K A I R A

１７

Ms Sunshine turned back, nodding in my direction. Surprisingly, she heard what Tola muttered. "Even if she's part, what does it mean to you? Enough with this behaving like this, Omotola. It won't get you anywhere."

"Whatever."

Nonsense.

"So, I'll give out your papers now. When I call out your names, please step forward to receive yours." She proceeded to retrieve the scripts from the wooden table built for teachers. Just as she did that, Amara gripped my left hand, and I assured her once more that she did alright.

Our biology teacher picked up the first script and smiled, nodding her head. "Smith Nathan, thirty out of thirty. He did really well for a new student. So, do you see now, Omotola?"

Wow.

I stared at Nathan with my mouth agape before I realized it. Daniel too. Soon everybody was clapping. Never had anyone ever managed to get all the questions right. And then, this guy…wow.

Caleb shouted from the back. "That's my guy over there. My guy!"

Although everyone cheered for him, Nathan got up, hands enveloped in his pockets. No one noticed how forced his smile appeared to be. I could be wrong about it all; but what bothered me was his reasons if I ended up being right about them. Shouldn't he be happy that he got all the questions correct?

I didn't have time to process this as my name was called. I got up immediately and went to get my paper. Twenty eight. My eyes widened when I heard and saw my mark. I did better than I had expected, trust me. The claps of my friends were loud, almost overshadowing those of the others.

Caleb whistled, calling me his girl like he did with Nathan, making me shake my head as I walked back to my seat. That boy eh.

"Even if your work looks kinda rushed, you did really well too, Kaira. Despite your noted indifference to this subject. It'd be better if you took some of your love for other subjects into Biology. It's going to help you a lot."

I nodded in response, looking through my paper. I pushed the words of envy Omotola muttered time and time again to the back of my mind. I'd only be giving her the attention she yearned for if I turned to utter so much as a word.

Next, she called Emmanuel, then Folashade and my other classmates. When Amara heard her name and score, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

My girl scored twenty six point five.

"I passed, Kaira. See?" Her script was all over my face, making me grin.

"I told you, did I not?"

"What's mine can never be dumb. And she wasn't even prepared," Daniel said, now smiling at us. Actually, at Amara. The usual. "Neither can I be a dullard."

"Taa, no dey make noise. What did you even score?"

"Twenty seven and a half," he said, showing me his paper.

"It isn't even twenty nine. Come on, will you wipe that smug look off your face? It's not as if you passed me." My ears hurt from laughing. I only let myself boast like this around my close friends. And they let me.

"You only passed me with less than one point. Very soon, Kaira. Don't forget that I'm your biggest rival."

I stuck out my tongue. "Like I'll ever forget a rival like you. You're all bark and no bite, my friend."

"I'm the only one lagging behind," Amara said in a mumble, staring at the ground.

She could be like this from time to time. I didn't blame her. Her dad, unlike mine and Daniel's, monitored her scores, never letting her breathe if she wasn't as good as he wanted her to be. There was a time I was at her place. It was the night we received our JSS 2 term 1 results and she placed sixth, he promised not to let her watch any entertainment TV channel throughout the holiday. And she didn't.