A Lonely 14-Year-Olds Life

Multiplication Tables

2011-2012

"MOM I DON'T WANT TO LEARN MY TIMES TABLES!" the little girl screamed and thrashed in the recliner across from her mother who held a card in the air. The little girl's father sat on the couch with his laptop on his lap as he "worked", which often meant playing videos games when he wasn't supposed to be. 

"Payton, this is going to benefit you greatly in the future and you are going to thank me for making you memorize them!" she says annoyed placing the card she was holding on the "Relearn" pile, or the little girl liked to call it "You failed again dumbbutt!" pile, before picking up the last card.

"Okay, Payton, what's 7x8?" her mother asked.

"U-umm-," the little girl struggled as tears streamed down her face. "F-forty-eight?" she questioned as her mother sighed and put another card in the "relearn" pile. 

"NOOO!" the little girl cried as she slid her back down the chair until she fell out of it. "I HATE THIS!" she screamed. 

"Well too bad, take the ones you missed and go relearn them. When you're ready, come back in here and we'll practice them again," her mother said handing the little girl stack of cards before running back to her room. 

Once the little girl entered her room, she through the card angrily at the wall and watched them explode all throughout the room. The cards floated down like snowflakes before hitting the solid floor. The little girl jumped on the cards in pure anger and even ripped a little bit of one. 

[ LITTLE TIME SKIP ]

After the little girl's tantrum, she stared at the cards that laid on the floor with her arms crossed across her chest. She leaned against the side of her bed as she mumbled curse words towards her mother and the cards under her breath, for she lived in a Christian household. 

After she cursed the cards out, she then picked them all up and started to memorize them and their answers. Finally, she believed she knew them well enough to pass, so she opened the door to her room and headed towards her mother in the living room. 

[ ANOTHER LITTLE TIME SKIP ]

"AGH!!" the little girl yells for the nth time today as fails to memorize the useless cards on the floor before her. 

She grabs fistfuls of her hair and begins to tug hard until tears brimmed in her eyes. She then began hitting her self in the face repeatedly saying, "Stupid Payton! How can you not learn basic multiplication! You idiot!" 

But the girl was determined to give up and forget about the stupid cards for they provided no purpose in her future life. She was simply going to give up on the treacherous cards. 

I don't need to learn these stupid things, it's math and I HATE math! the little girl thinks to herself as she marches to the living room before her mother.

"MOM! I HATE THESE AND I REFUSE TO LEARN THESE STUPID FREAKING CARDS!" she yelled stomping her foot harshly against the dark green carpet, rattling the entire house and the many objects inside. 

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOUNG LADY! I AM YOUR MOTHER AND YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN THESE CARDS IF IT'S THE LAST THING YOU DO!" she yelled back widening her eyes as she removed her glasses. Her mothers face could only be described as a literal demon, terrifying. 

"O-ok," the little girl cowers as she runs back to her room and terror, and memorizes all the cards by heart.

~~~

"Great job, Payton! You got them all correct!" her mother said as she placed the last card into the "passed" pile. 

"YAY!" she cries before punching the air in victory and placing the cards into a container where they stayed until her younger sister learned them. 

...

And as the years progressed and the little girl grows old her mother teases her for refusing to learn them whenever the little girl talks about how much she has to use them as she grows up.