My school's bell has a very unique sound compared to other schools, I think? It rings just like my alarm clock in the morning, ring ring ring— interrupting the teacher in the middle of her speech, today's a screeching hot day, the classroom's AC had broken down, you could really see how hot it was, people whom sat close to the open window were more focused, people who were far from the window made fans out of paper swinging them up and down to create some breeze, though of course it hadn't mattered anymore the bell had meant it was time to go home. A final goodbye was offered to the teacher before we could go home, after all my school upholds a high level of etiquette. "Stand up" said our class representative, following the orders we stood up from our seats quietly and said our goodbyes to the teacher. As the teacher left the classroom she reminded us once more for the ninety-ninth time "Don't forget about our test next week, it's very very important for your report card." Everyone sighs hearing the teachers warnings, though everyone excluding her, the one sitting behind me is the most mysterious girl in the world? Well at least to me, her name is Kanaria. Unique name much? She has long strands of deep colored black hair and black eyes that are always sleepy and hollow, white skin that looks as soft as cotton. However the most notable dominant and appealing side about her is her unparalleled talent, the smartest in the school even ranking number 6th in the whole country. I wonder if I would ever be able to reach heights even slightly similar to that? I had thought as the gap between me and her got wider that very second.

I lied. The fact that I asked myself if I would be able to reach achievements so high up tells me that I wanted to reach it, telling myself that I could do it if I wanted to but that was nothing but a pure lie, because the person that knows me the most is none other than myself, I know that even with all the hard work and dedication I would never-ever fly as high as the people I see every day, yet I keep pushing myself to study and study lying to myself. And yet after all that I still lie, I still hope and hope and hope, maybe I find comfort in these lies, knowing that I couldn’t do it but I tried, and that’s maybe why I’m in here, the place where some people use to have fun, others to hangout, others to read books, while others such as I use to study, the place I’m in is called a library, a place full of quiet whispers and a fortress of concentration, at least that was what this place had meant to me. 

No matter how strict a library is, there are always some soundless whispers, some noiseless giggles of laughter, but I feel as though it all has slowly and slowly begun to disappear— out of nowhere a soft, gentle, comforting and quite familiar sound breaks my untouched focus, the noise was paired with a soft warm light touch in my shoulder, swiftly I looked at the person touching me in the shoulder, it was Kanaria I didn’t really paid much attention to what she was saying to me, it seemed she knew I didn’t hear as well, reading the situation correctly she opened her mouth to me once again “Alvin! The library is closing.” I looked left and right, and just as she told me surprise-surprise, without my knowledge the world around me had already become dark. “Ahh—  that was my bad. I was focusing so much on my studies that I had totally forgotten the time.” I try not to embarrass myself in front of her, I wanted to keep up the good image that I had left, but I bet she could look right through me right now, the pathetic me and useless me, yet instead she scooted closer to me, by that time we were so close I could no longer look at her, I look towards my desk that I was reading on, I closed my book preparing to leave, but she then interrupts me she bends her neck and point up my notes, even while trying not to look at her I could still see the strands of hair that fell from the top of her head into the table I was looking on. “This one is wrong, in here X  is equal to 3. Isn’t this the material for the upcoming test? Hmmm well aren’t you a very hardworking one?” she said while yawning afterwards. “Thankyou I guess, what about you, what are you studying here?” relief was finally given to me as she took her hand off my desk, “I’m just reading a novel I’m not really feeling like studying right now.” she sighed “Alvin you really are hardworking. I saw you studying hard yesterday and the other day too, but do you really find the material for the upcoming test to be that hard? Of course I’m not saying you shouldn’t study for it, it’s just that, I feel like you are studying way too hard for the test." A long period of awkwardness came until I responded “uh, yeah I guess” hiding what I wanted to say. Quietly yet hurriedly I left the library without saying a single word of goodbye to her.

Library’s are strict towards communication through sound, however, I believe that does not change much in front of social addicts, so where in the world do people who enjoy communicating not communicate? The previous me would probably answer somewhere in the middle of a test to the middle of a funeral, but ever since coming to ninth grade I would have never been so naive to answer that. My name is Kanaria. Left and right, the old, fragile, math teacher would never see past the trickery nowadays students use these days to cheat. That has nothing to do with me though, what other people do to get a score does not bother me. I yawn in drowsiness, uselessly using my hand to close my yawning mouth. Bam! A sudden loud sound appeared during my undisturbed nap. “Alvin what’s wrong? Don’t disturb others.” Said the old teacher to him, a few moments later the teacher opened his mouth again “I’m gonna go to the toilet, don’t cheat remember that even if no one is looking, God is always looking.” As soon as he left the class, loud sounds came from everywhere in the class, no matter how old a teacher is he should have at least known the very basic nature of students, or maybe now that he’s old he left all his trust to God? Gambling for the final time in God’s existence. 

