Sincerely, Aishatu✅

46; Romeo Meets Rose.

13 YEARS AGO.

"THIS IS THE LAST chance I'm giving you. I'll let you retake the test tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?" The fourteen-year-old standing in front of her Mathematics teacher with red eyes slightly widened. Her face was a bit puffy due to the fact that she had been crying—the only reason the teacher is allowing her to retake the test she failed. He pitied her.

"Yes, tomorrow" He was already being nice enough by giving her a chance to retake it. He was that typical, strict, mathematics teacher. "You failed the first two tests too. It's enough that I'm allowing you to retake the third one you failed yet again" Honestly, he wasn't even sure if she would pass this one either, but he would at least give her the chance.

She's a good student—not the brightest in her class, but falls along the range of those that take 10-20th place out of thirty students in class. So, she wasn't that bad. Mathematics though had always been her weak spot. Passing it would be a miracle.

At this rate, unless she works really hard and gets a perfect score in exams, she's going to get an F or E, at most in the subject.

"B-but, tomorrow--"

"It's either tomorrow or nothing, Aisha" He snapped, using his stern voice on her. "You need to tighten you belt because your junior Waec is coming up. You can fail the school exams but not that" Another useless tactic used by secondary school teachers. They used to make it seem like if you don't pass junior Waec you won't make it in life.

When in reality, it's the most useless exam ever.

But she didn't know that then, and his words only made the fear in her grow along with the size of her eyes.

"—Do you want to take the test tomorrow or not?" He asked, eyes narrowed slightly. This would be the last chance he would show her.

She nodded hastily, "I-I'll take the test tomorrow"

His lips pulled backwards into a straight line, "Okay then" He leaned back slightly on his chair. "You should come back tomorrow during break time to take the test"

"Okay. Thank you, sir" She nodded repeatedly again and then bid him farewell, before she walked out of the staff room, fingers clutching her book tightly. Once she was out, she reached her hand out and wiped away the remnants of the tears she had shed.

It was break time, and the students were up and about. Some were heading to the shops, some forming cliques with their friends, some playing around and others doing whatever kids did back in the days.

Aisha evaded the student's ad quietly kept walking around till she reached her particular spot. It was the one place students barely head to, and she enjoyed spending her break times there quietly. Believe it or not, but her classmates were one wild set of students. There's never a quiet moment with them. They were the average JSS3 students that feel like they are about to make it in life because they will soon be in SS classes and they'll start subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Accounting and whatever courses Art students take.

Plus, it was that time they were transitioning into their 'big boys' and 'big girls' phase. Every one of them felt like they were on cloud nine.

That's one of the reasons Aisha kept to herself and didn't have any friends. She had recently moved to Kaduna and started attending the school during first term. It was currently the third term and she managed to successfully remain the lone girl throughout the school year.