Face the Consequences

Caressa looked over at the two girls sitting across from her at the park. She grimaced when she saw them copying some other student’s homework. She shook her head and walked over to them. She tapped her foot loudly to get their attention and watched as they lifted their heads to look at her, clearly annoyed at her. “Hi there, is there something that we can help you with?” a brunette girl asked Caressa in a snobby tone. Well, someone’s a little rude today!1

“Well, actually, there is something you can help me with,” Caressa said, smiling sweetly, “First, I need you to close that book of yours and hand it to me.” The two girls looked at each other confused but did so anyways, both wanting to get back to “finishing” their homework that was to be completed by today. Caressa accepted the book and turned to the student standing by the side, shyly. Caressa handed him the book and smiled, “Here you go. You’re free to go now.” She explained as the boy looked at her in confusion.2

She watched as the kid skipped away quickly over to his bag that was leaning against the tree. He put the work in his school bag and rushed out of the park. Snapping back to the two girls, Caressa heard a loud shriek. The blonde girl stood up and looked at Caressa, anger and frustration evident in her facial expression. “Why’d you do that for? We,” she said, pointing to herself and the brunette, “needed that! We’re going to get detention if we do not get it finish!” I nodded my head, understanding what they meant, but that did not mean that they had to copy someone else’s paper.3

“I’m very aware of that, but I’m pretty sure that you two girls are very capable of finishing the homework on your own, are you not?” Caressa asked amusingly. The two girls looked at each other before grabbing their satchels and storming off, leaving Caressa there, smirking to herself. She watched the two girls before they were out of Caressa’s sight and turned to her own shoulder bag and slid it on and checked her watch. Her eyes widen when she saw that time. Fifteen minutes until school starts! I better go now!4

Face the Consequences5

It was time for recess and the two girls walked onto the school yard platform, infuriated at Caressa, who had stopped them from “completion” of their homework and because of it, the two had to stay after-school for an extra twenty minutes for detention and they had to finish the homework that they had not finished. They walked around the yard until they spotted a very familiar person. A person that had stopped them from cheating on their homework just recently this homework. The two girls smirked at each other and rushed over to Caressa who was sitting down on the pavement with a notebook in her lap and another notebook in front of her, which the two girls presumed was someone else’s homework. The blonde girl reached down when they had reached Caressa and snatched the notebook that was on the floor and held it up high. 6

Caressa looked up to see who took the notebook and narrowed her eyes when she saw that it was the two exact girls that she had caught cheating on their own homework. She looked at them sternly before holding out her hand and said, “Give it back to me.” 7

The two girls giggled and shook their heads, “Nope, we can’t do that.” The brunette said. “And why not?” Caressa snapped. This time, the two girls narrowed their eyes at Caressa, not liking the tone of voice she was using to speak to them. “Well, because for one, I don’t like your tone of voice; it’s rude and not polite.” The blonde said, looking at the brunette girl, allowing her to say something, “and you’re the one that said we’re capable of doing our homework on our own. So why is it that you can’t do your own homework on your own?” The two girls crossed their arms across their chests. Frustrated, Caressa stood up, dropping her notebook on the floor. She reached over to the blonde girl and clutched onto the notebook in her hand, bringing it behind her back and out of the blonde girl’s hand. “Hey!” 8

“That’s what you get for stealing the notebook away from me!” Caressa exclaimed. Suddenly, Caressa saw one of the oddest things she has ever seen. A beaver was walking over to them, using only two of its feet to get here. Confusion etching over her face, she picked up her notebook from the floor and clutched both notebooks to her chest. When the beaver stopped at the three girls, the three girls gasped when the beaver started talking. 9

“Hello there girls, I know it may seem weird, but I couldn’t help but hear about your problem.” The beaver said, shocking not only the girls, but everyone around them too. “Um, what problem are you talking about…Sir?” Caressa asked nervously. “Well, about you three girls cheating on your homework – and don’t try to deny that I’m wrong or that you have no clue what I am talking about because I’ve watched you three today and I heard what has been going on.” The beaver said, watching as the three heads of the girls’ look down in shame and embarrassment.10

“You know girls,” the beaver started, making all three girls look at him, “that’s not a very good habit that you three have encountered. In fact, it can get you in a lot of trouble too.” The three girls nodded the beaver knowing what he meant. “Cheating on your homework is not the best way out of not completing it the previous night. Sure, you might have to face some consequences because you didn’t finish it, but at least you were honest and didn’t try to get the easy way out. Plus, you don’t learn anything when you cheat on your homework and when it’s time for a test or a pop quiz, you’ll have no idea what you’re supposed to do or what’s going on because you didn’t do your homework; you just copied.” 11

The three girls looked back down at the ground, shuffling around nervously. “Next time you three don’t finish your homework, don’t copy someone else’s; man up and face the consequences. In the end, you’ll feel good about yourself.
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