There I was, sitting on my bed on a warm April night, the lights off in my room. The soft glow of the chromebook screen illuminated the ghastly, contorted expression on my face. My Schoology had been haunted! Projected before me was the effect of the latest Calculus test: an 80.51% overall grade. The same appeared to be happening in my other classes; the sequence of percentages converging to zero. Life as I’d known it had ended. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying desperately to find a way to cope—and then it hit me: I would just manifest better grades.
Nevermind the quiz I just failed, in my head, I aced it. I can picture that 4.0 GPA so clearly it must be real. Take, for example, the conversation I had with my chem teacher yesterday. “Noah, we need to talk,” she said.
“About what?”
“Your scores recently. What’s going on?”
Nothing, you fool, I thought to myself, but I knew to be more polite. “You mean my series of 100%s? I don’t know, guess I’m just feeling good lately.”
She stared at me blankly as I walked backwards out the door, shooting finger guns. Out of the corner of my eye, I think I saw her shaking her head? I wonder what that was about. I think she just couldn’t believe how awesome I was.
I think my favorite moment this week was when my dad tried to confront me about my mid-semester report card. “Three Cs, Noah?” he asked, “What’s been happening to you lately?”
I told him to give me the report card, and once he did, I tore it up in his face. “Three Cs?” I laughed, “Whatever are you talking about?”
“Noah, this isn’t funny.”
“I know, I seriously have straight As!”
“You missed 12 days of school last month, Noah, you aren’t doing ‘just fine.’”
“Look, it’s who asked!” I said, pointing to the corner.
“Ok, get out” he cut in, pushing me toward the door. I’m on the streets now, and while it’s not easy out here, I think I’ll be just fine. After all, when I’m feeling lost and alone, I can just manifest a home.
