New flame

Chapter 21

I wake up to grip my phone which keeps buzzing for an incoming call beside me on the bed. I wonder who is calling me by this time.

Not checking the name of the person, I pick up. My eyes remain dizzy.

"Hi," I manage to groan.

"Are you sure you studied for your test last night?" Karen's voice bursts in my ear and my eyes gradually open in shock. The fact that she mentioned the word last night means we are already in the morning.

"What time is it please?" I ask, my heart racing.

"Past 6,"

"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes fully open in panic.

I pull out of my duvet to sit up and confirm the time myself by glancing at the wall clock.

I can remember setting my alarm to midnight before I went to bed. How come it did not ring? I furrow my brows in confusion, trying to think if I turn it off when it rang.

Not again! Gosh!

"You can't believe I just woke up at the midnight just to turn off the alarm and I slept back," I express.

"It happens sometimes,"

"No, It happens to me every time," I say and she chuckles a little.

I can wake up to study at midnight only if Scott is with me. My buddy will make sure he tries everything to disrupt my sleep.

"But how did you find out that I haven't prepared for the test, you must be a witch,"

"Maybe I am,"

"Come on! I want to know,"

"Well, I texted you to know how studying is going on but you were offline throughout till now,"

Wow! Such a genius for calculating that right. Who wouldn't check his or her phone at some point when studying?

There will always be that notification that pops in on your phone and will tempt you to check it and before you know it, you would have slid to WhatsApp to reply to some chats from there to watch reels on Instagram or Facebook before concentrating back on your study.

And even if you turn off your phone or put it on silent so that you could focus on your study till the end, you would still check your phone the moment you are done.

"You have no idea what this means to me..." I pause, scoffing. "I will still be sleeping by now and probably late for the test,"

"You might still even be late for the test, you need to go prepare, at least you can still cram some things for the next two hours you have,"

I don't even have up to two hours. I'm writing the test by 8 sharp.

"And I recommend you should just go through the past questions rather than..." She stops, not completing her sentence.

I understand what she is trying to say. Where do I want to start, to read all the topics within this short time?

"A first-class student is giving me a piece of advice and you think I will not heed it?" I tease.

"Go study jerk,"

jerk!

"So am I going to see you today?" I ask and she immediately hangs up.

That was so rude. I mutter to myself, rolling my eyes.

She thinks she is keeping me in suspense.

I veer to my reading chair and open my pc. Turning it on, I check out the course's past questions while reaching for a pen and jotter.

I dial Maria's number who would have started her chores downstairs to make me a coffee. It will help me at least.

After some minutes I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," I say.

The door opens and I see her stepping in, holding a tray with a cup of coffee on it, steam emitting from the coffee.

"Good morning," She greets, moving close to me.

"Good morning," I reply and she gently places the tray on the table.

"I hope you won't mind Karen staying with you for a while," I inquire, staring into her eyes.

I still believe Karen will come back even if it's not today.

I have to play my game.

"Of course, I will be glad to have her with me," Maria answers, and I feel relaxed. "She is a nice girl,"

"Thank you," I say, showing her some appreciation.

She nods okay, smiling before leaving my presence as she is stepping out of my room.

I focus back on what I can't flee from.

Sipping my coffee, I continue going through the past questions, jotting some things down.

The determination that I must not fail the damn course again makes me fully concentrate on it.

And once I notice the time ticks on at 7:50, I close my pc and dive into the bathroom to take a quick shower while meditating on the things that I have cranked.

Goodness! There is no way I won't be late for this test.

********
Racing down to my department park, I grab my cross bag and hop out of my whip. It's past 8, and I'm sure they would have started the test.

They say better late than never.

But never late is better.

I get to the venue to surprisingly see folks outside the hall chatting with some holding their notes, revising.

One thing I don't get is if they are yet to start or if they are done with the test.

While still at some distance away from them, I look around for someone I can go meet.

We, finalists, do make friends with our juniors, so almost everyone here knows me and talk less about being famous on the whole campus.

I was once Mr. Imperial in my third year, an assistant captain of the school soccer team, and the son of Chief Anderson. What else?

I start approaching John the course representative who is with a lady that I can't remember her name on the pavement.

"Hey guys," I greet as I move close to them.

"Hey, Mike," The two chorused, the lady grinning at me while I give her a fist bump and finally shake hands with the course rep.

"I was told it's commencing by 8," I state.

"No," John answers. "8:30,"

"Oh!" I react. Scott must have misheard it then. Thank goodness. At least I can feel relaxed before we start.

"Just some few minutes to go," She says, glancing at her wrist and I nod okay.

"So what are you guys up to? Any expo?" I throw them those questions and they nod no.

"We all know Professor Faruk," John responds.

"Sure," I admit. "I could remember then, he always want us to read all his slides"

"Exactly," The lady interferes. "But the past questions reveal how he is gonna set the questions,"

The course title is business research, so the test will be about writing some analysis about the market, risk, demand, and so on based on what I read in the past questions.

We make our way to seat on one of the concrete benches in front of the CBT hall, revising what we have studied, and some minutes later, the supervisors arrive.

We are allocated to sit in front of the computer terminals through our matriculation number.

And then we get some instructions after logging in while the test officially commences.