Two Steps Behind

CHAPTER 15

My heart beat was racing so fast as Mrs. Khant's heels echoed in our classroom. I took a deep breath then wiped my wet hands on my uniform. Every step that our professor had made was a pure horror to us as she seriously did red marks on our cards without thinking twice. We had our long exam the other day and it was honestly a grim reaper to me. What Raven had taught me was washed away the moment I held the one page test paper. I kept on recalling everything but his face, his nonsense talks and Lexie's bugging voice replaced everything. 

"Good morning," Mrs. Khant's terror voice greeted us. "I have the results of your exam last time," she looked at the paper she was holding on the rim of her round glasses. "Others were doing great and the remaining others would meet the ink of my pen," she continued while spinning the red ballpoint pen on her right hand. 

I gulped when she looked at me with an emotion that I could not determine the hidden meaning. I'm not hoping of a good result but I was wishing it in a positive form. 

"Madrigal," she called my classmate, sitting at the back. Madrigal was one of the best and now she looked unsure about everything and pale. "I will consider your hanging score," she said, making her release a sigh of relief. 

Mrs. Khant flipped the sheets she was holding then a scrunch brow draw on her face while shaking her head. 

"Study hard, Mr. Alcobar! Take your studies seriously and not your girls! Looks without a brain is useless!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Alcobar was his favorite nephew according to some murmur spreading in the campus. But, despite that, she was still a fair and honest professor who does not favor any of her students. 

I took a glance at him whose face was blank while staring at his desk. I don't know what he was feeling and thinking right now. He does not even listen to Mrs. Khant's announcement. 

"Martinez!" my heart leaped together with my riot pulse rate. I was frozen in my current position, trying to calm my entire system. That shocked me to death! Her voice was as powerful as ever like a growling monster! Well, she really was a math monster. 

I jolted when Jenny, my seatmate, tapped my hand. I finally moved my head and took a look at her then she motioned her mouth on the front where Mrs. Khant was located. I was feeling dumb and doomed as I met her burning eyes. 

"I was very disappointed in you." My heart sank on her cold words. "Lately, you've been showing a good performance. I thought you would excel on this. What happened, Martinez?" 

Does it mean a drop now? My eyes watered. What the heck! All my efforts and hard work ended up doing nothing. We reviewed for days and still got this. Everything was useless. 

"T-the exam was r-really difficult, Ma'am. But, c-can you give me another chance?" I stuttered while holding back my tears. I was disappointed in myself for not passing this and… quite disappointed in what Raven might feel about this. He had wasted a lot of time and effort teaching me and the result was still not good. It was all a waste! 

"Well…" She turned her heel back on the doorway letting every one of us confused. She stopped on the corner of the room and the next thing that I knew, the class was gasping, covered their mouths and widened eyes in shock. She tore every test paper she was holding into pieces. 

"Study for your next exam the day after tomorrow. I will give you a chance to do better and that time, I will not consider your low scores to take another exam again. Study, strive and learn harder," she announced then raised the ripped sheets. "It wasn't recorded yet. Good luck for your next exam," she continued while dumping all the papers in the trash can and she left us dumbfounded. 

It took us a lot of minutes before we finally processed the news. We exchanged our stares in the class then the room filled with yells and cheers. It was quite a pressure and depressing that she gave us a second chance and I am certain that I would be more difficult than the past one. 

"Can you please stop crying and tell me the story first?" Peachie said while rubbing comforting circles around my back. I can't help myself but to burst out into tears after all what happened earlier. It was childish but I really felt bad. 

"Are you broken hearted, Blythe?" Khassie asked seriously worried which made her receive an elbow from Peachie. "What? I was just asking, Peach," she complained. 

I dried off my tears then looked at them with my swollen eyes. After Mrs. Khant exited the room, we were happy but then I just felt the sudden pressure and disappointment. So, I called the both of them for me to have someone to talk to but ended up crying here in the far side of the library before they came. 

"Are you alright?" Khassie asked once again, lightly rubbing my hand. "Oh, what a dumb question beautiful, Khassie Persian. She was crying, do you think she's fine?" she mumbled to herself with a slam on her forehead making Peachie and I burst out into laughter. 

"Tone down your voice," the school Librarian warned. We stared at each other then made silent giggles. That was the usual hilarious Khassie. 

"You two fixed my not so good day," I told them. 

Peachie raised her eyebrow at me. "Care to explain now?" she said. 

I placed my chin over my hand and took a deep breath. They both knew that I was working hard for my studies but I never cried like this ever just for a subject. "I failed," I mumbled. Khassie's forehead creased in confusion while Peachie still raised her brow. 

"Failed? In what?" They inquired in unison. 

"Mrs. Khant's subject," I replied almost in a whisper and Peachie's eyes widened. 

"Wait, how come? I thought everything is good already? Did she give you different questions far from her discussions?" She shot questions by questions. 

"I'm not under the terror Mrs. Khant, lucky me," Khassie blurted. 

"It was parallel but it was as difficult as hell! You know, it was very complicated. And… My fault, I didn't take Raven's lessons seriously last time," I confessed, looking down in embarrassment. 

"Why? Oh my goodness, Blythe! He got the highest score in all of our math examinations. You must be lucky enough that he paid all his time and effort on you." 

"Warning on the table at the back." The librarian warned us again. We remained silent for a while. 

I felt guilty of what Peachie had said. She was right, I was lucky but I didn't take it seriously. I wasted all his efforts though he was getting paid for his services. I was embarrassed that he might feel to himself that he was not doing good enough to help me. For the past weeks, I saw his perseverance in teaching. I witnessed how he did his best to make some understandable solutions in exchange for letting me borrow some of my dad's book. It was quite funny that he was scared of touching any of the books at home but at the end, I was able to convince him using those. 

"Raven? Was it Raven Ismael from engineering?" Khassie intriguingly asked and I nodded. 

"You also know him?" 

"Y-yeah. He's my childhood friend. We actually haven't recognised each other for years of studying here in this wide campus. And when we both stuck in the waiting shed, we got the chance to know each other," she tells me. 

"That was a sweet scene," I commented. 

"Wait, wait, wait. Don't segway the talk, Blythe. We are talking about your exam and not him," Peachie joined the conversation. 

I took a deep breath. "I asked her for a second chance and he tore all of our test sheets." Both of them gasped and covered their mouths. Okay, that was an over dramatic scene to them. 

"That was —" before Khassie could finish her words, I cut her off. 

"She gave us another chance." 

After the amazing talks we had earlier. I decided not to meet Raven and study on my own and ask for Peachie's help instead. I was a big disappointment to the math wizard that the engineering students knew. Besides, Peachie was right, I consumed and wasted a lot of his time and effort. I was never good at everything. I am such a disappointment person living on this planet. 

I am now on my way to my baby car and just texted Raven a while ago not to meet me. I also informed Peachie not to tell him even a single word about everything. I know I can do it on my own, I guess. 

In the middle of my search for my key in my bag, I felt someone staring at me. I didn't mind at first until I found my beautifully made key with a blue turtle key holder. When I raised my view, Raven, who was standing right in front of my car, welcomed me.