"What's your score?" Sarah asked, kicking a pebble with her foot.

"Fifty-four, at least, I passed," Maya said, looking sheepish.

The girls were enjoying a stroll in the bright afternoon sun. The snow-covered mountain tops shone like diamonds. It was too beautiful a day to sit indoors.

"No, you didn't. The passing score was sixty," Sarosh said without sympathy. She knew Maya didn't study for the test.

"What!" Now Maya looked horrified. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yep," Sarah said, "she's right. You didn't know that?"

"Ugh!" Maya took a deep breath, adjusting her backpack as the three friends walked down the street. "Just my luck."

"Don't worry," Sarah tried to make her feel better. "It's just one quiz. Hardly 5% of the grade. You can make up for it."

"I can try," Maya said in a small voice. "But you know what? Let's not talk about test scores anymore. Let's not ruin this beautiful sunny day." She tried to muster up a smile and failed. Her friends didn't know this yet, but her grades were suffering and she wondered if she would graduate with them. It was horrifying to imagine she would have to repeat a semester or two.

"Let's get ice-cream. It'll cheer you up." Sarah must have noticed her gloomy mood.

"You know me well." This time Maya's smile was genuine as they walked on holding hands. Good friends, sunny days, and ice-cream; what could go wrong?