By Victoria Qiu (9) | STAFF REPORTER
Last day of the semester.
Adelaine rushed through the halls of the Academy, desperately trying to stay calm. With her sleek black hair and round glasses, she had been one of the top students for the past few years and was determined to keep that place. Looping her way through many of her classmates, she finally stopped in front of the large bulletin board. In big, bold letters, sprawled across the top of the wall, read EXAM RESULTS.
She pushed herself past the crowd gathered beneath the board and finally got to the front. Holding her breath, Adelaine slowly scanned the list, reading the names carefully. Finally, she sees her name, to her shock, displayed on the very top of the page. Adelaine Lorraina – 98.6%. Her breath caught in her throat and a lump started to form. She quietly turned and walked outside, her steps lining up with the fast beating of her heart. Under usual circumstances, one would be thrilled for that mark. Adelaine was not.
She sat under her favorite willow tree and looked down, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The sun had just started to set, a beautiful sight to behold. However, that was the last thing that was on her mind at the moment. 98.6%, how was she going to explain to her parents? How will she justify being only 1.4% away from perfect? How can they believe that their daughter got anything below flawless?
A shadow approached her, and she quickly wiped a stray tear and hid behind her history book. Looking up cautiously, she saw the telltale brown curls of Heather Springs looking down at her. Heather and Adelaine have always been academic rivals, competing for the top of their class. What does she want, she thought gloomily. Come to mock me again?
“Well, congrats. You made it top of the class again- are you crying?” Heather bent down and lifted her face, wiping away a tear that still stained Adelaine’s cheek. “What happened?” she asked again, more concerned than malicious. Adelaine wanted to push her away. She wanted to be anywhere other than sitting here with Heather in front of her. Instead, she buried her head into her textbook and started sobbing, her vision so blurry she couldn’t see anything in front of her. When her crying finally stopped, she looked up again to see a very alarmed Heather holding her shoulder, her glasses on the grass beside them. “Wanna tell me what on earth is going on?” she asked, slowly sitting down. Adelaine was hesitant, but the regular sarcastic look in Heather’s eyes was gone. My day can’t get any worse, right?
…
“So, let me get this straight,” Heather sat back and looked Adelaine dead in the eyes. “You score near perfect across all your exams, yet you’re overthinking about not being good enough?” she paused, her lips twitching up into a grin. “Don’t you think you’ve already done the best you can? Don’t put yourself through so much pressure. It’s not worth it.” With a tissue, Heather wiped Adelaine’s eyes and put the history book aside, now drenched in tears. Softly, she added, “If your parents can’t accept your best, then it’s their problem. If they can’t see what a talent their child is, then so be it. Don’t ruin your own mental health over their standards.” She stood up and extended a hand, waiting for Adelaine to take it.
“How do you stay so calm? Not knowing you’re top of the class, first place, or anything like that?” Adelaine sniffed, looking up at Heather. “I don’t determine my worth based on my grades. Sure, I like being first in whatever I do. But if I’m not, who cares? I can’t change that, and crying won’t change the past. I have to get up and move on,” she shrugged, grabbing Adelaine’s hand and pulling her up. “And,” she continued, her grin growing, “if I’m being honest, I only competed for first place to piss you off. No offense.” Adelaine grabbed her history book and smacked Heather on the head, her mouth open in shock. Before long, a massive fit of laughter erupted from both girls, falling over with tears in their eyes.
Helping herself up, Adelaine realized she felt different. Not in a physical way, but her body felt so much… lighter. As if some heavy burden was lifted from her. Looking at Heather, still laughing, she realized what it was. She lost her strive for perfection. Guilt overshadowed her again (how could she let that happen?), but a playful tug of her arm distracted her once again. “Oh, you are so dead when I get you, Heather Springs!” Adelaine yelled, chasing after her.
As the sky faded into its dark blue glory, the moon shone and tiny stars twinkled, scattered across like sprinkles on a cake. Perfectly imperfect, just as it should be. ☆
