Nine

     

   Mom and I became strangers to each other. I left my room only to get food when the constriction in my stomach became unbearable. She rarely left her room too, not even to work.

Those two days after the Eric incident were the most silent ones in my life.

Abike had suggested her mom counsel me but I told her I was fine, it's not like I had watched someone being butchered. I made her promise not to tell anyone about it, not even Henrietta. I didn't have to though, I knew she wouldn't tell.

       As I sat in the backseat of Mrs Dapo's car I wondered what my mom would do about Eric. Abike had been right about him, he was a yahoo boy, a scammer. His family resided at their hometown, Nnewi. He knew no one in town aside his colleagues who wouldn't come to bail him to avoid getting into trouble themselves so he was stuck in prison for now.

I wished my mom would let him go so he could be out of our lives for good. Why was she still keeping him there when it was obvious she didn't want him to be there? She had been trying to justify his actions after all.

I wouldn't be surprised if I got back from school and found him walking around the house in his boxers and megawatt smile, a smile I couldn't get out of my head.

'I called your principal. She agreed to let you girls have your old room for this new class too but you are going to have to deal with a new roommate. Not to worry, she promised to make it someone that will stay out of your business'. Mrs Dapo said as she rounded a corner.

Abike turned to smile at me and I returned the favor.

'Abike, use your seatbelt'. Mrs Dapo commanded. Abike groaned

'Why can't I sit at the back with Amanda? She looks lonely'. She whined.

'Then I'd look like a taxi driver. Strap on the belt o jare before we get to a checkpoint. I don't want police, SARS, road safety, VIO or whoever it is that stands on the road these days, I don't want their wahala'.

Abike and her mom kept bickering till we got to school. Henrietta was there already, she was in her day wear which meant she had been there long enough to settle down. She ran to us at the administrative block looking excited.

'Hey babies! Guess who our new roomie is'. We both gave her blank looks.

'Ta-da!' She screamed and stepped aside to reveal Vivian who was already in the process of rolling her eyes. I smiled.

'I thought you didn't like her that much'. I said

'No. I said I love her just as much as I hate her'.

'Hate is a strong word Hen, you shouldn't be throwing it around like that'. Abike queried.

'But I garnished it with love'. Hen said with a grin. 'I've missed you teddy, you too barbie'.

'I missed you and I'm sure Mandy did too. Let's go to the room first'. Hen walked ahead with Abike.

'Tell me, how do you survive with a roommate like that? She talks so much, just an hour with her and I feel like my ears are going to explode'. Vivian asked and I laughed.

'You get used to it'.

         I couldn't have been happier about Vivian being our new roomie, I didn't have to go through the process of getting to know and becoming comfortable around another person.

She was chill and quiet but spat out venom from her mouth whenever she opened it. We were lucky to have our old room but unfortunately didn't get our old sitting arrangements in class.

Our new class teacher thought it was wise to place a boy and a girl in one seat. Vivian got paired with the class clown, Tolu, one of the few people who wasn't scared of her and managed to make her raise her voice.

Henrietta got paired with Chris which only meant a while lot of drama and nuisance back in the room. Abike got paired with a guy I could have sworn I had never seen before but she said he had been in the school since Jss1. I got paired with a really tall and slightly nerdy guy, I couldn't remember his name, I wasn't even sure if I knew it because almost everyone called him 'rat shit'.

As per tradition, not many teachers came to class on the first day and the few who did just came for introductions so I took the liberty to sleep until I felt someone shaking me. I thought it was Abike trying to get me to study then I remembered we were no longer seat partners so I raised my head to stare up at my new partner with a questioning look.

'Nancy'. He pointed to the front of the class. Miss Nancy was arranging her things on the table.  I turned and thanked him.

'I noticed she's not quite fond of you which is not a big deal, she isn't really fond of anyone except sir Dominic'. He said and I laughed a little.

