CHAPTER 23

I returned to school the following January very excited to be reunited with friends and classmates. Ben had spent the holidays in Bali and took loads of pictures to show me. Kyle was in Adelaide to visit his aunt and uncle and came back sporting a nice tan.

Although I no longer needed to sleep in Kyle's room, we saw each other almost everyday. Sometimes he would stop by my room after meals and would talk to Ben and me for hours. The three of us then decided to form a study group to prepare for the O Levels at the end of the year.

The school Yearbook came back from the printers in the middle of February. Adrian stopped by one day and dropped me a copy. I eagerly leafed through it. Everything looked good. The school principal was extremeley pleased, Adrian said.

"Adrian," I opened my mouth as he was about to leave my room.

"Yes?"

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah. Only sometimes I get nervous thinking about the O's. Especially when last year had been a complete honeymoon."

"Well, me, too. I wish I had spent more time with the books. Listen. Kyle, Ben and I have formed a study group. Would you like to join us?"

"You, and I, together? In a group? No, I think I'll pass...," he smiled.

"Erm, yeah. I suppose that's not a good idea," I said.

"Well, goodbye Gabe, and good luck."

"You, too."

And then he was gone.

The O Levels were extremely important as they would determine the academic future of a student. Good grades would secure a place in a local university or a bursary for further studies abroad. Mediocre or poor performance would get students almost nowhere.

I was understandably nervous and promised myself to work hard. Often times, Ben and Kyle would find me at our regular study place ahead of schedule, already buried in books. I would also be the last to leave.

December came and we sat for the exams. I felt such a strong relief once it was all over, although there was always a nagging uneasiness at the back of my mind. I found Chemistry and Calculus extremely difficult.

Kyle and Ben asked me not to worry too much. The results would only be announced in March, so there was no sense in ruining the long holiday now. I could worry later, they said. We had better start packing, anyway.

Two days after the exams were over, Ben's parents came to pick him up. After he left, Kyle and I resumed packing our things. I had accepted Kyle's invitation to spend the first couple of weeks of the holidays with him and his family.

I sent word home and received no objection. I was, after all, seventeen years old.