DANIELLA✔

Chapter twenty-five

It was Monday—the day of the first term exam. On the exam timetable, Government was the first subject the art students were having, before Literature. I was in the art class and at the moment, we were instructed by the invigilator to do away with our school bags and every item that could implicate us during the exam.

I, for one, wasn't one to indulge in examination malpractice, especially the act of bringing items for cheating into the exam hall, because fear would have the best of me throughout that I wouldn't end up using it. However today, because of my inadequate preparation for the exam, I planned on copying my seat partner Adam, which in Nigeria was popularly tagged giraffeing.

As soon as all the students in the class settled down, the invigilator, a dark and six feet tall woman, dished out the exam script round. After which, she told us to start.

About twenty minutes later, I was done with the objective section of the exam and I moved on to the theory. The first question which was compulsory seemed like Spanish to me. I didn't know a thing.

I looked around the class which was as silent as a tomb. Some students were frowning their faces at the exam script and gnawing the covers of their pens, while others had their pens dancing on their answer sheet. I looked in the direction of Peter and he was hitting the base of his pen on the desk quietly and staring into space. Perhaps he was trying to remember the answer to a question.

My eyes travelled to the invigilator, who was sitting on a bench in front of the class. She was obviously relishing the pawpaw in her hand that she didn't seem to pay any attention to us. All she did was stare outside the window and devour her pawpaw. I took that opportunity to furtively sneak a peek at Adam's answer sheet and he seemed to have written a lot.

"Adam." I called in a hushed whisper. He turned to look at me. "Do you know the answers to question one?" I asked.

"I've not done that one yet." He whispered, returning to his work immediately.

"But do you know it?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Which one are you doing now?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes before whispering, "Number three. That one is simple. See Daniella, just do the ones you know first."

"Hey! That boy at the back!" The invigilator called and some students that couldn't mind their business snapped their heads to the back to know who was called. The invigilator was looking straight at Adam.

"Me?" Adam questioned.

"No, your grandfather." The woman replied sarcastically, shaking her head. "Get up from there with your exam script and come sit on the floor to continue with your exam."

"On the floor?" Adam protested, his voice sounding high.

"No, on my head." Sarcasm laced her reply. "Will you do what I told you and stop disturbing everyone!"

"See what you caused." Adam mumbled to me before moving to the front and doing as told. I didn't only feel bad for being the reason the invigilator caught Adam, but also because I had lost my only means of getting the answers to the first question. Be that as it may, I did the ones I could do and waited until it was remaining only one student in the exam hall before submitting.

Gbemi immediately rushed to meet me as I got out of the class and moved towards my bag. Many students were outside the class talking incessantly about the exam. "Hey Daniella! How was the exam?" Gbemi asked.

"My sister." I said, already giving off the impression that the exam wasn't favourable. "It was tough o."

Gbemi laughed. "Indeed. So which questions were you able to answer asides from question one which was compulsory?"