Writing Prompt Wednesday #15

58. For years, he carefully planned out this day https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/writing-prompts-60-ideas-you-can-use-today

He’d planned out today for his whole life. All of his 18 years, he planned out how he was going to graduate. He was going to walk down that aisle, get his certificate, and stand there in front of all of his friends and family knowing that he had made it. And now, that was all falling apart!
“What do you mean I can’t graduate?!” he asked.
“You didn’t get enough credits in math.”
“I took all three years!” he said.
“You only took three. We require four for graduation,” Mr. Pent said calmly.
Jared was dumbfounded. “I don’t understand! It said three on class registration!”
“That’s what colleges require. We require more than that.” He frowned. “I’m sorry, Jared, but you can’t graduate.”
“What if I take zero period?” he asked. “Or I can change up something in my schedule or-”
Jared wanted to continue, but Mr. Pent was already shaking his head. “Your schedule’s too full to change it now and as for zero period, it’s too late in the year to start you on that. I’m sorry, Jared, there’s just no other way.”
Jared frowned. He felt tears stinging at his eyes. “Please, sir, there has to be some way…”
“Well, there is one,” Mr. Pent said, frowning.
“What? What is it, sir? I’ll do it.”
“It’s very difficult-”
“I’ll get it done, sir.”
Mr. Pent frowned. “If you pass the AP Calculus exam then you’ll be able to get more credits and graduate.”
Jared felt his hopes crash. “AP Calc?” he asked. “I hardly passed Math III. How am I supposed to pass AP Calc?”
“Well, it’s the only way you’ll be able to graduate,” Mr. Pent said. “I wish you luck, Jared.

Jared spent the next half of the year studying vigorously. He went to the teachers for extra help when he needed it, and thought he might just understand the material. He had to stop playing football, though, after his coach had confronted him.
“Crane, why’s your performance been slacking?”
“I haven’t had time to practice, Coach,” Jared replied.
“And why is that?”
“Well, you see Coach, I’m not on-track to graduate if I don’t pass AP Calc, so I’ve spent all of my time studying for that.”
Coach frowned. “Well, I wish you luck but if I don’t see some improvement on you performance then I’ll have to kick you off the team.”
“Yes, Coach.”
The next day, Jared resigned from the team. It killed him, but it was what he had to do.

Finally, the day of the test came. Jared didn’t think he’d ever been so nervous in his entire life. He got to the first problem and blanked. He couldn’t remember how to solve it! He started breathing heavily. It’s okay, he told himself. Calm down and go to the next problem.

“You have five minutes left,” the teacher announced as everyone was working. Jared sped up. He only had one problem left! He might finish it after all! He began working furiously, gripping his pencil so tight it felt like it would crack. “Pencils down!” the teacher called and Jared put his down, quickly clicking the answer to the problem he was on. “Turn in you tests and you are free to leave. Have a nice day, everyone.”
“So how do you think you did?” Jared’s friend-Peter-asked, jogging up beside him.
“I don’t know,” Jared said. “I hope okay.”
“Ah, you’ll have done fine. You worked ten times harder for this than anyone else did.”
“And I’m ten times stupider than anyone else is.”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Stop being sorry for yourself and let’s go get lunch, I’m starving.”


Two weeks later, the test results came in. Jared felt like he was going to have an ulcer. He tried calming himself down, but when the teacher called, “Jared Crane,” he felt like he was going to explode.
He walked towards the front as calmly as he could and took the paper, fearing to look down at it. It was only when he got back to his seat that he looked. The big black number “92%” was written at the top.
“92 percent,” he muttered. “92%! That’s enough. I passed! I’m going to graduate!”

And so he did. He got his little cap and gown and he walked down that aisle and he graduated, knowing that he had earned it.