Her pen moving hurriedly over the page like it had a mind of its own, she smiled at the ease in which the answers came to her. The nights she had spent up reading for the exam were not wasted because the questions felt like a walk in the park for her. They were things that she could have given the correct answers to if she was woken up from sleep and asked to work them out.

“Oh, this is so easy”

Muttering to herself, she cross checked her answers for what felt like the fortieth time. So much was riding on the exam that she couldn’t afford to make a careless mistake no matter what. Her father had only allowed her to go forward with her intention of writing the exam when he heard all that happened with the strange girl in the supermarket.

She had been surprised at his sudden change of heart but when she overheard him telling her mother how weak and insulted he felt that his daughter was treated in such a manner just because he wasn’t economically powerful, she understood.

Initially, he hadn’t wanted her exposed to the harsh realities of how the rich treated the poor but perhaps hearing of her experience with a rich girl who seemed to be the same age as her, he soon realised that no matter how much he tried to protect her, the world was still a wicked place and all she could do was aspire to be more and seized every opportunity that came her way which was why she needed to be confident before she submitted. When she was sure that she was going to get at least a 90% mark in the exam, she submitted her paper and walked out of the hall.

“Fingers crossed that I make the grade needed and get in”

She closed her eyes as she hoped the universe aligned in her favour so she wasn’t looking at where she was going. It wasn’t long before she bumped into someone which made her eyes fly open.

When she saw who she bumped into, her heart dropped to her stomach while she looked for a way to get out of the mess that she had walked into all by herself. She was about to apologise and vanish into thin air by running away when she was beaten to it.

“Look what the cat dragged in”

Sonia drawled as she looked over Sofia who was about to bolt. Ashley and Brittany who were as usual, flanking Sonia blocked her way out so she was forced to stand there.

“Now, what business could a smelly church rat like yourself have here?”

Before she could respond, Ashley reached out for the tag that Sofia was given at the front desk which she was wearing on her neck.

“Says here that she’s a candidate for the scholarship exam”

Sonia immediately rolled her eyes and hissed loudly.

“I really have to tell father to scrap that stupid scholarship thing. That’s why these poor idiots think they can rub shoulders with people like us instead of remaining in the slums where they belong. Ugh!”

In all of these, Sofia was quiet because the last thing she wanted was a repeat of what happened at the supermarket in a school that all things going as she hoped, she was going to be a a student of sooner rather than later.

“Do you not know how to speak or are you in any way ignoring me?”

Already itching to be outside so she could rush home and tell her parents who she was sure were waiting for her to tell how the exam went, she didn’t reply, assuming that was the best way to get her off her back.

“Did your father not teach you how to respect people or is he an idiot just like you?”

Sofia glared up at Sonia, forgetting her resolve to be quiet.

“Don’t ever speak about my father. You can do or say whatever you like to me but leave my parents out of it”

Sending each of the three girls a look, she pushed on Brittany’s shoulder and stormed away, annoyed at what was happening. She didn’t even know who Sonia was but yet she was bent on bullying her every chance she got.

Just when she thought she had the last say and had escaped the horrid girls, she felt a pull on her hair which made her hand fly up to her head and her steps falter. She was dragged back by her hair and thrown to the floor so that she hit the ground with a thud. In pain from where her body made contact with the hard floor, she winced.

“I walk out on you and not the other way around, rat”

Bending down to face Sofia, Sonia pulled at her ear so hard that Sofia thought her ear was going to end up being cut off.

“I’ll let the nonsense you just did slide but never try that again”

Pushing her away from herself, Sonia straightened and walked away, her heels clacking as her minions followed suit. A few metres away, Nate, the boy she had her eye on for forever was walking towards her. She quickly turned to Ashley.

“How are my girls?”

Ashley glanced at her breasts and gave her a thumbs up just before popping yet another button in the already unbuttoned shirt she was wearing.

“How’s my makeup?”

Brittany quickly brought out a tube of gloss and reapplied a few coats on Sonia’s lips. After spritzing some perfume, Sonia sashayed over to where Nate was, putting her in his path which prevented him from moving forward.

“Hi, Nate”

Without even sparing her as much as a glance, he passed by her like she didn’t exist. Sonia turned and faced her friends who had their jaws dropped at what they just saw. Seeing as they were no help, she turned around to see what got Nate’s focus away from her. That was when she saw him bending down at the side of the stupid, poor church rat.

“What?”