TIARA' POV
It's been a week now, and I feel significantly better. Things are quiet at home; my cousins have returned to their boarding school, my uncle has traveled again, and my mum is worried that he hasn't entrusted her with the reins of the company yet. I'm sure he will soon; he probably just wants to ease her workload.
School is going well too. I'm caught up with my studies, and as I near the end of my secondary school here in Lagos, I've grown more comfortable with my surroundings and have a new clique—an unusual one, but I think it gravitated together because of me. There's Jason, Janet, Paula, Folu, and me. We eat together in the cafeteria everyday, and now we study together and it was Janet who suggested it. I suspect she just wants to spend more time around Folu, I was surprised when they all agreed. We meet after school to study every Friday. Sometimes, we just chat and play.
It's another Friday, and Paula and I are heading to our spot, a gazebo behind the school hall. Janet catches up behind us. When we arrive, we see Folu and Jason already engrossed in their studies. With SSCE exams looming, it's understandable that they are more serious.
"Hello, guys," I greeted.
"Hi Tiara" Folu and Jason greeted.
Folu cleared a space beside him for me to sit, but Janet took the spot. Paula also took a sit beside Jason. I sat opposite them and brought out my books from my bag.
"Hi senior Folu, how's studying going?" Janet asked Folu after she settled beside him.
"Going well" He responded
"How was class today Tiara?" Jason asked me.
"It was okay," I reply.
"Tiara, how's your understanding of Newton's laws of motion now?" Folu asks.
"I understand it better now, thank you for your help with that," I respond to Folu.
"Senior Folu, I have this topic in physics that I'm struggling with. Can you help?" Janet interjects, always finding a way to capture Folu's attention.
"Sure, what's the topic?" Folu responds.
"Tiara, I can help with Mathematics if you want or Chemistry," Jason offers
"Oh, you think you're better than me in math? I'm sure I can beat you," I answer confidently.
"Tiara, I know you're good at math, but I don't think you can beat Jason. He is like the best in the whole state, judging by the state mathematics competition. He has been unbeatable," Paula chimes in.
"What she said," Jason adds, beaming with pride.
"I'm sure that's because he hasn't faced me as a contender," I retort.
Folu's attention returns to us. "I'll bet on you, Tiara. I'm sure you can beat Jason. I believe in you," he smiles at me.
"Me too," Janet says, smiling at me as well.
"Okay, let's have a contest. Whoever wins does whatever the other person wants for a week," Janet bursts in.
We all agree, and Jason and I engage in a fierce competition. But he beats me when I miss one question, which turns out to be an Advanced Further Maths question.
"How did I get that wrong?" I mutter, frustrated with myself.
"Just accept it Tiara; you lost. Jason is the best," Paula says, stroking Jason's ego. She always seems to agree with anything he says.
"Don't beat yourself up. That was an Advanced Further Maths question. You did exceptionally well, Tiara. No one has come close to beating me," Jason reassures me.
