Smashed Grades
by Chipettegirl10

I looked at my grade, then back at him. He was guilty, and he knew it. He refused to say so. Let me fill you in on what happened yesterday morning.

It was snowing…

It was snowing. I walked to school in the freezing cold, my jacket zipped tightly around my body. I clutched my video camera tightly in my hand as I walked to school. My fingers were starting to freeze into place underneath my gloves. I shook with cold as I made my way down the slippery, icy sidewalk.

I made sure not to drop my camera; it had half my history project on it. Trust me, I would've put it somewhere in my backpack, but my backpack was overstuffed with items from the previous night's homework. I had homework in all of my subjects.

Now that I think about it, I could've asked Brittany or Eleanor to hold it, but they were both taking the bus to school, and I had been late getting ready. Miss Miller was far too busy to drive me, and I decided I would walk to school.

I passed the Sevilles' house. I assumed right away they had taken the bus to school with my sisters. I sighed at the thought of Alvin sitting without me.

Yes, I was dating the red-capped chipmunk that everyone warned me about, and Brittany had a giant crush on him. Yes, I felt guilty about it. Yes, I felt like I had crushed Simon. But Alvin was just so sweet to me, something he rarely is to anyone. I felt really special to him; it was like I actually mattered.

I only had one other boyfriend besides Alvin. His name was Jonathan. I guess it was going well for the first two weeks. He told me he loved me, and that he would never leave my side. I loved him right back. But that situation had, of course, blown up in my face. It had backfired so unimaginably. He began to cheat on me weekly. Everyday I was hearing stories of him cheating on me with some prettier girl. I found out when I saw him kissing some brown-haired, brown-eyed girl against the lockers at school. He confessed – I was only his girlfriend so I could help his grades improve. I told him if he needed a tutor, he just could have asked instead of going behind my back with other girls.

I guess he thought that gave him the green-light to ask me to be his tutor. After the heartbreak he put me through, I refused.

That's when Alvin comforted me while Simon was away with the mathletes. After a while we began to hang out with each other a lot. That was when the red-capped boy asked me out.

It's going great so far.

Anyway, a frosty breeze was beginning to blow, some of the snowy leaves on the trees shaking. I instinctively protected my camera. I got hit on the head, my hat protecting me from the snow. Up ahead, I could see some more buses pulling into our school. I sighed in relief. I was almost there.

That was when I was suddenly grabbed from behind. I screamed an earsplitting scream. My camera crashed to the icy ground from my hands, a few pieces of it breaking off. And just my luck, too, a blue Honda drove by, splashing some of the watery slush from the road onto the camera. It was sure to not work now. I whirled around to face the person behind me, the one who had grabbed me.

"WHAT THE HECK, YOU—"

"Hey, I'm sorry!" the person protested. My blood boiled as soon as I turned around. My boyfriend, of all people, had to be the one to break my camera. "ALVIN!" I yelled, balling my fists. Alvin grinned at me nervously. "Hey babe…how's it going?"

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up behind me because I HATE it?" I snapped. Alvin rubbed the back of his neck. "Sixty-four and counting…?" he responded, almost questioning me. "SIXTY-FIVE!" I shouted. Alvin looked taken aback. "Jeez, Jean…it was an accident…" "Accident?" I questioned. I pointed an accusing finger at him. "I've told you over and over I hate when you do that. But you go and do it anyway each time. I know you haven't forgotten."

"Jean, relax. It's just a camera. You always upload everything to your computer…" "Not this time!" I said. "I decided that I would just bring the camera and the cord to school because I didn't have time to get a flash drive!"

Alvin sighed. "Well that was stupid of you." Upon hearing that, my fists clenched tighter. "So now I'm stupid?" "I didn't say that…!" I just stormed away from him. "Jean, it was probably only like, five percent of your report on there!" Alvin shouted after me.

I whirled around. "It was half of it…a whole fifty percent…," I growled to him. "It was my entire video of how I made the diorama I brought yesterday. It had more facts on it. It had some of my websites on it. It had a lot of important things on it. But your carelessness has just shattered all of that."

I picked up the smashed camera. I tried to turn it on, but all I got was static before it shorted out and died. "Just great."

"I'm sorry," Alvin said. I glared at him. "Sorry doesn't fix my report."

We then proceeded to walk to school in silence. I dreaded history class.

When history finally did come – lucky me! – I was first. I had read my report I had typed up last night.

"Where is your video?" my teacher, Mrs. Smodder, asked me as I proceeded back to my seat. I caught Alvin sliding down in his seat. I sighed. "I didn't do one. I didn't know we had to." Alvin was breathing a sigh of relief. I, on the other hand, walked back to my seat, my head down, as people gasped all around me and started to whisper.

I finally stared back at my grade. I suddenly realized that I knew the feeling of receiving your first C. It was my first C in a subject I excelled greatly at. I looked at Alvin's paper. He had remembered to bring a video. It was a B+. Right at that very moment, I felt a strong hatred for the red-clad chipmunk.

"Your own enjoyment has cost me the Honor Roll," I said to him. Alvin rubbed the back of his neck. "Netta…" "Don't call me that. We're done."

I walked off, crumpling my graded paper and tossing it in the trashcan. All of that hard work was for nothing. That lie was just to spare Alvin another week's detention.

Alvin Seville is not worth getting low grades. I've just learned that the hard way. I guess that was my lesson for falling for him.

I scowled as I walked down to the cafeteria. By now, I was guessing the news spread about the school.

I ate alone at lunch, making sure to stay in the shadows of the cafeteria. I picked a table in the darkest corner of the room, a table few kids sat at. Nobody was there today. It was the perfect spot. I stared at all the people around me. The jocks and cheerleaders were all talking loudly – I could hear those kids making smart remarks about me. The Honor Roll table, where I normally sat, could also be heard talking about me.

It was official. Alvin Seville had ruined my grades. I was no longer the straight-A student I always longed to be. This one imperfection has ruined my chances of Honor Roll. I am going to get an earful from Miss Miller.

Now I wonder if I didn't lie about Alvin breaking my camera...