It felt like a horse was stamping on my chest, but from within me; constricting my breathing and crushing my rib bones.

'Shut up!' I mentally told my heart. I could hear it's quickening thump in my ears while I trudged down the hallway. The memories of all my missing assignments fluttered around me. Haunting me. They traveled along with the distressing piece of paper in my hand that should've been soaked by then from all of the sweat that found it's way to my palms. It seemed that I was growing smaller with each step forward. Each step closer to my parents. Each step closer to my impending doom.

I, by some force that must've come from heaven above, managed to drag a nervous smile across my face; figuring that a smile wouldn't make the "D" on my report card look as bad.

"Uhm…here," I voiced in almost a whisper. My voice was weak and I could feel a sudden need to puke starting in my gut. I swallowed hard and handed my mom the dreaded piece of paper; praying to all that was holy for the thing to burst into raging flames.

It seemed like decades had gone by as my parents read my report card with completely neutral faces. (Note to self; ask mom and dad if they used to be poker fanatics or something.) I bit my lip and searched their faces for happiness, anger, disappointment, or anything. I would've rather had my mom go all Hulk smash right from the start. Anything would be better than the wait; anxiety building up in me like a soda bottle being shaken.

After a while, a small seed of hope sprouted inside me. Maybe my parents wouldn't think that my grades weren't so bad after all.

That small little seedling was immediately annihilated, torn down, and thrown into an incinerator, when I finally saw the change in my mother's expression.

Her right eyebrow arched up elegantly, and her lips pursed ever-so-slightly. I was about to close my eyes and prepare for the wrath of my mom when I saw something.

She was biting her cheek. Her eyes were a little bit unfocused as she stared off into space, planning the vast series of punishments to thrust upon me. The glint in her eye sent my rapidly thumping heart through the floorboards.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.