De Nelson's Senior High

Chapter 16- Compulsory Siesta

Ed Sheeran- Perfect.

After the close of school, everyone was expected to observe the compulsory siesta which was from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, then personal time followed. It was an hour given to the students to either get teachers to conduct extra classes with those who didn't fully get some things in class, engage in peer teaching or just to do other personal stuff.

After personal time, they had dinner at 6:30. Right after that, prep commences for everyone from 7:00pm. Prep ended at 9:00pm for first years and at 10:00pm for second years and the famous prep until you drop for the third years.

They got to prep till anytime in the night beyond the second years' time. If they wanted to break, they went to bed and woke up at dawn to prep again but this time they were only allowed into their classrooms and the library complex only.

It was at one of these odd hours for first years to be roaming the school's grounds that Ashanti and Zaron decided to sneak out of the class they were sharing with many second years.  They had stayed back prepping for an hour more since they were in a class full of second years

They walked out of the eighteen unit block for the second years and headed in the opposite direction of where everyone was passing to their dorms. The second years didn't even notice them slip in the opposite direction.

" So where exactly are we going?" Zaron finally asks when they had finally lost them.

" The chapel, they have a real piano." She informs him, tightening her grip on the sling of her bookbag at the thought of breaking school rules with an innocent boy but the thrill alone kept her going.

" But we can't get in." Zaron points out.

" I work there, that and the staffs repulsive restroom." She mumbles the last part under her breath, " I usually keep the keys so I can get us in. I just hope Reverend Darko doesn't decide to walk in because he also has a key. Come on let's go."

She drags him by the hand down the walkway passing the several oak trees lining it up.

   It was a good twenty minutes walk to the chapel because they had taken an indirect route that most people didn't use to get to the place.

By the time they got there,  loose dark strands of her hair was sticking to her face because of the little sweat that had suddenly broken on her brow due to the rush of adrenaline in her veins. Zaron gave her a boyish grin as they stared at the colossal ancient mahogany doors leading to the chapel.

" What?" She asks.

" Girls...they can't even handle walking."

" Of course I can, I work here every morning remember? I don't want us to get caught that's why." She says and the sound of a rustling dry leaves caught their attention.

They both froze and turned to the direction of the sound, a white cat comes running towards the other side of the street and they both heaved a sigh of relief.

Ashanti inserts the key and turns. They pushed it open and got in locking themselves in and taking the keys out. The room was pitch black but since she was more familiar with her surroundings, she felt the walls for the light switches and flipped the third switch on, lightning up only the podium where the piano was.

The huge auditorium becomes dimly lit. Only their footsteps echoed through the empty dome hall as they walked up the aisle to the podium.

Ashanti cautiously ran her fingers over the keys creating a melody.

" We're on." She says and pulls out two sheet music and a hymnal.

" It's been ages since I last played." He whispers with both hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts. He had to hide his shaking fingers.