"What if who I hope to be was always Me?
And the love I fought to feel was always free?
What if all the things I've done,
Were just attempts at earning love,
'Cause the hole inside my heart is stupid deep.
What if where I've tried to go was always here?
And the path I've tried to cut was always clear?
Why has life become a plan,
To put some money in my hands?
When the love I really need is stupid cheap."
- Jon Bellion.
___
Like a flash, WAEC is here! Today is Wednesday, April 3rd, the day of my first paper. Most of my classmates were nervous. The fact that I've been through it before didn't make me nervous at all. I didn't come to school yesterday so, I didn't know whatever happened in school.
After Demmie left on Monday evening, I sat on the Field crying. After about thirty minutes, the guys returned from game house with some of the girls. I was surprised to see them, only to find out that they came back to pour water on Lilian since it's her birthday.
They really wasted water from the school tap to wet Lilian. Thank God she was a boarding house student or else, I don't know how she would have gone home drenched. After having fun with her for awhile, Aunt Tosin came to chase all of them home while I waited for my bus at the school gate. Not long after, it arrived and I went home.
Yes! It's today, the day we've been waiting for. Preparing hard for this practical hasn't been easy at all. I really hope everything goes out well.
Lydia and Jetemi asked why I didn't come to school the day before and I told them I just wanted to rest at home. I asked if anything serious happened and they said no.
All A class student sat in the hall. Everyone were in their correct uniform, and everyone looked neater than usual. We were reading our series and talking in between when one of the Vice Principals entered and told us to move to the Lab immediately. He said our supervisor is around. I checked the time, it's just 8:30, and exams are to start by 9 o clock. Oh well, we all took our bags and walked towards the Lab.
When we got there, we were told to drop our bags outside, in front of the Lab. The Vice Principal that came to call us brought out a large book and opened it. We sited our Supervisor coming from the school gate with her handbag and a padlocked green sac-like bag. Since I've done WAEC once, I knew that was the bag they collected from the WAEC office, where exam questions are placed and all that.
Rachel and Lydia jugged to the woman and collected the two bags from her after greeting her. The three of them walked towards us and we all greeted her and she exchanged greetings with the registrar. We were all trying to give a good impression. The registrar followed her in. As soon as Rachel and Lydia dropped the bags on the teacher's slab in the Lab, they came out.
Soon, the registrar came back out and shared our examination cards and WAEC calculators to us. Then, he began to call us according to the list in the book with him. We entered one after the other and sat according to how we we were called in. Soon, we were all in.
"Good morning." Our supervisor said to us, standing by the teacher's slab.
"Good morning, ma!" We chorused.
"I'm very sure your Principal should have told you or you yourselves should have learnt of how this exam goes. As soon as it is 9, I'll share your exam questions to you. If you're here with any working sheet or paper, please, stand up and come drop it here now. You're expected to do all your workings in the spaces provided for you in your exam paper, not on any other paper. So if you're caught with any other paper, I might as well collect your script. That means you're done for today." She said and paused a bit. Some of us murmured as she stared at us a bit and then, continued.
"I expect everyone of you to face your work squarely. I know this is a practical and your teacher should be here but please, that doesn't mean you're allowed to make noise. I don't condone noisemaking at all. If you need your teacher's help or my attention, you can as well raise your hand and we'll attend to you. It's that simple. If you follow these rules, then you're fine. Also, you can ask your school registrar, I invigilate students of this school yearly for about five years now. Your school already knows I'm a strict person and also a disciplinarian. All those things other private schools do, allowing teachers to bring in answers and all that, I'm not a fan. In fact, if I see that the teacher brought in is giving too much information, I can as well tell him to leave the Lab and that's it. Do you all hear me?"
"Yes ma!" We chorused once again.
"Very good. I'll share your papers now." She said. As she took a key on the table and opened the padlocked WAEC bag, she brought out papers sealed in a nylon. Those are the exam questions.
"Someone should give us a short prayer." The registrar who was still standing beside the invigilator said. "Yes, anybody?"
