Set your story during exam season, when tensions run high and a minor incident sends your protagonist into a panic spiral.

Posted in Character on Nov 3, 2023

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✍️ 30 stories

“Misunderstood Communications” by Evan S.

Submitted to Contest #223

What am I going to do? What am I going to do? I didn’t sleep last night, and now it’s exam day and I’m hardly pre- “Jeez Lily, relax, it’s not a matter of life or death” Startled, I turn around abruptly, snapped out of my thoughts by Jill. Jill looks back at me. “What? I can see you sweating, and I know you’re worried about the exam because you’ve been muttering to yourself about it for the past 10 minutes.” I sigh. Jill is always everything that I’m not. Relaxed, extremely intelligent, and just overall better than me. With long, perfect bla...

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“My first 'meet cute'” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #223

Rachel was ridiculously relieved when at last she saw the signs on the motorway for Bath. She wasn’t clueless behind the wheel but had found herself turning off prematurely a few times on the journey from Cornwall. When she felt completely lost, she’d had to park up somewhere to reset, look at the map, grab a coffee, quick wee break and then chant quite a few positive mantras mostly to help her stay awake for the last few miles ‘Come on Rachel, stay awake, almost there.’In recent years, Rachel and her best friend from college, Fiona or ‘Fi-F...

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“Toasted” by Andrea Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #223

Everyone knows that in order to have a successful finals week, one must follow a strict and disciplined routine. First I woke up at 8am, no snoozed alarms, this was essential. The snooze button was for the weak. Then I wiped off the layer of dust that had accumulated overnight on my beloved photo of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. As a fellow Latina and woman of the Law, Sonia was my Superwoman. After that, I ate an everything bagel with low fat, Philadelphia cream cheese. I’d made so many bagels in the...

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“Ep 2 - Mightier Than The Pen - SERIES: Adventures of A&J” by Mary Black Rose

Submitted to Contest #223

Did I ever tell you about the time way back when my cousin Jeremy used his ‘superpowers’ to get me out of a pretty sticky situation?No?Well, back in the 1950s, my cousin Jeremy and I were pretty close pals.That kid had the luck of an Irish mafia boss, who could not only dodge bullets, he dodged traffic jams, the line into the Red Sox game during the World Series, bad grades when grading was on a curve, and he hadn’t studied one ounce and misplaced keys on that random day a black hole swallowed up all of his belongings. And he managed to acco...

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“In a flurry of wings” by Elise G

Submitted to Contest #223

My head lies slumped against the window, a glass stained with many years of spit, tears, and grime. My hands lie in front of me, wrapped in cold metal, cuffed to the seat in front. Past the grilled partition that separates us, a woman’s sultry voice drifts through, the radio turned up uncomfortably loud, the driver tapping his calloused hands against the leather wheel. He occasionally looks up at me, bushy eyebrows slightly crinkled, catching a glimpse of my face besides the cut-out photograph of a little girl taped on the rearview mirror. S...

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“Student M....” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #223

"Oh, no!" Unfortunately for student M, he was growing up too fast. It was a fateful morning in time, some when. Mock exams, he was totally unprepared. He had not really been listening to his noble teachers, whatever they said. This morning, it was English, his worst. All he was really dreaming of was full on Nike casual wear, and expensive joggers, plus a brand new Adidas sports bag. That was if he ever escaped from school long enough to play his favorite sport again. Times were tough for seventeen year old lads. Not quite men, all he and hi...

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“Endings” by C Russell

Submitted to Contest #223

Lexi sighed deeply, gradually letting the air escape through her parted lips. A gentle whistle followed and suddenly she was snapped back to reality, turtling her head down and mouthing, “Sorry!” to the people on her left and right, where from her periphery, she could see the inevitable stink-eye being thrown in her direction. In her therapist’s office, it had been so effortless to close her eyes and breathe deeply while surrounded by overgrown house plants a...

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“Lost cause” by Murugesu Natkunathayalan

Submitted to Contest #223

Lost cause Where did I leave them? All my precious notes and textbooks with annotations, all the hard work I spent on them. Anger started creeping into my voice. There is only one place where I left it, and only one person who knows where I left it: Piper, my best friend. She could not have done this to me. I have known her all my life, and she can’t possibly do this, but she has a motive. We have been in what we like to call an academic war all our lives, both striving to be the best in everything from small end-of-topic tests to final exam...

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“The Teacher is Always Quiet During the Test” by Michael Savoie

Submitted to Contest #223

Jenny sprinted through the quad her mind focused on the presentation she was about to give. Frazzled and upset, she didn’t see Dr. Whitcomb until it was too late. Wham! Books, backpack, and a pair of glasses flew. Jenny looked up from the ground into the concerned eyes of Dr. Whitcomb. Glancing down, she saw his outstretched hand offering her aid in regaining her feet. “Thank you.” Jenny sputtered, trying to act as though everything was okay. Dr. Whitcomb’s arched eyebrow indicated that he knew something wasn’t right. “I’m so sorry…” J...

