Jesse found his seat as soon as the host asked them to find their seats. For some reason, he knew the rest intentionally pushed him out, seeing the smiley girl who sat beside him, he immediately rolled his eyes.
"Jesse, you came?" She asked making other students turn towards them. Jesse glanced at her and without another word wore his microphone around his ears.
"Back to ignoring me are we?" She asked as Jesse turned to her lowering his microphone from his mouth.
"Joy, I am tired and the last thing I want to waste my energy on is having a conversation with you" Jesse replied as the other students burst into laughter as Joy clenched her fists tightly.
"Do introduce yourself" the host said as the students started introducing themselves.
"Alao Folakemi, West British International School"
"Durage Paul, Nesam International School"
Jesse reclined on his seat listening to others introduce themselves. As soon as the student after him introduced himself, the hall went into an uproar as the students started shouting and screaming.
Jesse glanced towards where his school was seated as he forced himself not to wear a smile. He needed nobody to tell him that Christopher must have started the whole ruckus.
"Adeagbo-Oke Jesse, De Royals College" Jesse introduced as the students screamed louder. He just leaned lazily in his seat as the next student introduced himself.
The hall seemed to have suddenly gone quiet as all of a sudden, Jesse seemed to feel a gaze on him as if boring into him, a girl's face appeared on the screen, his eyes widened as he turned towards the girl seated few meters across him as his eyes widened as he recognized her.
The pure water girl!
Rather, the girl he had met on the street. Even though he had seen her just once, her face seemed to have been imprinted in his memory and the moment he saw her, he recognized her immediately. He had wanted to see her again but not in his imaginations did he expect that he would run into her at the competition.
"Hello" the host said to her as she turned back towards the host wearing an awkward smile.
"Ola-Adipo Lolade" she said as Jesse wore a small smile.
Lolade huh?
"Okay, nice to meet you all. And I would like to congratulate you for reaching this stage. You have 1-100" the host said as the first school picked their question.
As usual the first rounds, none of the schools missed a question. The second round went as well and two schools missed a question as well and Jesse answered the question giving his school a bonus and a edge over other schools.
Lolade swallowed her saliva as soon as it got to her turn.
"Number 62" she said quietly.
"Who's the current Governor of Lagos?" The host asked and everyone burst into laughter.
"Babjide Sanwo-Olu" Lolade replied.
After the fourth and fifth rounds, a lot of schools had dropped and only about ten schools remained. Lolade was getting scared by each moment. She needed the money.
Even if she got the third position, 50,000 naira was a big money for her family. They needed it, badly. The guy beside her turned to her with a smile.
"Your jar of luck is quite full" he said while lowering his microphone.
"Huh?" Lolade asked slightly confused.
"You haven't missed one question. You keep picking the simple questions" he replied and Lolade offered him a small smile without saying anything.
Out of the ten schools that remained, about seven schools were at a tie and had the same mark. Jesse and Joy had bonuses so their mark was higher.
"Which state is bitumen the most abundant?"
"Kogi state"
"Wrong. You can answer the question"
"Abuja"
"Wrong"
"Ondo state" Lolade replied as the host nodded.
Lolade chewed on her lower lip throwing her hands up in her head. Alele Public School had rose to number three and two schools dropped as well.
"Who's the Minister for Foreign Affairs?"
"Okeme Dennis"
"Wrong"
"Dare Fagbaye"
"Wrong"
"Geoffrey Jideofor Kwusike" Lolade said while swallowing her saliva. She wasn't sure of her answer but seeing the way the host turned to her and smiled, a course of relief passed through her.
It was now remaining just four schools and everyone could see that the competition was tight. A lot of students and started taking notice of thus beautiful girl from a public school. She answered quickly and swiftly, yet she hadn't not gotten a single question wrong.
"What's the population of Nigeria?"
"According to the last population census; Nigeria has a rough estimation of 206 million people" Jesse replied.
"Who's the longest serving head of state in Nigeria?"
"Nnamdi Azikwe"
"Wrong"
"Muhammad Buhari" Joy replied with pride and nonchalance.
"Wrong"
A part of the audience burst into laughter and Jesse didn't need anyone to tell him it was Christopher.
