78!?

Never in my 13 or 14 years of life would I have thought that I'd get a 78. Just, what?! A 78?! I'll never be able to get that! Why? Because I'm smart! Or so I thought.

When I was in grade 4 or 5, I think, they taught us how our grades were computed. That's when I found out that even those that doesn't deserve to pass, were able to pass because of the way it was computed, it was transmuted. Wherein, a 68 may get a 75. That's when I thought, so, I don't really need to work that hard.

I relaxed. It wasn't that noticeable in elementary because there were only 20 of us in the class. Now that I've changed school, there are 4 sections and about 50 students each, I wasn't so noticeable.

My Arts teacher only showed up twice. Once, to collect payment for art materials, and second, when someone reported her of being a fraud because we never got the art materials. Apparently, she found out that it was from our class. The thing is we don't really have an impression of her. We won't even remember her if she didn't get angry at us about that.

I've heard that she was nice with section B, her advisory class. And it just so happens that the star section's adviser, happened to have a beef with her. I just want to say, what does their beefing with each other got to do something with us?

When I received my report card, all I can think about was, my ebooks are gone. I racked my brains hard. So, I started with how and why I got it in the first place. First of all, she wasn't teaching. Also, she didn't give us anything to do for her subject. Lastly, she didn't give us the scope of the exam. How did she expect us to answer her exams? What did she even compute aside from the exam results?

After all the contemplating, I went home ready for an earful. When my mom saw my report card, she was furious. She blamed my phone, my ebooks and everything that I love. I tried explaining to her that it wasn't really my fault but she wasn't listening. Then, she started comparing me to my older sisters who never got a grade in a line of 7, how stupid I was. I snapped there. I told her that they also never were the valedictorian. I was always the valedictorian. My grades were also higher than them when they were my age. I told her all the hurtful things she said to me and how all those things she calls useless are the things that's keeping me sane.

As I was crying in my room, I was also contemplating. I never knew that there would come a day when I'd talk back to my parents, especially my mom. I'm always scared of her when she's angry. Then I realized that I've acted the way the protagonists did in the books I'm reading. Just, wow! I felt that I was really cool when I realized that.

In the morning, my mom woke me up to get ready for school. She didn't say anything else but she cooked my favorite dish, fried chicken, the drumsticks. After preparing, I just told her that I was going and she just said to be careful on the way to school. And that's how the biggest fight we ever had, ended.

At school, I didn't Sandy anywhere. Sandy was actually the one who was always the salutatorian except in grade 6, Ezra got it. She was also the chubby kid who started the bullying back in chapter why me. But, we're already past that. We're not friends but we're talking.

I was told that she wasn't in the room because she was with her aunt visiting our Arts teacher. She also got a 70-ish grade. Aside from her, my other classmates who also had powerful people in their homes complained about their son's, daughter's, nephew's, and niece's grade. We could actually do that?! I never thought that I'd hear about a teacher getting complaints.

I also wanted to complain but I don't have anyone powerful at home. My dad is a driver. My mom is a housekeeper. My aunt is taking care of my grandfather. My grandfather is really old. And my aunts and uncles who work abroad are not here. You see, the third most powerful people after the uninformed personnel are the OFWs. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone because my sister's are still learning how to be teachers.

I heard that all my classmates got a satisfying grade. They were told that she didn't know that those kids she gave 70-ish grades were running for the honor roll. I don't believe her one bit. The ones who got the 70-ish grades were exactly the whole honor roll except Brandon who is the son of a teacher that's been there longer than my Arts teacher, and Danny, another teacher's, that she knew, daughter.

I'm so angry. Why am I so powerless? I can't even complain because I don't know anything about her subject. What if she asks me something about it in return of a higher grade than 78? I also can't say that she's not teaching at all because no one will back me up. My dad can't, my mom can't.