Rats, Roses And Paper Bones

chapter 15:Test fever

“We’re pleased to inform you that both your daughters passed the entrance examination.”
The registrar smiled at my mother and me.
I let out a quiet breath of relief.
I had written entrance examinations for three other schools before this one, mostly because I wanted to keep my options open. But I hadn’t found a single school that really appealed to me.
Maybe it was because, everywhere I went, I could still see pieces of my old school.
And that was something I desperately wanted to escape.
Just like at the other schools, the registrar asked me why I wanted to transfer.
Before I could answer, Mum quickly jumped in.
“She wants a school that is closer to home,” she said.
I glanced at her.
That was technically true.
Just not the whole truth.
The registrar adjusted his glasses.
“Any disciplinary records?”
“None, sir,” Mum replied immediately, giving him a reassuring smile.
I looked at her.
She had always been good at making things sound simple.
The registrar flipped through my records.
“Your grades were fairly average at your previous school,” he said, looking at me. “So you’ll have to work hard to improve them. A sudden transfer can sometimes affect a student’s performance, especially when they’re adjusting to a new environment.”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked at me for a moment longer.
There was something about his expression that made me feel as though he could see straight through me.
Then he handed me my admission letter.
“Welcome to Longford High School.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mum said.
I smiled politely.
As we walked out of the office, Mum released a huge sigh of relief.
Then she suddenly grabbed my face between her palms.
“Listen to me.”
“Mum—”
“Don't let anything anybody says get into your head, okay?”
I nodded.
“In this school, you will excel. You will work hard, and you will do your best. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Mum.”
She released my face.
“Good.”
And somehow, later that day, I found a reason to stay.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Nice to see you again, Cinderella.”
I rolled my eyes as I walked towards the prep table.
“Bolaji, I've told you to stop calling me that.”
He grinned.
The nickname had somehow stuck.
Every single night I came to prep, he called me Cinderella. I suspected it was his revenge for the day I had practically run away from him.
As much as I hated the nickname, though, I wasn't exactly offended by it.
I just wanted him to stop.
Unfortunately, prep was the only time I regularly saw Bolaji.
During the day, he was practically nonexistent. Our classes were separate, and I rarely crossed paths with him.
“Easy there, Margaret Thatcher,” he said. “I mean no harm.”
I stared at him.
“Another nickname?”
I had been in this school for less than two months and already had about seven nicknames.
Was this some sort of Longford tradition?
“Sit down,” he said, gesturing towards the seat beside him.
I reluctantly sat.
“Our tests start tomorrow,” I said.
“Yes. Mine too.”
He leaned back.
“You need any advice?”
“Of course I do.”
He smiled.
“Hmm. A scholarly-looking person like you probably doesn't need much advice.”
“Well, thank you for the compliment.”
He scoffed.
“See this proud child.”
I laughed.
“As I was saying, my advice might not even work for you. You just have to figure out what works for you.”
“Like what?”
“Whether you prefer studying at night or during the day. Whether you concentrate better with music or in complete silence. Stuff like that.”
He shrugged.
“For me, I prefer studying at midnight. Everywhere is quiet, and I can actually concentrate.”
I nodded slowly.
“Hmm. Know yourself.”
“Exactly.”
I looked at him for a moment.
“You know, for someone who looks so rebellious and chaotic, you're actually pretty calm.”
He stared at me as though I had just exposed a deep secret.
“Uh... thanks?”
“I mean it as a compliment.”
“I'll take it.”
I smiled.
“Thanks for the advice, though.”
“That'll be one thousand naira.”
He stretched out his hand.
I stared at it.
“For what?”
“The advice, obviously.”
I laughed.
“Not in a million years.”
I pushed his hand away.
He chuckled.
“Cheap girl.”
“Thief.”
We both laughed.
Thursday morning
This was the first day of my first continuous assessment at Longford High School.
And it was a terrible day to feel like collapsing.
Because that was exactly how I felt.
My head throbbed as though someone had spent the entire night hammering a nail into my skull.
Which, honestly, wasn't far from what happened.
I'd tried Bolaji's advice.
I stayed up late to study.
Unfortunately, studying at midnight was apparently not for me.
I could barely read a paragraph before my eyes started closing.
And because there wasn't a proper study table in the hostel, I had ended up studying on my bed.
Big mistake.
My bed practically begged me to sleep.
And the mosquitoes?
Don't even get me started.
Then there were the strange bird noises coming from somewhere outside the hostel.
I nearly died of fright.
