Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

"It's okay, I guess."

Flora replied casually.

"Either it's good or bad, what's 'okay' supposed to mean?" Debra frowned, turning to Joy. "Joy, weren't you in the same exam room as Flora? Did you notice how she was doing?"

"Flora, well..." Joy fiddled with her hair, looking a bit troubled, unsure how to put it. "From the moment she walked in, she was asleep. She only woke up in the last half hour to finish the test and hand it in." The room fell into a stunned silence.

They couldn't believe what they'd just heard.

Flora had been sleeping since she entered the exam room?

And only started working on the test in the last half hour?

Ridiculous!

"Flora, that's too much!"

Debra, finally snapping out of it, was almost in tears.

The other members of the Austenberg team glared at Flora with a mix of anger and disbelief, their eyes red, as if they wanted to tear her apart.

They had sacrificed sleep for months, seizing every moment to study, just to score an extra point or two in this competition. But Flora?

They didn't expect her to score high. They had even accepted the possibility of her dragging them down. But Flora's attitude was something they couldn't stomach.

Did she even care about this competition? Did she care about them at all?

she did, she wouldn't have slept through

eyes burning red as she stared at Flora. "Do you have a grudge against us? Can't you take this seriously for once, without messing everything up?" "I did take it seriously. I didn't mess up," Flora said, lifting her

can you do in half an hour? And you're still making excuses!"

you realize how much we've put into this competition? And you're

did you even join? We would've been better off

have been such

seething, wishing they could

like a joke, and Flora had no

spiraled out of

temple14

a low,

make more of

but the exam was over; what use

others more reason to

had already drawn attention

getting late. Let's go have

okay, stop crying. Let's go

Debra, who was still crying, and the others followed. They didn't want to

of her made them

they

an estimate. How much do you think you scored?" Mr. Tanner hesitated

have an

was

Austenberg wouldn't even

Flora tilted her head, thinking carefully.