1- The Fail

The scorching sun penetrated through the windows. The classroom is hot. Classroom D33 was not the best place to be in on such a hot day. It is something we had to endure. Everyone is standing with their group of friends, and I'm standing with my friends, Willow, Nicole, Chloe.

"Where is Mr. Rutherford?" Willow starts impatiently tapping her foot on the marble tiled floor. Willow is used to things happening at a set time. All of us are. The life we live forced to.

"Calm down, Willow." Nicole coaxed her. "You know how hectic the office can get on report day." Even with the life we live, Nicole is never impatient. She is the calm headed one in the circle.

"No!" Chloe whined and we turned our attention to her. "You guys will not believe what my mom just said."

"What?" I ask.

"Okay so you know my aunt was pregnant right?" We all nod slowly. "Well she gave birth this morning."

"Aww. Congratulations, is it a boy or a girl?" Willow asks. I seriously cannot wait to meet the little tot.

"No." Chloe said. Willow, Nicole and I shared a confused look among us. "Not congratulations. Since I'm the oldest and apparently the most responsible. I will most likely be put on babysitting duty all vacation. That is what they always do."

"Well that sucks." I say with a shrug. "But look at the positive side. Babies are cute."

"How is that making things better?" She asked with a hand on her hip while the other held her phone. She turned to Willow. "Oh and its a girl. They named her Alexis."

"When-" I was cut off by my future walking in. Literally, Mr. Rutherford walked in with a stack of white envelopes in his hands on top of his laptop. The envelopes look thick. Those envelopes in his hands held our results written on the report card. For some reason my heart starts hammering in my chest.

"Sorry for the delay." That was the first thing he said as he walked in. "The office is a war zone, envelopes flying everywhere." His bad joke did not put anyone at ease, on the contrary our nervousness exceeded. He set everything on his table and looked at everyone. "Listen," he began, "I had an amazing time teaching you. Through all the tears some shed and the joked we all laughed at I just want to say, enjoy everyhing as it comes. Do not over think much. Some of you are going to university or college, some are going to find a job and start working. Either way I want you to remember that it only gets harder from here." He continued. "So from the teachers and stuff members we would like to wish you nothing but the best." We were left in awe. Giving speeches isn't what Mr. Rutherford does. A few words would have done it for him. "So listen. I'm going to call your name to come and get your report. Then go sign your name for the graduation ceremony if you will be present on the day. Alright?"

Some nodded reluctantly and some started biting their nails. This is it. This envelope will say a lot. Not just if you've failed or not, but also how your whole family name will be branded. Everyone here knows that their family reputation is on the line. Grade twelve has been the hardest academic year for everyone. Mr. Rutherford starts calling people in alphabetical order to take their reports. As soon as they get their reports they opened them. Eveyone screamed in joy, Willow, Chloe and Nicole included. It's my turn to get my report. My name as usual is called last. "Zoey Williams?"

As soon as I hear my name, I shoot up from my seat. My heart continues racing. Deep breaths do not help. "Zoey." Mr. Rutherford says when I get to his table. "Everything happens for a reason. It has been a difficult year. Don't beat yourself up about, yeah?" I simply nod. Strange I think to myself.

"Open it, Zo!" Chloe squels. I do as I am told. Pulling out my report, I unfold it. Tears start forming in my eyes. My worst fear has come to life. The comments from the teachers are all disappointing and heartbreaking. The first tear rolls down my faces. I don't make an attempt to wipe it away.

"You failed!" That was Charlotte's voice. I did not look up from the paper in my hands. From the edge of the paper I see people's shoes. They are all around me. Looking at me. Charlotte exposed and successfully embarrassed me in front of everyone.

"Charlotte!" That was Mr. Rutherford. "How dare you? To the office young lady. Your parents would like to hear this." I heard shuffling behind me and a low, almost mumbled 'sorry Zoey'. "Move along everyone. Move along." My classmates started moving away. I felt someone pull me into a hug.

"Let's go. We will talk at my place." That was Willow. "Come on." I nodded against whoever had hugged me and started walking out. Chloe took my report from me and stored it in its envelope then in my mini bag.

I hear murmurs and laughter around us as we walk to Willow's car. The murmurs become louder and clear. Everyone knows. I choose to sit in the back with Nicole, while Willow and Chloe take the front seat. I bury my face in my hands when the car starts moving. Silently I cry. No one had to know about this.

It has been a difficult year for everyone, but I am the only one who failed this year. I studied the same modules they did. Read the same books. We even had the same teachers. But still, I managed to fail. I managed to be the first student in Trinity Falls Private Academy to fail. I have officially made history. I chuckle at that thought. It's not the kind of history making to be proud of.

We arrive at Willow's house in a few minutes. I wipe my tears away before I get out of the car. If the help sees me this way, they'll start to probe. Getting out the car, I take a deep breath.

"Nicole and you can go to my room. Chloe and I will bring some snacks up." I nod with a ghost smile on my face. Nicole and I go up stairs to Willow's room. Opening the door we are welcomed by white newly painted walls.

"Zo?" Nicole calls me as we sit on the beanbags. I turn to face her. "I am so sorry. I really had no idea that something like this could happen to you. I am really sorry."

