Peter was always the first since senior one. Teachers were so proud of him because he was obviously the cleverest boy. Many students wanted to know the secret that made Peter so bright.

They talked to him for hours in a bid to discover his secret. This was in vain and he kept at the top of the class and no one knew how he did it.

Soon Peter started to boast. He boasted of his past excellence. He openly vowed to win the upcoming National Exam.

All of us were really afraid of failing so we spent hours reading. But Peter spent all his time talking and laughing at us. He would say, "I am the best, I don’t have to read, I know I will pass.”

He was so sure that he would pass all exams with distinctions.
Finally it was time to sit for the exam. Exam after exam, we left the room terrified of the results but not Peter. He was always laughing and cheering.

Months later, results were out. Everyone was anxious and scared. One by one we trickled into school to pick our results. There was a school party for us.

According to our Head Master, it was compulsory that everyone attended without fail. The party turned out great but no one saw Peter. No one knew where he was.

We understood this later when the Head Master announced that the best performer was a certain boy whose name I never bothered to know because he was so quiet and read too much. Everyone ignored him in my class.
 
Ends