Thirty nine

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• Just Do It   Thirty nine

  Beeping, distant shuffles and the rustling of pages; those were the sounds I woke up to. The beeping got louder and as I craned my neck to the side, I saw it was coming from some sort of machine that was connected to my index finger. The only other bed in the room was empty. A repeat of the rustling sound caused me to look to the right. Seated there was Marcel, in casual clothes, reading a book."What are you doing here?"He looked up in surprise but was smiling within seconds. "Watching over you and reading a pretty good book". I was curious about the book but more so on a different matter."What of school?""Ms. Flora let me go. She couldn't keep a brother away from his sick sister". He smirked. Of course she let him come. Anything for her star student of the year. "Brother?" He sighed, a little of his confidence fleeing his eyes."I know, a pretty bad one but I a

• Just Do It   Thirty eight

  Overwhelmed. I never expected a hospital to be this crowded but apparently there are a lot more sick people in the world than we care to know. For five days we all left for the hospital which was really close to the hotel we were lodged at so I could have a drip administered to me while mom went on with her treatment.The drip never lasted over five minutes, Kunle said it was supposed to help grow my white blood cells. Each day I tried to put up a brave front for my mother, I didn't know how far gone her illness was, nobody was telling me anything and I didn't let myself assume.I was alone at the room most of the time, during which I watched TV and thought of my friends. I missed them, I missed how we used to be before all the drama. I missed Vivian's cold retorts, Abike's bear hugs and Henrietta's incessant talking. I missed Rasheed's intelligent jokes, even Marcel's cocky smirk and general annoyance.I wondered

• Just Do It   Thirty seven

  Marcel was seated at our old seat on the next combo day when I walked into the class. I stopped at the door and stared at him, ready to push him off if I had to but Abike placed her hand on my shoulder and gestured to her seat while she took the spot beside him.He tensed as she sat and I avoided looking at them for the rest of the class.A junior student stepped into our English class and whispered something to the teacher."Amanda Okorie. You are needed at the principal's office". Madam Osita said and waited for me to leave before resuming the lesson.I walked through the deserted class block to the principal's office where her office assistant just smiled and pointed towards the door."Amanda. Do you know this man?" Ms. Flora pointed to the man who was seated across from her and had his back to me.I nodded as he turned to look at me.&nbs

• Just Do It   Thirty six

  Situations always have a funny way of twisting themselves up when it comes to me and I usually end up paying the price of for the bad things that happen to me. Apex secondary school was once again humming my name, loud enough that we all heard it but not so loud to make any real difference.I didn't know what they were saying behind my back and I was mad that it bothered me. I was bothered by their stares, by what they thought of me but mostly, I was bothered that my friend group was falling apart because of my truth.In our room, it was like ss2 third term all over again. Vivian spent most of her time with Tolu but she was better than Henrietta who turned to a ghost. She only came to the room to have her bath and long after lights out when she thought we were all asleep.She'd quietly crawl into her bed and from the top bunk I'd watch her stare off for what felt like hours before being consumed by sleep, some

• Just Do It   Thirty five

  How do you not realize when someone close to you is keeping a secret? I think you notice but choose to stay quiet about it because you have secrets of your own that you'd rather no one found out about. My mom and I spent the rest of the Christmas holidays avoiding eye contacts and giving short replies to prying questions.She spent most of her time at the church. We weren't the only ones avoiding eyes, Marcel was too. He left the house early and got back late only to stay holes up in his room. I wasn't any more social either but our busy parents never noticed or if they did, chose not to address it.The thought of telling my mom what happened with Chris never crossed my mind and I was grateful that Marcel kept his mouth shut about it. The only other person I told about it was Abike, unknowingly ending her friendship with Marcel, she said it was his fault Chris was in the house at all.

• Just Do It   Thirty four

  I felt full. Too full to eat, too full to move, too full to breathe but I did all that anyway because I didn't like not doing them. I had woken up the day after the carnival with a splitting headache and a fever, the stomach pains followed a few hours later but the chills didn't come until the evening.Typhoid, just as mom had suspected. That was what the test reports said and immediately I began receiving treatment along with a lot of unnecessary care. The drugs weren't an issue, it was the constant knocks on my door followed by hot food and 'how are you feeling?'I couldn't recall a time when I had fallen ill but I could easily say I had never been as babied as I was. Mom spoon fed me for the first day, she even offered to bath me but there was no way that was happening. Marcel took up my chores without waiting to be asked and Kunle was kind enough to tune down his Christmas carols.It was the last day of the ye