Three

         I had just broken the seventh plate in two weeks. 'Not again!' I heard mom say as she made her way to the kitchen, she had to be angry, I would be if I were in her shoes even though they clearly wouldn't fit me. Her toes are just too massive they scare me.

'What is wrong with you?' She said, her voice sounding tired.

'I'm sorry. The plates are too slippery, why don't you get steel ones?' I said and made that puppy eyes I had noticed always melted her. She breathed out loudly.

'That was the fifth one.'

'The seventh actually. I threw the pieces of the others across the fence so you wouldn't find out.'

'You did... People live there you know'.

'Oops'. We both laughed.

'That reminds me. We need to talk about school '.

'Okay'.

'Ayo. Due to the nature of my job I won't be able to monitor you and aid in your studies so I've decided to enrol you in a boarding school'.

'Boarding school?! And the name is Aramide not Ayo, only Alade calls me that, besides I told you to just call me Amanda'. Again she smiled.

'Okay Amanda. I do not want you to be out of my sight but what can I do? Sometimes I might get home very late and leave very early, I might not be able to give you full attention that's why I'm sending you to a place where you'll be properly taken care of'. 

'Okay mom'. She grinned from ear to ear and hugged me. She was a medical doctor so I could understand. She had managed to see herself through school after she left Alade's house. I was scared, many stories were told about the boarding house, stories like; miss koikoi , sugar baby etc but I trusted her. If it was bad, mom wouldn't let me go there.

         The city we lived in was very peaceful and beautiful unlike Lagos which was like a jungle. Mom called it the people's paradise. She said it had its ghetto areas and she had lived there before. I didn't ask how she got to this place or how she saw herself through school, I didn't want to open up old wounds.

I now wore sleeveless, trouser and shirts instead of my usual Mary-amaka gowns. Mom said I had developed muscles within the years so she prevented me from doing any serious chores. I started adding weight.

I didn't have any friends so I never left the house except when going to buy stuffs with mom or when going to church.

She got back from work one day with a lady quite older than her and a girl of about my age.  Their resemblance made their blood relationship obvious but unlike her mother,the girl was plump. I couldn't help but imagine myself being that way after a year if mom continued pampering me the way she was doing now.

Mother and daughter were darkness personified with shiny white teeth. I greeted the lady.

'My dear. Bawo ni?' She asked in Yoruba.

'A dupe'. I replied with a smile.

'Your mother has told me a lot about you, I was curious so I came to see you. Where is that girl? Abike come and say hello to Amanda'. Her daughter came forward sluggishly.

'Hello. Nice meeting you'. She said. Her mom gave her that unimpressed look.

'You girls carry on'. The lady said and went to sit with my mom.

'Can we go to your room?' Abike asked and I obliged. Immediately we got to my room she landed on the bed and heaved a sigh of relief. I was scared she might have broken something.

'Are you OK?' I had to ask.

'Yeah. Mom won't let me speak freely if she's around, you know how they can be'.

'I can relate'. I said and we both laughed.

'I owe you. Because of you I got to leave that boring house'. She said.

'Oh don't mention. I finally have someone to talk to aside mom'. I assured her.

'When did you arrive town?'

'20days ago'.

'You've been counting?'

'Sort of, subconsciously'.

'Mom said you'll be joining our school, true?' She asked.

Mom had never spoken about her before but I guessed if she was her friend's daughter, they'd have thought it better for us to attend the same school.'

'Yes'. I said.

'Cool!' She screamed. 'I finally get to have a hottie as a friend'.

'Hottie?'

'You are indisputably pretty and all the boys will be over you. I get to enjoy friend's benefits'. She was crazy and I liked her already.

'Well that's a first and I didn't know the school was mixed'.

'Get ready for more surprises sister'. She said whilst placing her head on the pillow.

        Abike and her mother left after 2 hours. Her personality was infectious, she told me plenty about her school and that filled me up with anticipation. I figured the school was expensive but that didn't matter, mom didn't have much to spend on anyways.

