Chapter 7 The Scholarship Race

The Announcement

The new term began with the usual flurry students catching up, lockers banging open, teachers hurrying through hallways. But on the first Friday of assembly, something changed.

The school proprietor, a calm but firm man with glasses that always slid to the edge of his nose, stepped onto the podium with a file in his hand.

"From this term forward," he announced, "any student who comes first in their class will enjoy a full tuition-free scholarship for the next term."

Gasps. Murmurs. And then silence as the weight of the news settled.

"This reward," he continued, "is not only to push you to study harder, but to make this school a symbol of academic excellence. You work hard, we reward you. That's it."

Faith's heart thudded.

A scholarship? That was more than motivation it was a gift.

Her parents had already sacrificed so much to send her to this private school. And now, with her little brother soon to enroll in nursery school, she saw a chance to ease their burden. If she could keep coming first, their money could go to him instead.

She clenched her fists quietly.

"I have to win this," she whispered to herself.

The Pressure and the Promise

From that day, something in Faith shifted.

She was already studious but now, she was on a mission.

Each time she opened her books, she remembered her parents' tired faces after long days at work. She thought of her little brother, barely four, always asking, "Faith, will I wear uniform like you soon?"

She smiled at the thought but she also carried it like fuel.

The scholarship wasn't just for her. It was for them.

Her daily routine tightened:

Morning prep, focus in class, quick lunch, after-school study group, then assignments late into the evening.

Frank was still sharp sometimes even sharper than before but he noticed something had changed in Faith. She wasn't just learning anymore. She was fighting for something.

Still, there was no bitterness between them only silent respect. They had grown from rivals to something stronger: academic allies. They challenged each other without needing to say a word.

At the end of the second term, the results came in.

First Position: Lazarus Faith

Again.

She was called up during assembly to receive a scholarship certificate from the school proprietor himself.

As cameras clicked and classmates clapped, Faith held the paper carefully, like a fragile crown. She looked out at the students and teachers then toward the sky.

This is for you, mummy... daddy... and you too, Junior.

And so the pattern continued.

From JSS1 Second Term

To JSS3 Last Term

Faith took first place every time.

Junior WAEC and the Abuja Break

By the time JSS3 wrapped up, Faith had built a reputation in the school.

Teachers called her "The Quiet Flame."

She didn't talk much, but her name echoed in every classroom.

Junior WAEC came, and like always, Faith approached it with calm confidence. She revised smart, not just hard. She solved past questions, joined late-night study calls, and sometimes even helped Gift with tricky topics.

When the exams came, she didn't panic.

She wrote like someone who had been preparing her whole life.

After the final paper, Faith exhaled deeply in the exam hall. It was done. Three full years of consistency, sacrifice, focus and she had made it.

Her parents didn't wait long before fulfilling their promise.

She was to spend the long break in Abuja, with her Auntie Miriam, who had been calling for months to "borrow their brilliant daughter."

From the moment she stepped off the bus, Faith felt the difference.

The streets were cleaner. The air fresher. Her aunt's house was big, modern with cool tiles, air conditioners, and steady electricity. Her cousins took to her immediately. They had heard of her brilliance and kept teasing her:

"Na you be Einstein abi?"

"Oya come and teach us book, scholarship girl."

Faith laughed, shy but happy.

The holiday was the reset she didn't know she needed.

Her aunt treated her like a princess taking her to malls, letting her explore the city, buying her new clothes and books. Faith even got a tablet as a reward for finishing JSS3 with distinction.

Still, she didn't forget who she was.

In quiet corners of the house, she'd revise ahead for SS1.

Not because anyone asked her to just because Faith never stopped preparing.

She was no longer just the new girl from Harmony Primary.

She was now the girl to watch.

And deep in her heart, she knew

The real race was just about to begin.

The Return & A New Goal

When the long holiday was over, Faith didn't want to leave Abuja.

She had grown fond of the calm, the comfort, the peace.

Her aunt cried a little as they packed her bag, slipping an envelope into her hand. "For snacks when you get back," she whispered with a wink. But Faith knew it was more than that. It was love. It was reward.

Her cousins hugged her tight. Her tablet was charged. Her spirit was full.

But more than anything, her mind was ready.

She returned home with a quiet fire in her chest.

Not just to continue winning, but to start preparing for the bigger stage senior secondary school. She had already heard stories: how the pressure would double, how science subjects would test her mind, how some students broke down under stress.

But Faith wasn't afraid.

She had already proven to herself over and over again that with the right mindset, focus, and grace, she could walk through fire and still come out whole.

At home, her parents welcomed her with joy.

They noticed she was more confident now, a bit more stylish too. Her younger brother clung to her side the entire weekend, asking questions about Abuja, about malls, about "big TVs on the wall." She smiled and promised him one day they'd go together.

When school resumed, Faith was placed in SS1A, the science class.

The pressure was immediate new textbooks, strange terminologies, longer periods but she embraced it. She no longer doubted whether she belonged.

She had built her place here.

And now?

She was ready to expand it.

No longer was it just about being first in class.

Now, Faith had a new mission:

Be prepared for life after school.

Her mindset shifted. She didn't just read to pass anymore.

She read to understand. She asked questions. She began to write things down, not just for exams, but for her future self the one she knew would stand before crowds, teach others, build dreams, and light the way.

Faith didn't know what the next few years would hold,

But one thing was certain:

She had started well.

And she wasn't about to stop.