My name is Chapter. I'm the only child of my parents. I was named Chapter because my birth opened a new chapter for my parents, and things got better. My name is so unique that I've never come across another person bearing it. My friends and teachers usually tease me at school and make fun of my name, saying things like, "Let us open to Chapter 3 of our textbooks." Caleb is the guilty party here; the boy's head is big and shapeless like an unripe mango fruit. My English teacher, Mr. Frank, is also guilty; he usually calls my name and claims he's referring to the next chapter in our textbook, something like, "Er... Chapter... 3." Sometimes, I will be standing, and then I'll hear "3" or "4." Enough with the name. I'm everyone's favorite in the class and super brilliant. I'm currently in High School SS2. Of course, I'm a boy. You know the joy you feel when a boy leads the class, yeah, that one.
I always top the class, along with my three other friends: Caleb, Bosun, and Kenny, respectively. The first five spots are for boys; no girl has been able to go past the 6th position for the last five years.
Last term, which was the first time this new girl, Rebecca, showed up, she joined as an SS2 student in the 1st term. My friends and I usually examine any new, especially females, to check if they are up to the challenge. As soon as Rebecca entered the class, we gave her a seat among the girls. So, I asked the questions first: "Hey, what's your name?" She replied, "My name is Rebecca." I continued, "What was your position last session in your former school?" She answered, "7th." Caleb then said, "Another dumb girl." I looked at her and added, "No offense." She smiled, and we left her.
After the first CA test, my friends and I went to the Science department to check the scores and the ranking. The science department is a building on its own, like the staff room for science teachers only. We went straight to the board to check the ranking. I saw my name as first and thought to myself, "Nothing has changed." Then I looked at second place and saw Omoruwa Rebecca with 95%, and I rechecked mine; it was 96%. My friends scored 94%, 92%, and 89%, respectively. I shouted, "Who is this girl?" I rushed back to the class and went straight to her. She smiled at me, and I blurted, "Enough with the pretense," then I asked, "Did you lie about finishing 7th position last session when I asked you the other time?" She replied, "I didn't finish 7th actually; it's the 7th year I've been leading in the school, so I had to change schools to see if I would meet a match." I said with a taunting voice and a horrible demonstration, "Well, little girl, you are not my match." She replied, "We'll see about that," with her weird smile. I left and called my friends for an emergency meeting, telling them, "This girl has challenged us, and we are not going to lose." So, we stopped participating in all non-academic activities to concentrate on reading and research. Anytime Rebecca saw us, she smiled. There was a day I said to myself, "Is this girl a witch?" because I've never seen her reading in class' she always played and laughed around with cute little face and her weird smile.
One day, after the second test, I rushed to the Maths department to check the ranking, leaving my friends behind. There, I saw Omoruwa Rebecca with 98% in first place. Then I saw James Chapter with 96% in second place. I felt disappointed, thinking, "So this girl beat me in maths this time; how am I going to face the class?" So, I went to the English department to check. I saw my name first, James Chapter, with 98%, and I was glad. Suddenly, I saw second place and thought, "It's a mistake." Then I looked up and saw Omoruwa Rebecca with 99% in first place. I went to the Science and General Departments. In the Science department, it was the same score as the previous test, and in the General department, I ranked first with 97%, and she ranked second with 96%. So, I calculated the average; she was at 97, and I was at 96.75. I went quietly to class, and on the marker board, I saw, "It's the girls' turn. Congratulations, Rebecca." I couldn't talk to anyone; I went to my locker and put my head down. I got home and almost couldn't eat. My dad asked what was wrong, and I told him everything. He said, "Young man, you can't always win in life; sometimes you lose. Accept it and try again." I felt life back.
The next day in school, I walked up to the girl and said, "Congratulations, you win; I lose." I stretched my hand to her, and she took it, shook it well, and said, "Thank you, Prince." She winked her eyes and gave that weird smile again. Then I said softly, "Princess, this time I lose; next time, I won't." She replied, "Bring it on," and I left her.
After a month and a few weeks, it's the end of the term, and we had finished exams. It's time to check the results to see who won and who lost. I knew I had prepared well for the exam. Results are not to be posted on boards at the end of term; only the top 3 will be posted on the principal's board at the principal's office My friends and I rushed to the office, and we met Rebecca there, along with her friend Zainab. I was very anxious, so I asked her, "Have you checked it?" She chuckled and said, "No, I haven't; I was waiting for you. Let's go in." Only four students are allowed in, so Caleb, Rebecca, Zainab, and I got in. I rushed to the board and checked from the third place. I saw Onipede Caleb with 94% in third place. I looked up and saw Omoruwa Rebecca with 97% in second place. Then I saw James Chapter with 98% in first place. I was very happy; I jumped up and hugged Caleb, who was a little sad because he had always been second for the past five years. I consoled him and rushed out to break the news to my friends. I didn't bother to check the subject scores. I heard Rebecca saying she beat me in Maths and English, but I didn't care. She came to me with a little disappointment on her face, stretched her hand to me, and said, "Congratulations to my Prince; you won, I lose." I yelled, "That's it!" Then I said, "I take back what I said the other day' you are truly a match." She hugged me, and that was the day we became friends.
This term too, I'm going to maintain my position, as I've always done.
ThE eNd
Image by Nana O.
Thanks for reading