Promise Me / Yaksokhae • K.T.H

• 십 •

"Kia Ora, Asalamualaikum, Namaste, Bonjour, Ni Hao and Hello. I welcome you to our offical prizegiving assembly here at Kingston Girls College." The principal starts her speech as she welcomes the parents and families of the students. Her speech goes on for about a good 10 minutes until she is done.

Around half an hour later, the first round of certificates are given out. Several students stand up, these ones are for the senior students, class by class the students get their graduation certificates for passing the year and a few get it for their achievements.

As time goes by, I sit still in my seat, breathing in and out and putting my focus to what the teachers are announcing instead of the news I had been told a few hours ago.

"We will now like to start the certificates for the year 10 students of 2018. Can we please have Raihe Nabi, Hind Ibrahim, Carol Streyers, and Cordelia Edwards." Our dean says as she calls students up, including myself.

I stand up, breathing in and out, out of nervousness and then walk up to the front, me starting the line. The dean nods at me and I start up the stairs as I shake her hand.

"We will now like to call on Raihe Nabi in getting an endorsement in English, Science, overall English in year 10 and overall health." I stand up, walking to the Principal and shaking her hands as she softly smiles at me. My hands are starting to sweat so I rub them on the side of my long navy skirt and then back up to hold the certificate properly. The entire school and visitors look at me, some careless and others semi interested, I look away, trying to avoid eye contact. I hold my certificates up with the 'english endorsement' one in the front, as they call two more students including Hind.

After our class is done, the other junior classes are called out. Everyone happily receives their certificates and then they sit down, giggling amongst themselves.

Apparently I got the most in the class which the normal me would have been super excited about, but right now all I want to do is just to get home and lie in my bed and binge watch dramas and eat junk. But now I'm stuck here until four more hours which totally sucks.

The students and families give us a round of applause as we make our way back to our seats.

Around four hours later, I'm sitting in the bus again, going back home as the school finished early. I take the very end seat on the top level, breathing calmly as I look out the window, the bright sunlight hitting my face as I close my eyes, ready to just relax and forget about the recent event.

• • •

Yesterday afternoon when I came back home, I cried the whole remaining day, sure I sound like a little baby but just everything- all the stress was weighing in on me and now I could cry for everything that had stressed me or annoyed me.

School finished yesterday, meaning I have less than one and a half month of holidays. I don't plan anything for the holidays since I'm not allowed to go out with friends- or anyone in particular as my family is strict. The only time I can go out will be when my family, including my cousins and their parents go out for picnics or road trips.

I sit in my room sighing out of pure boredom. I decide to clean my room, picking up some dirty tissues that I used for my allergies, collecting my dirty clothes that I just changed out of and tidying up the duvet on my bed. After cleaning everything up, I take the dirty clothes downstairs to the garage where our laundry basket is as I throw my clothes on top of one of my brothers' clothes.

"Raihe-ah! Come here and put the big pot on the oven top. Chop some onions and throw in tomatoes. Make sure you don't add too much chilly peppers since it upsets your dad's stomach. We're cooking chicken for today." My mum calls from the living room, she's sewing these covers for something that's like a couch but it has no back and arm rest and it's very low to the ground. It's not a mattress but somewhat like it, they're traditionally Afghan.