Blow of the fuse

It's time! I told myself. My masterpiece was about to be unveiled. I had been told to draw out a map for my Geography class last week. I wanted it to be the best piece of work I'd ever done to earn myself that few points to get ahead of the class. So, everyday after school, I worked on it.

I put my hand into my bag to fish it out but the only thing I could feel was my books. No sign of cardboard anywhere. Panic overcame me. I started searching frantically everywhere. My teacher called my up again to hand up my map. I tried searching for it again but to no avail.

With a jumble of emotions, I walked up to the teacher and told her I could not find it. She told me, if I didn't find it by that afternoon, I would not be fiven any marks at all. From the look on her face, she had suspected that I had not done it.

Class finally came to an end. With a sigh of temporary relief, I continued my search. A friend came up to me and told me he had taken it as a joke. Oh, anger and heat rushed through my brain. My face turned red. I was furious at him. I restrained myself from punching the lights out of him. Then, came the next blow. With downcast eyes and shifty feet, he told me he had misplaced it. I could not contain my anger anymore.

I started shouting and yelling at him. I didn't care if anybody had heard me. I am usually a very quiet person who doesn't get my emotions get the better of me but I could not hold back anymore. The last thing I recalled was seeing fists fly and being brought to the headmaster's office.

By then, school was over. That meant no marks for me. In the office, I thought to myself what had I ever done to deserve this. I was given detention for 3 weeks and during that time, I was to clean the school compound. My supposed friend on the other hand, came away with a black eye and only a day of canteen duty.

There is one consolation for me, though. It was the feeling of satisfaction when I saw my fist cut through the air and heard bone cracking bone. But above it all, there is one lesson I have learnt and that would be ... LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR.