Greasy Food and End of Year Exams

Amanda sat outside the Burgers, Bread ‘N Butter deli store, waiting for her cousin to meet her for lunch. She was on one of those rickety, wooden park benches that were donated in memory of the deceased. This one was dedicated to a Richard Karmer, some old man who had died fourteen years ago. Amanda wondered if he’d had trouble with his end of year exams.

“I’m not late, am I?” Justin, her twenty-something college prodigy of a cousin, sat down beside her, his back covering the memorial plaque.

“You’re never late.” Amanda pulled up her shirt sleeve, showing him the time on her watch. “I’m just early.”

“It must be serious, then. Why did you want to meet me?”

“I need your brain,” she answered simply. Amanda was in her senior year, and after the death of her best friend in a bus accident, she’d stopped caring about school. That meant that she was now extremely behind in everything, and exams were looming. The school counsellor was sympathetic; but not the teachers, and they refused to give her any extra time to prep.

“Ah.” He clasped his hands together, burying them between his thighs. “Well, where do you want to start?”

“Lunch.” She flicked her head to the entrance of Burgers, Bread ‘N Butter. “I can’t focus on an empty stomach.” Letting out a deep sigh, Amanda stood up from the bench and Justin followed suit.

“Lunch it is then.”

“So what’s your next exam?” Justin asked, shamelessly talking with a mouth full of salad. He’d purchased a chicken and vegetable wrap. Amanda needed the stronger stuff to get her through senior year; she’d picked a double burger and onion rings.

“English.” She repositioned herself in the cheap deli chair and used a serviette to wipe some foreign substance (possibly tomato sauce) off the table top. “It’s a comprehension.”

“Comprehension?” He said it like it was child’s play. “I thought you’d find something like that easy.”

“I dunno, maybe… I used to.”

“And what changed?”

“You know what. Becca.” Her lifelong friend had drowned inside a school bus, and things just stopped mattering. Amanda bit into an onion ring. She still missed her friend desperately, but she could handle it now. Becca was in a better place, the lucky duck didn’t have any exams to complete.

“Right.” Justin nodded. “But you were crazy good at English before, so we’ve just got to reawaken that part of you.”

“And how do we do that?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

“You know what they say. Practise makes perfect.” That was the end of their academic conversation for the time being. “You should never mix rest and work,” he reasoned, “but I’ll visit tonight and help you study.”

“Good,” Amanda turned red, embarrassed by her awful time management, “because the English exam is tomorrow.” Justin facepalmed, then he took a massive bite of his chicken and salad wrap.

“I think I should order something stronger next time.”

~

They were seated in front of Amanda’s desktop, ironically placed on top of her chest of drawers. A mock comprehension task lit up the dark room, two boxes glaring menacingly at her.

“So should I tick A or B?” She asked, tapping the mouse with her index finger.

“Don’t you think you should try by yourself before you ask me?” Justin was resting his chin on his knuckle, studiously reading the accompanying text. Amanda huffed; she had an idea, but she didn’t want to get it wrong, that would be embarrassing. “Fine. Okay,” he leaned back, giving her his full attention, “it says that Fred drew in a deep breath, and his eyes were all watery.”

“It doesn’t say all watery,” she giggled.

“But you get my drift. Based on what the text tells us, do you think Fred is angry or nervous?”

“Which do you think?”

“You tell me.” He wasn’t going to just give her the answer. She supposed that was for the best, he wouldn’t be beside her in the actual exam. Which was in less than twenty-four hours.

“Nervous. He’s acting like he’s nervous.”

“So tick B.” Justin didn’t give any indication as to whether she was correct. As well as being one of the top students at his college, he was also a master Poker player. Amanda hovered the arrow on the B box and left-clicked. She held her breath for a moment, waiting for the exercise to load, and relaxed when her answer was highlighted in green.

“You see?” Justin leaned back in the chair and rested his head in his arms. “You’ve got this.”

“I don’t think I have.” Maybe she did, but Amanda just wasn’t confident. She’d missed out on so many English lessons to spend time with the counsellor, or just lounge around miserably at home. Now she was paying for that.

“Well, I think you’ll do just fine tomorrow.” He glanced at the wall clock. “It’s getting near dinner, mind if I leave? I promised my roomies I’d cook.”

“Yeah, sure.” Amanda paused the comprehension exercise and sent her computer to sleep, promising herself she’d keep practising after refueling her starved mind. “Thanks for helping. I’ll keep at it tonight.” Justin picked himself up from the chair and grabbed his car keys from the dresser.

“Just make sure you get a good amount of sleep. Remember,” he winked, “you should never mix-”

“Rest and work, yeah, I’ve got it.”

~

“That was fast,” Amanda’s mother pointed out, after she’d practically inhaled the potato bake served for dinner.

