chapter 2
The fake printout
next day, Rachel arrived at the hospital location for their comedy shoot. The sun was already high, and the rest of her crew were setting up the ring light and microphone.Vivian, her best friend, was the first to see her. She stopped what she was doing and stared.”Ah! Rachel, what are you doing here?” she asked in surprise. “I thought your father asked you to go and change your course? Your parents were so angry yesterday, I thought you would be at the CBT centre by now.”Rachel dropped her bag and smiled confidently, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.”Omo, I’m not changing anything,” she replied.Vivian looked at her, confused. “Really? So what are you going to do? You know your father, Barrister Edwin. He doesn’t joke with that kind of thing.”Rachel moved closer and lowered her voice. “See, I have already discussed it with Sir White, the man in charge of the CBT centre near our school. He is going to print a fake change-of-course slip for me. I’ll give it to my dad and make him believe I changed my course to Law in UNN. Meanwhile, I’ll keep my Theatre Arts course intact until I get admission and enter school.”Vivian’s mouth fell open. “Ahhh, Rachel! Are you sure this will work? And even if it works, are you going to hide this from your father forever? Your father is a lawyer, he will investigate!””Don’t worry, Vivian. It will work. Sir White said he has done it before. And when the time comes to tell him, I’ll tell him. For now, let me have peace in that house. Relax.”It was a dangerous plan, but it was the only plan Rachel had.That was how Rachel carried out her plan exactly as she had arranged it. Sir White collected two thousand naira and printed a very neat, official-looking document with the UNN logo. To any eye that wasn’t checking the JAMB portal, it looked real.That evening, with her heart beating rapidly like a drum, she walked toward her father’s room and knocked softly.”Who is it?” Mr. Edwin’s deep voice came from inside.”Daddy, it’s me,” Rachel answered, her voice slightly shaky.”Oh, my baby. Come in.”Rachel entered the room and greeted him with a bow, the way he liked. “Daddy, good evening, sir.””Good evening. How are you?” Mr. Edwin was sitting on his reading chair, his law books piled high around him.”I’m fine, Daddy.””So, what is it?”Rachel took a deep breath and brought out the printed document from behind her. She stretched it towards him. “Daddy, I have changed my course. Here is the printout. I changed it to Law, UNN, as you said.”Mr. Edwin collected the paper and looked at it carefully. He adjusted his glasses and read through every line. Rachel’s heart was in her throat. She could hear her own heartbeat.Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.”Good,” he said, nodding with satisfaction. “Good girl. UNN was also my alma mater. You will surely do well there. Law is a noble profession. You will make this family proud.””Thank you, Daddy,” Rachel said quickly, collecting the paper and smiling.She quietly left the room and closed the door behind her. Once in the corridor, she leaned against the wall and exhaled. She had done it.At least, for now.A few weeks later, while she was in her room rehearsing a new skit, her phone vibrated. It was a text message from JAMB. Her hand trembled as she opened it. Congratulations! You have been offered admission to study Theatre Arts.Rachel stared at the admission message on her phone, her eyes filling with tears. Her dream was finally becoming a reality. After all the shouting, the threats, the fake printout, she had made it.But the joy lasted only for a few seconds.There was just one problem.She had to tell her parents where she had actually been admitted. She had to show them the real admission letter, not a fake slip.And this time, a fake printout would not be enough to save her.Watch out for CHAPTER 3 THE SECRET ADMISSION* What happens when Mr. Edwin discovers that Rachel never changed her course after all? What will a Barrister father do to a daughter who forged a document? WATCH OUT FOR CHAPTER 3.
