03....
If there has been anything existing called nervousness, it was at its peak in me. My Heart throbbed more than I thought seeing the numerous students representing different secondary schools. I looked around and around, the possibility of emerging as one of the 1st fifth school in other to qualify for the state level seemed impossible. I knew of great schools, those whose WASSCE results looked magical. Those whose academic performance looked mysterious, and they were all there waiting to compete with me, with us, myself and Austin. I searched for Austin with my eyes. There he was discussing with some boys on white and navy blue. I looked closer and noticed something. Those guys were from All Hallows Seminary. I wondered "could Austin have come from All Hallows? So definitely he was an ex seminarian. Why has he not told anyone, including me? And I knew Nwaforaku thought at All Hallows and always went there for part time teaching. Anyway whatever. Teachers everywhere seemed to be doing final rehearsal for their nominees. I knew Austin wouldn't buy such idea because I knew him for being relaxed always no matter what. We came with Nwaforaku and Mrs Ezenwa. They went to get our cards as we await the time for the actual competition.
My nervousness got up again when I heard the announcement from the speakers inside the hall say " All participants should fall in line. If you are for this competition fall in line with your cards" I just whispered to myself "the time is here". Just then our two teachers came around "Amara where is Austin? They asked. "I'm here " Austin answered as he stood by me. They handed us our cards which were written RC 55 and RC 56. Mrs Nwaforaku told us finally, "This is the time, don't be afraid everything will work on well okay. You guys have studied well and you will make it always if you wish okay? We nodded. So did Mrs Ezenwa who also admonished us. We stood in line with others. "You look nervous Amara". I was surprised he didn't call me the normal Ami. Though it never mattered, in fact it shouldn't matter at all but I knew it mattered in me. I needed to hear his voice call me Ami. " You were from All Hallows Seminary? I asked without looking at him. He looked at me but didn't seem surprised that I asked. "Those were my classmates" he answered back "The fair one is called Mathias, he always took the 1st position, while the other one is Samuel, always seconding him." I looked at him and many things filled my mind. He didn't count himself among them and so I wondered what position he was going to be then among them. "How intelligent are they and what's your position among them? I asked again. He looked at me and said "You want to make yourself nervous. You should know that everybody here has something to do with 1st position in their school". "Just answer my question" I said. I don't know whether I was becoming angry. "I never came near 1st twenty" he answered "The fair one was so intelligent that he was offered an automatic promotion in our JSS1 which he refuted. They must be ready for this." "Were you expelled" I asked again. I didn't know why all these should be coming from me now,especially now. He answered "No". "How come you are this brilliant with all subjects since you joined us, you came and disrupted my legacy of 1st position, you answer calculations off heart, and yet you weren't among their best. You divided the attention I get from teachers and authorities, you...."He interrupted immediately "Amara what's wrong". He called me Amara again. I kept silent. The line was moving closer to the registrar. I asked him "Why did you leave the seminary". He kept quiet. He looked forward and turned to me. I was confused. It reached our turn and we received the seat number and moved to our different positions. I saw him bent down. He tried to maintain his normal self. I had disrupted his peace, I knew I did. Anyway I don't know. He sat exactly in that particular not so serious way he was when Sandy and some boys from our class came to his seat with their argument and challenge. They had argued about his ability to answer calculations off heart and set a prize if it were so. Sandy tried to convince them that his ability to answer calculations exceeded mere addition and subtraction but they doubted her. Sandy came to him and told him about their argument which Austin refused to cooperate. The boys were of the view that if it was true that he would have cooperated, but their argument couldn't convince him still till Nwaforaku entered in the middle of the argument. She then asked him to which he obliged and came before the class. I found out that in spite of his rare ingenuity, he never liked to show it off. He gave conditions which one of them was that everybody should bring out their calculators. Questions began to fly like fusillades. I wouldn't say that he did answer all but he made considerable attempts on almost all and got them correctly. I was not used to relating with my classmates especially those who I think were less brilliant. Austin showed me that all were important. He thought them everything and even ask them to teach him those he posed not to understand. Whether he understood them, I never really knew but he listened and asked question. One day he asked me to teach him also. I was reluctant but he persisted. As I wanted to he told me that there were other guys who found it difficult to understand that topic and that if I wouldn't mind I should make use of the board, and so I saw myself teaching others for the first time. I saw in him the zeal to let others move along. During revision, he gathered all of us that are good at maths and admonished us on the need to carry others along. He thereby shared us into groups and our classmates among us. We were nine in number and he made it in such a way that guys were taught by girls and girls by boys. It was then that I thought about it, perhaps that's how they do at All Hallows. I never knew my classmates were that sweet to be with. I never knew that they were lovable and above all, I never knew that they were intelligent. I joined in noise making, in fact, I became prominent and my classmates gave me the nickname "First Lady" and I must say that that name made me.
There were desks for the participants and on each desk was a laptop. The result was meant to be out 30 minutes after the exam. And when scores of the participants are summed up, then the 1st 5th are automatically selected for the state level at which only one school will then emerge for the national level. When we were being given the final instructions, what remained was for the alarm to go. There were cameras at the edges of the wall before the ceiling. Whoever any of the cameras captures turning his or her head would automatically be disqualified and all questions were to be asked before the alarm went. No question would be entertained during the exam. The rules for the exam were so strict and I knew that they sought easy ways to disqualify anyone that slightly misbehaved. It remained one minute before the alarm went and I looked at Austin and he looked at me. I whispered with my lips "I'm sorry". He just gave me a smile. Thus the exams began.
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Pls guys what name should I give this story pls