"Yabuku Gowon" Lolade replied with a small wince.
"I'm honestly irked by you Lolade" the host said and Lolade wore a small smile.
"The Fourth President of Nigeria is who?"
"Yaruda" Joy replied with a frown on her face.
"Wrong"
The audience went into an uproar with "Ahhhhhh" with laughs while Joy scowled.
"Good luck Jonathan" Lolade replied as the everyone started clapping.
The competition was now between Jesse and Lolade. Lolade wanted to cry. She didn't care at this point.
She was already the second position. It was more than what she had planned for.
"How many Local government are there in Lagos?"
"37" Lolade replied.
"How many states are in the North Central? Name them"
"7. Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa, Kwara and Abuja" Jesse said and Lolade stared at him through the corners of her eyes.
Jesse wasn't agitated or anxious one bit. He answered the questions tad a bit lazily and Lolade didn't know how much he read or how much he knew but she knew that he was intelligent and well handsome.
"Who were the major aspirants of the governorship election of Ondo state?"
Lolade froze as she swallowed her saliva "Akeredolu Rotimi and Eyitayo Jegede" she replied.
"There's one more major aspirant Lolade" the host said as Lolade winced while trying to smile.
"Agboola Ajayi" Jesse said as the whole audience went into an uproar with everyone clapping and shouting and screaming.
"Thank you very much, please go to your seats. The prizes will be handed in an hour's time"
Everyone started cheering Lolade as she walked towards her seat. She kept more smiling till she reached her seat as her school mates started hailing her happily.
"That's very good" Mr Illesanmi said as he pulled Lolade into a hug.
"Thank you sir"
"That Lolade girl is good" Christopher said as Jesse sat down.
"I know right. Seeing her there felt me surprised already" Jesse replied as Tofi turned to him.
"You know her?" Tofi asked and Jesse chuckled while glancing back to where Lolade was seated.
"Okay. Hello everyoneeeeeee" the host said with smiles.
"Helloooooooi" the audience greeted back.
"I have good news for everyone here. Due to the participation of the schools and the participants; the organizers have put their heads together and the rules of the competition has been changed"
"Everyone goes home with a prizeeeeee" he screeched as everyone started clapping.
"And for the five winners, please come forward as I call your names"
"Durage Paul from Nesam International School, Fifth position, Ajayi Ayomide from Tai Solarin International College, fourth position, Adeyemi Joy from Kings and Queens College, third position"
Everyone started clapping as the students started walking out to podium.
"And honestly, I didn't quickly notice this girl until she started answering the questions. I think this is the first time a public school like Alele Public School is qualifying for a competition like this and not just qualifying, one of the winners for this competition"
"So join me to welcome Ola-Adipo Ololade from Alele Public School, second position and the winner for this year's Nebas Competition is Adeagbo-Oke Jesse from De Royals College. Congratulations Lolade and Jesse" the host said.
Even after they had taken pictures and the students were returning to their buses talking and chattering loudly, Lolade found it hard to believe what was happening. The boxes in her hands didn't seem real.
A laptop and an iPad?
When the host had said that the organizers had rearranged the gifts, she hadn't really been curious about it. But it was as if they had all planned to shock her.
A Laptop, an iPad, a cheque of 500,000 thousand naira!
With so many other gifts. She almost couldn't believe it. Tears were close to rushing to her eyes when she realized everyone looking normal as if those gifts weren't much of a big deal, with a small smile, she received all the gifts. The school had also gotten 100,000 naira for producing a student like her.
The students that she hadn't even spoken to before were all over her trying check out the gifts. Maybe for other students, the gifts weren't much for a big deal but for Lolade, those gifts were the biggest deals she had ever gotten in her life.
"Congratulations" Stephen said and Lolade nodded at her.
"Ade" someone called as everyone went silent as Lolade turned while her eyes widened in surprise.
"I can you call that right?"
Hi guyssss...... How are you doingggg???
I'm so sorry for not updating..... I owe a lot of you guys, I know that so I'll try to update more......
I hope you enjoy this chapter, Have a nice day!
Please vote o, comment o..... If you people don't vote or comment, I'll not update oo😂😂😂😂😂