There I was, sitting on the chair, my study desk in front of me, draped by my books and the subtle light glowing from my laptop. It was approximately 5:00 am and I had my final exam of Computer Science in less than four hours. Relief bubbled at the thought of my exams finally being over, yet it was suffused by anxiety, knowing it was all still not over.

I stared at my notes as if they were written in some foreign language, hope and despair dancing in my head, creating discreet chaos. Waking up early in the morning was an achievement I was proud of, fighting my instincts that begged me to remain a prisoner of my bed.

After skimming through the notes, I decided to take a break from the mental torture inflicted upon me by the books and made myself some coffee. It looked majestic, its frothy crown delicately bubbling, alongside tendrils of steam curling upwards. Upon tasting it, I entered a completely delicious world, leaving a tantalising richness, begging for another sip.

The coffee nurtured a positive vibe within me and I forced myself to study a bit more, as it was only a matter of a few hours before I would savour the taste of freedom. Incidentally, my friends had planned to head to a doughnut shop right after the exam, to celebrate the official conclusion of our exams and as a reward for keeping our noses to the grindstone. I slipped my phone into my pocket before leaving for school.

I hopped into the car, immediately switched on the air conditioner and began reading my notes. I tried my best to make sense of the words sprawled in front of me in tandem with glancing out of the window, silently willing time would pass faster. Each glance outside felt like a fleeting escape from the relentless grip of studying.

When I stepped into the school, one of my friends had already arrived and was playing basketball. I swiftly moved to the classroom and gradually more of my friends began pouring in. We started asking each other questions regarding the exam, adopting the air of seasoned computer professors, whilst being fully aware that we were in the same boat.

As soon as the paper was placed in front of me, I began reciting prayers and hoped for the best. With my hands full of confidence, I flipped the page and, to my surprise, the initial questions were quite easy and I attempted them with almost no hindrance. But just as I was becoming full of overconfidence, an arduous question appeared out of nowhere, which I and many of my friends believed to be not part of the syllabus.

I stared at it in an attempt to somehow retrieve the answer, but it remained elusive. The paper was easy for the most part, except for a couple snags.

When most of us had finished our paper, we started to chat with the invigilator. Subsequently, the invigilator let us out early as we all finished the exam on time. We raised our fists in triumph that the exams had officially ended. We briskly made for the basketball court and began capturing videos of each other whilst reliving the memories of gruelling hours we spent trying to study. We couldn’t help, but laugh recalling those laborious moments.

Nevertheless, we sat in a couple of cars and headed for the doughnut shop. I scanned the menu and chose the lotus pancakes as well as the delicate doughnut. My friends ordered mint margaritas and waffles with blueberry ice cream. It was honestly a sight to witness -- the scrumptious delights, blended with their incredulous smells.

Surrounded by the magnificent smells, we couldn’t help but enjoy ourselves. We shared a few jokes here and there, making most of our time at the doughnut shop. Some of my friends tried to act a bit sassy and sneaked into a house next door. They rang the bell of the house and immediately darted back to the doughnut shop. One of our friends, who filmed this, got his phone’s protractor broken in the process, but everything has a cost.

We paid the bill and snapped a few selfies, performing quirky poses and creating memories that would forever remind us of that day. Thereafter, my friends had planned to proceed to the beach, however, I chose not to as I had other commitments. I bid farewell to all of them and shortly after my father picked me up.

With a heart full of joy at the fact that I successfully overcame the exams, which were nothing more than adverse obstacles in my way, and was rewarded by spending quality time with my friends, forming lifelong memories.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 18th, 2025