The sun shone bright in the morning sky, but Zara lay in bed, feeling tired and worn out. She had been sleepless last night. How could it be morning already? Her metal alarm clock clanged and rang.

“Get up,” Zara told herself. Her back was aching all over, so she slowly got out of bed, put on her jogging suit and ran out for her morning walk. Zara was lost in her thoughts as she walked. It was too early for anyone to be out, leaving her to peacefully get some exercise to clear her head. But it was her backache that was giving Zara some trouble, so she decided to cut her walk short and return home.

Later Zara sat in her classroom, not able to comprehend what had just happened — she had brought her sister’s bag instead of her own from home. Why? How?

Miss Adila turned around from the board to stare into Zara’s eyes through her half-rimmed spectacles. “How could you be so careless and didn’t bother to check whether you were taking your or someone else’s bag before coming to school?”

Zara remained silent and borrowed an extra sheet of paper from her classmate and started penning down the class work. She felt ashamed and embarrassed by the fact that she could make such a mistake.

“That’s it! My day is ruined now,” Zara mused sadly. Her sister was a free-spirited and carefree soul, and did whatever brought her joy. Zara wished she could be like that and maybe have a day to herself sometime, to do whatever pleased her.

“Stop being foolish,” Zara quickly corrected herself, for a practical soul just couldn’t afford the luxury of such fantasies.

At the end of the class, Zara thought her friends might help her feel better. She turned in her seat to face them as she heard one of them say, “Hey Zara! What’s up with our brainy friend? Have you been too lost in your secret world to even notice picking up the wrong school bag?”

“She got 17 marks in her math test, I think she’s too smart to know how to solve a simple equation,” another one teased.

Zara got up from her chair with newborn rage, but as she got up, her table fell over and her lunch spilled on the floor. Why was everything going wrong? She could feel the eyes of her classmates all over her. Instead of her lunch, it felt like her heart had fallen and scattered around in a million pieces.

Amidst the fury, words spluttered from Zara’s mouth, “What is the problem with you all? If you walked a mile in my shoes, you would know how hard it is!”

Her friends’ grins turned upside down in mild surprise, “Relax Zara, it’s okay. We can share our lunch with you.”

Without listening to another word Zara left the room with a sigh. Making her way to the school garden, she settled herself under a palm tree. Her mind raced. It wasn’t her friends’ fault her day was not turning out as planned and she shouldn’t have let her anger spill out like that. This was the way her peers had been since forever, playful and loving. They didn’t have any intentions to hurt or degrade her.

She tried clearing her mind. But it just won’t flush. Her thought process was interrupted by the beeping of her mobile phone in her pocket. She saw that her physics exam results had been posted online. A bubble of nervousness crept up her entire body, but it popped in utter disappointment.

She had gotten 96 percent. Forget butterflies, dragons soared free in her stomach. Her sorrow amplified when she noticed her error. She had taken out the quotient instead of the product in one of the questions. How could I make such a terrible mistake?

“You are becoming more and more careless day by day,” the words of her teacher rang in her ears.

She blinked back tears trying to forget whatever had happened the day, or even the whole year and made her way to the classroom. Down the hall, she could hear her being discussed everywhere.

“Zara got a 96 percent…, she looks quite blue… yeah, and her lunch fell over in class.”

Zara quickened her pace and decided she needed to take a break. She entered the theatre room. A joyful place; hanging from the walls were masks and huge curtains. The place of laughter and amusement was now a heaven of darkness. It reflected her own state. Tears finally rolled down and fell down on the floor.

Suddenly, the door of the theatre creaked as someone came in. It was her friend, Maryam. She let her cry until she felt better and then Zara explained the situation to her. When Zara was done, Maryam gave an empathetic smile.

“It’s been a tough day, I can tell. But it’s important to know that taking care of your mental health is also important. I can see that you are overwhelmed; no matter how many things you have for the day, give yourself at least half an hour to relax. It will make you feel better and also help you make the right decisions,” Maryam advised.

She continued. “And yes! It’s okay to get 96 percent sometimes when you’re a straight-A student. There is a difference between making progress and trying to be perfect. Making mistakes is part of learning. Relax and go with the flow.”

The next day, Zara woke up at six in the morning, did some yoga and got ready for school. At 7.30 a.m., she ran off to school. She saw her friends sitting at the back and approached them.

“Hey whatever happened, I’m sorry. I was really stressed out. But I’ve made some brownies for you,” Zara said in a low voice. Her friends smiled empathetically.

“It’s okay Zara, we all have our bad days,” her friend said while munching on a small piece.

“What are you guys planning for the weekend then? Let’s watch a movie!” her friend looked at her sceptically.

With a hint of confusion in her voice she said, “But don’t you have extra chemistry online lectures on Sundays?”

“Um… not anymore, I’ve dedicated Sundays to myself only. You know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!”

Her friends looked amused. It seemed like Zara had finally found the balance between studies and self-care.

Published in Dawn, Young World, Aug 2nd, 2025