Mom took me to visit Abike sometimes, her room was twice the size of mine yet there was hardly any space for free movement because of her numerous toys. She had a nanny. There was a big refrigerator in her room which was always packed filled with chocolate and other junks.

She said she told her mom she didn't want them but she bought them still and told her not to worry about her weight saying she is a growing child and will shed the fats later.

         Abike seemed to have many friends. She had a cellphone that rang every fifteen minutes. I didn't have a cellphone, mom had offered to get me one but I declined. It was of no use to me seeing as I didn't have anyone to call. When I told Abike this, she laughed and told me that a phone serves other purposes; I knew that, I just wasn't interested.

She told me about some of her friends, especially a certain Henrietta. From the way she spoke I figured I was going to like the girl, she seemed to be so free and friendly but just as crazy as Abike. I wanted the resumption day to come fast.

We went shopping for our school items two weeks before the resumption date. The mall was so big I'd have gotten lost if mom wasn't with me all the time. Abike's trolley was filled with junk within fifteen minutes and her mom was still throwing more in.

'Mom I don't need chocolate'. Abike said as her mom picked a big pack of chocolate.

'Why not sweetheart, it's good for you'.

'No it's not. It makes me... '

'So now you know better than me?' Her mom asked, feigning annoyance. Abike just shut her mouth. I looked at her and she gave me that save_me look but I just shrugged and kept on shopping.

        Preparing for school was easy. I didn't have to buy books or uniforms, they were provided by the school. I didn't have to cut my hair as I had heard many say about boarding schools. Abike said hairstylists were brought in every weekend to attend to their hair.

I borrowed some of Abike's books from her previous classes to help me know how far they had gone but I didn't know any of the topics in them. I had always thought of school work to be difficult when I attended the community secondary school in my village. I didn't know how I'd cope with this.

                               *

      I woke up with a big smile on my face on resumption day, it was stupid but it wouldn't go away. I showered, ate and went back to packing my school things just to make sure nothing was left out. My mom peeped into my room, smiled and walked in.

'You've been assembling and dissembling these things for the past two weeks'. She said placing both hands on her waist.

'You are exaggerating again mom. I just want to be sure'.

'I am not exaggerating. Who would've thought you'd be so happy to go to a boarding school?'

'It's just that Abike won't stop saying how much fun it is and that makes me... anxious...I guess'. Mom laughed a bit, sat on the bed and made me sit on her laps. 

'School is fun but you don't have to be anxious. You'll meet other kids and realize they are no better than you. You'll fit in just fine, I know you will'. She paused.

'And!' she said immediately. 'You are going there mainly to study, don't let too much fun get into this your head'. She said while pressing her index finger into my forehead.

'Ouch!' I winced. 'I won't but you really need to stop placing me on your laps, I'm not a baby'.

'Amanda! Forget how agbani you look. You are a child, act like it'. I laughed while moving back to my things.

'There is nothing wrong with acting maturely'. I said playfully.

'No. Nothing at all'. The seriousness yet satisfaction in her voice was so clear.

'Be ready at noon, I want you settled before 6:00pm'.

          We stopped at Abike's house to get her mom and her. Mom had suggested we all go together. Abike was grinning from ear to ear as I alighted from the car to help her load her bags. I just couldn't resist it so I smiled at her as we began packing the bags.

'Why in are we smiling?' I asked, making her laugh.

'Why are you?' She asked.

'Well I'm getting into a new school and finally leaving that boring house but you have been in that school for three years'.

'Yess, but not with you. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone'.

'Hurry up you two. You can finish the conversation on our way there'. My mom said from inside the vehicle.

'That won't be enough time'. Abike said and we had to muffle our laughter with our hands.

Mrs Dapo, Abike's mom was of an avid adviser. Mom said she was the counselor at the hospital so I shouldn't be surprised but it was a lot. She began advising us from the moment we planted our butts on the seats. I bet even the school's book of rules do not have such amount of dos and don'ts.

