TYWA 2020 Nomination for The Read-Worthy Prize Gloria

 

12 - A GREATER REWARD 

Owolabi Gloria Abosede lives in Osun State (17 years old). This story was slightly edited for grammatical accuracy and to better serve TGF readers. The originality of the story is 100% intact.

"Please... God, please."

Helen shut her eyes and opened them the next second. She let out a sigh. Her eyes were glued to Jenny's lips.

Just last week, she had caught Jenny formatting the flash drive containing her group assignment. She had confronted her, but Jenny had lit into her, telling her to go ahead and do her worst.

She had kept the matter to herself and had done the assignment again single-handedly. Why should she tell someone, knowing Jenny would get punished if her class teacher got to know? She had forgiven her when she apologized, but she had also been afraid... afraid of what Jenny would do next in an attempt to pull ahead of her.

Now that Jenny was with her in the principal's office, claiming to know the lying one between Tom and her, Helen's fear doubled. 

Jenny's words came in bits.

"Tom lied about Helen taking his answer script because she refused to tell him some answers. He placed his answer script on Helen's table, and asked her to give it to his girlfriend, Kate, sitting behind her."

Helen's eyes lit up. Jenny was defending her! 

Jenny dipped her hands into her pocket and brought out her phone. She hesitated at first. "Very early this morning, I was alone in the classroom preparing for the oral part of the examination, using the sound recorder application on my phone when Tom and Kate entered the classroom. Tom boasted to help Kate with his answers before he noticed my presence. I pretended not to hear what he said even though I and my sound recorder did."

Every other thing happened very fast. Tom apologized to Helen before the school, and was suspended for two weeks. He'd have to retake his examinations too.

Of course, Helen was happy after all that happened. However, she couldn't hold back the tears that cascaded down her cheeks when the least expected happened in the principal's office. Jenny apologized for her cruel act done out of jealousy once again, and when she showed appreciation for her forgiveness, Helen had to let her tears flow as much as they would as she pulled Jenny into an embrace. 

They were tears that reminded her that Jenny would have been silent about the truth if she had not forgiven her. Tears of celebrating a reward, greater than getting Jenny punished. Tears of a new friendship. Tears of joy.

Review: To say that something great could be born when forgiveness takes its full course is the truth of this inspiring work! -TGF team.

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