When I opened the door to the third floor, I went straight to the wall where it said ‘‘Math Regents Scores’’ and ran to it. The list was set up with the student ID number on the left and the grade on the right. I finally found my ID number, I placed my finger on it and dragged it to the right where I saw a seventy-eight. A tear came out of my eye, it was not from sadness or disappointment, it was from happiness and gratefulness to God for helping me to pass the exam. I had never been happier about receiving a seventy-eight in my life before. I was never good at math but the fact that I almost got an eighty on the Algebra Regents made me feel like the happiest person on Earth.

After I got out from my joyful bubble, I remembered that I also needed to know my ELA Regents score. I knocked on the door that is on that same wall and the assistant principal opened it. While I was walking in her office, I saw the assistant principal getting a big yellow envelope that had  ELA Regents test score written on it, I felt like my heart was burning. When the assistant principal opened the envelope and looked through the papers inside, the assistant principal’s facial expression changed from serious to surprised. I honestly felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I asked the assistant principal what happened and her answer was ‘‘really impressive Amber’’. She showed me the paper where I saw a forty-five and a ninety. I got scared because I didn’t quite understand those numbers. I asked her to explain them to me and she said that I got the highest score in the whole school and that I have a ninety. I started smiling and then I asked her if our agreement was still on. She told me to not go that fast she still has to look at my grades. At that moment I felt indestructible. I felt that the more time passed, the closer I would get to my aim. When I looked back at her she was handing me my report card and I looked at it. I only saw straight ‘A’s’ even in gym. I believe I was so happy that my face was glowing when I looked back at her, she told me that she knew I was persistent but I totally surprised her. Any other day I would have felt offended but that day, nothing could have brought me down.

I walked out of the assistant principal office and I went straight to the school counseling office, when I saw the counselor, I told her the news and showed her my report card. Just like the assistant principal, she was really amazed by my scores. After I told her my achievements, I told her that I wanted to be moved up a grade. Before she even told me about which credits I have and the ones I needed, she told me that it was not going to be easy and I only had one chance. She said that once I got out that door with my schedule made, there was no turning back to eleven grade and that twelfth grade was not going to be easy for me. She said that because I didn’t have the same knowledge and experience that my future classmates had. Even if I took summer courses as my eleven grade year it was not going to be the same. I was so focused on moving up to the twelfth grade that I never even noticed there would be consequences, about my desire. I started thinking about the pros and cons of my achievement.  

The cons were I couldn’t be able to graduate with my friends and would have to work harder than everyone else because my classmates had more experience and knowledge than me. I noticed that I could graduate a year earlier which was really convenient. I was going to graduate at the same age that my mom and big sister did and I was going to be the youngest graduate in my generation.  What concerned me the most was the fact that I was not going to be with my friends. Even though I might see them in the hallways, it was not going to be the same.

That’s when reality hit me and I started to remember all the good times that I had with my friends since we graduated from middle school until our sophomore year in high school. At that moment I felt that I had to choose between my friends and school. I never imagined I would have to make a decision like that before. But then my mature side came out and reminded me that good times and friends were not going to pay my bills in the future. Then I looked up to the school counselor and I told her that  I was sure of what I was doing and that no matter what, I wanted to graduate that year.

The counselor was surprised by my determination, then she told me that I would have to take five summer classes and during the school year, I would have to take three extra classes besides my twelfth-grade classes. I noticed that I was not going to be able to do anything other than study for the next eleven months but it was way better than having to wait two more years to graduate.

The time flew and I found myself in twelfth grade, people in school were shocked. My friends were amazed by my achievement but also nostalgic because I was not in eleventh grade with them. I felt that my achievement sent me to a place where I had to take many important decisions that no one my age had to take or even think about. I had to mature before time which wasn’t easy. School consumed my essence little by little turning me into a person that could only do classwork. There was no time for fun during my days or good times with friends. There were only important decisions that needed to be made and someone who had to made them. The only thing that did not change was my persistence to prove that I could do anything.

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