I sit still. My feet no longer tap the floor in erratic beats as i try
to remember the words i was reciting only this morning. I form a picture
in my mind, of the page covered in my irregular writing. What did it
say? I cannot read the scrawl on the page in my mind. I sigh and put my
head on my desk, quietly listening to my classmates scratching away
their answers. What are they thinking? Do they know this answer? Have
they passed this question? I shake my head. I wish i could shake off
these thought as though they were nothing but water droplets clinging
to my hair. I lift my head and slowly glance around. My eyes see nothing
but a classroom of bent heads, moving pens. I look towards the teacher, who is watching me like an animal preparing to pounce. My glance shifts
quickly to my own paper. I will leave this question and perhaps, come
back to it later. Circling the question, i move on, only pausing to flip
through the remaining pages and groan. We have an hour left. Consoling
myself, I begin writing as fast as i can. As the clock ticks as a
nagging reminder of my failure to write a mere exam, my hand races
across the length of my answer sheet. I do not do justice to my learning anymore, or my writing skills. I merely scribble
down the facts, the most important points, in hope that I've covered
enough of the needed information to score well. The bell begins to ring
just as i finish the last question. I cap my pen, stuff it in my pouch,
lean back and smile. Our papers are collected by the teacher who waddles
slowly across our desks as we shift in our seats impatiently. We are
not allowed to talk yet. As the last of the papers disappears into the
now-large stack, my class jumps up as one, rendering me deaf for the
moments during which the noise of desks and seats scraping the floor is
earsplitting. I do not want to move just yet, I sit still.
