My first year in school was a very crazy one, we were up to 500 students that were admitted to study a course in a class and it used to be very competitive during lectures because if one didn't go to class 20 minutes before the lecture, there won't be any space to seat and this means that it's either the student stands on the window side and listen from there or the students go the forefront where the lecturer is and sit on the floor.
As rough as the situation was, it was favourable at some point because, during tests (continuous assessment), we could cheat very well especially writing for our friends who weren't around and the lecturer wouldn't know.
But a day came when Mr Nana, our Statistics lecturer held his test. He made sure he squeezed every one of us inside the class, onto the wooden long bench that was supposed to contain 3 on a seat, we were sitting 5 each, the hall was boiling, and we were sweating but it was none of his concern.
"My rules are very simple. I know I can't control cheating here, so do your work but make sure I don't catch you because if I do, it's either the person that wrote the original or the person who copied will fail it" Mr Nana said in his faint voice which most of us at the backseats struggled to hear.
Before then, we had heard that Mr Nana does not take nonsense when it comes to his exams or tests, that he takes his time to mark all the answer booklet one after the other and when he compares and sees that two people wrote the same thing, he scores one zero and leaves the other one.
"So you want to tell me that he'll be able to mark 500 booklets and compare them one after the other. Taaaaah!" Asama, one of the noisiest guys in the backseat said aloud and we all burst into laughter.
Mr Nana went on to write the four questions on the whiteboard, he wrote them very bold so that those of us at the back would be able to see and as soon as he finished writing, the hall turned to marketplace, murmurs that were louder than shouts circulated the hall and Mr Nana, sat at a corner and was smiling.
In the back seat where I was seated, I was the only guy who prepared for the test and as soon as I started writing, I saw heads from necks like that of a zebra, from every angle stretched down to my book.
"Hey guys!" I screamed but my scream didn't go anywhere, it was swallowed by the people who gathered me. The scream came with me closing my booklet which made all the extended heads copying from my booklet stay still.
"You've heard what this man said, what if I fail and you guys pass" My voice sounded pleading.
"Forget that man!"
"You have a soft heart!"
Some of them said in unison and laughed.
"Abeg, let's do it this way, copy but change your grammar" I pleaded.
"Oh, we heard you!" They agreed and we bounced back into writing.
Not quite long after, Mr Nana announced for submission, the class Rep, who was the only person who could collect the booklets, went around fighting and collecting the booklets from all the students. Mr Nana packed them into his car and drove off.
We didn't even think of what the outcome would be because that's not the first test we've had, so we just took it as a normal thing not until after two weeks when Mr Nana came to class with the booklets to return to us.
"Where's Afokaye the class Rep?" He asked after he used his eyes to scan the crowd and couldn't find him.
"He went out" A lady sitting at the front chair replied and he called the lady to come and call the names of the booklet.
The lady went on, climbed on the desk, picked one booklet and instead of calling the name instantly, she burst into laughter and that sent us the signal that Mr Nana did what he said.
She went on to scream the name on the first booklet after she had laughed, "Oghenebrume Harrison!"
Our eyes got fixed on Harrison as he got up and walked to where the lady was to collect his booklet. We saw him, he picked up the booklet, and his face which was once filled with smiles turned sour as he glanced at his score. He angrily squeezed it into his pocket. He got to his seat, carried his bag and left the class.
At that time, my heart left my body while thinking of my life because up to 9 students copied from my work that day and the people didn't mind that that was stealing someone's thunder.
The lady went on to call names and I was expecting that one of the guys who copied from me would collect theirs first but no, I heard my name "Okpala Kingsley!". I got up, took my bag alongside with the intention of walking out of the class in case I got zero, and I walked to her, I picked up the booklet from her and when I saw it, a smile took over my face, I saw '16/20' written boldly there and I decided to walk back to my seat to celebrate my victory with my guys and they hailed me when they saw the score.
The most interesting that is that, among all the nine, there's only one guy who was given Zero. What a bad luck for him!
Thanks for reading.