Emma Dean
Mr. Tower
Comp/Lit
4/1/14

Life Journey

I was crying. In my desk I draped my hair in front of my face, shielding myself from my peers, like a curtain. Staring blankly at the floor, I watched my tears drop to ground and absorb into the carpet. I hung my head down low, wishing I was invisible. I felt like a zoo animal as people would pass by and stare, asking what was the matter. At that moment, I just didn’t want to exist.

It started as a completely average day. I woke up the same way I usually did, with mom stomping into my room. She was screeching about how I was going to late for school like she did everyday. I slumped out of bed, threw on some clothes and I was out the door. I had a test that day. It was for history, which was my toughest class. I was determined to get an A and refused to settle for anything less than that. I felt sleep deprived, probably due to the fact I spent the entire night studying.

I arrived at school and the next thing I knew I was glaring at it, it was teasing me. My eyes scrolled up and down the page. My brain felt as though everything I knew had suddenly leaked out of my head. Then, I began to sweat. It started seeping through my clothes, which only made me embarrassed. Thus, I began to sweat even more. My heart was thumping and the clock seemed like it was only speeding up. At one point i’m pretty sure I was banging my head against the desk.
Thirty minutes had passed by and I still didn’t have one measly answer written on my paper. My eyes wandered and then I saw it, my backpack. My study guide was just barely peeking through the top. I needed a good grade, I struggle with history. Without hesitation I scrambled out of my desk, snatched my backpack and whipped out my study guide. Of course, my teacher walks in. Busted.
Which brings us back to the beginning of my story, when I was crying. After that, they had to call my parents and tell them what I had done. When I got home my parents were outraged and grounded me. But everyone makes mistakes, it’s what makes us human. We learn from them and move on with our life journey. Ever since then, I have never cheated on a test. If I didn’t study I would rather take the bad grade instead of getting an A. It isn’t worth cheating if I didn’t deserve it and I will remember this lesson for the rest of my life.