[Friday, 14/05/2021]
The last two months and a half after we won state went by in a breeze as it was mostly just parties and late-night sessions with a book, not the naughty kind either. Due to covid messing up our year, it was surprising that we still managed to play in the state final, but everything is messed up when it comes to school. Half the teachers don't want to be back in school and they will let you know by coming looking like the poster child for trailer park resident.
The other half has been away from civilization for so long that they act like neglected dogs when their owner comes back from work. Half the time they are either tripping over their own words or are trying to make sense of the world now that they have to wear pants. Well, none of that mattered to me though because I'm the senior. Why do I say it like that good question?
Have you ever had that dream where you are the man on campus, you can do no wrong because you are both popular and academically aright? Well, that is me in a nutshell. It is the perks of being broke, you have less distraction to lead you astray and all you can think of is taking your chance. That and the fact my light-skinned sister decided to channel her black side when she took on the role of a parent meant I was either training or studying, no running in the streets for this one.
Which is too bad because I've heard a couple of salty Og's say I've got the built to get serious work done in them streets. Yara only got stricter during the lockdown where she was treating that shit like it's a concentration camp of screaming as much knowledge in my head as possible. Man, I learned things I didn't know I had to, I learned things I wish I didn't have to, and lead things that I will never forget, 'too bad back people don't do therapy'.
Anyway, she prepared me for the big battle ahead of me finals week, well actually just 3 days from Wednesday to Friday. So, while you were playing Fortnite or watching some guy disappointedly point his hands at simple ways of doing things I was praying to God to stop the pandemic so I can finally slack off in school again. I think I lost more sleep during the pandemic than when I was actually attending school.
Oh yeah quick recap, we partied some, and by some, I mean a lot, we studied some and finally got our rings for winning state. Which is 2 rings for me but who is counting really having fun is all that matters or, so I have been told. Anyway, you're probably wondering if this rambling is going somewhere anytime soon, well so am I because I'm so incredibly bored.
What they don't tell you about studying is how boring it is when you finish your paper ahead of time and have to just sit there. Right now, I just finished my AP maths paper in a record 30 minutes and even triple-checked it in hopes of mistakes that I could waste another second with. Luck wasn't on my side though and I didn't find a mistake, as a matter of fact, I'm debating whether to put in a mistake on purpose like Ayanokoji.
However, thinking of the prospect of my sister losing her shit when we eventually get my grades in, I held off. All for her sake of course. Anyway, this is not only the last exam of the day but also my last high school exam. Unlike most schools around the country who decided to just roll the dice and give their students grades based on their previous works and random online tests that totally no one used Chat GPT on we had to do our exam in person.
Our teachers are weird like that, they actually care if we get an education despite the school being located in the middle of the hood. Guess that's what happens when people start mistaking the school for the real-life All-American, and teachers are forced to live up to it. My only problem right now though is that guy right there.
We call him Mr Donald, but he is more like everybody's Uncle Tom, a stickler to the rules to a fault. He is the type of guy in a horror movie who will wait for you to fasten your seatbelt before driving off. Even then he will obey every traffic light and stick to the speeding limit, he will die for his beliefs.
Right now, he stood before me and there was nothing short of a heart attack and diarrhea that could get me out of there. Don't know about y'all but I'm not finna let my high school legacy that has so far been Legen-dary, word to Barney be ruined by me shitting myself. I'd be alright if he let me sleep but they won't let you do that either something about you relaxing being a disturbance to the others.
~~~
[Friday, 21/05/2021]
A week later my phone was blowing up with sad messages from my teammates who realised that their era as the kings of Crenshaw High was coming to an end. They could no longer attend the parties and not be considered losers who couldn't hack. Getting hookers became that much harder now that no one would give a rat's ass about the fact you played for the state-winning Crenshaw Cougars.
Some who realised this started to act out more than they should, more often than I can remember I've watched some of them speak to students they have never given a second look to. The strange part is they were acting as if they were talking to a long-lost friend, they wouldn't forget the second they left school. Matter of fact they could meet on the streets two days after graduation, and they wouldn't even recognise the fact they shared the same hall.
Some other teammates were too busy trying to relive their glory moments no matter the cost. 2 months after the state final and they were still telling it as if it was just yesterday just with a bigger special effects budget. I even heard one guy tell it like a Western revolver duel showdown. It got so bad that they even started to relieve the glory moments from other people's perspective, but if you were not in the know you could never tell that they rode the bench for most of the season.
Today was different though as all of that BS would finally stop and we would finally get to know who is just gearing up for the next stage or is milking their crashlanding for what it's worth. We had gotten our results from our final exams at some point in the morning, but I was at a private workout and couldn't be bothered to check. To be honest, a part of me also wasn't ready to let go of what had been my safety net for four years now.
"You ready to find out," Yara asked me the moment I exited my room with my afro still damp from the quick shower I had taken. Looking at her and little Kyra's excited faces almost made me think it was the two of them getting their results and not me.
"Hurry up brother, big sis will let us order in if your results are good," little Kyra exclaimed in excitement not at all realising how she had insulted our sister's cooking. She is a woman of many talents, but cooking is not, even though she tries her best to make something edible. The only things she can cook to a five-star level are Mum's Collard Greens recipe and Baked Mac and Cheese.
I raised a brow at Kyra's little jab, but she didn't even notice as she hopped around in excitement. Yara just folded her arms, tapping her foot like she had a rocket in her shoe. They were both staring at me like I was about to reveal the winning lottery numbers.
"Let me breathe first, will you?" I said, patting my pockets for my phone. Even though I'd been waiting all week to see my results, now that the moment had come, my hand felt kinda shaky. It almost felt like I was making my final snap at a deadlocked game in the final quarter, where my next action could decide the game.
"Just give me that," Yara exclaimed as she proceeded to yank the letter out of my hand and opened it faster than the flash could blink. Before I knew it, she was reading its content with a serious demeanour as if she was deciphering the Codex Sinaiticus.
"I hate to break it to you, but you are..."
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To Be Continued...