Selena looks around anxiously, makes sure that the teacher is busy, and then bends over and takes Karen’s test. She’s going to copy the answers! What! I cannot believe my eyes. I must look like an idiot, with my mouth hanging open! I cannot speak but my mind is racing at a million miles an hour. My hands are sweaty and cold, and I feel faint. The fluorescent lights seem to be flashing over my head, and the world is spinning before my eyes. Should I tell the teacher? Should I just mind my own business?
Is this what I was expecting earlier that day? Certainly not! That morning, my classmates and I had been waiting outside our literature classroom. There was a feeling of anxiety in the air. Of course, we were waiting to take one of the hardest test. All around me, my classmates were frantically doing last minute studying. Books, sheets of papers filled with notes, and worksheets came flying out of people’s backpacks. My friend Sara was pouring over a thick stack of notes. I myself was recollecting the important events in the book. Suddenly, our literature teacher threw open the door of his classroom. He was astonished by what he saw. People sitting on the ground, on benches with pieces of paper and books surrounding them. Suddenly, everybody looked up. There was a collective moan.
The teacher said, “What on earth are you kids doing? Why are you so worried? It’s just a regular old literature test.”
Regular old literature test? How could it be regular? Literature had the hardest tests out of all the other classes. Trying to fish out examples of symbolism from a three-hundred page book was no easy task. All this character analysis, plot lines, and examples of verbal irony make my head spin. And he has the nerve to tell us not to worry!
Obviously, we couldn’t say any of this to him. Meekly, we entered the class and sat down as quiet as mice. Then, we waited in apprehension for the test to be handed out. I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking. I tried to calm myself down. After all, I had studied diligently until midnight for this test, right? Slowly, the teacher got up and picked up a stack of papers. Oh no! Time for the dreaded test to begin. When he handed the first few out, I heard gasps of horror. The test was so thick! Oh dear! All my fears returned. What if I can’t finish on time? What if in the rush, I make careless errors? When I received my test, I quickly scribbled my name on it and began skimming through it. Phew! It wasn’t bad at all. My heart lept. I knew the answers to most of the questions! Now it was just the question of finishing on time.
I quickly, but carefully began writing down the answers to all the questions. Midway through the class, I looked up to check the time. I seemed to be on a good pace for finishing on time. Yippee! As I started to drop my gaze back towards the test, Karen got up to sharpen her pencil. It was then that I noticed what Selena was up to.
When the fact that Selena is cheating finally registers in my brain, I start gasping like a fish out of water. My friends sitting nearby start giving me strange looks. Selena, though, knows that I have discovered what she has done.
She pleads desperately, “Mythri, I have Karen’s test. I am failing miserably, and I need some help. Please don’t tell anyone. You are my friend, so please don’t betray me.”
In a dazed state, I nod my head. “Ok,” I whisper.
Slowly, I turn back towards my test and stare at it blankly for a few seconds. It is Karen’s test being slid back onto her desk that shakes my out of my daze. I suddenly remember where I am and that I have a test to finish. I can worry about this later. I look up at the clock. Fifteen minutes to finish so much of the test! I forget all my worries about Selena cheating. I start scribbling furiously. It’s like I am a runner in a race trying to beat the clock. I must win this race. Finally, one more question left, and two minutes to do it. I stare at the question. Oh no! I can’t remember the answer! Ugh! I rack my brains trying to recollect a small detail. Oh! I remember! The answer simply pops into my head. With ten seconds left, I write down the answer as fast as I can. In the nick of time, I put a period at the end of my final sentence. Phew! That was close! I put down my pencil and hand over my test. Just then, I see Selena hand in her test. All my previous worries return. I quickly run out of the class to get out of the classroom.
As I walk towards my locker to get my lunch, a myriad arguments clutter my brain. Why did I agree not to tell anyone? Was it because I subconsciously support her actions? Should I have told the teacher? Should I tell Karen so that she can resolve the situation? As I walk towards a bench to eat my lunch, Selena walks past me and says, “Thanks.” This one word from her causes all the guilt to come crashing down. I run into the bathroom and burst into tears.
I helped someone cheat. I should not have helped her commit a crime. I am an accomplice in crime. How could I have nodded my head and agreed to help her cheat? Didn’t I know about the code of conduct that was proclaimed at the beginning of the school year? It stated clearly that if you help someone cheat, then you are also a cheat, and you are also in violation of the honor code. Knowing this fully well, I helped Selena cheat. I am utterly ashamed of myself.
This heavy burden of guilt makes the next few days incredibly difficult. The next few days are also overcast, and the smell of rain is always present in the air. The gloomy weather does nothing to help my depression. I am never hungry. Meals simply taste like cardboard. I can’t sleep at night. My mother’s words constantly play out in my head. “Do your duty. No matter what the consequences are, always do your duty.” But what is my duty? Shouldn’t I keep a promise to a friend. No, I should follow the school’s code of conduct? But she’s my friend, and I promised her. Isn’t it worse to break a promise. But I promised the school not to help someone cheat. My mind goes round and round like a dog chasing its tail. It took me three days, but I finally make a decision. I have to speak the teacher.
The next day, during the snack break, I grit my teeth and pull myself together. There is no turning back now. I walk up to the literature classroom. The blinds are closed. Hmm, strange. I raise my fist to knock. My fist is an inch from the door when I hear sobbing. What? I peek through the blinds and am met with a strange sight. Karen and Selena are both having a discussion with the teacher. Tears are rolling down their cheeks. The teacher is trying to comfort them. After a few seconds, they suddenly hug each other. I finally understand what is going on. Selena has confessed! How brave of her to do this! She could easily have avoided any trouble. Suddenly, the door swings open. Selena walks over to me and hugs me. “Thank you for giving me the time to do the right thing,” she says.