"Okay, wait, wait, tell me what you just said is a lie." Rachel finally spoke after a minute of stunned silence.

"Seriously. I..." I trailed off as I started crying again. "I failed Rachel, I failed!" I stood up immediately and ran upstairs, crying profusely.

I opened the door to my room and slammed it really hard after I had got inside. I didn't bother pulling off my clothes or anything. I just tossed my school bag at a corner. I threw myself on my small bed which was orange and blue, blandly looking at the ceiling. Tears continued to trickle down my eyes.

I didn't bother to lock the door because I didn't want Rachel knocking on it and I would then be forced to stand up and open it. We both slept in the same room but different beds.

I kept on staring at the ceiling until my eyes became heavy and then I drifted to my slumber land.

* * * *

"Wake up." Someone tapped me. The voice sounded like a female's voice. It almost sounded like she was whispering.

"Wake up!" The person tapped me even harder, disturbing me from my beauty sleep. I grumbled, rolling on my bed. I felt so lazy to stand up.

"Come and eat." Now that was Rachel's voice.

I suddenly stood up, feeling fully awake. "Is mom and dad back already?" I asked, yawning at the same time.

"Come on, close this smelling mouth of yours joor! See how she's even yawning. You for even swallow me join. Well, it is only mummy that's around. Dad hasn't returned from work yet."

"Rachel! Mummy is calling you!" Richard, my younger brother, barged in our room. "You'll not put your ear down." He said before leaving the room.

"Okay. You'd better change your clothes now. Since, you're still wearing your uniform." Rachel said before leaving the room too.

Oh God! What do I tell mum now if she asked. Should I lie? No, she would probably get to find out later. Oh God!

My heart started pounding in my chest. I knew mum wasn't gonna be happy at all if I told her I repeated a class.

"Argh! Whatever happens, let it happen. I just have to tell her whether I liked it or not." I thought to myself.

I quickly took off my uniform and went to the bathroom. I had my bath and changed to my night wears.

I left the room, shutting the door silently, so no one would hear it. I went downstairs and found only Richard in the living room watching TV.

Let's talk about Richard who was my thirteen year old brother. He was very boisterous and stubborn. He was also talkative, never did he keep his mouth shut. Whenever he heard any confidential conversation my sister and I had, he would always threaten to tell our parents until we gave him what he wanted Sometimes, even after we had given him what he wanted, he would still go to tell them anytime we annoyed him. But despite all his downsides, he was very adorable and lively. He was the best brother I could ask for, even though I would never admit it to him.

"Where's Rachel and mum?" I asked but he was so engrossed in the cartoon he was watching that he didn't spare me a glance. "Where's Rachel and mum?!" I raised my voice to octave this time around.

He jolted from where he was sitting. He probably didn't hear me the first time.

"Why are you shouting? Do you wanna block my ear?" He asked robbing his ear with his index finger. "What did you say sef?"

Did he just ask me that?

"It seems like you're deaf!"

"You just woke up from your slumber land and you've started throwing insults at me. If you like don't talk, that's your business." He returned to watching the TV.

"Okay, where's mum and Rachel?" I asked with a very soft tone.

"They are here."

"Where?" I asked quizzically, roaming my eyes everywhere.

"Here." He said, pointing at his dick and rolling his eyes at me.

Did this idiot just answer me like that? Does he think that I'm joking?

"Be serious. Where are they?" I asked, my tone was laced with seriousness.

"Okay, they went to..."

"Hello, we are back." Rachel came in, interrupting Richard from what he was saying. She was with a polythene bag in her hand.

"Where are you guys coming from and what is in your hand?" I asked.

"Ah ah, have you woken up dear?" Mum asked as she entered inside even before Rachel could answer my questions.

"Good evening ma." I greeted her.

"How are you?" She said, caressing my cheeks with her warm hands.

"I'm fine."

"Why were you sleeping today when I got back from work?"

"I..I..." I stuttered, sneaking glances at Rachel who was smiling broadly at me. I was looking at her out of uncertainty of what to say.

"Answer me. I have some important things to do. Or you are not feeling too well?" She asked worriedly, touching my body to be sure if I was in a normal health condition.

"Mummy, I'm fine. I was only tired."

"Okay. You guys should go and have your dinner. Richard my boy, have you eaten?"

"I thought you said we should wait for you until you get back with Rachel before we can take our food." He said.

"And when did you ever take to my instructions." Mum said, walking to the staircase.

"Ever since you started scolding me for not taking to your instructions." He replied immediately.

"Come and take your food, Ruby and Richard." Rachel called us from the kitchen. "Mummy, should I bring your food?" She stressed her voice further so that mum could hear her wherever she was.

"No. Just drop it on the dinning table. I'll come join you guys later!" Mum hollered.

Some minutes later, she joined us in the dinning table. By then we've started eating already.

"Did you guys pray before eating your food?" Mum asked after her ten minute of silent prayer.

"Yes we did." Rachel talked even before I could say anything. Did she just lie? I gave her a very disgusting look, making her feel guilty about lying.

"Ehen, we did not pray. I don't know why Rachel is lying." Richard said, revealing the truth to mum. Like I said before, he was a chatter box.

"Ah gosh!" I face palmed, shaking my head . "I wonder where this guy came from."

"I wonder." Rachel said.

"So you girls have started lying to me right?" Mummy asked, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Like we've never done that before. Pfft!

Mum was a very nice woman. She hardly flogs, not to talk of holding a cane. But she could be a little too extra sometimes. Asides that, she was very free and understanding.

"Mum, it's not like that." I spoke up this time around.

"Then it's like what?"

"Mummy just forget." I muttered.

"What did you say?" Mum asked.

"It's nothing. Is dad not going to come back home?" I asked, deviating from the topic totally.

"He is not coming anytime soon. He called me in the afternoon telling me he was gonna be coming back late today, probably by 1am or 2am. There's a lot of work he has to do." Mum explained.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"I just answered that." She said, lifting a spoon filled with rice and stew to her mouth.

We kept on eating our food in silence, no one was talking, not even Richard who was talkative uttered a word. It was an awkward moment. I guess it was time I told her I failed my exam.

"Ehen Ruby," Mum decided to break the silence. I raised my head immediately to look at her ready for whatever she was about to say or ask, but she didn't look at me. She was still staring at her food. "How about your exam. Is the result out yet?" She asked.

She was staring at me this time. She dropped her spoon on her plate, facing me squarely like she knew about the result already but was just pretending to ask me.

"Uhm..I..." I stuttered. I didn't know if I should tell her the truth or just lie to her. I looked at Rachel who was already looking at me. She was probably as dumbfounded as I was. Richard kept on eating his food, not minding what was going on.

I was sweating already.

"Uhm..no, they said that they would announce the names on Monday." I lied. I was even more afraid now. What if she knew?

"Ah, why are they wasting time to release the result?"

"I don't know." I was a bit relieved now. At least she did not know anything about it.

* * * *

Woah! What a chapter?
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