S.S.S. 3 AGAIN

Chapter Twenty

"Don't ever forget to love, keep loving who you are.
Don't ever forget you shine, shining like a star.
There's something so perfect, courage in everyone.
So don't ever let yourself stop loving who you are."
- Harris J.

• • •

Yes, I eventually followed them to Game house but unfortunately for me, they kept teasing me with what happened that day.

Today is a Friday and school was over already. Other students have gone home except SSS3 students. Our guys were on the field playing football while the girls weren't in class, I don't know where they went to. Jetemi had to go home because she wasn't feeling too well. Just Lydia and I were in class. We were gisting about some Nickelodeon actors and actresses.

We were still discussing when Principal entered. Lydia and I greeted him. He told us to call our other classmates to class that he wants to see everyone of us. Lydia and I left for the field first. We called Fiyin; the senior boy and told him to announce to the other boys that Principal was waiting for us in class. Then, we left for the school gate to check if others were there.

Returning to class, the class was almost full. Almost everyone were seated already. Lydia and I entered and walked to our seats. As soon as we were seated and the class got more organized, Principal stood in front of us and began addressing us.

"Good afternoon, students."

"Good afternoon, sir." We chorused.

"I don't know what to do about you, SSS3 students again. Your exams are fast approaching and you people are still playing around. All the boys were busy playing ball on the field. I heard the girls do sit on the grass outside the school gate, discussing. Are you in a public school? That aside, it's not as if you've read everything in your textbooks but still, you choose to be lazy, all because you have the belief that you'll be taught during your exams. I pity everyone of you. I pray it won't change in your set. I hope failure won't be your portion."

"Amen!!!!" Almost everyone shouted, especially B class boys.

"This is not the matter of saying Amen. It's the matter of working and praying. Better read your books now before it's too late. Is that not your JAMB score that we've been hearing and hasn't been up to the expected scores? Most especially those of you in B class. I think only Moris, where is she?"

Lilian raised up her hand from somewhere at the back.

"Yes, I think only her had a good score in B class. The rest of you, I wonder what you people have been doing. We'll be telling you to study, you'll be playing here and there. Even the science students that we expected more from, we were disappointed. The so called prefects... Wait, all prefects should be on their feet."

Sounds of tables and chairs being dragged were heard. Some people were murmuring while we, that ain't prefects just sat down and watched the whole show.

"Yes? Senior boy, what was your score?" The Principal said, pointing at Fiyin.

"220 sir." He said a bit quietly.

"See? You yourself can't even say it aloud because you're not proud of it."

Some people murmured.

"Senior girl?"

"240 sir." Jetemi said.

"Still, I expected more." He said. "Library prefect?"

"280 sir." Thomas said.

"You see? When you read, you'll surely see a good outcome. Please, a round of applause for him."

We all clapped nonchalantly. The clap didn't even rhyme sef.