The Abuse Clock Narrative

The first time in weeks that I've had relief from chronic back pain. The doctor said it was my neck: arthritis on the C1 or C2, I can't remember. Two clocks on my face looking at me with a tedious consistency. "You can't stop me," they both said at the same time. (They really didn't say it, but the impression is still the same.) over 8 hours ago, I got a call from my Scope & Sequence partner, Skarlett. "I decided to turn in the presentation," she said without taking a breath. I felt the whole world falling on my head and then hitting me in the stomach. What had happened? The day before I spent all day and night working applying the benchmarks and formatting the 36 rows of week to be filled. It finally dawned on me, she took ll that work and turned it in as if I didn't exist. I didn't make a sound. All I wanted was to get it done before those 25 points where out the window.

On Saturday, I stayed up finishing the format and I had e-mailed the 24 benchmarks for physical science grades 6 to 8. I had asked her to do some of the activities on Sunday morning so, I worked on number 24 and up before I called her. Of course she didn't do an activity; not even the five that I asked her to do. I was almost finished with grade 8 and ready to do grade 7 when I called Josh Williams, the other student in our class. I always ask Josh for advice. I asked him: "So, Josh, what do you think about the choice I made? Since professor Morales wrote choose either a grade or subject, I picked physical science grades 6 to 8." He screamed without waking the dog. "No!," he screamed silently, "you were supposed to do only 6th grade." That was the last thing I had to hear. There's a saying that says: "Never ask what could go wrong." All I could think of was all that time I spent asking why the instructions and templates and document weren't like the ones my professor showed me. My brain was attacking me for making it work over 12 hours a day on this assignment. All for 25 points. This arduous experience won't be a fond memory, but I loved the things I learned about middle school competencies. Like the saying goes: "They can't take that away from me."