"So who is this Jeremy you mentioned?" Kelvin asked as they were walking around the school.
"He's... never mind." James intended to explain, but as the memory of the incident flashed in his head, he stopped mid-way.
The trio kept walking around the school, with Priscilla and Kelvin giving pointers on navigating the campus.
Occasionally, they would stop and enter buildings to show James their purpose.
It appeared the entirety of Braxton was
segmented into two parts: one for junior high and another for senior high.
The long fence that segmented the school had a large gate in the middle that connected the senior high students and junior high students.
The two segments also had three main blocks, each representing a grade. There were also other blocks for extracurricular activities and school administration.
The senior high segment and junior high segment each had a gate for exit and entrance.
"And we are back where we started. Phew!" Kelvin said and heaved a sigh. "This is the last building—the Grade 10 block. Obviously, this is the block we currently belong to, and it's where all Grade 10 classes are, as well as other facilities to support learning."
"Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it. I already thought of getting a 3D sketch of the school so I wouldn't wander off to the wrong place... but, thanks to both of you, I'll be fine now," James said with a vivid smile on his face.
Before the two by his side could reply, a bell chimed to indicate the commencement of another lesson.
"Oh! Fuck me! We were gone for sixty-six minutes, thirty five seconds already?!" Kelvin shouted.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were time-conscious," James said and smiled before they rushed to their class.
The trio heaved a sigh when they entered and found no teacher. They soon rushed to their respective seats before the next teacher entered. After a couple of minutes, the History teacher entered, and his name was John Maxwell.
The class went well, and James also left a good impression on John Maxwell.
Although History wasn't really his strength, he studied ahead of the class, therefore, giving him an edge to understand faster than the others.
Many chimes had been heard, indicating the commencement of another lesson and even the one for break. But the one they heard a few seconds ago was for the end of today's lessons.
Students were rushing out of their blocks immediately after the last bell chimed.
Although they were rushing out, only a few went towards the gate to take their leave. Many were hanging around, playing tricks on each other, discussing, and even some could be seen engaged in foreplay.
"Attention all senior high students! Report to the assembly hall immediately!" A booming masculine voice announced from a speaker, in accordance with other speakers placed all around the senior high edifices.
"An announcement? But some of us went home already," one of the students said.
"Do you think there's a problem?" another asked.
"I hope it's not a problem and it's just an announcement."
"Wait, do you think it has to do with the new boy? The one Eric was blabbering all about? I hope it's not another issue of..." another said before he was cut off.
"Don't mention that name, or else you'll jinx us!"
The students were swarming to the assembly hall from all directions; they were curious to hear the news.
Just then, a figure slightly taller than most students approached a certain group.
"Ah! Kelvin, I see you're with the new boy. James, is it? It's good to see big brains working together," John Maxwell, the History teacher, said with a smile on his face. "I thought this might be of most interest to you." He said and ran ahead of the students.
John's voice was thick and loud, and it was no surprise that most of the students around Kelvin, Priscilla, and James heard what he said.
Kelvin, in his own way, was popular. The teachers always commended him for his intelligence in other students' presence. He was also known for his wealthy family and his father being one of the school sponsors.
In essence, the students were able to tell who the new boy was after taking a quick glance at the group.
"Wait, that's the new boy?" a student asked, looking at James.
"He's quite the handsome one," a female student said as her cheeks were heating up.
"Mr. Eric kept saying he answered most of his questions well in our class. That annoying man kept comparing us to the new boy," another one said with his face scrunched.
"Ah! Now I understand why Kelvin is with him."
"Intelligent and cute? Oh my gosh!" a female student giggled.
"Hold it, Cinderella. He might not be your prince charming; he might be another... Bucky waiting in the corner."
"Who said that name?!" a student yelled.
...
Everyone was soon in the assembly hall, anticipating the announcement.
The assembly hall spanned about a hundred meters on all sides, making it look like a mini stadium.
The building itself was square-shaped and had four doors, each on a side. No doubt, the hall could hold a thousand students.
In the hall, steel chairs, no less than fifteen hundred, were stacked in several rows and arranged by one side of the wall.
The floor was tiled, and the reflections of the fluorescent bulbs hung on the ceiling made the tiles glimmer.
At the extreme end, there was an elevated platform with big speakers and other media devices serving as a stage.
Several small speakers were also hung on the walls throughout the hall.
"Good day, everyone! First things first, we're sorry for calling you on short notice," an old man with oversized glasses spoke with a booming voice.
The voice was the same that came through the speakers earlier, and it was none other than the Principal, Williams Jones's voice.
By his sides, Eric and John stood with their arms placed at their backs, looking like soldiers at ease.
Other teachers were also on the stage, staring down at the students.
"We had word from one of our sponsors to prepare an event based on two subjects, History and Geography. It sounds weird, right? After all, it's just the first week of a new semester."
"But, it's a win for the school and the selected students. The winners of the event get a full scholarship from this semester till the end of their journey in Braxton, plus other benefits for the school," Williams announced.
As soon as he finished saying this, murmurings were all over the hall.
"What does he mean by the rest of our journey in Braxton?"
"WAIT! Is he saying till Grade 12?!" a student shouted.
"Silence!" Williams's voice boomed inside the hall, causing an instantaneous silence.
"If he keeps shouting like that, his lungs will burst," a student silently joked.
"Yes! The full scholarship is till Grade 12," Williams continued. "I know some students left before the announcement, so we'll be giving the terms and conditions for participation tomorrow when all students are present."
"You're all dismissed. Please, stay safe," Eric said, rounding off the assembly.
With that said, students rushed out, heading home with anticipation for tomorrow's meeting.
'I wonder what the event is all about. For such a reward, it must be grand.' This was what most students had in their minds, including James.