Hope - Episode 18

The week after the competition, Examination started in Nightingale Academy. The students were placed in two separate large halls. Each hall with a total of 200 seats and each seats far apart from each other to prevent spying. It’s usually very hard for a student to spy another student’s work given that students from same class could be seated 2 or 3 seats apart from each other. For this reason, all the student had studied hard for the examination especially the students of JS 1B.
The examination lasted for a week. While some students were happy that finally examination was over, some were curious as to what their result would be and others are just sad they would miss their friends. Ayo was also curious. Not that she wasn’t glad but she was more concerned about her result.
Now that examination was over, the students only come to school to play while the teachers compiled the result and recorded them in each student’s report card. It was a very strenuous work for the teachers. Some of the teachers stayed behind after closing just to make sure the cards were completed before vacation date. This exercise lasted for another one week.
Finally, it was the last day of school in which the students came to school to collect their report card. Before the collection of results, Ayo sighted Emmanuel and two of his classmates, Seun and Ramon chatting in front of the school’s library

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. She walked up to them.
“Hi”, she greeted as soon as she was in their midst and they all responded.
“I heard that the Olympiad qualifying exam is on the 19th of January”, She said more of like a question.
“Yes it is”, Emmanuel answered.
“I came to wish you luck”, Ayo told Emmanuel. She turned and left them for her class.
“Do you really think you guys will be among the chosen 54 students that will qualify for the Math Olympiad”, Ramon stated.
“You know that aside senior Bayo, none of our students has ever gone past the qualification stage”, Seun pointed out.
“Even if both of you have little faith in Adura and Taiwo, should you have such towards me?” Emmanuel asked. “Moreover, senior Bayo did it so I can”
“Uhm, you that cannot win Bidemi in common math quiz that was held in the school”, Seun said mockingly.
“Better don’t mind him”, Ramon added. “Let him continue deceiving himself”.
“Whatever!” Emmanuel said. “I know I will go beyond the qualification stage”.
*                  *                *                     *
Few minutes later, Mr. Dammy gathered students of JS 1B into their classroom so did other class teachers. He gave each of his students their report card and warned them strictly not to open it until they might have given it to their parent or guardian. Every students wished the other merry Christmas and happy New Year in advance then went their separate ways.
When Ayo got home, she opened her report card ignoring their teacher’s order. Just as she was about checking the details, Bukky ran in screaming.
“Heheee! I took the 22nd position”, she screamed.
“Ahn Ahn, calm down na”, Ayo said. “22nd and you’re shouting as if dog bite you”.
“Mtcheew”, Bukky hissed. “You have started again o, later you will say Bukky this Bukky that”.
“Okay, I’m sorry”.
“But Ayo you won’t understand”, Bukky said in a bid to explain why she screamed like that.

Read " Believe " by the same author ( HABEEBLLAH DAMILOLA )

. “In last term exam when in basic 6, I took the 28th position. Even before then, it’s always between 20th and 25th.
“That’s improvement dear”, Ayo encouraged. “Hope you know now is not the time to relent”.
“Of course. I really appreciate your assistance Ayo”.
“It’s nothing. Anything for a friend”.
“Have you checked yours?” Bukky asked.
“Not yet. I was about when you came in”, Ayo said then opened her report card. She screamed when she saw her position and percentage.
“Wait wait, let me see”, Bukky tried in vain to stop Ayo who was running up and down the room. Ayo handed the card over to her and she was overwhelmed with what she saw.
After a while Ayo sat down to overcome the excitement she now felt. ‘I took 7th position among 59 JS 1 students and my percentage is 71.1’. “What’s your percentage?”
“59.3”, Bukky responded.
“I fulfilled one of my promises. The second is within my reach”, Ayo thought out loud while Bukky just smiled.