“I want to get some more studying done before the exam tomorrow.” Her knife and fork clinked against the ceramic plate as she laid them to rest, and then pushed out her chair. “Mind if I go?” Her parents exchanged indifferent glances, shrugging.

“Study your heart out,” her father said.

Amanda did just that. She speed-walked straight to her bedroom and crashed down in front of the chest of drawers. With a tap of the power button, her trusty desktop woke up and welcomed her back with the loading screen. Then the comprehension task popped up, and she was back in her study zone.

“The incorrect statement is… A.” She ticked the box, and thankfully it was highlighted in green. Amanda was never certain of her comprehension answers. The accompanying texts could be interpreted in so many different ways, yet the school boards expected you to know what Anna’s favourite chocolate bar was, based on what ice cream flavour she purchased. Well, that question wasn’t actually in the practise test, but they were all just as ridiculous.

Five comprehension tasks later, it was the early hours of the morning and Amanda was struggling to keep her eyes open. She had an empty coffee mug sitting on the desk of drawers, and held another in her hand. She kept raising the empty vessel to her mouth, expecting sweet nectar to pass her lips, and then remembering that she’d drained the mug ten minutes ago. Amanda’s eyes would have permanently fastened themselves shut hours ago if it weren’t for the painfully bright light of the computer screen, and all she could hear was a crescendo of yawns.

You should never stir rest and work, she remembered Justin’s words. Well, he’d said something along those lines. But that was easy for him to say, he didn’t have an end of year exam to complete in the morning, this morning, in eight hours.

Amanda decided that she probably should go to bed, though, she felt worse than a zombie running a marathon. She exited the comprehension task and shut down her computer, then deposited the coffee mug beside its twin on the wooden surface.

“Good morning, world,” she said to whatever entities might be listening, then collapsed on her bed. Thanks to the coffee and screen time, she didn’t drift into deep sleep until two hours before the alarm went off.

~

Beeep beeep beeeeep. Amanda moaned as she slapped a lazy hand onto the alarm clock. She didn’t feel like a zombie now, she was a zombie. As she forced herself to get dressed, the mirror confirmed it. There were bags under her eyes, as dark as the night sky. Her hair refused to sit straight, it must’ve been just as tired and fed up with everything as she was. There was a coffee stain on her upper lip, which she’d unknowingly inflicted just hours before, that no amount of rubbing would get rid of.

“You look awful, honey,” her mother said bluntly at the breakfast table, “how long did you spend studying last night?”
“This morning, you mean?” She grumbled, putting a hefty slab of peanut butter on her toast. “I went to bed this morning, that’s how long.”

“And you’re exam’s first up…” Her father shook his head, eyes not lifting from the newspaper he held. Typical dad in the morning. “Should we ask to reschedule? Surely under the circumstances…”

“Heck no.” Amanda had just spent hours cramming as much comprehension knowledge into her head as possible, she wasn’t going to skip the exam now. Besides, the teachers had already said it was out of the question.

“Let me pour you a cuppa, then.” Her mother made a fresh cup of coffee and Amanda took it gratefully, adding an extra spoon of sugar for some more oomph. She’d need as much energy as she could get.

~

“You have exactly one hour to complete this comprehension examination,” her English teacher said. The stick-thin, blond-haired lady stood at front of the class, holding a pile of papers in her arms. “As soon as I hand out the last sheet, you may turn over and begin.”

As the teacher began dropping papers on desks, Amanda took a moment to glance at the other students. Thank goodness, she wasn’t the only one who looked like a mummified zombie. There were a couple others who seemed to have stayed up all night; funnily enough they were the kids she’d always looked down upon. The ones who’d gotten Ds when she’d scored As. How the tides have turned, she thought, deciding never to judge anyone again.

When their time began, Amanda turned over the paper, newly sharpened pencil ready to tick and write.

Underline the phrases which suggest emotion. She’d come across a question like this in the practise tasks. If Sally cried, you underlined it. If Sally winked or spoke loudly, you underlined it. Basically, you would score a point if you just underlined everything except the character’s name, because technically, everything could suggest emotion.

Amanda’s nails scratched the wooden desk as she got further down the page; not everything was as easy as that first question. Discouraged, she thumped her fist against the table (which earnt her a warning glance from the teacher) as she read a little sentence at the top of the page. That first question had been a practise one; it didn’t even count!

Things went downhill from there. Amanda’s eyes began drooping, threatening to close completely. The ticking of the clock sent her into a trance, and the words on the page swirled in circles. She ticked boxes for the heck of it, having no idea whether her answers were right.

Amanda tried to go through what she’d practised with Justin, and all the questions she’d completed in the early hours. But all she could think about was getting her hands on some more coffee, her energising effects of breakfast having since worn off.

Lucille’s friend has passed away, Amanda’s rubbed her eyes, focussing on the question, write five adjectives which might suggest how she feels.