Without taking much time, Rachel, being the chapel prefect stood up and led everyone in prayer. When she was done, she sat down and we all kept looking at the invigilator who was trying to use her hands to open the sealed nylon. After about three failed attempts, she stopped.
"Anyone with a blade?" She asked, facing us. Some people opened their mathematical set to check if there's a blade there but there wasn't. Seeing that no one has a blade, she asked again. "Compass then?" Biola was nearer to her, so she gave her a compass. She used to compass to tear the sealed nylon and she gave Biola back the compass. Then, she brought out the papers and began to share it to us. We were seated around two tables, Group A on the first and Group B on the second table. Just according to our Mr Mayowa paired us during training, that's how we paired ourselves once again.
Group A consisted of Thomas, Jetemi, Israel, Ramos, Glory, Fiyin, Rachel and Lydia. For group B which is my group, my group members are Biola, Dayo, Dami, Emmanuel, Sarah and Demmie.
Yes, Demmie. He sat directly opposite me, since my group sat around a table. We were seven on my table but we were separated well. The invigilator passed the questions for our table to Biola and told her to pick hers and pass the rest to the next person. Biola took hers and passed it to Sarah, Sarah passed it to Dayo, Dayo passed it to Dami, Dani passed it to Emmanuel and Emmanuel passed it to Demmie. Instead of Demmie to pass it to me, he took only his and returned the last one which is mine, to Emmanuel.
"Ah, it's for Demilade nah. Pass it to her." Emmanuel whispered so he won't draw the attention of the invigilator.
"Alaye, give her yourself." He replied.
"You're nearer to her nah, give her this thing. Why are you playing? This is WAEC, not school exam oh." Emmanuel replied him.
"Ehn. Shebi she has legs? She should come and pick it herself." Demmie said as he picked up his pen. "I'm about to start my exam, you people shouldn't disturb me oh." He added.
"Yes?! What is going on there? I haven't even told you to start yet and I can here people discussing there. Do you want me to waste your time?!" The invigilator said with a strict face, facing our table.
"We're sorry, ma." We chorused.
"You better be." She said and walked towards her slab. Since nobody passed me my paper, I stood up and walked to the other side to take my paper. As I was walking back to my seat, the supervisor talked. "What is wrong with you, this girl? You haven't even started yet and you're standing up! Ahah, today is your first paper and you're already borrowing something!"
"Ma, I wasn't borrowing anything, nobody passed me my paper and I went there to–"
"So?! Didn't I tell you that if you need anything, you should tell me?"
"I didn't know since it was–"
"You're very rude. Weren't you taught right from home? An elderly person like me is correcting you and you can still talk back. What is wrong with this your generation!"
"Ah, I wasn't talking back. I was just trying to–"
"Keep your mouth shut! You must be very stupid. You lack home training and I'm not surprised. Stand up there." She said as she eyed me and hissed. Some of our mates were murmuring already. Emmanuel whispered to me to beg her but I didn't act like I saw him. Like, why do I have to beg for something that wasn't even my fault?
"This is 9:00, you can start now." The woman said and immediately, everyone flipped open their paper pages. I also did, but then, she talked again. "I told you to stand and you're writing. When I tell you stand, you can't do anything." She said to me.
Sighing, I had no choice but to beg her, since my time is going already. "Ma, I'm sorry." I said. She acted like she didn't hear me and I repeated myself. "I'm sorry, ma." When she didn't answer the second time, I stopped begging.
Almost immediately, Mr. Mayowa finally joined us. He saw me standing while others were sitting. First, he approached the supervisor and greeted her. They talked for some minutes and he joined us immediately. He told everyone to stand up and start doing the practical itself. "If you people keep calculating without doing any practicals, the supervisor would know we already have you the titre value." He whispered to us.
I told him what happened that morning and he helped me beg the woman and she told me to continue my exam. My group started the titration and I did my calculations first. Then, I used mine to give others the value they'll use, since that was what Mr. Mayowa taught us.
Thomas's group were also doing the second practical and Mr. Mayowa was organising them. He didn't really teach us that one, so he had to be there while doing it so we won't make mistakes.
