(miniflash story with situational irony)

Not even half of the group was there. Everyone sat tensely, knowing that no one would be left unquestioned today. Sarah knew that nobody would raise his or her hand after Mr. Petrenko’s traditional “Will you speak at will or from the list?” and since she was the first one in the journal, she reluctantly raised her hand.

The teacher’s short “Please” echoed in the classroom along with Sarah’s sigh. The girl began her presentation. She was showing the project she had done last night. Of course, hanging out with your boyfriend all week is much more enjoyable than working on concepts for poetry publications. Sarah knew that students who took Mr. Petrenko’s classes can be counted on one hand, so half-asleep she had to come up with a unique edition and to research her book’s competitors last night. “Thank you for your attention,” she finally finished, yawning. She wanted to fall through the ground with embarrassment at her own work.

“Excellent presentation!” Mr. Petrenko exclaimed proudly. “Thank you, Sarah, for that detailed analysis. I agree with everything you’ve told us. I am especially pleased that you managed to find the most up-to-date statistics. You get the highest score today,” he leaned over the journal, carefully writing the letter “A.”

Sarah froze in surprise. A moment later, she laughed out loud. How did information taken from the first website she came across turn out to be up-to-date statistics, and the presentation hastily cobbled together was an excellent job? “It’s ironic. The less I try, the better I learn,” she thought, and sat back down with satisfaction…