"Have you seen the timetable?" Lola asked Margaret who was returning from submitting her class assignment to the staff room.
"No, I haven't, but I overheard Miss Yinka talking about it, and she didn't sound good," Margaret replied.
"I just hope the exam doesn't get jam-packed as the principal predicted. Writing 9 exams, including practicals, within a week is scary," Lola muttered, looking back and forth to be sure any teacher wasn't coming.
"Oh, I think that was the cause of the discussion in the staff room. Miss Yinka expressed her displeasure with the new examination system," Margaret replied.
"I will ask if anyone has seen the timetable and let you know after closing; we mustn't let any teacher find us here," Lola whispered upon hearing footsteps approaching, and they went to their separate classes.
The two friends were preparing for their Waec, an exam that proves their completion of secondary school in Nigeria. A week after the registration closed, the examination board disclosed how quickly the exam would run, and it's been a huge concern for many students in the country.
During the school closing assembly, the principal instructed the Ss3 students preparing for the exams to stay behind which they did. He explained the situation and unfortunately for the students, their fears became a reality.
"So we will actually do all these papers in a week," Lola's voice trembled as she stared at the copy of the examination timetable given to her by the principal.
"Why is everyone talking about only the exam duration, didn't you notice that the date for the exam has shifted from the usual June to May," Margaret replied.
"I didn't even pay attention to the month," Lola replied immediately after confirming the month. Her face fell and a wave of fear washed over her.
"It's already April," Lola stuttered.
"Yes, dear. We have less than a month to prepare ourselves," Margaret replied and then exited the school building.
"Don't you think we should start studying at night?" Margaret suggested.
"That's a good idea so we can burn the midnight oil," Lola replied jokingly, teasing Margaret.
"Hello! I am serious," Margaret stuttered.
"Yes, I know but you know how terrible I sleep. I prefer reading during the day," Lola replied.
"We don't have much time during the day for studying and it's always quiet at night. You will assimilate better," Margaret tried persuading her best friend.
"Okay, I will try. Just remember the last time didn't go well, I slept like a baby throughout the night," Lola replied.
"I have a solution," Margaret replied.
"Okay, let's see how it goes. My mom is probably waiting for me by now," Lola hugged Margaret bidding her goodbye.
Later that night, the two friends chatted with each other via WhatsApp before going to bed and agreed to wake up by midnight to revise.
"So what's your solution for me not to sleep off?" Lola asked after Margaret instructed her to set an alarm.
"The thing is that my mom usually talks about her putting her legs in a bowl of water while reading as a student; it prevents her from sleeping off," Margaret replied.
"Seriously? Is that a solution? Lola stuttered.
"Isn't that enough or what could possibly go wrong with my idea?" Margaret asked.
"A lot and I do not think that's a good idea," Lola replied.
"Be positive and stop seeing the negative side of things," Margaret persuaded her friend and she agreed to try out the idea.
At exactly midnight, their alarm rang, and they both got up in their houses.
It was a lot easier for Margaret because she was used to midnight reading but Lola, it was a different battle.
Immediately Lola woke up, she notified Margaret and they both agreed to stay up reading. Lola went to the kitchen to get snacks and juice to help her stay awake but ended up finishing the snacks in less than thirty minutes.
She was dosing off when she got a full bucket of water, placed it under her reading table in the living room, and put her legs inside the bucket. Lola had a standing fan blowing in her direction and she felt a lot better.
Her phone rang several times, and she finally picked it up. Upon picking up the call, Lola realized it was daybreak already.
"Hello, you didn't pick up my call again after midnight. What happened?" Margaret asked.
"I don't know, too, but your call woke me up now," Lola replied, yawning.
"You don't know? I can tell that you slept off," Margaret teased, laughing at her friend.
"Oh my God! What have I done?" Lola screamed and hung up the call before her friend could ask what happened.
While on the call, she realized that the bucket of water she placed underneath her reading table had rolled away.
"I probably kicked it away," Lola's voice trembled.
She quickly accessed the damage and unfortunately, her mother walked into the living room at the same time.
Lola! Her mom screamed with shock, and she warned her daughter not to leave the house until the rug and every other item the water touched was dry.
Lola couldn't hold back tears at her mother's judgment, and she started cleaning, hoping to finish before it was time for school, but it didn't happen.
She ignored Margaret's calls several times while cleaning and finally texted her about how her idea failed. Margaret felt bad and promised to join Lola for the cleaning after school.