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“Seligman's Dogs” by Sarah Duffey

Submitted to Contest #223

“Just allergies,” Marshall said, rubbing his nose raw with his sleeve in the library bathroom. A fellow psychology major, Byron, rinsed his hands in the neighboring sink. “Ugh, sounds awful, man.” He turned off the faucet. “I guess you can’t help it, though.” Marshall sniffled. It felt like someone had shoved soggy newspaper up his nostrils. “No, I guess I can’t.” Byron shook his hands dry and followed Marshall out. The arrhythmic clacking of keyboard keys rang through the library as students hastened to finish final papers. Some teete...

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“Tales of Dukemon the Studious ” by Logan Wheeler

Submitted to Contest #223

Deep in the caverns of Mt. Dulgor, the dwarvish clan known as Mon were preparing for the annual Nomination Exam, which alerted the rest of the inhabitants that the Silver Festival was soon approaching. The leading examinee was given the honor to be “Lorekeeper” during the silver expedition. In the morning before the exam, a young dwarf named Dukemon was awoken by a high-pitched whistle coming from his steam clock. As the young dwarf rubbed his eyes, he felt a relief from the heaviness; his mind still groggy from the restless nights of...

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“Juries” by Audrey Harmon

Submitted to Contest #223

Amanda Henderson takes a deep breath, scrutinizing her reflection in the dorm room mirror. The young woman she sees there looks nothing like her, but rather a version of who her professors believe she ought to be. She wears an unimposing blue jewel tone dress, one that goes below the knees and covers her voluptuous chest. Her heels are exactly two inches high and closed-toe (of course). Her legs are trapped in the sensory nightmare that is panty hose, which are scratching at her stubby legs mercilessly. With her hair pulled half up and her m...

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“I, Desire” by Joanna Hayes

Submitted to Contest #223

"Ahahah... shit," Evan sprawled out of his mouth as he did something less graceful over the bed. After wiping his lips with his dusty white sleeve, he laid down with his hands covering his face, like a child facing their mother after missing the toilet. He was pathetic."This is the last time I'm helping you."I reluctantly voiced these thoughts out loud for the first and last time. As I expected, my sternness made him giddy. I used to love his laugh: carefree and warm. Now, it was a hollow echo of what it used to be. Just like him.We were lin...

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“Breaking Point” by Christopher Gissinger

Submitted to Contest #223

We see a figure slumped at his desk in a rundown house on the west side of Columbus. We shall call him Clem. The room reeks of last night's stale smoke and spilled beer. Clem's ragged snores cut through the air. A black dog stares at him with an air of judgement. As he starts himself awake, his flailing arm scatters a forest of empty Miller High Life cans. He looks around the room blearily, wiping away drool and attempting to clear the crust from around his eye. How late was I up? he ponders as he straightens his glasses. His head is poundin...

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“Luck Runs Out” by Jessie Fenske

Submitted to Contest #223

Marley groaned, massaging her stiff muscles, trying to ease the ache from hours hunched over the desk. Her eyelids felt heavy and thick; if she closed them, she feared they would not open again. Outside her dormitory window she heard a faint murmur of rhythmic voices coming up through the parking lot, chanting cadences with verve. If the ROTC were already out for their morning run, she figured, it must be around 6:00 AM, which meant she had been awake all night. She stared at the computer screen, the cursor blinking at her disapprovin...

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Set your story during exam season, when tensions run high and a minor incident sends your protagonist into a panic spiral.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 30 stories

“Misunderstood Communications” by Evan S.

“My first 'meet cute'” by Rebecca Detti

“Toasted” by Andrea Gonzalez

“Ep 2 - Mightier Than The Pen - SERIES: Adventures of A&J” by Mary Black Rose

“In a flurry of wings” by Elise G

“Student M....” by Julie Grenness

“Endings” by C Russell

“Lost cause” by Murugesu Natkunathayalan

“The Teacher is Always Quiet During the Test” by Michael Savoie

“Seligman's Dogs” by Sarah Duffey

“Tales of Dukemon the Studious ” by Logan Wheeler

“Juries” by Audrey Harmon

“I, Desire” by Joanna Hayes

“Breaking Point” by Christopher Gissinger

“Luck Runs Out” by Jessie Fenske

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a student discovering a hidden room in a university library.

Write about two rival academics pursuing the same grant.

Write a story in which a jaded academic makes an unexpected, rash decision.

Write about a student reporter uncovering a university scandal.

Contest #223

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

184

Contest entries

84

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: