weirdly, I sighed with a smile on my face. Here she comes, positive as ever.

"I am so glad to get out of there," she said with her happy smile as we walked the hallway. "Bro, everyone in there was literally this close to crying. I was too, but this is about everyone else. How'd you think you did, though?"

I sighed. "Hopefully, I got a C. My grades are not that good right now as you know, but I'm still trying as best as I can."

She shrugged. "You can do it! I believe in ya, no matter what."

"Thanks, Jayla," I said with a small smile. "Hey, where are Aasia and Adam? Aren't they here supposed to be here?"

"Oh, they got held back in the classroom. The teacher wanted to talk with them. I think it's about their grades, so nothing to worry about."

My heart skipped a beat. I ignored the nerves clawing at me and tried to keep a straight face. "They'll be fine, right?"

She shrugged. "Listen, uh, you know that depends on their grades for the 3rd nine weeks, right? I can't have a say on it."

From what I know, Adam isn't exactly a straight-A student, but he's not doing bad in any of his classes. He's been trying his best, studying more often and asking for help when it's needed. Meanwhile, Aasia has been missing school. While her other grades aren't falling, there's been a rumor that one of them has dropped due to lack of effort. Another quick chill ran down my spine.

"They both will be okay, I swear," Jayla said like she as convincing herself. "They will be—"

We paused. The sound of running footsteps interrupted us. It felt like time slowed as we saw two people running past us at full speed. A girl with a high ponytail and a boy with a crew cut turned the next corner. At the next moment, a teacher came back around the same corner dragging them by their shirts. It didn't help how I felt about the aftermath of testing.

"PLEASE BELIEVE ME!" The girl screamed at the top of her lungs. "I DID RAISE THEM! MY GRADE HAS TO BE A 70%! PLEASE BELIEVE ME!"

The students walking in the hallways hopelessly stared at two, holding their colored textbooks and black folders. The girl kept screaming, begging for somebody to help her. As for the boy, it looked like his soul left his body — his eyes were like glass.

"That's Samantha," Jayla whispered. "Did she not
study enough? What happened?"

I backtracked, trying to pull information out of my head from months ago. "Samantha has been struggling with her grades for a while....she was with the High Tiers and always reviewing notes with them. When our report cards came in the 2nd nine weeks, I was sitting next to her in the Testing Room and—"

The memory of her about to cry made my suck in a sharp breathe of pain. Her slightly shaking her and blotchy eyes almost made me feel break my facade.

"Oli." Jayla, whose smile has long faded, looked at me dead in my eyes. "What was her grade."

I almost didn't even want to say it. But I did, with students listening in on me.

"Her grade in the 2nd nine weeks was a 50%, and her grade now is a 40%."