The next day, Mr. Owonuga, the Basic Science teacher, entered Rita's class with a challenge. He stood at the front of the room, looking around at the students before speaking with authority.
"Why are you different from a motor car?" he asked.
Rita immediately raised her hand, her heart racing. She was always ready for a challenge, and this question seemed like the perfect opportunity to shine. Mr. Owonuga called on her.
"We are living things, while a motor car is a non-living thing," Rita answered confidently.
"That's correct!" Mr. Owonuga exclaimed, smiling. "A round of applause for Rita!"
The entire class erupted into claps and cheers. Rita beamed with pride, feeling the warmth of recognition spread through her. The applause made her feel like she had just won a victory, and for a moment, she felt invincible.
But before Rita could bask in the glow of her success, Mr. Owonuga asked another question. "Now, why is an animal different from a plant?"
Anne, who was sitting quietly nearby, immediately leaned forward. She wanted to answer this question. After all, she was the head girl-she should know this. But as she opened her mouth, the words didn't come out as she had hoped.
"Uhm... Animals... they... uh," Anne stammered, feeling her confidence slip away.
Rita's heart skipped a beat. She watched Anne's frustration mount as she struggled with the answer. Anne was always the one everyone looked up to, the one who seemed to know everything, but today she couldn't even answer such a basic question. The silence in the classroom was deafening, and Anne's face flushed red with embarrassment.
Rita couldn't help but feel a surge of triumph, but she also noticed the hurt in Anne's eyes, and for a moment, she hesitated. But the words that followed were automatic.
"Animals depend on plants for their food," Rita said smoothly, her voice steady and confident.
"Wow, a round of applause for Rita, the brilliant girl!" Mr. Owonuga praised, clapping his hands. He walked over and shook Rita's hand, his smile warm and genuine. Rita felt a rush of pride, the applause ringing in her ears as she stood tall.
But inside, something shifted. As she walked back to her seat, Rita couldn't help but think about Anne. The head girl-the one who was supposed to know everything-had failed to answer that question. It should have been her, not Rita, in the spotlight.
As the applause faded and the class settled back down, Rita's mind raced. W
as she really more brilliant than Anne?
The title of head girl seemed so insignificant now. It was just a title. Rita had proved herself today, and that's what mattered most. She felt a surge of pride in herself, as if a weight had been lifted.
Rita realized that Anne, despite being the head girl, wasn't perfect. She wasn't always the smartest, and Rita began to wonder whether the title had been given to the wrong person. Deep down, Rita started to feel that maybe, just maybe, she deserved the title more than Anne.
As the lesson continued, Rita's thoughts lingered on the idea that her success today had shown her something important. She had her own brilliance-something that was unique to her. And she wasn't going to let anyone, not even Anne, take that away from her.