Panic

          Lisa sat at her desk and stared out the window of the classroom. The rain was gently coming down and its bleakness matched her mood. She was supposed to be taking a Science test, but her mind was elsewhere. The previous night when she was supposed to be studying, she went out with Debbie, a neighborhood friend, and met up with some guys at a local park.

         "If Mom and Dad knew about last night, they'd ground me for life," Lisa thought.

          While she was lost in her thoughts and reliving last night's endeavors, she sensed someone standing next to her.

          "Are you having difficulty with a question, Lisa?" Mr. Richards whispered.

         Lisa seemed puzzled and confused. She looked down at the test and the only thing she wrote on it was her name. She looked at the clock on the wall and it read ten twenty-three. The test began at ten. She had an hour to complete it and there were twenty-five questions. None of the questions were multiple choice or true/false. They were fill in the blank and essay. This was the type of test Lisa despised.

         Lisa whispered back to her teacher. "I can't take this test. I don't feel well. May I be excused?"

         Mr. Richards reluctantly excused her, but he said that he would need to speak with her after class regarding a possible retake. Lisa agreed to meet him later. She handed him her test and left the room. Once she was in the hall, Lisa's head began to spin and she felt sick. She was also feeling as if everything was closing in on her.

         "What's happening to me? I shouldn't feel like this." She went to sit in the study area and put her head on the table for a few minutes. It was now ten forty-eight. She would have to meet with Mr. Richards in twelve minutes. Lisa rested her head again on her arms and fell asleep. When she awoke, it was now eleven forty-eight.

          "Oh no! Mr. Richards was supposed to meet with me." Lisa ran to his office, hoping that he'd still be there. As she neared the doorway, she heard the music and breathed a sigh of relief. Lisa tentatively knocked and was met with a stern look.

         "I'm very sorry for being so late. I'm still not feeling well. Is there a possibility of a test retake? " Lisa asked.

         Mr. Richards looked at his grade book and then back at his student. Taking off his glasses, he stared at her for a bit. Closing the book, he straightened up and prepared to speak.

         "Lisa, your grades have been like a see-saw in my class this semester. We have had five exams so far. Three of those tests had grades of barely over 70%. The other two you failed. This is the sixth one and you didn't complete it. Is there a problem you're having with the class? Are you able to understand the material?"

          Lisa felt the same as she did in class earlier. Unbeknownst to her, she was having a panic attack. She felt like she was being interrogated and being put on the spot. She started squirming and shifting her position in the chair.. All she wanted to know was if she was going to be able to retake the test. She looked at her teacher with sweat on her brow.

          "The material is understandable, Mr. Richards. What I'm having trouble with is the type of tests. I like true/false and multiple choice. Essay and fill in the blank are harder for me. May I retake the test?," Lisa asked meekly.

         "As you know Lisa, using fill in the blank and essay give me a better way to gauge whether you have a grasp of the material. True/False and multiple choice don't tell me that. I am willing to allow you to retake the test. The retake has to be completed by Friday. It's Monday, so you have a few days to study again. However, it is at my discretion what type of test to administer. Is that agreeable? This is the next to last test of the semester. You will have to get a very good grade to end up above a "D" in the course. This test, along with the final will prove to me if you're knowledgeable," Mr. Richards explained.

          "Thank you, Mr. Richards. I'll retake the test before Friday, and do my best," Lisa said anxiously.

          Slowly Lisa rose to her feet and started to exit Mr. Richards' office. Once she entered the hall, the realization that she was right back at square one enveloped her. As she started to walk, she fainted.