Unpromised Home

intense tag

'in which you fail a test and play some tag' 

"Babes we can't do this anymore" You mumble flopping onto your bed, crumpling a few of your assortment of medical diagrams and posters, "Maybe we should just drop out? We could start a band! A one-person band, but, uh... Well not like I've got any musical talent maybe scrap that idea." You sit up, rubbing at the crusts forming around your eyes. 

It had finally happened. You had failed a test. You had never failed a test before (you little overachiever you), and the knowledge of your failure came as a shock. Your years of never learning how to properly study were coming to bite you in the ass. Now, will you actually learn from this mistake? That is a problem future you will deal with. Currently, you are sad. 

A groan falls from your throat as you pull your phone from your pocket. None of the notifications were of much interest. A few from the news. A few from some of your childhood friends, whose texts rang with concern after you had blindly texted the group chat in your initial rage. There were also others from assorted apps you had downloaded onto your phone, mostly YouTube. 

Reaching for a pillow to pull into your lap you settle against the wall and tap on one of the notifications. It was a video essay about how bad some really anticipated video game was on release and the almost downfall of the studio that produced it. Which studio? Which game? Beats you. You had only used the video as background noise as you stared off into the far distance of who knows where. 

"[Name]! You in?" A voice calls from outside your rooms door.

"Yeah. I'm here..." 

"You sound chipper." You groan flopping into your side. The door pushes open revealing a muscular blonde in the door frame, "Tell me what's up?" She stares at you with a raised brow. 

"Nothing. Just failed my calculus test." She winces, making an equally pained sound. 

"C'mon don't lie. That ain't nothing to you. Can I sit?" She asks as she walks to your bed. You nod in acceptance. "You beat yourself up to much girl. A failed test is not the end all be all of your life. There's years left of life for you to worry about. One little calculus test will not matter years down the line." 

"Yeah." This was stuff you knew already. Obviously. But, there was a specific way that Dani says things that really made it hit home. She's a grade A mom friend. Probably from her years serving as her volleyballs team captain. They always sound like such a handful whenever she talks about them. 

Both of you remain in drafted in the heavy silence for a good while. In that time, your mind wanders. Why were you still pursuing nursing in the first place? You have certifications in first aid and CPR from your relentless pursuit of it when you were younger. You've dedicated years of your life to getting the highest grades you could to pursue this dream of yours. 

But now that your here...

Now what? Is this really where you want to dedicate your life to? Years and years of schooling and then working in a high stress environment with failure consequences that result in death? You couldn't even handle a failed test. 

"Hey I know!" Dani suddenly punched her palm, "Why don't you come hang out with some of the friends I've made tonight? I mean... We're just planning on playing tag in that park near here. Whatever it's called. But it should help you unstress! Oh and there'll be glowsticks! And flashlights, but those aren't as fun as glow sticks." 

You giggle at her eagerness. She joins in, and eventually the two of you are laughing so hard you get a noise complaint from the dorm beside you. That's a little rude. You were having fun.