ELIZABETH.

Even after the principal repeated it more times than he needed to, students didn't want to leave the hall. They were still hoping for a miracle or something. Somehow, even though I was looking forward to it, I am not as bothered by the cancellation as I thought i would be. "All these new students, it's you guys that caused this thing, oh," Austin jokes, referring to the new students. "So you want to tell me that you didn't fail any test at all?" I reply lazily, my head resting on my palm. "Don't mind him. I saw his chemistry test, he failed it," Favour adds.

Her seat is close to his and they seem close somehow. "And that was how she snitched you," David laughs then bumps me with his shoulder, "Don't worry, next time I'll show you around." Ruth frowns at me. I don't have the energy to play or argue so I just smile and get up. It doesn't look like they are changing their minds about this, so why not leave. I want to feel bad for the final year students. It is their last revelry, but after what one of those beasts put me through, I don't give a shit.

"On the bright side, we have the whole of next week free from school." I sigh before leaving. It's a good thing that the mid-term break here is for a whole week. At my last school, the break started from Friday and ended Monday, a real scam if you ask me.

*****************************

I was really hoping that when we got home, my mom wouldn't ask about the tests,as impossible as that is, but she did as soon as we greeted her. My dad was even home too, as if it was planned. "Ebere and Ebube, you guys are not telling us anything about your tests." I quickly think of something to say, "The tests were fine," "They haven't given us any results yet so we don't know the scores," my brother adds. That was obviously a lie, but they can't know that. "Are you sure they haven't shown you or is it that you guys failed?" my dad says. We quickly assure him that we are telling the 'truth' before rushing upstairs.

"How were your tests?" I ask Ebube on the way up, smiling and careful not to be too loud so my parents don't hear. My mom especially has super hearing for these sorts of things. He grins, "Whatever reason that made you not to tell them your scores is the same thing that made me not tell them mine." After changing, I don't know what else to do. I don't feel like playing games on my phone, so I'm

just staring into space and thinking about random things.

My mind flashes back to my sellotape, the one David wrote on. I can't take it back to school in case someone borrows it and sees the writings. That would be weird, and I didn't even tell Favour about it. If I do, she would tell Temi and that story would never end. I pick it up from my bedside table, [I wonder what he was thinking.] my thoughts were interrupted by my mother's voice. She was calling me and my sister, and her voice sounded angry. I wonder what we did this time, although I already have an idea. I sigh and head downstairs.

When I got there she was already in the kitchen, [I knew It.] she notices me but doesn't say anything, I think she's waiting for Nora to come down. A few minutes later, Nora walks inside, and that's when she starts talking. She's angry and whenever she yells, she does it in Igbo. "So you and your sister prefer to just stay in the room, doing nothing, leaving me to do everything in the kitchen by myself." Now, It's not like we weren't going to come down, besides, she just started cooking so I don't see why she is angry.

As usual, we can't talk or defend ourselves when she's talking because she doesn't believe she's wrong, and it would make her to start another lecture about respect and all that crap. I sigh and glance at my sister, she's trying not to frown and I'm trying not to laugh. My mom continues, "Every time I come into this kitchen, you should be here to help me, and also so you can learn from what I am

doing."

My sister speaks up which is a huge mistake, "But what of Ebube and Chidi, you don't call them to learn anything. Why can't we do the cooking like the way they do in Mummy Ebuka's house?" Mummy Ebuka is me and Ebube's God-parent; she has 4 kids, with just one girl. At her house, the cooking is rotated between all four of them, so each person has their own day. I honestly don't mind doing it like that

but of course mom didn't get it.

"Is it everything that you would share? You share washing the plates, throwing the dustbin, So now you want to share cooking too. In her house don't you see how they do work?....." I tune out because she has totally gone off the main topic, I glance at Nora and we both roll our eyes. Mom is busy with something so she doesn't see it. She lowers her voice, "….and men don't belong in the kitchen. It is not the man that will take care of the home." She finishes.

That point made me angry because she keeps thinking like it isn't modern day. I have a feeling she lowered her voice because she didn't want dad to hear. After all, he knows how to cook because my grandmother didn't believe that only women belong in the kitchen. I try to keep my face expressionless. If it shows on any of our faces that we are even slightly annoyed, she'd open our cases again. After cooking, we both trudge upstairs to Chidi's room to vent.

******************************

It's been weeks since anything exciting happened at school. It's not like I'm looking for it though, because I might be the topic of the drama. We've written the second tests for the term and are now preparing for exams, my best time of the term. We got a new student last week, a girl, but not in my class. She ended up in science class 2, SS1B. I wonder why she decided to resume this late in the term, after the tests are over. Well, not my problem anyways. Its Wednesday today, and we have chemistry class now. SS1B also has chemistry class right now so the teacher made it a combined class.

It was decided that students from my class would move over to the next class, where the lesson would hold. I don't like combined classes because I don't have any friends in the other classes, so I'm stuck with the awkward situation of searching for someone to share seats with. Favour obviously doesn't have that problem because everyone likes her, boys especially. I observed that she has a lot

of suitors.

By the time I got to the other class, almost all the seats were taken. The only exception was the seats with the shady looking guys that no one wanted to sit with. It was either to sit with them or to stand, obviously I chose to stand. Temi was standing too so I went to stand with her. We had break before now so not everyone was in the class at the moment. The new girl, Elizabeth I think, included. Everyone was busy talking to each other, making jokes and laughing, while waiting for the teacher.

"Boyle's law states that, the pressure of an ideal gas…..," a loud voice from the door, cuts through all the noise. It was our teacher. He usually makes his entrances this way; stating one law or the other, whilst ignoring the students that he is to be teaching. He was in the class now, meaning that no one else could walk in. One by one, the few students that were supposed to be in the class were pooling outside the door with worry on their faces.

The reason for their worrying is due to the black wire that he had in his hand, and they could see that he was not in a good mood. While he was still stating his summary on Boyle's law, the new student, Elizabeth, fearlessly walked into the class, ignoring everyone. Some people gasped, "Bad guy!" someone called, which made me and some other students to laugh. Mr. Akin stopped talking and called her back.

"Hey! Come back here!" she ignored it and kept walking to her seat. It was only when other students tapped her and told her that she was being called, that she stopped and walked to him. "Who gave you permission to enter the class? Didn't you see your classmates standing outside?" "I went to the shop to buy something," she replied, every word dripping with annoyance, even her face. The class was clearly getting interested now, even me. Temi was eating it up. Unlike me, she likes to be current on all the latest things that are happening.

"Curiosity kills the cat oh, you know right?" I joke, bumping her shoulder with mine. "Ella, leave me please, let me focus on this drama. That's why I'm not a cat." She laughs. I shake my head and return my attention to front of the class. "That is not what I asked." He said, paused, then continued, "Now, move out." she didn't move an inch. I was honestly shocked because I couldn't imagine myself in her shoes.

"Didn't you hear me, I said move!" he said angrily, and when she still didn't move, he whipped her. Elizabeth got angry and held the wire. "Why would you flog me with that thing? Are you okay?" At this point the class couldn't contain their excitement, so everyone began murmuring, in contrast to how Mr. Akin was feeling. I really want to see how this would end, [Strict teacher vs arrogant student.] I thought with a laugh.