Campus Courtyard - Afternoon
The afternoon sun was warm, but the atmosphere around the group was tense. Fatimah was sitting on a bench, staring at her phone with a blank expression.
Chima was the first to notice. "Fatimah? You okay? You look like someone just canceled your favorite study session."
Fatimah didn't respond.
Alice bounced over. "Fatimah! What's wrong? Did someone steal your highlighters? Did the library close early?"
Fatimah finally looked up. Her voice was quiet. "I got my exam results."
Wony perked up. "Oh! How did you do? Perfect score as always?"
Fatimah shook her head slowly. "No. I got a... C."
Silence.
Chima blinked. "A... C?"
"Yes."
"Like... the letter C?"
"Yes."
Alice gasped dramatically. "FATIMAH GOT A C?! THE WORLD IS ENDING!"
Naila opened one eye from where she was lying on the grass. "A C? Is that bad?"
"NAILA! IT'S A C!"
"That's still passing, right?"
"IT'S NOT AN A!"
Fatimah buried her face in her hands. "I've never gotten a C before. I don't know how to process this."79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Dm00GCjht
Everyone gathered around Fatimah, trying to comfort her.
Chima patted her back awkwardly. "It's okay, Fatimah. It's just one grade."
"It's a C, Chima! A C!"
"People get Cs all the time!"
"I don't get Cs!"
"Now you do!"
Wony tried a different approach. "Perhaps the professor made a mistake. You should appeal."
"I checked. There was no mistake. I genuinely got a C."
Alice was still in shock. "But you're Fatimah! You're the responsible one! The organized one! The one who always gets As!"
Fatimah looked like she was about to cry. "I know! I don't understand! I studied so hard!"
Naila sat up slowly. "Maybe... it's okay to not be perfect sometimes."
Everyone stared at her.
"What?" Naila shrugged. "It's true. People make mistakes. People fail. It's normal."
Fatimah looked at her. "But I don't fail."
"Now you do. Welcome to being human."79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c9OOYbRfv
Alice had an idea. "I know! Let's do something to cheer her up! Like a party!"
"I don't want a party."
"Okay, not a party. How about ice cream?"
"I don't want ice cream."
"Chocolate?"
"I don't want chocolate."
"World domination?"
"I don't want- wait, what?"
Alice grinned. "I was trying to make you laugh!"
"It didn't work!"
Chima shook her head. "Alice, that's the worst comfort attempt I've ever seen."
"At least I tried!"
"Trying and failing is worse than not trying at all!"
"That's not true!"
"It is true!"
Wony stepped in. "Enough, both of you. Fatimah needs support, not arguments."
Fatimah sighed. "I just want to be alone right now."
"See?" Chima said. "We made it worse."
"You always make it worse."
"I was trying to help!"
"Helping and failing is worse than not helping at all!"
"That's not true!"
"It is true!"
Naila stood up. "Okay, everyone stop." She walked over to Fatimah. "Fatimah, look at me."
Fatimah looked up.
"It's just a grade," Naila said calmly. "It doesn't define you. You're still the smartest person I know. You just had a bad day."
"But I never have bad days."
"Now you do. And that's okay."
Fatimah's eyes glistened. "You really think so?"
"I know so. Now come on. Let's get ice cream. I'm hungry."
Fatimah laughed. A small, weak laugh. "That's the first time you've ever initiated anything."
"I know. That's how special this moment is."
***
Ice Cream Shop - Evening
They were sitting at a table, each holding a cone. Fatimah was slowly eating her chocolate ice cream.
"This is good," she admitted. "Thank you."
Alice beamed. "See? Ice cream fixes everything!"
"It doesn't fix everything. But it helps."
Chima nodded. "You'll get an A next time. I know it."
"Thanks, Chima."
Wony smiled. "And if you don't, we'll still be here. Even if you get a D."
"I won't get a D!"
"You never know!"
Naila was eating her ice cream slowly. "You know, getting a C is kind of cool."
Everyone stared at her.
"Cool?" Fatimah repeated. "How is a C cool?"
"Because now you're not perfect. And that makes you more relatable."
"I don't want to be relatable!"
"Too bad. Now you are."
Fatimah stared at Naila. Then she laughed. A real laugh.
"You're impossible, Naila."
"I know. That's my charm."
***
Campus - Night
They were walking home together. Fatimah was quieter than usual, but she seemed more relaxed.
"Thank you, everyone," she said softly. "For being here."
"Of course," Chima said. "That's what friends do."
Alice nodded. "Even when you get Cs!"
"Especially when you get Cs!"
Wony smiled. "We love you, Fatimah. Grades don't change that."
Fatimah's eyes glistened. "You guys are the best."
"We know."
Naila walked beside her. "So... what did you learn today?"
Fatimah thought about it. "I learned that I'm not perfect. And that's okay."
"Anything else?"
"I learned that my friends are amazing."
"Good. Now you know."
Fatimah smiled. "Naila, you're surprisingly wise for someone who sleeps all day."
"Sleep gives me wisdom."
"That's not how sleep works."
"I know. But it sounds good."
They all laughed.
***
Fatimah's Apartment - Night
Fatimah was sitting at her desk, looking at her exam paper. The big red C stared back at her.
She sighed. Then she smiled.
She wrote on the paper in her neat handwriting:
"Lesson learned. I'm human. And that's okay."
She put it away and went to bed.
For the first time in her life, she didn't stress about a bad grade.
Because she had her friends.
And that was all she needed.79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZvCuBHJlZ
and then Add to home screen.