She opened the car door, trying her best not to let the tears in her eyes fall. As she sat down, still struggling to stay calm, her father said joyfully, “Rania, congratulations beta! I am so proud of you.”

That was all it took. The tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her face.

“This is not what I expected,” she said between sobs. “I expected so much more than this. How could this even happen?”

It was the day of the Intermediate results. Rania had been full of hope, expecting her usual good grades — but destiny had other plans. She had given her exams with complete determination, and the night before the result, she couldn’t stop imagining how happy her parents would be when they saw her marks. It had been hard to sleep that night — nervousness, excitement and endless thoughts swirling in her mind. After all, no one ever knows what destiny has planned.

On the morning of the result day, Rania woke up early and went to college. The result was to be announced at 11:30. Only a few students had come that day, so the teachers didn’t teach much. As the clock slowly ticked towards 11:30, Rania’s heartbeat grew faster. She kept walking back and forth, unable to sit still.

Finally, the minute hand reached six. The result was out. Rania rushed to the computer lab, typed in her roll number and pressed Enter.

On the screen was this message: PASS WITH 435 MARKS

Her eyes scanned the screen in disbelief. “Only 65 out of 100 in maths?” She was sure she would get above 95. She stared blankly for a few seconds, then quickly closed the tab and stepped outside, numb.

All sorts of questions flooded her mind. “How could this happen? This isn’t possible. I gave my best! My parents will be so disappointed. They give me everything I ask for, and in return only expect good grades — and I couldn’t even do that? How can this be my result? I worked so hard…”

The more she tried to stay calm, the more heartbroken she felt. Tears welled up, but since she wasn’t someone who easily showed emotions, she wiped them away and spent the rest of the day pretending to smile — though her heart felt heavier than ever.

When the bell rang, Rania slowly walked to her car. She couldn’t meet her father’s eyes. Just yesterday, she had imagined walking towards the car happily, but dreams don’t always come true. Her father congratulated her warmly, yet she could only cry and cry.

She wouldn’t have cried if she hadn’t worked hard, but she knew how much effort she had put into those exams. Not getting even close to what she expected was what hurt the most.

Even after reaching home, her tears didn’t stop. The same eyes that had once sparkled with dreams were now swollen and red. Her parents tried to comfort her, saying they were proud and wanted to take her out for a treat, but she couldn’t stop thinking about all the people who would ask about her result — and that wounded her heart even more.

That night, Rania lay on her bed, her face buried in the pillow. She could hear her parents’ voices from the living room — quiet and heavy. There was no anger, only disappointment they tried hard to hide. Her heart sank further, realising they had smiled only to protect her feelings.

Staring at the ceiling, she took a deep breath and whispered to herself, “I can’t change this result… but I will rise above it.”

Her tears finally stopped, because deep down, she knew — destiny had shaken her today, not to break her, but to see how high she could stand after falling.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 11th, 2025