Two days later, Madeline sat in French class, texting her crush under the desk. Even though she promised to stop letting Chad distract her, she couldn't just ignore him. The teacher passed around graded papers, not acknowledging Madeline who was giggling while looking down at her cellphone. Her attention moved away from the phone once she heard the sound of paper getting slapped against her desk. She looked up at the paper and there it was again: a big D sitting in the top right hand corner. Madeline scrunched her eyebrows at the D and the 60% next to it. She picked up the paper and held it up so the light from the ceiling could hit directly at the big letter. That D did not budge, angering Madeline once again.
The teacher stood in front of the classroom to instruct the students. "Okay, since that is out of the way, let's start--"
The teacher stopped talking when she saw Madeline raise her hand.
"Yes, Madeline?"
Madeline put her arm down. "Um, I think you graded my quiz wrong."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I don't get D's in this class. I get A's."
"Yes, I've been aware of that. But I double-check everybody's papers when I grade and frankly, most of your answers on the quiz were wrong."
Madeline scrunched her eyebrows again. "But that's impossible."
"Not really."
Madeline paused. "But how could I be failing French? I speak French. I'm from Quebec!"
"You said you were born in Wichita," said the classmate that sat next to Madeline.
"Oh, yeah. That's right, I lied. But still, that doesn't add up to why I'm failing."
"Sweetie, look at your quiz," demanded the French teacher.
Madeline looked at the paper in her hand and glimpsed at the answers. "Oh, crap, I wrote, 'IDK' again. Just let me redo this and I guarantee this will be an A."
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can. You're a teacher; you have the power to make people do what you say and other things like letting me retake that test."
"I don't allow retakes. Everybody knows that."
Madeline scowled. "Well, does everybody know that you're divorced because you cheated on your husband?"
The students murmured and glanced at each other. Hearing that question made steam come out of the teachers' ears.
"How did you-- Never mind," she said. "Madeline, that is none of your business."
"Then why are you scribbling it on Facebook?" asked Madeline. "Hmm? Why are you scribbling it on Facebook and posing with ex-boyfriends on Snapchat? Riddle me that."
"I am not appreciating your attitude."
Madeline stood up, scooting her seat back with her legs. "Then understand it. I've been getting A's ever since I was in second grade. I can't be getting D's now."
"Sorry to break your pattern but rules are rules."
"Then how come you didn't follow the rule of marriage when you were tonguing down that guy?"
"Ohhh..." mumbled Madeline's neighbor.
"Madeline, leave," the teacher demanded.
"Why?" asked Madeline. "That won't give me an A."
"Leave or I will seriously damage you."
"Now you threatening me? You're threatening me, your favorite student?"
"My favorite student does not talk back to me."
"Oh, I see how it is. I am seeing how it is. Fine, I will leave."
Madeline picked up her phone from the floor and walked around the line of desks towards the open door. She stopped and turned around when the French teacher grabbed her phone.
"No phones in the hallway," the teacher smiled wickedly.
"Oh, okay," said Madeline. "How about this? Keep the phone so you can keep taking pictures of you and your boyfriend. I don't even get why he wants you anyway when your boobs are lower than your--"
Out of fury, the teacher picked up a yardstick that laid on the shelf on her chalkboard. She swung it over Madeline's head and smack it on the wall next to her. Madeline ducked and out of worry and fright, ran out of the classroom through the door like she was in a horror film.
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