Banishing my family to the other side of the door, I marinated in vinegar-flavoured anxiety as the timer-digits on my lock screen gradually morphed into zeroes. I didn’t breathe as I entered my login information and scrolled to the bottom of the page. With resigned dread, I decided to confront the most challenging number first: the final score that would determine my post-graduation plans. I needed at least a thirty-eight. My cursor hovered over the reveal button before finally removing the veil. No flashy animations, no frills. Just a two-digit number I was lucky enough started with a firm four.
Anna Oh is a Singaporean writer who enjoys exploring existentialism. Her other hobbies include avoiding human interaction and finding her place in the universe.