"I hope tonight's dinner was to your liking," I asked Stacy as soon as she entered the class and sat down.
"Yes," She laughed.
"I mean who doesn't like jollof rice and fried plantain."
"Anyone who doesn't like it must be weird." I chirped in.
"There are many books here."
"Elsie, what are you going to be reading this night?"
"Nothing, I'll just lay my head on the desk and rest. It's been a hectic two days for me." I replied.
"You don't mean it, right?" She asked in surprise.
To her amazement, I laid my head on the desk and started sleeping. I haven't slept well for the past two nights and needed this little sleep without being watchful or worried about ghosts.
Stacy tried reading a novel but gave up and joined me.
We slept throughout prep time while others were reading without knowing the surprise waiting for us the next day.
********************
"Stop the noise, the principal will soon be here to address you all." The senior prefect announced.
We had been in the hall for over an hour doing nothing.
Despite the senior prefect's warning, we continued to make noise.
The hall became as silent as a graveyard as soon as the principal entered.
"I can see that you all do not know about this school. You think this place is a child's play." He chided us.
Adjusting his spectacles, he continued,
"Information reaching me is that a good number of you play during prep time and do not read.
I want you to know that if anyone fails a major subject, they will repeat that class. If the said student fails again, he or she will have to leave the school."
The principal's statement attracted mixed reactions and we all began to murmur.
"Also for the students on scholarship....." He continued ignoring the noise and we immediately kept quiet to hear what else he had to say.
"If they perform below average or go lower than the percentile used to admit them, the said student will have his or her scholarship withdrawn and if any one of them fails a subject, the said student will have to leave the school."
The principal's last statement made us all speechless, we didn't know how to react. Needless to say, we were all shocked.
The principal had a grin on his face and seemed as if he was enjoying the whole thing.
"Make sure to go through the school's handbook thoroughly, we will not accept any form of misconduct from any student. Stiff punishment shall be meted out to offenders.
I'll now leave you with the prefects who will read out the school's rules and regulations to you.
Remember, ignorance of the law is not an excuse."
As soon as he left, the prefects came inside and we began the day's activities according to the principal's instruction, the rules and regulations alongside the punishment for offenders were read to us.
I could remember the senior prefect giving me a side eye on so many occasions because of the way I exclaimed whenever a ridiculous rule was read out.
****************
I couldn't sleep during siesta time as the hostel was very rowdy. Many students were still resuming and some spent the afternoon complaining about the school's rules.
School activities had already begun fully for us except that we weren't having any classes.
I slept throughout the afternoon prep because I couldn't sleep during siesta and my classmates kept waking me up and reminding me of what the principal had said.
During the night prep, for the first time, I was able to stay awake and read, maybe because of the principal's warning. I would have to work extra hard to keep the scholarship.
**********************
"We are gradually coming to the end of this orientation program and to wrap it up we will be having a movie night on Friday and a gala night on Saturday. It's going to be your first in this school and I'll like you all to look forward to it." The social prefect announced.
We all began to clap and ululate on hearing the news.
"There will be a lot of activities and if you are interested in performing on that day, you meet with the social prefect to write down your name."The Senior prefect commented as he was trying to get us to calm down.
Throughout that day, everybody kept on talking about it especially those who had siblings in other classes and had an idea of how things were done.
"Elsie, wake up! It's time for afternoon prep." Stacy shouted as she tapped me repeatedly.
"It's time for prep, be fast and get dressed. The hostel captain will soon lock the hostel."
I jumped down from my bed and began to dress up as the hostel Captain continued to count down.
"Five, four, three, two, one....."
Stacy and I made it out in time just before the hostel captain could lock the door.
"Thank goodness we made it out in time," I said as I tried to catch my breath.
"If we had been locked up inside because of you...."
"I would have to serve punishment on your behalf." I chirped in interrupting Stacy.
Stacy wasn't smiling and I knew she wasn't happy.
"I'm sorry naaaa, you know you also oversleep at times."
"Are you trying to guilt-trap me?" Stacy asked as she pinched me.
"Ouch!" I screamed in pain.
"You know I am only saying the truth." I hit Stacy on her shoulder and ran off.
We chased ourselves to our class.