Screwed.

So apparently, if you don’t come early enough on the day of the party, you don’t get to sit inside the main hall where you can see all the good stuff, but outside, under the hot sun. Okay it’s technically not directly under the sun. You sit under the canopies mounted outside meant to shade you from the sun. And you get half the main experience you would get from sitting inside. All in all it sucks. I blame my mom for this.

We got up early enough this morning and prepared and got ready all in good time. Somehow, I still don’t understand how, my mom wasted all our extra time. If she didn’t forget something, she was making one of her “cleansing drinks" with lemon and all that weird stuff she adds into it. When we finally left, it was already almost start time. On the way we ran into traffic, which could have been avoided if we had left earlier!

The only bright side is that I wasn’t the only one stuck sitting outside, our WHOLE group was stuck there. Of course parents were exempted from this shitty rule cause they set aside enough chairs for them inside the hall while we the students were left to make up images to match the sounds we hear from the speakers mounted outside.

I took a look around our table and snickered. “How the hell did we all come late. It’s like it was planned.”

Beside me, Tobi laughed. “On I and David's part, it WAS planned. Trust me sitting inside won’t make this stuff any less boring.”

“Facts,” David chimed.

“But what about us that haven’t experienced this ‘stuff’ before,” Temi said, using Tobi's words. “We would want to experience it at least once from the inside fa.”

Even though it sucked sitting outside, I couldn’t agree with her. “lol, speak for yourself, madam. If it’s as boring as they say, then we wouldn’t be allowed to doze in peace.”

“Sly.” Tobi said, whilst laughing. “And why are you saying ‘lol’? Are you a cultist?”

“So saying ‘lol" makes somebody a cultist?” My brother snorts.

“LOL.” Favour says pointedly to Tobi with a smile. “So Emma we are both members of the same cult now.” She raises her voice slightly. “If you want to join us, all you have to do is say lol.”

We all smiled and shook our heads at the absurdity of what she had said. Trust Favour with dry jokes.

“……And now it’s time for a number from our very own choir. Put your hands together for them.” A voce said from the speakers. Tobi groaned.

“What is wrong? Do they sound bad?” I asked curiously. I had been at the school for 3 months and hadn’t even heard the school choir sing even once. Thanks to a lack of events. I think they would have sang at the revelry if it didn’t fall through.

“It’s not that they sound bad per se, but Ruth is in the choir. She’s always given a mic all to herself, and her voice TO ME isn’t exactly pleasant. Not to be mean but It spoils the whole choir.”

We burst out laughing. “Saying not to be mean doesn’t make it any less mean.”

“Whatever.” He shrugs.

When they began to sing, we instantly understood what Tobi was talking about. Ruth’s voice was……unstable. It sounded like she was forcing her voice to come out while struggling to maintain it, and also hiding under the guise of being a tenor singer. Those of us who hadn’t heard her sing before could stop snickering throughout the song.

After the choir performance, it was time for the main entertainment. This year, according to people who had seen some of the practices, the entertainment was cultural dance. I was interested and really wanted to see it so I got up and started to make my way to the side door of the hall. It had a perfect close up view of the “stage" But that was only if I could make my way to the front of the small crowd that would most definitely be gathered there.

“Emma!” David yelled suddenly and got up. “Where are you going without me? Don’t lave me” He followed.

Temi got up too. “Hm, Ella Abeg You guys should contain your love.”

“Don’t be unfortunate,” I sighed.

Tobi snorted a laugh. “

Soon the whole group had stood up to follow suit. Look at me, influencing the crowd.

I smiled smugly and turned to face them so I was walking backwards. “See me leading my disciples,” I Called back to them.

“Idiot!” My brother called back.

As usual, I rolled my eyes. If he didn’t talk, who would?

When we got to the side door, it was crowded as expected, but not so much that you couldn’t get to the front if you wanted to. I didn’t feel like pushing My way through so I just stood there with everyone else. David stared at me, I stared back. Then he moved behind me and pushed me toward the door, then stopped when we reached the back of the crowd. He walked up front and began pushing people aside. Obviously I followed after. I couldn’t let this chance go to waste.

Soon we were at the front of everyone else, with a perfect view of the “stage”.

“Thanks,” I said, punching him lightly on his arm.

He smiled. “I know you were to lazy to do it.”

“She definitely was,” Temi butted in.

I said nothing cause I couldn’t deny.

The dance was not bad at all. My favorite part was the Tiv dance, when they got all slow with their movement, Epic! The Igbo part was also good, but like in most school group dances, you would always see some people among the dancers who danced with two left feet, and were as stiff as a board.

After the dance, they would start giving gifts to the best students in each class and recognizing well behaved students and all that crap. There was no need for me to stick Around cause I’m not going to get anything.

“It’s David’s time to shine,” Tobi said.

Temi blinked.

David shot Tobi a look.

I smiled. “You don’t have to look so peeved. We already know.”

And it happened as it was said. He got gifts for the best student in almost all the subjects for our class. Impressive stuffs Really. After the gifting and everything, the event ended. And they were all right about it being a massive boring fest.

People were trooping out of the hall now to get the results of their kids. I noticed my mom and siblings a few feet from me and my stomach twisted. I sighed.

“let’s get this over with then,” I muttered Walking towards her.

My brother appeared at my side and squeezed my shoulder. “Am I the only one that’s nervous?”

I breathed a laugh. “At all.”

“We are so dead.”

“Shut up guy.” This dude could be a massive jinx sometimes.

After collecting out envelopes, we headed home immediately. I didn’t have enough time to say goodbye to my friends but I wasn’t so bothered. I had bigger things to be bothered about, like if my result is a pile of shit, or if I’d still be alive for the next term.

So we couldn’t wait any longer to see our result so we decided to sneak a peak. Immediately we did, our mom decided it was time to see it too, so I and my brother sat somewhere close to her but not to close. She opened mine first, then my brother’s.

She hasn’t said anything yet.

Why isn’t she saying anything?!

To put it bluntly we were both screwed. Big time. The result is shit. Compete shit. It’s bad. It’s terrible. It’s horrible!

“So this is what you guys could do, after all the money we are pending on you?” Mom began. My heart was making serious beats.

“See your results as if you weren’t even in the class. Or did you not understand what was being taught.? What is the problem? It’s like you people have too much friends, that’s why you can’t concentrate. But if it’s to play game, you can do that from morning till night without break!”

She’s full on shouting at this point. My dad is completely silent, focused on the tv. My sister and brother were perched in the kitchen, eavesdropping and laughing their hearts out.

“Ebube, Ebere as from next term, you’re going to start extra lessons on math and English. How can you be failing math and English that are the easiest subjects?!. Ebere, if you fail even one test, I’m going to cut your hair. Maybe that is what is distracting you. Next term will not be like this.”

Oh, mom, believe me, next term can not be like this, even if I have to become a hermit. What a way to end the term. I sighed.

My sister brushed passed me with a laugh. Witch.