Essay Dilemma

• Emily Benson, Grade 4, Coatesville Primary School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

I gaze at the slow swaying curtains fury pumping through my blood. I feel my fists clench. I start cursing under my breath, I try to take my mind off it, but that isn’t happening any time soon, no matter how hard I try.
“What she did was the lowest thing ever!” I seethe, my heart beating faster than ever. My stupid little brat of a sister just stole my essay that took an infuriatingly long time (I almost fell asleep) and then she blamed it on the dog. “Yeah right!! Just blame it on Coco!” I know she has it, I feel it in my bones. “Oh she is in giant trouble!” It’s like living with a criminal who wears pink gumboots and fairy lip gloss.
Throughout dinner, I watch her like a hawk, but that little diva has plastered an extremely fake smile across her face and completely moved on. After gulping down my meal, like I had not eaten in days, I snuck upstairs to her room. I slither along the floor to avoid being caught by the security cameras. I dart this way and that, my eyes scan my surroundings, I spot her humongous pile of junk. I completely ignore it and move on. Then, I notice a familiar folder so I flip through the pages until I get to the sheets. I manage to find my four page essay covered in stickers and ugly hot pink scribble. I spend the rest of night painstakingly erasing pencil and crayon marks, but at least I have it back.
I hand it in to my teacher the next day, chewing my nails in stress. After long boring hours of class, it happens. I stare at Miss Rivers ready to take on any feedback. She just smiles back at me and hands me my results. Sure enough, plastered across the front page is the biggest, fattest A+ you could ever see.