Not mine. Just for future reference.
"A C minus? How did I get a C minus on this essay?"
Jordan stormed to her room and slammed the door, falling back on the bed and holding the essay in front of her face. After a moment of silence, the phone rang. Jordan grabbed it and checked the caller ID. It was Cari.
"Hey Cari," said Jordan. "How was your first day back at school?"
"It was okay," she said. "Everyone was really glad to see me. At least, that's what they said. Mrs. London, my math teacher, even threw me a party in math. She's usually the most serious person in the world. It was cool."
"That's great," said Jordan, attempting to sound cheerful.
"So, what's wrong?" asked Cari. Jordan opened her mouth as she would to a normal question, then did a double take.
"Uh…nothing…" she said, confused.
"Oh, sure," said Cari. "Don't think you can fool me. I know that tone."
"Nothing is wrong," insisted Jordan. "Seriously. I'm fine."
"Jordan…"
"Fine, I got a C on a paper. Okay?"
"Oh, that's too bad."
"What do you mean? This is TERRIBLE!"
"Take it easy, Jordan," said Cari. "It's fine. It's one C. One. It won't affect your grade."
Before she could stop herself, Jordan heard herself say, "Maybe that won't…" She clapped a hand over her mouth. She could almost hear Cari's eyebrows going up.
"Oh!" said Cari. "You mean…"
"At least now that you're not in the hospital I don't have a reason to…" she stopped. She had wanted to go talk with Cameron.
"You can't defeat your fears unless you face them," said Cari. "I have to go now. Bye," she said, and there was an audible click on the other end of the phone.