Stacy's Bad Day

Stacy was having the worst day. She had just gotten her paper back from Doctor Morgan, the one that she was sure would turn things around for her, only to have been given the news that she had failed. Failed! Stacy had never failed a class before! Sure, Doctor Morgan's class was difficult, most of the time Stacy had felt lost during the lectures, but she had been sure that she would be able to catch up.

"Your performance so far has been abysmal," the professor had told her at the end of class, "Even if you got perfect grades on everything else until finals, you wouldn't be able to get a passing grade. I've informed the administration office that you'll be leaving us."

Of course, Stacy's parents would be horrified when they found out. A failure wouldn't be something they would be able to anticipate. She had always been such a hard working girl, studying at night, taking her classes very seriously. Being the only person in her family to ever go to university, the impact of the failing grade would be felt even more deeply, the disappointment shared throughout the household.

That boy Tim, the one who had whooped when his paper was handed back to him, had seen it all. He had been at his desk, packing up his notes (which were immaculately taken in beautiful penmanship) and touching up his makeup (also immaculate and beautiful). She wished she could be a bit more like him sometimes. Tim was the kind of student that could make a teacher feel good about themselves. She'd seen it over and over with him, having shared so many classes with him that year. Sometimes he would giggle at the teacher's jokes, sometimes he would be over-complimentary. More than once, Stacy had seen Tim undo a button or two on his blouse during class, causing the teacher to lose their train of thought.

Stacy couldn't imagine ever pulling something like that off. For Tim it was easy. He was so attractive, commanding, stylish. Not to mention his cute, petit frame, which lent itself so well to being a flirt. Tall, awkward girls like Stacy never had a chance. If she tried, she was sure to come off as an oaf, a clumsy brute, a parody of what she would be trying to do.

Not that she doubted that Tim earned his grades. He was smart. Stacy had heard him engage in classroom discussions, brought insight and perspective to topics that Stacy herself would have never thought of. That was the worst part of it all. He didn't even need to be such a shameless flirt to get ahead. Did he just do it for fun? To be a tease?

Whatever the motivation, Tim was succeeding while Stacy was not. She was going to have to go home and face her parents. That evening she would decide whether she wanted to continue on in her scholastic endeavor. Maybe her brother was right. Maybe she should just take a job with his company answering phones for him. Or maybe her grandmother was right, and she should just settle down and start having babies. Whatever she decided, incurring student debt just to continue to feel stupid wasn't her idea of a future. She was going to have to make a change.