________________
Jain
Vritika Parikh, Age 14 Oak Valley Middle School, San Diego, California
Creak. I slowly opened the door, hair off his face. clutching my bag. A wave of middle school students sat before "Sometimes the things you are most afraid of are the things
me, their gaze fixedly upon the that make you happiest.” She replied calmly. teacher in the front. I spotted an empty chair next to my friend, Aayushi, and boldly made my way to it. While the “But I am not afraid of him! Please just give me a different lesson was being taught, I sat and yawned.
partner! I beg you!"
This was my schedule. Every Friday, I would wake up, “You will know when the time comes. Now, if you so study ahead in Anatomy, arrive at school, go to dance please, there's your mother." Hurt and frustrated, I told my class, and then come an hour late to Anatomy. For the mom the whole story on the way home. She advised me whole year, my Friday had been like this. At the beginning to set up my first practice with Nick and see how it went. of Science Olympiad, my family had requested for a time After much thought, I accepted the fact he was going to be change. But, nothing had been working out in relation to my partner. the other events' timings. So here I was. I had learned to study independently, and had made a vow to get at least an Everyone is different and have various ways of learning. I A on every quiz. So far, I had succeeded. Now I bounced thought to myself. I will have to find out his. up and down. The announcements for the partner choices were starting
I was dropped off the next day at his house, determined
to be successful. In my arms, I carried notecards, play"Well, the moment you all have been waiting for... dough, and a laptop. I rang the doorbell, was let in by his partners!" The atmosphere changed in the classroom. mom, and approached the dining table. He was doing his Everyone jolted upright, their hands folded neatly on their calculus homework and appeared to be moving his head laps and their faces full of smiles. I clapped my hands to a beat. When he saw me, he stopped and pointed to an and waited, eager but tense. She started muttering lists of empty chair. names. Aryan was with Deepa, Amethyst was with Emil, Sangam was with blah, blah, blah... Where was my name? "Sup?" he asked. Seconds, minutes, hours passed.
"Anatomy. Let's begin, shall we?" He nodded. "Okay, these Finally she came to my name. "Ah, Vritika is with Nick!" here are notecards. I have written multiple terms for all She looked at me, her smile stretching from ear to ear. My three systems that we need to memorize. Want to give expression froze into distain. Nick?! Nick, of all people?! them a try?” I handed the cards to him. Nick showed me I turned around and looked at Nick. Everyone followed his open palm. I dropped the notecards into it, but, at the my gaze. There he was in the back, books under his feet last second, he flipped his hand sideways. as usual. He had curled his textbook into a small cylinder and was pretending to smoke from it.
"Ha ha! Tricked ya! I don't do anything on paper little
dude. It's all up here." He indicated to his forehead and "Sup?" he questioned when he saw me. I gave him a weak stomped on the notecards. smile and shuddered. All of my independent studying, attendance at each class, excelling amongst all; did this "Alright, alright, Nick. Please do not step on the paper, mean nothing to the eyes of my teacher? To give me a especially if it has something written all over it. The partner as such? Furious as I was, I endured the last thirty bad karma of kicking or nudging anything that gives us minutes of Anatomy.
knowledge results in bad fruit; we do not gain knowledge.
Our education will suffer and we won't win at the final Afterwards, I stormed my way over to my teacher. "Why?" competition." I cried, "Why did you put me with a partner... like him?!?" I gestured to Nick who was busy brushing the bangs of “Oh I am really sorry!" He knelt down in a bowing motion.
