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Fourteen
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2020-10-08 06:46:38‘So if I buy motor for this woman today, she no go collect? Because na Christmas’. Iya would always say, leaned on the half-wall, staring at our neighbor as she carried out her usual chores.
Despite being an unbeliever, Alade would always ensure I had a dress to parade the neighborhood in with my friends, singing, dancing and collecting gifts from all the houses we visited. We had age-grades; associations were children of the same age bracket would come together and contribute money for refreshments at the end of our patrol.
Abike tried to get me to attend the carnival with her and other friends from school but I couldn’t leave my mom alone at home. She was there again on Christmas evening with her mother. They brought with them fried rice and soft drinks and we ate, drank and laughed like everything was okay for once.
It was only for that day because the next morning I woke up to an empty house and when my mom did return later that night reeking of alcohol, she dragged herself to her room without as much as a glance in my direction.
Most of the days were like that until resumption day appeared and despite my reluctance, I felt liberated until Mrs. Dapo’s car stopped at the gates of Apex.
New battleground, new enemies, new focus, I thought.
The hostility and mockery I saw in the eyes of my fellow students gave me some sort of comfort that my mother’s numb face couldn’t give me. I had a new goal; to have peace.
Luckily for me I had my friends, so regardless of the storm within me, they kept me calm on the outside. The field was where I found myself and coach was more than willing to have me back on the team.
‘He didn’t throw it away’. Henrietta said with a frown on her pretty face.
‘We all saw him toss it into the trash. The cleaners haven’t gotten to it yet, you can go check’. Vivian said before feeding herself a morsel of eba coated in afang.Henrietta’s frown slowly faded as a pained expression took its place. She wasn’t going to cry over Christopher Lawal, was she?
‘If a single tear drops from your eye, I swear I will make you sleep on the floor for three days’. Vivian warned when she saw the look on Hen’s face but I could tell she didn’t mean it.
‘Seriously Hen, this shit has to stop. That boy doesn’t deserve all the attention you give him’. Abike said sending a glare at an oblivious Chris who was dancing on top of the table he and his friends had their lunch on.
When Principal Flora had talked about renovating the boy’s refectory, we hadn’t imagined it would involve bulldozing the entire building and rebuilding from scratch. She had managed to grammatically mislead the entire school.
‘It’s not like I can just ignore him, he sits right next to me for the most part of everyday’.
‘You can start by not trying so hard to get his attention’. I advised. Hen tried to scowl at me but only managed to look like a tickled puppy.‘Whatever’. She grumbled and stabbed her eba with her fork.
I caught sight of Rasheed sitting alone a couple of tables’ away, back to the wall, trying to balance eating whilst reading a voluptuous novel. I washed my hands and walked to his table. As I sat down, he looked up immediately with startled eyes.
‘Relax, it’s just me’. I said with a smile.
‘Oh, my untrustworthy friend’. He said with a mocking smile and returned to his book.Abike had scolded him for letting me go with him to Lagos and he had felt bad that I hadn’t told him the real reason for my travel. He claimed to still be mad at me.
‘Only you Rasheed would read a novel in a noisy refectory’.
‘Well it’s I, your geeky wizard’. He said putting the book down and washing his hands.‘Why are you washing your hands? Are you shy of eating eba in my presence? What am I saying? Let me not flatter myself, I am not Becca’. I teased and he blushed ever so slightly.
‘Shut up. How was your meeting with sir Dom?’He asked.
‘Honestly, he is beginning to make me feel like I’m insane with all these VIP invites to his office. You know what people call me now? Mandy the mad’. I whined and he chuckled.‘I heard that, he’s just doing his job’.
‘I am not the only student who pays counseling fee, let him take another subject for his study, I am done being used for his theses'.‘I don’t think that will be happening until he figures you out’.
‘Explain’. I stated, crossing my hands out on the table.Just then the bell sounded and he hurriedly slipped his book into his bag.‘See you at study hour and please, try to come with your brain, stop making this thing hard for the both of us’.
‘You volunteered to tutor me, it can’t be that difficult to quit’. I said with a smirk.‘When did you get sassy?’ He asked, quirking a brow.‘Amanda!’ Abike hollered from the door where she stood with our roomies and I quickly walked over to them but as I moved between tables, I caught Marcel staring at me, not bothering to hide it. I would’ve been unnerved but he had been doing it since the start of the term.
‘Kissing daddy bye-bye?’ Hen teased as I got to them and I smacked her butt before walking ahead of them to the room.
‘Tolu’. Coach breathed. ‘How many times do I have to tell you that you.are.not.a.girl!’ he belted and some girls scrambled in fear.
‘But I like girls better’. Tolu whined in his effeminate voice.
‘Of course you do’. Becca said with an eye roll.‘Except Becca, of course’. Tolu said sweetly, earning quiet chuckles from our classmates and a glare from Becca.‘Move’. Coach commanded, pointing at the boys circle and Tolu shuffled there.
‘Now that the ruckus is over, let’s get down to business. I do not have the energy to deal with you lot so here’. He tossed soft balls at each circle. ‘Throw this at each other till you have to leave this place. If anyone gets hurt, go to the nurse’s office, she is being paid for a reason’. He grunted and stormed to his office.
‘Looks like someone needs to get laid’. Chris said loud enough for everyone in the field to hear him and some students laughed.
‘Wanna sit down? I’m not feeling it today and apparently, neither is coach’. Vivian said and together with Abike and a very willing Henrietta, we all sat on the grass a couple feet away from the rest of our mates.
‘He got bulkier’. Henrietta said dreamily, eyes set on her prince.
‘And that’s a good thing?’ Vivian asked, an amazed look on her face.‘Of course. What girl doesn’t want a handy man?’‘If you are into bouncers, cool’. Vivian said with a sly grin, taking a drink from her water bottle.
Hen and Vivian were about to commence their usual brawl when a ball landed on my back. The frown on Hen’s face deepened and I knew immediately who threw the ball.
‘Oops, sorry’. Becca chirped. ‘Oh look, its Mandy the mad’. She mocked, gaining giggles from her lackeys.
‘Oh look, its Becca the bitch’. Hen returned. She was the sweetest person I knew but when she got mad, she transformed.‘Hen, you are there too’. Becca replied scornfully.
‘You should get back to whatever you were doing and leave us alone’. Vivian calmly warned but Becca paid no attention.‘Look at you all protecting your little dummy. Why do you hang out with her? You can’t tell me it’s for fun, the girl has no cool bone in her. She’s so useless I’m sure her mother hates her, her father must be wishing he had used a condom, maybe then she’d be in the trash, where she belongs’. Becca said with a taunting grin.
Red was the only thing I saw for a few minutes and when the world finally reappeared, I was the centre of attention. From the look of horror on people’s faces, I thought I had grown horns and a tail.
I heard hard breathing and when I finally felt Vivian’s restraining hands on my waist, I realized the breathing was mine. Becca was on the floor, her face red with fingers imprinted on her cheeks.
‘What the hell happened?’ Mr. Dan yelled, running into the field.
Oh shit.
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