I glanced over at Abike and she was already snoring lightly, poor thing. I was about to turn back but she grabbed my hand and pulled  me into herself.

'You better do same else she won't stop talking'. She whispered into my ears and shut her eyes immediately. She was so crazy, I couldn't stop smiling.

In the next twenty minutes we were at the school's gate. The school was in the town we lived in but it took almost an hour to get there because of traffic at some point.

'You can end your drama now. You don't want to be introducing me with sleepy eyes'. I whispered in her ears, I couldn't believe she kept up the act for the entire ride. Her eyes immediately flustered open, she smiled at me and we both got off the vehicle.

         Few students were already lined up at the front of a building with a sign that read "Administrative Block". Abike greeted most of them and wasted no time in showing me off to them like I was some trophy. It was a new experience but I knew I had to adjust to it. She kept looking around in search of something.. or someone.

'What are you looking for?' I asked.

'She has be here, she's always early. She never wants to miss any highlight'. She was talking about a person, only I didn't know who but there was no time to ask as a very lean girl jumped on Abike from behind.

'Teddy!' The girl screamed.

Abike shrugged her off her back but turned and gave her a hug.

'I've missed you'. Abike said.

'Like crazy!' New girl said a little too loudly. 'Wow! Who is this barbie?' She asked, finally acknowledging my presence.

'This is my friend Amanda. Amanda this is Henrietta'. That solved it.

Abike had told me how crazy this fellow was, she just didn't mention how pretty she was. Henrietta should be the one called barbie not me with her fair and flawless skin, lean legs and  lashes so long I wanted to reach out and confirm they were real.

'Aren't you just beautiful?' She said pulling my cheeks. Abike was laughing and I felt like doing same but someone called Henrietta and she excused herself.

'See you later, barbie'. She said as she moved away.

'I thought you were the craziest thing I will ever know until now'. I said to Abike and she laughed.

'We are just getting started'. She said.

'Wait. You mean there is more?' Horror must have been clearly written on my face because she laughed again.

'Just weird ones. Hen is simply the craziest'.

         We were given the same room with two other girls, thanks to Mrs Dapo. Everything was going well until someone bumped into me on the stairs to the girls' hostel making me drop the cartoon which contained my books. My books were shattered everywhere.

I looked up to see a guy a little taller than myself which meant really tall because I was taller than most girls my age. He had this smirk on which revealed a broken tooth and that was really pissing me off. He should have been apologizing or picking up my books.

'Are you just going to stand there with that stupid look on your face?' I jeered.

'What am I supposed to do?'

'Do I have to teach you manners? That's your mother's duty!' I saw the look in his eyes and immediately wished I could take that last line back but he quickly replaced it with a nonchalant one.

'I can see I stepped on a nerve but girl you have to chill out. Welcome to the system by the way'. He said and skipped down the stairs followed by his friends. I really needed to get my uniforms, mufti made me noticeable. I turned to look at Abike and she gave me a disapproving look.

'What? He was wrong!' I said and started picking up my books, she just shrugged and joined me. We got all our things to our room and bid farewell to our mothers.

Each room housed four students except the lowest class who were all put in a large hall with prefects to monitor them. Abike said one of our roommates was a prefect, Rose and I was going to like her. Just as I was about to ask who the last girl was Henrietta dashed into the room.

'Oh no'. I didn't mean to say that loud but Henrietta didn't seem to mind, she jumped on me and was saying how much fun we were going to have. One quick look at Abike's laughing face and I could tell she planned it all. I scowled at her but she laughed even harder.

         I made them both walk me to the seamstress workshop despite their grumblings that it was too early to get uniforms. Rose was yet to resume so we didn't have to worry about keeping the noise down, besides it was Henrietta who made most of the noise. She insisted I spend the night on her bed which was below mine. She just kept talking about things I had no idea about.

She told me about the principal miss Flora, pronouncing the name with flair. She said she acted like an instructor in a princess charm school and was an easy target for students mimicking. I don't know when Hen stopped talking but I dozed off a long time before that.