Waiting is the worst part.
Julia Hansen had realized that long ago.
Not the exam.
Not the studying.
Not even the result.
The waiting before the result.
And right now, the entire class seemed to be waiting for the same thing.
The last bell of the day hadn't even rung yet, but the classroom already felt heavier than usual.
Everyone knew what was coming.
The mock test results.
As soon as the bell rang, the whole class went silent.
No murmurs. No whispers. Just tense, anticipating silence.
Suddenly, someone from the back shouted loudly in an exaggerated accent, "Why so silent, huh?!"
"Hahaha!"
The entire class burst out laughing.
Suddenly, waiting didn't seem so scary anymore.
Lexi turned around and smiled at the boy in the back row who had shouted.
Just then, Teacher Paul entered the classroom.
Seeing the bright smiles on the students' faces, she raised an eyebrow playfully.
"It seems you were all very well prepared for the exam, huh?" she teased. "Think you all scored well?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the class replied loudly.
Suddenly, Teacher Paul stopped smiling and said in a deadpan tone, "If only your marks were as bright as your smiles, I would have had a smile on my face too."
The classroom fell into complete silence.
The happy smiles instantly disappeared.
Then Teacher Paul suddenly bent forward, laughing. "Haha! I'm just joking with you guys. Look at your faces!"
But this time, no one laughed.Everyone suddenly felt more serious about the paper.
Julia began fidgeting in her seat.
Lexi lightly patted her arm, as if wishing her good luck.
Julia gave her a small, soft smile in return.
Teacher Paul began calling out roll numbers one by one to distribute the answer sheets.
"Roll no. 26."
"Here!"
Lexi quickly stood up and walked to the teacher's desk to collect her paper.
As soon as she returned and sat down, Julia immediately leaned closer. "How is it? How much did you get? Did you pass??"
"Relax, Jules," Lexi said calmly. "Grades don't matter that much to me. Let me check first, okay?"
Lexi started flipping through her papers. "Hmm… let me see. English 13… not bad. Hindi 12… Maths 18… Science 17… History 10… Geography 13…"
She suddenly raised her fist slightly. "Woohoo! I passed."
Julia smiled. "Congrats, sis."
"Who is roll no. 42?" Teacher Paul called out loudly. "Is she absent? Roll no. 42?!"
While talking to Lexi, Julia suddenly froze.
Oh my God. That's my roll number.
"Here!" Julia quickly stood up.
She hurried to the teacher's desk while Teacher Paul looked at her with slight annoyance.
Taking the answer sheets, Julia returned to her seat.
Her hands felt cold.
Still afraid to check her marks, she took a deep breath before opening the first paper.
English — 17. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
Hindi — 16. Another breath of relief.
Maths — 12. Her heart sank.
Science — 10.
Her chest tightened.
History — 15. Geography — 17.
Julia's hands began shaking as she stared at the numbers.
They weren't bad.
No, they really weren't bad.
Just… average.
Very average for a teacher's daughter.
And very disappointing for the daughter of a maths and science teacher.
Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.
Julia tried desperately to hold them back.
It'sokay. It's okay. It's not bad, Jules… she kept murmuring to herself.
Suddenly, Julia stood up. "Teacher, may I use the restroom?"
Teacher Paul nodded.
Julia quickly walked out of the classroom.
Lexi watched her leave.
A moment later, she stood up as well. "Ma'am, me too. I need to go."
Without waiting to see if the teacher answered, she hurried out after Julia.
When Lexi entered the washroom, she immediately spotted her.
Julia was sitting on the small staircase near the entrance, crying quietly.
"Jules…" Lexi sighed softly.
She walked over and sat beside her.
"Julia, stop crying. Your grades aren't that bad. Trust me," Lexi said gently, patting her shoulder.
Julia sniffed and looked at her. "Really?" she asked innocently.
"Yeah. Really," Lexi nodded quickly.
"Thanks…" Julia murmured.
She suddenly leaned forward and hugged Lexi tightly.
Slowly, feeling warmth and kindness emitting from her friend, her emotions began to calm down.
---
While walking home, Julia was still feeling a little down.
Kicking small stones with her foot, she suddenly asked Lexi, "What do you want to be when you grow up, Lex?"
Lexi thought for a while and said, "Probably a doctor."
Julia asked curiously, "Why?"
I heard Mom say the other day doctors earn good money, Lexi thought, but said dismissively, "I want to heal people. What about you, Jules?"
Julia hummed at her response and thought about what she wanted to be. "A teacher?" she replied, a little frustrated.
Lexi looked at her and said, "You don't want to be one?"
Julia replied sullenly, "I don't know. I actually don't want to be a teacher… but they probably want me to be one."
Lexi looked at her seriously and asked, "What do you really want to be?"
Julia suddenly became serious, then with a bright smile on her face said, "I want to be a policeman—to protect the weak," with a fist pump in the air.
Seeing her friend's behavior, Lexi just shook her head and gave a soft smile, murmuring to herself,
"Silly… so childish."
---
Future Julia Notes :
Some moments always stay fresh in your memory.
They feel like warm hot chocolate on a cold winter night—so blissful.