The exams

"You have an appointment with the job centre tomorrow." Rishabh told his father loudly after jerking him awake from his nap on the sofa. "If you miss it," he warned, "we will lose the benefits we are on. Nod if you understand me." His father nodded. "Now that we are here," said Rishabh, "can you help me clean this room? It hasn't been cleaned for over a fortnight! Just take that vacuum cleaner there while I try to make dinner."

"Why can't you do both?" asked his father, "You are on vacation after all."

"It's not vacation!" said Rishabh, trying extremely hard to keep his voice in control so as not to alarm his brother and his mother. "It's called study leave, which I have been given as time to revise for the extremely important predictor exams I have in about two weeks' time."

"Tyah," scoffed his father, "as if your generation have time enough from their TikTok and their instagram and snapchat to "revise." Besides, you have two weeks! That's plenty of time."

"You're hopeless!" cried Rishabh as his father crossed his fingers behind his head and went back to sleep.

As Rishabh worked away in the kitchen, trying to listen to cooking podcasts and academic YouTube channels simultaneously, his brother appeared at the kitchen door.

"Bro, do you need help?" he asked.

"Not from you." shooed his brother. "You go upstairs and revise for your SATs and your 11+ exams. Don't you have them both soon?"

"Yes, but your predictor exams are sooner." he replied. "Let me help you."

"Ok," Rishabh gave in, "but first, you need to show me the revision you have done today. One past paper per day. And then two to three when your classes stop."

"I know," said Aryan, showing him the book he had written his workings on.

"Where's the marking?" asked Rishabh. "Where are the corrections?"

"I'll do them on the bus to school tomorrow." said Aryan. "It gives me something to do on the bus. Otherwise, I get so bored!"

"Alright, alright," said Rishabh, "but you need to show me the corrections tomorrow, okay? Remember our plan, you do well enough to get into the best grammar school in London, and I will convince the parents to move from this shithole we live in."

"But how would we afford the rent in London?" asked Aryan.

"I'll find a part-time job. A lot of my friends have one." said Rishabh. "Besides, my commute to school will get shorter from London, so I'll have more time to give to the part-time job."

Aryan nodded. "Let's quickly finish cooking this pasta first." he said excitedly.