Malayali in London ~ Part-16

Chapter -4:

...First Unit Tests...

Two hours go by and we start walking towards the haunted house to find Arienne and Caroline. We wait for about ten minutes and then they show up. Excited and with cotton candy and a few prizes in their hands. I’m chewing a piece of the gum I won when Arienne turns to me, “You got more of that?” I nod and hand her a piece. She puts it in her mouth and says, “Who wants to go into the haunted house?” I immediately raise my hand; I’ve loved haunted houses since I was a kid. My gesture makes Arienne perk up, “That’s what I’m talking about! Sorry about earlier, you definitely aren’t like my brother, he would never in a million years suggest going into a haunted house.” I laugh at that. Caroline buys the tickets and we go in. Arienne was right, Theo didn’t like the idea of a haunted house. He was so terrified in there; I’m guessing Arienne was the one who had the most fun.

.       .       .

I wave to Theo and Arienne goodbye and go to my house. I get in, change and have dinner. My mother asked me a billion questions about how my time was. She seems really worried about how I’m coping with this new place. I’d say that it’s so far so good. I have a few friends; Theo, Twyla and a couple of people I met in class, and it’s pretty good but it’s still not home. I really miss Thiruvananthapuram sometimes. I miss the beach; I miss the hours I wasted away just sitting at the shore. But I have no time to miss home, I’ve got to study for my first unit tests. My tests start in a couple of weeks. I’ve already done most of the syllabus, but it’s never enough. The more I study the better, I want to keep my grades as high as I can.

.       .       .

William stops the car in front of the university, “good luck,” he says. I get out of the car, “not going to need it,” I say before closing the door. I walk into the building and find Theo revising for his test beside the door, “morning, Theo,” I say. He looks up and asks, “Good morning, Akshi, which subject’s test have you got today?”

“Journalism, you?”

“Finance accounting.”

I swear to God I have no idea what that even means, I just nod, wish him good luck and walk into my exam room. I take my seat and wait for the examiner to come and begin the exam.

.       .       .

I’m waiting outside the university’s gate, Theo just stepped out of the building and walking down the stairs right now. “How was your exam?” He asks me as we start walking. “Went great! But the invigilator sure seemed a bit paranoid but I think I’ll get an A1, yours?”

“Went better than I expected it to, would expect a B1 or A2.”

We went on talking about our exams and studies the entire way home. I wave him goodbye at his house and walk to mine. We also talk about my mortal enemy, Charlotte, I haven’t seen her since the day when Professor Sterling took her to his office, to be honest; she must have been suspended.

 After getting home, I change and get down to work, I’ve got linguistics up next, and it’s the hardest of all my subjects.

.       .       .

My last unit test for medieval literature just got over and I’m now walking out of the exam room. I have a bunch of free periods after this, and as far as I know, so do the business students. I walk outside to the grass grounds to find Theo sitting and sketching in the distance. I walk over to him to see what he’s drawing.