Fabulous

The Tests

Angela thought the rest of the week would be perfect for her till she learned there would be a Math test that Wednesday. She wondered and pondered over how she would get through the tornado. To her, every Math test was a tornado.

Ann was not worried about the Math test since she was not bad at all at Math. Unfortunately for her, the bomb dropped in English class.

Five minutes before English class ended, Miss Helen Booke caught Randy Walden chewing gum. No one was shocked he got caught because Randy kept blowing huge balloons and making silly sounds with the gum. Being appalled by the sight, Ann looked away. She knew without a doubt that Randy was completely dumb. He was someone who would have definitely written on a blackboard with a black marker given the chance. To make the blackboard blacker or make invisible designs on it, no one could tell.

Inevitably, Miss Helen Booke brought the wastepaper basket below Randy Walden's face. He wasn't the first to chew gum in class but he was the first to get caught doing so in Miss Booke's class.
"How does detention sound, Randy?" the teacher said coolly.
Randy had earned detention all by himself and he did not even mind. Breaking rules was not at all new to him. He had broken classroom rules so many times that he had become immune to them.

"I may as well tell you all that you will have an English Spelling test tomorrow, which is Wednesday."

Ann's jaw dropped, as half of the class groaned and complained. She had never had a grade B nor above that. She always did well in all but English Spelling tests. She badly did not want another C.

The bell rang seconds later and everybody darted out of the class.

"Nick, please help me out," Ann said to Nick at lunchtime. She wanted to him to help her with her spelling. She had not asked Angela for assistance because she also had a problem of her own. Ann knew Angela was distressed about the Math test. She added, "You get to be the teacher if you help me with my spelling."

"Alright."

Ann handed Nick a book. "Randomly choose some words and help me spell them."

Nick took the book and opened it. "Pine."

"Pine."

"It's a tall tree with long sharp leaves. You know of it, right?"

"Yes. Pine, P..." Ann thought of using a Y and an N. She sighed and spelt, "Y-N-E."

"Naah. Think of other words that sound similar to it."

"Line?" She asked. Nick nodded.

"Nine, fine?" Nick nodded again.

Ann smiled and said, "Pine, P-I-N-E, pine."

"Yes!"

"Porcupine."

"Porcupine, P-O-R-C-U-P-I-N-E, porcupine"

"Good!" Philip said. "Committee."

"Committee," Ann repeated. "I know that one. Committee, C-O-M-M-I-T-T-E-E, committee."

"Commission."

"Commission, C-O-M-M-I-T-I-O-N, commission."

"Nope. Try again. Commission."

"Commission?"

"Yes, commission. Think of words that sound like it."

"Condition?"

"Not that kind. Think of words that are closer to it." Nick told her.

Ann thought hard for a bit. "Vision? Mission??"

"Yes!"

Ann spelt, "Commission, C-O-M-M-I-S-S-I-O-N, commission."

"Great!"

By the time the bell rang, Nick had helped Ann spell several words. He was impressed with Ann's improvement.

Alan found an antidote to Angela's supposed tornado. He told Angela that the deck would do the trick. For this reason, they went through the deck, like many did.

Alan took a card and asked, "Eight times nine?"

"Seventy-one. I mean seventy-two," Angela replied and sighed.

"Seven times nine?"

"Sixty-two."

Alan shook his head.

"Sixty-three."

"Okay, I see your problem. You rush. You shouldn't be hasty in solving Mathematics because if you don't think carefully and you rush, you mess up. It's just like a game of chess: You rush, you make a wrong move, you lose. Do you get the link?"

"Yeah."

"Eight-times twelve?"

Angela thought for a while and said with certainty, "Ninety-six."

"Excellent."

They were almost through with the cards when duty called: class resumed.

On Wednesday, after Miss Helen Booke had passed out plain sheets for the English test, she walked back to her desk and leaned on it. Then she shouted, "Number 1." Almost every kid, including Ann whined.

Most of the words the teacher called out were similar to words Ann already knew.

"Pass your papers," the teacher ordered just a  minute after the time she had given her students for rectification.

With a pleased look on Ann's face, she passed her paper.

Angela took the Math test with the rest of the class during Math class. She worked very carefully and was one of the last people to turn her test in. She was not sure she would get a grade B, like she was sure that nothing could stop the sun from shining during the day besides the eclipse. The Sun was mighty and unmovable, and the planets did the moving. Nonetheless, Angela told herself she would do well, which was something she had never told herself after a Math test.

The week amazingly turned out alright for the twins when they got astounding news on Friday, at school.
Close to the end of the class, Ann looked up as Miss Helen Booke called her to her desk. She felt a quick quiver.

"You passed the Spelling test with a B minus, Ann," Miss Helen Booke said.

"Really!? My goodness! Thank God! A B minus? Wow! Finally!"

"Bravo!" Miss Booke congratulated her.

"Yesss!!" Ann threw her arms in the air. "God rocks!"

Angela also got her good news at her locker. Mr. Harry Waddle, the Math teacher, found her there and said, "Well done, Miss Whitney!"

"Huh? For what?"

"I started grading the papers today. You had an eighty. You must be proud of yourself."

"What?! An eighty? Is that an A?"

"It sure is. Keep it up!" Mr. Harry Waddle left after that.

"I will. Of course I will. Thank you!"

Ann called Nick on the phone later that day at home and thanked him for his help. Angela did not need to call Alan since she had already thanked him at school right after Mr. Harry Waddle had given her the news.