A Break Apart

CHAPTER 41. Treat for Task

I looked at Natasha from the corner of my eye. Her face was in close contact with her paper, while her pen danced in her hand like her life depended on it, but it kind of did, because it was our last exam. I did an inward somersault at the word last.

Her eyes caught mine. "Face your work," she mouthed. I suppressed a laugh, getting back to my sheet so I don't implicate myself in the exam hall.

The air of freedom brushed my face as I put my pen down. I sighed. The tension of school exams was finally over. For good. Or for now. Because I was already looking forward to my Masters. But at the moment, a break was vital.

I walked to the front of the hall, following two of my coursemates. I waited behind them, and after the last person submitted and left, I added my sheet to the pile.

"Congratulations."

I raised my head and saw our invigilator, Mrs Balogun, staring at me through the lenses of her glasses, with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," I replied with a bigger smile, then went ahead to retrieve my bag from the corner of the hall before walking towards the entrance to sign out.

I waited again until it got to my turn, and after finding my name on the register, I started to sign. It was a period of joy, and a bit of anxiety for what the future had in store for me. I finished signing and left the hall in quiet steps.

One by one, my mates grouped outside of the halls they had written in, taking selfies and probably posting on their socials to celebrate their final exam. I avoided every gathering of students as I made my way to the back of my own hall, where I squealed and stomped my happy feet. Food then came to mind, the best way I knew how to celebrate, but I couldn't do that alone because the many the merrier, and so I had to wait for Natasha.

I turned around and peered through the hall window. She was in the same position I left her. I sighed and turned back, leaning on the wall. Time ran by as I kept repeating the same action every now and then, while getting drained and hungry.

Thirty minutes to the end of the day's paper, I checked again. She was signing out.

"Finally..." I muttered, then hurried to the entrance of the hall.

She was stuffing her bag with papers as she walked out of the hall in a slow pace.

"You take forever in the exam hall," I said when I got closer to her.

She raised her head, and then a loud celebratory squeal followed, so loud I had to palm my ears.

"We're graduates!" She then squeezed me in a hug, but my excitement had long burned out.

"You. Take. Forever. In. The. Exam. Hall," I emphasised each word. Louder. In case she missed it the first time.

She let go, with a big eye roll. "It's not my fault I wanted an A. And you should loosen up!" She pushed my shoulder. "You're too serious."

"With food, yes, because I'm starving!" I gestured aggressively.

"And I should fail to please your hunger?"

"Not worth it?" I smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, but of course. It's totally worth your own grade."

I laughed.

"I can't believe we're graduates!" She brought back the topic of the day with a grin.

"I know right?!" I replied, catching her excitement.

"So what should we do now?" she asked.

I shot her a glare. "Eat."

                            ××××