Discovered » 5sos

{16. Outcast(s)}

Chapter Sixteen

-Kallie-

The next week went by as slow as ever. Exams on top of exams piled up in front of me, giving me no time to do anything else but studying. Free time was non-existent, just crammed with hundreds of flashcards that had to be remembered, and long and difficult math problems that were anything but my forte. I didn't even have time to practice my vocal exercises that Wes, my vocal coach, told me to do.

Usually just the thought of exams terrified me, but now I have even more pressure than before. If I don't pass, then I don't get to do the things that I love. I won't get to live my dream of being a singer, and I won't be happy. But the worst thing about that is that I won't get to see the boys that make me the happiest.

My first exam on Monday was brutal. Of course I had my worst subject exam first; math. I know, I'll never get a good job and have a stable life if I don't choose a career with math involved. I've already heard it too much from my dad.

I think about my mom and dad as my pencil slips out of my hand and falls to the ground, making a loud echoing sound that causes everybody to jump.

I bet they're fighting right now, right as I think about it.

I pick up my pencil and get back on track when I look at the time that I wasted. The ticking sound of the old clock is going to run out soon, like a time bomb. And it will blow up because I bombed the test.

Stop! Stop thinking about it! The voices in my head scream. You're only making it worse!

I try my best to shake my thoughts out of my head as I start the next geometry problem. It was a sea of numbers and functions, but I am confident that I can do it. I have to; for the boys.

At lunch I sit at another table. My hands are still shaking from the exam, making the Styrofoam tray unstable in my hands. I sit down quietly at the end of the table, and look at the other side just to see four or five computer nerds not caring about anything else but their software on their expensive computers.

Three more exams happened that day, and part two and three the next day. I didn't talk to anyone.

As time progressed I started feeling lonely.

My mom and dad check in almost every hour to check that I am not doing anything else but studying in my confined room. They took all of my electronics (not that I use them that much) and my books so I don't get distracted or stay up late doing anything other than preparing for exams.

"Sleep is precious at stressful times," my dad always says. "You can't waste any of it for anything."

I have a different philosophy. I think sleep is for the weak. You shouldn't sleep through life; you should live life.

One week went by, only to have another week full of exams to follow. I just want a break.

One more week, I think as I walk to my first period on Monday. One more week, and you are free.

I stayed up those nights studying for hours on end, not even stopping for a snack. It feels good to actually accomplish something and feel like I worked toward it.

Staying up until the early morning hours became easier and easier the further in I got. The feeling of being sleep-deprived barely even crossed my mind anymore. I worked through the night, only to stop and catch up on my favorite book when the lights were dim.

Later that week, on Friday, I got a call. I was a little curious about who would even call me, be when I picked up my phone and took a quick glance at the caller ID, my worries vanished. A familiar voice chirped away on the other line.