Between Us

On a Wednesday morning. I heard a slight knock on my door which woke me up. “Come in,” I said, still half awake. “Rita get up now,” my mother said with a harsh voice, looking as if there's a war coming, and we need to get going. Actually, it seems there is. “Why are you still in bed by this time, shouldn't you be preparing for school?” she moved closer to my window to put the curtains up. “School?” I squeezed my face while taking off the blanket over me. “Mum, didn’t they say the school would be closed for fumigation? Are you talking about another school?” “Yes.” “Excuse me, yes for what?” I sat up. “The scholarship you applied for has been granted. An email was sent to me on Monday, but I've been so busy to tell you.” I stood up suddenly feeling betrayed. “Mum… I'm your only child, how could you even forget to tell me something like this?” She moved closer to me, her hands on my shoulders, and gently lifted my chin with a calm face. “I'm sorry darling. Since I lost my job, I have been doing everything to make sure that I find another job to take care of you. I did not mean to forget,” she said and gave me a tight hug. “It's fine, mum.” I hugged her back. “Another piece of news," she said, with a smile on her face. I've gotten a new job. We are moving today.” “Wow, that is great news. Let's start packing then. I moved towards my wardrobe to start. “No, I will do the packing myself. All you have to do now is to get ready for your new school. I will order a cab now to come pick us up”. She said, arranging the books in my bag. “Who even resumes a new school on a Wednesday? Let me help with the packing and then resume next week. I said, throwing myself at her. “Stop that. Get to the bathroom now. We are leaving in 30 minutes. She said and left. I fell on my bed, staring at the ceilings. I took a long breath. Seems today is going to be a long day…. **** After taking my bath, my uniform was already placed on my bed. I went closer, picked it up, turned it around to see the better view of it. I dressed up quickly. I packed my hair into a ponytail with a red ribbon that matched my uniform. I used the perfume my friend got for me on my last birthday. On mentioning that, I felt so sad. I did not even get the chance to tell my friends goodbye, which actually makes me feel like a bad friend. I will send a text to them later. I heard my mum's voice. “Rita….” “Ma, I'm coming. I quickly picked up my lip gloss and applied a little, trying to cheer myself up. I went to the dining table. “You better finish your food fast or else you'll trek down to school yourself.” She said, rushing outside. I quickly gulped the three slices of bread as fast as I could and sipped the tea. I grabbed my water bottle on my way and rushed to join my mother outside. I opened the door of the car. I greeted the taxi driver, who only replied to me with a nod. “Mum, I'm here now. Can we go? I said, giving her a funny face. She looked at me and gave a slight hiss. “Sir, you can drive. I stayed quiet throughout the journey thinking about how life would be in my new school. Finally, we arrived. The building was nothing like my old school, imposing, polished, intimidately. My mother held my hands tightly. “Be careful,” she said. “Don’t join bad gangs. Listen to your teachers. You know that this school is not like your former school, right?” I gave a nod as a reply. Don't get intimated because of materialistic things and always remember that you're on scholarship. Don’t get involved in anything that will jeopardise it. Find your way to the principal's office for your registration. I will come pick you up after school closes. “I will make you proud, Mum, I promised, squeezing her hand. I got down and waved goodbye to her. Fortunately for me, I saw a student passing by and asked him on the way to the principal's office, which he showed me. After my registration, I was handed over to my class teacher, who took me to my classroom. As we entered, the students stood up and greeted her. “Good morning ma,” they chorused. “Good morning students, you can all have your seat. She said, “Here with me is a new student and I want you to show her around and make her feel welcome. Am I understood?” “Yes, ma.” They all answered. “Good, class perfect, meet me in my office after the assembly.” She took her portfolio, and walked out majestically. I took my seat, trying to stay calm. Thinking of how I will fit into this school because it is way more than I expected. Then they appeared. Three girls walked up to me. Everything about them was screaming luxury. From their hair, to their shoes, phones, and crown it all, they are pretty. “My name is Kayla, the tallest said, and with me here are my friends, Kiana and Kene. For short, we here are called the 3K's. Her smile seemed fake. “I'm Rita,” I gave a soft smile, stretching out my hand. They looked at me from head to toe, hissed and walked out. I blinked, stunned. What just happened? I shared my head and took my glance off them as they walked away. “Don't mind them, they've always been like that,” a voice said from behind me. I turned to get a better look at the person who had just spoken. “Sorry,” I adjusted the way I was sitting , my glance fixed on her. “My bad. My name is Mara. Also, I'm a student in this class. Welcome to our school.” Her lips were curved nicely, but her eyes… They were watching me too carefully. “Thank you,” I replied, turning to face front. Why was she smiling like that? The bell rang for assembly, and the students moved outside. I adjusted my uniform, trying to ignore the stares from the three girls. I felt uneasy when I heard Kayla whisper just long enough for me to hear. “Hope you’re ready, new girl. We don’t like strangers.” My heart skipped a beat. Something told me… this wasn’t going to be easy.