I nod. Wow, I've been nodding a lot today. "It's okay. I wish I could say I saw it coming but honestly I didn't." I say with a shrug. I feel better now. The urge to cry is not that bad anymore. "Let me go tell them to bring some sour worms. I'm in the mood for them." Nicole simply nods and I leave the room.

Walking down the stairs I hear Willow's voice. "Do you know how this ruined my reputation? Videos are going around on social media." I slow down my pace and stop when I hear Chloe speak too. "I know. Like how could she? This is bad for my family reputation. If any of siblings see it. I know they'll stop me from being friends with her." She continues. "And honestly I would not even protest." Ouch. Is reputation really more important to them than our friendship.

The tears start coming back. Deciding that I've heard enough, I run back upstairs to Willow's room. "Zoey?" Nicole puts her phone down when she see the state I'm in. I find relief when I see that she had been playing games and not on social media. "Zoey, what happened?"

I shake my head. I open my bag and search for my phone. "Willow and Chloe care more about their reputation than they care about our friendship. They are practically planning to cut me off as their friend." I find the contact I'm looking for: Ross.

I call him, he picks up on the second ring. "Hey Ross. Please come pick me up. I'm at Willow's house. Yeah the one on Everlane." I hang up. He should be here in a few minutes.

"Are sure that's what you heard? Were they talking about you?" Nicole puts her hands on my shoulders. I nod because I don't trust my voice. She wipes away the stream of tears on my face. My phone vibrates, Ross is here.

Willow and Chloe enter when I'm about to walk out. Willow is holding a tray filled with good looking snacks. Chloe also has a tray but her tray has four tall glasses filled with juice. Willow is the first to notice that I'm crying again. "Zoey? I am really sorry-"

I cut her off by walking out. I hear Nicole tell them that I heard their little conversation in the kitchen. I hear footsteps behind me, so I pick up the pace I'm walking at. Ross is waiting for me in his chauffeur uniform. I hear them calling me but I ignore them. Ross is confused by this. "Goodday Ms. Williams." He greets me.

"Hi Ross." I get inside as soon as he opens the door.

"Ms. Williams your friends are calling you." Ross says from the driver's seat. They are nearing the car.

"Please take me home Ross." This confuses him but he drives nonetheless. My parents chose the perfect person for the job.

My eyes nearly bulge out my head. My parents! How am I going show them my report? How am I going to explain to them how this happened. Not only am I the first person to fail in Trinity Falls Private Academy, but I'm also the first person to fail in my whole family since my great great grandfather, Alexandra Williams.

The drive back home seems extremely short today. I get off the car and come face to face with the tall wooden doors my mother and father built. Behind those downs, could be my parents. I take another deep breath, it does not work. I must be broken. Taking steady steps to the doors, I raise my my hand and knock twice. Not long after, Susan, the head of the help opens the door. "Welcome back, Ms. Williams."

"Hi Susan." I answer back taking a few steps inside, I peak in the kitchen. No signs of my mother. "Um Susan?" I call her in a hushed voice. Least any of my family members hear me.

"Yes, Ms. Williams?"

"Are my parents home?" I ask looking over her shoulder into the lounge. No signs of my father there either. "Specifically my mother?"

She shakes her head slightly. "Your mother just left. There was an emergency at work and she had to go oversee how it is handled. But she said she would be back before dinner." Okay, one parent down, one more to go.

I angle my head to look in the lounge area, no signs of my father there either. "And what about my father?"

"Your father left in the morning and has not come back. Perhaps he'll be back an hour before dinner as he usually is, Ms. Williams." I nod with a pleased smile on my face. "Is that all Ms. Williams?"

"Uh. Yes Susan. That's all. I'll be in my bedroom should anyone want me." With a nod Susan leaves and I go to where I said I'll be.

I climb the stairs with much speed. Bolting in my room I throw myself on my bed and my bag on the floor. Staring at the ceiling, I try and imagine the best possible way to explain that I failed to my parents. Each scenario ends with them very angry and disappointed in me. I'm disappointed in myself already.

Ice cream should solve this problem. Ice cream solves everything. Before leaving my room, I tuck my bag under the bed then I rush downstairs to the kitchen. Opening the freezer I reach for my favourite ice cream tub then for some chocolate chip cookies from the pantry. "Zoey!"

"Ahhh!" The cookies fall out my hands and onto the floor. "Jake, why would you do that? You have some vendetta against me?" I ask him while picking up the cookies. He's sitting on the other side of the island. Directly opposite me.

"Why would you say that? You're my favourite sister, Zo." I chuckle at that, the only time he calls me his favourite is when he wants something.

"I'm your only sister, Jake." I pull out a tray and place the ice cream and cookies on top. "What do you want?"

"Don't you want to borrow your favourite big brother your biking card?" He asks with a sweet voice, a sweet voice that will not work on me. "Just for the week?" I sigh heavily and conceed. I tell him that I'll bring it to his room.

Opening the door to my room was a struggle, but a challenge is what I live for. First thing I do is put the tray on my bed then look for the card. It has been a while since I've used it, but I find under the books I got from my aunt last Christmas. I take it to his room on his bed then back to my solutions.

Realizing that I forgot a spoon for the ice cream, I rush downstairs to get it. Just when I was about to place my foot on the first stair going back up, I hear a voice I had not prepared myself for.

"Zoey."

My father.