FLOWERS IN SAHARA

' 🅂🄸🅇 '

Lolade took a deep breath as the school rickety bus moved through the streets of Lagos. With the way the bus moved and sounded, Lolade doubted if the bus would be able to carry them to their destination.

For the past few days, she had developed a routine. Eat, read, read, read, read and maybe eat. Her mom had even complained after she had woken up in the midnight and saw her reading. Lolade had, had to calm her down using different excuses before she allowed her to continue reading.

"Nervous?" Stephen asked as Lolade turned to him and chuckled.

"Do I look nervous?" She asked in reply before turning her ryes back to watching the cars crawl through the tarted roads.

With the few days she had spent with Stephen, she had concludes that except his looks which wasn't even that great and his brains, there was nothing good about him. I'm summary, she didn't like him one bit.

She continued looking around and swallowed her saliva seeing some other girls and boys and smaller kids running about in the traffic.

A black car sped past them and Lolade was immediately reminded of the guy she hadn't seen all though the previous week. She had even stylishly asked Nifemi if they had come across such a car when they were hawking but none of the girls had seen such a car.

Lolade had felt immensely disappointed. She didn't know why she felt that way towards someone that she barely knew his name. She swallowed her saliva as she rubbed her forehead.

Lagos was so big, the possibility of seeing him again was zero but despite that, she still wanted to see him. She pouted as she reprimanded him in her heart.

He smiled at her, winked at her and even gave her money yet he didn't come back to even see her. Tsk.

"Doesn't even know how to make friends" Lolade murmured as Stephen turned to her.

"Huh? Did you say something?" He asked as Lolade shook her head.

"Not talking to you" she replied without turning to him.

The bus drove into the center where the competition was to take place and Lolade sighed seeing the luxurious buses parked in the car park. It was even a miracle the us didn't break down on the way.

"So we are here. Don't forget everything you have been taught. I wish you the best of luck. You can do it" Mr Illesanmi said as the students started getting down from the bus.

Lolade adjusted her school bag over her shoulders as she followed other students as they walked into the hall. As one of the biggest halls in Lagos, Lolade had her share of excitement while entering but unlike others who giggled and showed it on their faces, her face remained blank but her insides were screaming.

They soon found their seat and they quickly sat down while others started greeting the members of the school seated beside them which also happened to be a public school. Lolade didn't even think she remembered the name of the school talkless of have friends there.

So while others chatted, she places her elbow on the armrest and placed her head in it while closing her eyes.

"I wonder what's up with the committee of NMC" Christopher said as he yawned.

"Exactly, the Nebas Competition is known mainly to be attended by all these public schools. I wonder why all of a sudden it made it a rule that for your school to qualify at all for NMC you must be a participant of the NBC" Harmony said looking and sounding quite irritated.

Jesse slumped on his seat while yawning. Because of the new rule the National Mathematics Competition committee had made, the Nebas Competition which barely had up to 100 schools in attendance was having over 400 schools in attendance.