“Good job,” Tova says. From her, it’s high praise. “I want to see you landing lighter, and in the correct position to connect to another move. Keep practicing, you’ll get there.” She raises her voice. “All right, girls! Five minutes and then we’ll be moving on to conditioning.”

There’s a wave of groans; strengthening exercises are a lot more boring than doing flips and cartwheels. But Mimi doesn’t notice, she’s wrapped in the warmth, the approval, the feeling of something finally — finally — going well for her.

Never mind how she’s failing in school, never mind that Shoshana’s problems are driving their tight-knit group of friends apart, never mind Kayla and everything. For tonight, she’s on top of the world.

The glow lasts until the next day, right before Mrs. Stern’s Chumash lesson.

“You think she really will give them back today?” Breindy asks.

“She said she would, so she will,” Dina says, shrugging. “I’m super nervous. I don’t think I did that well.”

Oh. The test. Mimi rests her head on the heel of her palm. “Seriously, why is everyone so obsessed with this test? It’s just one grade.”

Ella looks at her, incredulous. “It’s not just a test. It’s the test. The practice for the seminary one…”

The seminary test.

Ooooh.

And this Chumash test was… some sort of practice? How had she missed that piece of information? And what did it even mean?

“Okay, I’m so out of this. Fill me in. The seminary test… that’s the one we take at the end of 11th grade, the one that all the limudei kodesh teachers put together, right?” Mimi asks, stalling for time.

“Yup. And that’s the one…”

“…that goes on the report card. That all the seminary principals check out,” Mimi finishes. She’s been trying not to think about that test. “So, what did the Chumash test have to do with it?”

Tzippy slides off her desk and comes over to answer. “Mrs. Stern’s section is always the largest one on the seminary test. And the hardest. My sisters all say it’s totally murder, can make you fail the whole thing if you’re not careful.”

“And she said in class that this test would be like a practice… it’s the same style, the same sort of questions. So we can ‘get an idea of the grade we’re at now.’” Ella air-quotes with her fingers.

“So… what grade do you need to get into seminary?” Mimi asks, would-be casual.

“I don’t think it’s like an exact number,” Tzippy says.

“But obviously, a girl who fails that test has a muuuuuch harder time with applications,” Ella adds. There’s a hint of tension in her voice. Ella hates studying.

“In my sister’s class, there were a bunch of girls who didn’t do well on the seminary test. Most of them didn’t get into where they wanted to go, except for the one whose father is mega-wealthy and another one who had some sort of pull. Her uncle taught in one of the seminaries I think,” Tzippy says vaguely.

Mimi’s father isn’t a millionaire, and she doesn’t know of any relatives who teach in seminaries. Yikes.

Before she can answer, though, Mrs. Stern arrives, a sheaf of papers in her hand. She takes attendance and then passes back the tests, one by one.

Mimi accepts hers with fingers that shake slightly. There’s a note at the top, in bright red ink.

Please see me after class.

Below that is her grade: Thirty-seven percent.

To be continued…

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 900)