Results Are Out

D-day .
One too many sleepless nights. Waking up drenched in sweat. Checking your phone. 3:00 AM. Another 11 hours to go.

Trying to sleep again, but failing.
That moment when you felt you could find some solace in watching Kota factory, they drew the curtains on Season 1.

A few hours of dreamless blank sleep.
You get out of your bed at an hour that seems reasonable.
Your loving mom makes you your favorite breakfast to help ease your nerves. You force down a few bites so as to not hurt her feelings.

So the next few hours pass, where everyone treats you like it’s your last few hours on the planet.
2:00 PM.
Rushing to the online sites to check your impending doom/success. The adrenaline rush. Scenes from each paper you wrote flashing before your eyes. Thinking to yourself, you could have written Science paper's Q 2. B(i) better. Or remembering how you wrote 1915 instead of 1914 in your History paper.

You and your family glued to their seats in front of the computer screen.
And then, the wheel of buffering spinning in suspense suddenly comes to a halt.
Enter.. Your result.
You and your family stare at the illuminated screen. Shock, disbelief, tears of both kinds.
Feelings. Satisfied? Unsatisfied? Somewhere in between?
Phone calls. From your jealous best friend and over-concerned aunt. From your coaching centre.
Text messages flooding your phone. Bro, 92.7%! Wbu.
Insta updates from scholars..
Back on insta. Passed with 97.8%. Not too happy, not too sad. That’s life.
Your dad calls from office. Proud of you.
Your mom, teary eyed, hugs you and sends a silent prayer to God for helping you achieve what you did.

Overwhelmed you sit there for a while. Everything seems like a blur.
Soon you get over your nerves. Realise, that this is really happening. You scored a 94% and you are frankly the happiest you felt in all year.

All those sacrifices you made. On sleep, on fun, on your phone.
Remembering your 9th grade, and how you used to hang out with your friends after classes, and putting that to an end in your 10th standard. Some of those people are still your friends. You smile knowing they faired well too.

The processions begin. A dozen phone calls everyday. You are the centre of attention in your immediate and extended family.

Walk down your street and your neighbor congratulates you.
Incoming and outgoing sweet boxes. (Your upstairs neighbor and the boy in the next building scored well too. )

And in that moment, you realize, school life is over. For real this time. It won’t be a competition between your classmates and you anymore. Never again in your life.

Competing with strangers for two things alone- rank and seat.
This thought strengthens when the admission process approaches.
Dismal, rejection, disappointment, procrastination.
And finally, Acceptance.
This is soon to be the story of your life.
Welcome to your future.