Amanda recalled the day she’d learnt that Becca’s bus had been hijacked, and gone plunging off the jetty into the ocean. Hopeless. Lonely. Desperate. She thought about the funeral, and her best friend’s pale corpse staring up at her from the coffin. Dismal. Heartbroken.

The feelings all returned, all the sadness she’d felt in those dark days which followed Becca’s death. She felt her eyes begin to water, and wished she could just bundle up in bed. Sleep. She was so desperate to sleep and dream of Becca. The exhaustion and despair overcame Amanda, and she dropped her pencil, laying her head on the half-filled exam paper. She stayed there, sobbing, until her hour was up.

~

“So you failed this time.” Justin’s back was once again squishing Richard Karmer’s plaque. He’d agreed to meet Amanda at Burgers, Bread ‘N Butter straight away after school. “But I bet you won’t fail again.”

“I get just one more try,” she explained. “The counsellor convinced my English teacher to give me a retest tomorrow, but even that was pushing it.” She buried her face in her palms and mumbled. “How am I going to learn everything in one night?”

“That’s exactly what you’re not going to do!” Justin gently rubbed her back.

“What do you mean?”

“You stayed up all night. No, all morning and didn’t get any sleep. That’s why you failed, not because you couldn’t answer the questions.”

“Maybe…” She knew he was right, she just didn’t want to admit it. She’d been so stupid, ignoring his advice to get a good night’s sleep.

“Don’t mix rest and work, that’s what I told you.”

“And I didn’t listen, yeah, yeah, my parents have chastised me enough as it is.” She rolled her eyes and leaned back slightly against the bench. “I’ve learnt my lesson.”

“Good.” This time he clapped her hard on the arm, playfully though. “Now. Let me buy you some greasy, fatty fries. That’ll get you through the exam tomorrow.”

“Are you going to get some?” She teased. Justin only ever ate healthy, he was the perfect student and the perfect eater.

Amanda’s spirits lifted when he surprised her by saying, “I absolutely am. I need something strong to get me through all this!” As the pair passed through the front door of Burgers, Bread ‘N Butter, Amanda looked back at the rustic park bench and thought, I bet Richard Karmer didn’t have such an amazing cousin.

~

That night, Amanda didn’t touch the desktop on her chest of drawers, she didn’t even touch the chest of drawers, for that matter. After dinner, she jumped straight into bed without bothering to change into pyjamas. Her mind was fatigued after the stressful day, and she had made the commitment to follow Justin’s advice and get a decent amount of rest.

“Good night, world,” she said to whatever entities might be listening, and pulled the covers up to her chin. Sleep came easily.

Amanda dreamt of Becca. The two of them were complaining about all the pop quizzes that were flung on them.

“I’d love to go to one English class and not have to recall information from five weeks ago,” Becca said, walking out the school building. “Just one class.”

“I’d love to go to one class and not have to recall any information at all.” Becca laughed at that, and Amanda smiled.

“We should go somewhere. This is boring.”

“Yeah,” Amanda replied, and the air around them swirled.

Raaaawr. A lion was growling in the background. They were at the zoo. Based on your actions. Raaawr. Are you happy?

“Amanda,” Becca began, “did that lion just talk?”

“Yeah, it sounded like a comprehension question.” Something in her mind clicked, and Amanda woke up from her dream. Her hand went reflexively to the alarm clock, but it hadn’t gone off yet; she still had six minutes. That gave her time to reflect on the night’s adventure and the lion’s question. Was she happy? Sure, she had an all-or-nothing exam in a few hours, but she’d gotten a good night’s sleep, and for once, Amanda felt confident.

There was a knock at her bedroom door and it slowly creaked open. Her mother’s cheery eyes peered through the crack.

“Sorry, honey, I just wanted to make sure you were up. In case the alarm didn’t work.”

“I’m up. Thanks, mum.”

“I’ve made breakfast. Come on in when you’re ready.”

Amanda crawled out of bed and got dressed. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. Today, she didn’t look like a marathon-running zombie; she looked like someone who was ready to ace an exam.

~

There was a massive stack of pancakes waiting for her on the table.

“Would you like a cup of coffee, too?” Her mother asked.

“No thanks, I’m good.” Amanda was really good. She felt so energised that no coffee was necessary.

“Can’t spoil the taste of those pancakes with caffeine,” her dad winked at the morning newspaper. Amanda laughed as she placed a forkful of batter and syrup into her mouth; it tasted amazing, the perfect fuel for her day. Justin would be jealous; one taste of those chips last night and he’d jokingly promised to never eat salad again.

“Are you nervous?” Her mother asked, her expression turned serious.

“Yeah,” she admitted, “but I know I’m going to do fine.”

“You’ll do amazing, honey.” She reached out and gingerly placed her hand on Amanda’s. “And you’ll do it for Becca.”

“Yeah.” She liked that. “I’ll ace it for Becca.”

And ace it she did.