'I thought her crush on him was obvious but nobody seemed to notice'. He smiled and was about to say something when Nancy cleared her throat. She scanned the room until her eyes fell on me and she smirked.

'Amanda. I'm glad to see you managed to sneak your way into SS2'.

Becca snickered from her seat at the first row and Henrietta shot arrows at her with her eyes.

'You do know that promotion on trial means you'll be catapulted right back to your previous class if your performances at the first CA tests are not good, don't you?'

'I'm aware'.

'Good. Ah, I see you've been paired with Rasheed this time. Let's hope that you'd be able to tap some sense from him'.

'How can a teacher be so mean?' Rasheed murmured beside me.

Rasheed, so that is how he got the nickname 'rat shit'. He was one of the smart ones like Marcel but unlike Marcel who was the god of the school, he was almost invisible.

        Nancy wrote down the syllabus for the term and asked us to try and study ahead before she left and I went back to sleep.

                                           *

         The term was going to be a dull one for me but that was how I wanted it. I went to class everyday, tried to listen to what was taught, slept most of the time and spoke to Rasheed when I wasn't feeling sleepy. He was really friendly and nice. He had this simple smile that said; there is not much to life, smile and get through your day.

I realized the reason he tried to stay invisible was because he was bullied and teased for being nerdy which I thought made no sense. I was teased for being dumb and he was teased for being the opposite? What really does society want? He wasn't even the smartest in class, Marcel was then why didn't he get trashed? So being brainy is not a crime if you are posh, sporty and walk around with 190pounds of pure muscle and a chest too broad for your age.

'It's like you are always talking to someone in your head'. Rasheed said from beside me.

We were in the library searching for books that would help with our Citizenship Education homework.

'Could be or maybe I'm just dizzy from being stuck in the library when I should be getting a well deserved sleep like the rest of the students. You know there's a reason siesta is part of our routine, it's essential'.

'You sleep all the time Mandy and this assignment is important'.

'I do not see what's important about a coup that was planned in 1973. Everyone knows who headed it, it's not like this paper is going to change anything'.

'It is going to change your grades, that's something. And the coup occurred in 1983'.

'Whatever. Can't we do it during study hours?'

'There are no evening study hours today and the library will be locked at night'.

'Why won't there be study hours this evening?'

'They are using that time to commence practice for the upcoming sports week'.

'Sports week?'

'Yeah, it's something they do once every two years. You are going to love it'.

'I'm not sure I will be participating'.

'Why not? If there is one thing I know for sure about you aside that you are a closeted parrot, it's that you love sports'.

I smiled. He had a point but I didn't want to get into much anymore. I had to sort out my grades and stay away from the spotlight.

'Yeah but I've got more pressing issues at hand. If I fail the upcoming tests I'll be thrown back to SS1 and all the mockery I'm getting now will only multiply, plus that would mean double spending for my mom and I can't let her go through that'.

'I will help you with studies, you won't fail. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy right?'

'Says the Descartes who wishes mathematics was a girl so he could marry her. What do you do for fun Rasheed?'

'Talk to you'. He said with a shrug.

'Glad to be your clown'. I said with an eye roll and went back to searching for helpful books.

      Rasheed and I were fast friends. He cared enough to want to know what was going on in your life but was respectful enough not to pry, he helped a lot with my studies because according to him, it was the only thing he was good at and could explain to someone else. I highly disagreed with that statement but let him say what he wanted.

'Found it!' He said, pulling a huge book out of the shelf.

'Finally'.

He chuckled

'Go get some sleep now, we will attend to this during the night study hours'.

'Thank you'. I said and began for the door with him in tow.

'The sports week?' He said expectantly.

'No'. I deadpanned

We got to the sitting area and Marcel was there with at least three books open before him, I had thought we were the only ones here. He looked at me in a strange way before pulling a disgusted face and looking down at his book muttering what I thought to be 'freaks'. I could only wish he hadn't heard our conversation.