The number of times I whispered “Blood of Jesus” that night could probably protect an entire village.
I was terrified.
But somehow, I still felt safe.
I knew God was with me.
Still, one thing was clear:
Night studying was not my thing.
Unfortunately, I had a test to write whether I was prepared or not.
“Have you read enough?” Victoria asked as we walked out of the hostel.
I gave her a painful smile.
“By God's grace.”
She laughed.
“I trust you, scholar!”
I laughed along.
If only she knew what I had gone through the night before.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Time's up!”
The invigilator's voice echoed through the room.
That was our last paper for the day.
I sighed with relief.
I had survived.
Barely.
The first paper had been a complete nightmare, but at least it was over.
For today.
“How were your papers?” Michael asked when he caught up with me.
I shrugged.
“They were okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. Nothing too crazy.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Even maths?”
I stared at him.
“What was wrong with maths?”
He laughed.
“Doyin, you know exactly what was wrong with maths.”
I sighed.
Okay.
He had a point.
The maths questions looked as though they had been imported from another planet.
Half the class had complained about them after the paper. According to everyone, our maths teacher had either lost his mind or decided to personally ruin our lives.
But that wasn't the only thing people were talking about.
They were also talking about me.
Apparently, I had become the villain of the examination hall because I refused to give anyone answers.
It wasn't that I wanted to be difficult.
My previous school had drilled examination ethics into us. Helping someone during a test was treated as a serious offence.
Apparently, Longford had a slightly different culture.
I didn't care.
I wasn't about to throw away my principles just to make friends.
Unfortunately, not everyone appreciated that.
I had barely settled down when a group of girls approached me.
One of them called out.
“Hey, new girl!”
I turned around.
“Yes?”
She walked towards me.
Her name, I would later learn, was Zainab.
“You think you're some hotshot, abi?”
I frowned.
“I don't understand what you're talking about.”
She folded her arms.
“Look, I don't know if you're pretending to be clueless or if you're actually clueless, but we help each other in this class.”
I blinked.
“And?”
“And what you were doing during the test isn't going to make you special. You're just making things difficult for everybody.”
I stared at her.
“Why does it bother you so much?”
She scoffed.
“It doesn't bother me.”
“Then why are you here?”
A few people around us snickered.
Her expression hardened.
“I don't need your help, trust me. If anything, you're the one who needs help.”
She looked me up and down.
“You came crawling in here from the commercial class like a lost puppy trying to find its way.”
She formed her hands into little paws.
A few people laughed.
My face burned.
I stood up.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Or what?”
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
What exactly was I going to do?
She smiled.
“Exactly.”
The girls around her laughed.
“You're not the first new student to come here acting like a saint,” she continued. “Give it some time. You'll get tired of pretending you're better than everybody else.”
She gave me a light push on the shoulder, forcing me back into my seat.
“One piece of advice?”
She smiled.
“Your pride won't get you very far here.”
Then she turned and walked away with her friends.
I sat there, speechless.
My mind raced.
Had I really created enemies just by trying to do well?
Was I being selfish?
Was I being too rigid?
Or worse...
Was I actually being proud?
Maybe they had a point.
“Doyin.”
I looked up.
Michael was standing beside me.
“Huh?”
“I was asking about the maths paper.”
“Oh.”
I forced a smile.
“What about it?”
“You know... the one that looked like it was written by a mad scientist?”
I laughed despite myself.
“Oh. That one.”
“Exactly.”
I shook my head.
“Don't worry. We'll all survive.”
“I hope so.”
He studied me for a moment.
Then his expression changed.
“Are you okay, though?”
“I'm fine.”
“You don't look fine.”
“I'm just tired.”
He didn't look convinced.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Then he smiled.
“Go and get some rest.”
I nodded.
“And Doyin?”
I looked back at him.
“If anything is bothering you, you can always come to me, okay?”
My stomach tightened.
Victoria's warning immediately came back to me.
Be careful around him.
I still felt hurt by what I'd learned.
I had thought Michael genuinely cared about me.
Now I wasn't so sure.
But then again, none of this was necessarily his fault.
He was simply doing his job.
I hadn't done anything wrong.
But he didn't know that.
And neither did anyone else.
So, from now on, I needed to be careful about what I said around him.
And most importantly...
I needed to keep my distance.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
He smiled.
“Good. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
I waved and walked towards the hostel.
As I walked away, I couldn't help thinking about what he had said.
Even knowing what I knew now, there was still something comforting about having someone who seemed to be on my side.
Even if I couldn't completely trust him.
Not anymore.