𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒐 𝒀𝑯𝑾𝑯

𝑰𝑰

As a student it was only natural for me to be anxious for the closing bell to ring. To me, and possibly to my fellow mates, school was like a cage where you're constantly being watched, living under the rules of the superiors-authorities and senior students alike.

It wasn't like we had a say on whether or not to attend school because in my society without it your life will be a waste. They'll say you can never amount to anything. To the people in my society without school you'll never be successful in life, you may just end up on the streets with a dead end job. And with school they assume that your success is assured, that you'll have the opportunity to go abroad and all that it comes with.

Ignorance.

My focus was on the corner of my notebook where I was busy doodling anything that came to mind. I smiled looking at the beautiful and artistic eye I drew on my book, it looked so animated as if it was generated by an AI. If I had my way I would've studied arts, but then again my family sees studying science as superior to arts. They're expecting a prodigy student in medicine or any other health related courses.

I can't waste my brains studying arts, they'll say. Who says anyone who's intelligent has to automatically read science and go on to study medicine?

Satisfied with my drawing I glanced around to check how the class was progressing. Most of my peers were already asleep on their desk, absent minded or already packing their books in their bags to leave the class. We had fifteen minutes more for the period to end, miss Ifunaya, our physics teacher was using it to describe the functioning of the generator and motor without caring who was listening or not.

I almost rolled my eyes because it was to our disadvantage in the end when she'll come unannounced calling for a pop quiz.

"Any questions?" she asked after her long explanation.

The class was quiet in response. "This is your final year, very soon you'll be getting ready to write your Waec so I advise you to speak up if you don't understand anything. Don't follow the crowd and keep quiet when you know you don't understand. Raise your hands now if you don't understand anything."

Nobody moved.

"I take it you all understand then," she said, emphasizing on the word all. Miss Ifunaya covered the marker, dropped it on the table beside her then brought out a book from her bag. That got the attention of everyone, including those who were asleep.

The groaning and protests started, knowing exactly what the book meant.

"Number one-"

"But Aunty Ifi," Tolu whined, "The period is almost over, just ten minutes o."

The class agreed with him.

"Do I look like I care? Since you don't have questions I'll ask my own. Now number one, I'm not reading the question twice."