While giving everyone their values, I called Demmie to give him his but he snubbed me. Seeing that he won't answer me and I don't want anyone to put me in another trouble, I just said his value and I knew he heard me but just didn't want to reply.
We went on with the exams like that till the second practical. When we're about doing it, Mr. Mayowa came to our table too and directed us on what to do and went to the supervisor to assist her in doing something. While we were on it, Demmie was about pouring a wrong chemical in the solution we made down and I was about using my hands to stop it from pouring it when he hit me and Biola's Maths set fell on the floor. Everyone's attention was directed to our side as Biola and I packed her things on the floor and everyone else went back to what they were doing.
Seeing that going near him would cause more trouble, I sat on my Lab stool and did the second practical without waiting for others. Mr. Mayowa already explained it to us so, I didn't have a problem doing it. Very soon, we were all done but we weren't allowed to submit. I laid my head on the table and waited till the supervisor will start collecting it.
As soon as it was 12:25, she stood up and began to walk around. "Write your full names, examination number, serial number and centre name and number in the spaces provided on the front page. Then, on top of every other page, fill in your name and examination number on the spaces provided. Cross-check your work once again because as soon as I collect it, I won't return it back." She said as she walked back to the teacher's slab. Getting there, she brought a long paper roll and began to call us according to our serial number.
"001." She called. Thomas stood up and went to submit his paper.
"002." Like that, she kept calling until she got to 015, which was Glory, who happened to be the last person. She arranged our papers and put them in an envelope. Then, she stapled the envelope. She packed the nylon she removed the exam papers from in the morning and placed them in the WAEC green bag. Then, she padlocked it again. With that, she stood up.
"Thank you for today, ma." We chorused. Almost immediately, Aunt Derin entered and greeted her. She gave her a bottle of water, a bottle of coke and two cream cracker biscuits. She collected them and placed them in her bag. Then, she walked out. Once again, Rachel and Lydia ran to her to help carry her bags but this time, Jetemi and Biola tagged along.
We all started discussing about the exam and Mr. Mayowa told us we did well. Then, he said we should wait to clean and pack all the apparatuses we used. We cleaned the Lab and within some minutes, we were done. Rachel and the girls were back by now. About leaving, the registrar called us and told us to submit our exam cards and we all did. We took out calculators with us and walked out of the Lab.
"Demilade and Ademola!" Mr. Mayowa called and I turned back and entered the Lab. Demmie also entered through the other door.
"Sir." I said as I got to Mr. Mayowa's table. Demmie walked to us too and stood beside me, his hands in his pocket.
Mr. Mayowa looked at us a bit, folded his hands and talked. "What is going on?"
"Sir?" Demmie replied. I said nothing. I knew he was about to ask what happened in the Lab the other time.
"What is wrong with both of you?" He replied. "Most especially you, Ademola. What is wrong with you? Must you take jokes you play in class to the exam hall?"
"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about." He replied calmly.
"You don't know? Why didn't you pass Demilade's question to her? You made her waste her time and gave the supervisor a wrong impression about her!" Mr. Mayowa said, raising his voice a bit.
"She could have stretched her hand to take her question herself, without standing up but she's just too dumb to think about that. The only thing she knows how to do well is making. . ." Then, he suddenly stopped. "Sorry about today, sir. It won't happen again." He added.
"Is something going on between both of you? Why am I even asking? Both of you are dating, aren't you?"
"No!" I replied almost immediately but Demmie didn't say anything. He looked at me and eyed me a bit then looked away.
"I've been noticing both of you in class but I let it pass. Is this the right time for you to date? You're supposed to be preparing hard for your exams and what you people focus on is relationship? At this your age? I'm disappointed oh, especially in you, Demilade."
"Sir, we ain't dating. We're just friends. . ." I managed to say. Demmie eyed me again. ". . .or not." I added.
"Whatever. You people should be warned. If any supervisor complains about you two again! The school will deal with you." Mr. Mayowa said.
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir." We chorused.
