The last day of school came. Morning was flowing smoothly, but as I got to school the situation became more and more intense. It was a sunny day, brighter than the sun, but cold on the inside of my skin. I was at school waiting for the physics exam results, which will determine my final grade for the last school year in primary school. If I get 90% or more, I will pass, get an A and will have just enough points to enroll in my dream high school. As I walked nervously in classroom number 7, the wait began. Minute after minute, second after a second, 10 minutes in total, but it felt like a decade in my head. One exam after another, I was waiting patiently for my test. As tests flew through the teacher’s hand, mine was up ahead. I could feel the cold sweat dripping down my back like there were hundred knives piercing my whole body. Our teacher stated that my test was the next. When her words came through my ears, I was frozen like a statue, holding my breath praying for the best. I could hear my heartbeat as the teacher said: ''Marko, you got...89%''.
In that moment I could feel my heart drop deeper than the Pacific Ocean. My veins froze, the cells in my body faded away, and my life was a tsunami that hit me stronger than any before on planet Earth. I felt like the worst creature that had ever walked the surface of our planet. Seconds started passing once again and I just sat there looking at the empty desk. As time passed, the sounds around me faded away, all my classmates left the classroom for the all mighty summer break. I didn’t want to go just yet. In my head I was seeing my dreams gradually fade away as I realized that my goal of becoming a pilot was naturally over. After few lifelong minutes passed, I got enough courage to stand up and walk slowly out the front door. Walking through the school halls, knowing that I didn’t achieve what I had always thought I could achieve, made my mind be blown away. The walk home felt different than all the others. The sun hit my face trying to brighten the day, but every attempt was a failed one. I watched all the trees, and the paths on my way home, and behind them an enormous black cloud appeared, and it started raining peacefully. It felt like even the sky was crying for me. As I came home, I didn’t want any food or water, I just wanted to lay in my bed for some time and think about the situation in the peaceful ambient. For a few moments I laid in my bed quietly, but that silence was quickly broken by my mom who yelled: ’’Lunch!’’. I didn’t feel like eating, but I figured that mom’s magnificent steak with a side of mashed potatoes would help.
One step after another I walked down the stairs and inhaled the smell of fresh lunch. At the table I told my mom about the situation. She was always on my side, and so was she this time, but at the moment I thought that no words could bright me up. She went through some similar moments when she was a teenager, so she just left me to eat in peace. When my steps came lightly back to my room, I took a nap after the whole day. During my nap time the rain faded away and time took a swing. It was already 8pm. I woke up and I thought of a solution for my great depression era and that’s when it clicked me. My mind decided to go for a walk in the charming summer weather. I put on my black Vans trainers and didn’t go really for a marathon, but a simple walk to the closest park was fine. When I entered the park, I was automatically pulled to my favorite bench. There I sat for some time listening to the Arctic Monkeys, but all of a sudden, a blonde girl sat next to me. I didn’t think much and went back to my music. My ears heard a voice, it went: "Are you okay?’’, and that was the exact moment I realized who really sat next to me. It was a girl who was always there when I needed it the most. She was a girl who was a straight A student and I could always count on her. Her name was Ema and she was different than all the other girls. Ema helped me through every bad moment I had and it felt different than just straight up helping, it felt more like actual caring. We weren’t really hanging out or anything, she just came to help me when I needed it, and I put a smile on her face when I could and that’s all. Ema followed up with: "Hey, I saw what you got on physics today, I think I was the only one watching. You always put a smile on my crocked face when I need it the most. You are the person to make me keep going, and you showed me the way to the grades I now have. Thank you for everything and I’m just returning the favor.’’ When her little speech ended, she smiled at me and left in little steps. I didn’t even know what had happened, but it felt like a rock fell down my heart and fell down my spine. I couldn’t believe that just a few words made such a huge difference. It felt unreal. My mind was blown away, and I fell on my bed when I came back from the park, I couldn’t think about it, so I went to sleep.
When I woke up I wasn’t the same person, it was me, but I was just 20 years older. That was when I realized that it was all sort of a dream; it was a memory inside a dream. 20 years after Ema’s smile I became a CEO of a fast-growing Airlines company and my life is a living proof that her words made a difference, and she pulled a smile that made a difference. That’s the end of my story, and I hope that my story shows you enough proof to have a good reason to share smiles around the world.