Loud noises from right and left and everywhere in between, students rambling the answers. I’m honestly worried for the future of my friends. While combining their knowledge they seem to conclude their discussion with the wrong answers, though what worried me more than that right now was the person sitting in front of me. I grabbed my pen and used it to touch his shoulder getting his attention. And as he finished rotating his face to look at me I asked him “Can you do the test?” It was painfully obvious though that loud noise he made before and how he shivers so much up until it looks like he is struggling to hold his pen, it was painfully obvious that he couldn’t do the test. “I remember how to do these questions, you just use that abc formula right.” he used a very optimistic yet neutral voice “But from yesterday and even the day before I still couldn’t do it even if I knew the answer and what equation to use.” the tone drastically became sad “No matter how hard I try I still couldn’t do it. I’m pathetic.” After that he went back to look at his desk, I wanted to say something to him, but I couldn’t say anything to him, I didn’t really understand what he felt at that moment, things like that have never happened to me, I really don’t understand at all, I could only imagine not being able to do anything no matter how hard you try but at that moment pity and even a sprinkle of guilt had entered my emotions. The teacher came back to the class and the class became as it was before he left. The only difference was that my pity for him grew. For a long time I thought about what I could do for him, and then an opportunity struck. The teacher who was walking around the class in circles had a question asked by the class rep, without much time thinking, I just went ahead and used the chance that was given to me, I stood up bringing my test paper and answer sheet, walking towards the teacher that’s talking to the class rep, I stopped before I got too close to the teacher as if waiting in line wanting to ask the teacher a question. But my real goal remains unchanged. I held my answer sheet in the back of my body for the person sitting exactly in the back was none other than Alvin. Now my poor friend Alvin! Quickly paste the answers and at last obtain the score you highly deserve!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Alvin!” The class rep, Stanly, called my name, he told me to go to the guidance counselor room, I was shocked, chills went up my spine, “Wow, what did you do this time?” Asked Justin some goofball friend of mine who goes to the council room far more than me, but I was really nervous when standing in front of the door, in the past I had never went here. As I knocked on the door, I could only think in nervousness of the reason the teacher had called me here, oh what could it possibly be.

Going inside the room, the room was small, it was like a mini office, there was one desk, and two chairs. Currently sitting is my homeroom teacher, who happened to be the head of the counseling and guidance department in my school. He was a kind and heartwarming teacher. “Please sit down Alvin” I sat in the only chair this room had left. As I sat down it really felt that this room was made with the sole purpose to have a one on one talk. “Do you know why I called you here Alvin?” I had thought it over and over since coming here, but the truth was always there in my mind. It only took his question for me to admit it to myself. “It was because of my bad score in that last test wasn't it?” I asked a question in the end, even when I already knew that it was the truth. “Yeah, yes it is, Alvin, I’m really worried about your future, your score falls way below average, if this goes on you’re not going to pass.” A silent sound of awkwardness passed by for a while, I didn’t know what he expected me to say, or maybe he was thinking about what to say next either way in this tiny room I was holding up my tears thinking about what I should do now. But as they say, well it’s not what they say, but it is at least what I say, when your world is finally engulfed or swallowed a whole by darkness, is when you can only see light.

It was lunchtime, a few weeks had gone by since the test, and May had finally come by, other than meeting with him in the hallways and in the classroom there was absolutely no connection between me and Alvin. Though that does not have to do with anything right now, cause this is my favorite time of the day lunchtime. Despite the name lunchtime I believe that there are no students in this school that don’t finish eating early to relax and have fun with their friends, to say the least most students don’t use all of their time just for eating. I'm someone from the very first group. I would much rather use the time I was given to relax, for example using it to read or even to take a quick nap. To me the long lunch time this school offers is a blessing. “So Alvin, why were you told to come to the guidance counselor room?” asked Justin right after Alvin came back from the class. Avoiding eye contact whilst hiding an obvious face of disappointment “It was nothing, it was just about my bad score that I got from the test a few weeks ago.” Stanly our class’s most helpful and reliable figure, approached them “Oh, so that’s why he called you, study hard next time ok?” he said with a gentle tone “Yeah, remember to study hard just like me!” said Justin, one of the most un-diligent people in the class, a goof ball and a friend of Alvin. 

Going to the library after school has always been one of my regular schedules, so much that I pretty much know everyone who comes and goes here. I came here so often the school once offered me to be the librarian, I rejected immediately of course, but every once in a while I do help a little, like telling people where the books they want are, recommending books to them, sometimes I even help them close up for the day, wait aren’t I totally a librarian? And that day as I was in charge of closing the library, I saw someone with burning eyes, dedicating all his focus towards studying, though he slept afterwards, he did look super tired, it ended as a terrible first impression. But now at the start of May, and at the end of an uneventful short spring he seems to have discarded his burning eyes of passion, instead replaced with despair and desperateness, and yet he had signs of determination, he was going to get what he wanted even if he had to work for weeks, and yet he looks like a ship in the middle of the wide vast sea, he doesn’t know what to do to get there, yet still blindly going forward to his only destination. Looking at him without a second thought I approached him. “Even a camel knows how not to fall into the same hole twice! If you can’t do it try something different and if you still can’t do it ask someone how!” In my mind that was what I wanted to say to him. But the introvert I am, I switched to an alternate solution.

 “Do you need help studying?” Kanaria offered help to me as she went and sat on the chair next to me. I swing my head left and right and concluded that she was talking to me, I’ve never wanted to lose face, but I know my harsh and terrible position, If I fail this test, my life might as well be over, maybe I’m panicking to much but that’s fact, if I fail I don’t know what I would do, I don’t know what would happen to my life, to my future. That’s why in this position the only thing I can think of doing is studying… “Alvin the only way for you to pass is to get 77 in your test in June if you don’t-'' So after my homeroom teacher said that, there was only one thing in my mind, I needed to pass. So I replied to her as my body shakes without my knowledge, even if it meant throwing away all my needless pride I had built up and that’s why, I gripped my hands as I replied to her “Please help” as she smiled in her response. 

Test day, not fully confident I walk past through the door of exam room number #6. I didn't know many people in the room, at least not many I was close to. I sat at my assigned desk near the window, soon the teachers came in carrying heavy sheets of paper, everyone prayed to their beliefs, as the loud and noisy school bell rang, signaling the start of the exam!

Question by question I answered, and in the middle of the test I started to doubt myself can I really do the test well? The test questions weren't too hard, most of the questions that came out has already been discussed or taught from her, I really can’t thank her enough for all the help she has given me, even this question right now, it’s like she’s guiding me to the place I need to be, seriously for the past few weeks I can’t thank her enough. As I crossed the answer I thought was correct, no I knew was correct, a painful lingering question I had thought countless times in my mind passed by. As half of my mind continues to look at the next set of questions. The thought had nothing to do with the exam right now, it doesn’t even matter if I have the answer in the future. But the question still lingers to me tight— “On the last exam I pitied you, so I happened to let you see my answers to the test. But I heard you instead got a horrible score. Did you not see it?” Kanaria asked, “Oh did you do that?.” — In truth I saw it, clear as day, I immediately knew my answers were incorrect. It was not like I didn’t trust her, nor did I think the answers she wrote were incorrect so…. Why didn’t I cheat? If I had cheated I wouldn’t be in this sorry of a position, the stakes would be high but there was no CCTV in the classroom, the teacher was also preoccupied. I saw her answers clearly, her writing was very neat and tidy, and I immediately saw that my answer was incorrect so what was it that stopped me from erasing and correcting my answers? I gripped my pen I held in my hand, and shakily wrote another answer in the outgoing test. Was it the morals I was given from this school? Was it because my parents taught me to be an honest person? No of course that’s not why I cheated. I didn’t cheat because-. I didn’t cheat because-. I’m really dumb aren’t I? “Sigh” my mouth opened and said something only the people sitting next to me could hear. But maybe it’s because I’m dumb that I didn’t cheat. I studied really hard on that exam, and even when I saw and understood that I was wrong my stupid pride wouldn’t let me, even if it’s wrong I wanted for my hard work to become what it is.

Thanks for reading my first ever one shot or short story that certainly has many flaws, I hope you enjoyed. With that being said I hope that you would leave critiques as to what I need to improve.