"And by the way, you both did a great job today. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you sir." We chorused and we were told to leave. Demmie walked ahead of me on the way back and didn't spare me a glance at all. Expected.
Getting to the hall, B class students kept asking how the exam went and if the supervisor wasn't harsh and all. I'm sure someone already told them about what happened so they kept asking me what happened to Demmie that he acted like that to me and I told them to ask him. I went to where my table and chair is and sat on the chair. I brought out some snacks from my bag and began to eat when someone pulled the chair next to me and dragged it near me. It was Jared. Urgh.
"How was your exam?" He said to me with a small smile.
"Fine, thanks." I simply said, obviously uninterested in his speech.
"How're you today?" He said.
"I'm good. Where are you here? What do you want?" I blurted out. The look on his face showed he was taken aback by my reaction.
"Hey, calm down. Just came to greet you since we've not seen each other today."
"Oh. Now you can see I'm fine so. . .?"
"What's going on here?" I heard Demmie say as I turned to see him standing behind me, his eyes sternly on Jared.
"What does it look like?" Jared said, staring at Demmie with a smirk.
"What are you doing around her? Can't you see she doesn't want to see you?!" Demmie said, raising his voice a little.
"You're her new mouthpiece yeah?"
"Doesn't matter! You shouldn't even be here in the first place." Demmie retorted. Jared stood up and poked Demmie on his chest, making him move about two steps backwards.
"Demola, don't dare me." Jared said to him. At that moment, Fiyin, Daniel and Damilola walked to where we were.
"What's happening here?" Dami said with his funny voice. "Does Mr. Jared want to beat Mr. Demmie? Ohh." He said in a funny way and we all started laughing, including Jared and Demmie. I was glad he eased the tension.
"Nah just cruise jor." Demmie said smiling.
"Abi nah. Demmie nah my guy, we can't fight." Jared replied.
Ah, these guys can lie ehn!
"Abi nah, guy. They don't know ni." Demmie replied as both of them laughed again.
"I'm going now sha." Jared said. He looked at me and touched my cheek briefly as form of saying 'bye', then he walked away. Seeing that nothing serious was happening, Dami, Daniel and Fiyin walked away, leaving alone Demmie and I.
Clearing his throat, he said. "I'm sorry for what happened in the lab." Still not looking at me, he kept on talking. "Sorry for making her talk to you that way."
"Is that all?" I asked him.
"You want to hear something else?" This time he looked at me. I stood up to meet his gaze also.
"Like an apology for what you said to me on the field on Monday." I replied, still making eye contact.
"I don't feel bad for what I said to you on Monday. In fact, I still hold on to it. And right now, I'm more disappointed that you still don't see that you did something wrong because if you have, you wouldn't be asking for an apology."
"Fine, Demmie. I don't know! Then make me know. Make me know what I did wrong!" I said, raising my voice a little.
"Why. . . did you allow Jared?"
"To sit here?"
"Aramide, don't play dumb. You know I'm being serious here. Why did you let him kiss you?"
"Demmie, that's nobody's business. Not even yours."
"Oh, really? But when he said you weren't his type, it was my business yeah?"
"It isn't like I come to meet you to help me or anything, you just happen to be there whenever shit like this happens to me! So don't make it a big deal."
"Oh." He said. His eyes showed a look of pain or probably hurt? Well, I didn't know which.
"Uhn." I said.
"Alright. Sorry for always pokenosing in the name of helping you. I really won't poke my nose in your issue again. Even if I see you dying, I swear, I won't move near. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"That's not–"
"I'll stay away, don't worry. You can continue your shit with Jared. I'm sorry for coming in between. I get it now though."
"Get what?"
"How Lydia felt when I did what I did to her." He replied and smiled to me a little. "Thanks for making me see it." He added as he turned and walked away from me.
I opened my mouth to talk but nothing came out. Instead, I sat on my chair and watched Demmie walk to the other side of the hall to meet the guys.
E be things.
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Thank you for reading! I'll be back in a short while. I love y'all♥️ Thank you and enjoy your day😊♥️
-TAO🌼