The Real Me

Chapter 6. Morning Mayhem

Anastasia's Pov

The siren blares, jolting me awake.

I groan, covering my head with a pillow in a futile attempt to block out the noise.

Then it hits me: it’s Monday, and we’re required to be on campus by 6:30 AM sharp.

Latecomers face punishment, and that applies to everyone—boarders and day students alike.

I spring out of bed, a sudden rush leaving me dizzy. Grabbing the bed frame for support, I wait for the vertigo to pass.

Once steady, I glance over at Beatrice, still fast asleep and completely oblivious to the siren’s piercing wail.

The juniors are already up and about, hastily preparing for the day.

I shake my head, wondering how Beatrice can sleep through all this chaos.

I tiptoe over to her bed and give her a playful slap on the butt, since she’s sleeping on her stomach.

“What the hell!” she snaps, her voice hoarse from sleep as she lifts her head to glare at me.

“What’s your problem?”

I can’t help but smile mischievously. “Wake up! It’s already 5:30 AM, and if you want to be late, then by all means, keep sleeping.”

She squints at me, clearly not buying it.

“Liar! It’s 4:40 AM, and you’re saying it’s 5:30.” I glance over at her phone, confirming her claim.

“Didn’t you submit your phone yesterday?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“My mom is sending me money today,” she replies, sinking back into her pillow. “I told Madam about it, and I can submit it later.”

“Then why are you still sleeping? I’m heading to the bathroom!” I warn her, half-joking.

“Just go and leave me alone. I’ll bathe later,” she mumbles, pulling the blanket over her head.

I decide not to press her any further; she’s notoriously faster than I am.

She can be ready in just thirty minutes, while I take a full hour.

Sometimes I wonder what I’m actually doing with all that time.

I made my way to the bathroom, where only two girls, Sylvia and Florida, were already getting ready in their cubicle.

They’re also in Form Two, but they’re taking different courses—Home Economics.

While I consider them friends, we’re not particularly close.

Our friendship mainly stems from their penchant for gossiping.

I’m not really into it, but my curiosity always gets the better of me, and I can’t help but linger whenever they’re whispering about someone.

To be honest, they don’t always appreciate my presence, especially since I have a habit of inadvertently exposing their gossip to the subjects of their chatter, which often lands them in trouble.

Nowadays, whenever I walk by, they tend to stop talking, clearly aware that I might spill their secrets.

I acknowledged their presence as I hurried through my business, trying to keep the mood light.

Once I was done, I stepped out, only to find that Beatrice had finally decided to get up and take her shower.

I got to our room and checked the time—it was almost 5:30 AM.

I needed to hustle, so I quickly prepared myself and organized my books into my backpack.

I hadn’t gotten around to it yesterday because I was feeling particularly lazy.

Speaking of yesterday, I had avoided Gilbert like the plague after prep.

He had tried to talk to me, and I had been so taken aback that I didn’t know how to respond.

My heart had raced, and I felt a wave of nervousness wash over me that made it impossible to face him when he called my name.

I’ve always considered myself a shy person, often feeling anxious around certain people for no apparent reason, but what I experienced last night was a whole different level of overwhelming.

I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts aside as I finished getting ready.

Today was a new day, and I needed to focus on making it through.

Beatrice and I arrived on campus at 6am sharp.

Despite her speed, I had to wait for her briefly after I finished getting ready.

As we stepped onto campus, the juniors were already busy with their duties, ensuring the compound was spotless.

Meanwhile, the Form 2 seniors on duty were overseeing the juniors' work, making sure everything was up to par.

Personally, I'm really hoping to avoid being selected as a senior on duty.

To be honest, I'm not confident in my ability to supervise the juniors effectively, given their attitude and behavior.

I've seen how they can be quite disrespectful and mouthy, and I'd rather not deal with that kind of stress.

Plus, if you're assigned to duty and the juniors don't perform well, you could face punishment.

So, fingers crossed I hope to get a pass on this one!

As we arrived at our class on the second floor, we found two juniors sweeping the floor, so we had to wait outside until they were finished.

I leaned against the balcony, resting my arms on it as I gazed out at the compound.

Beatrice stood beside me, mirroring my posture, while some of our classmates joined us in the same quiet observation.

Suddenly, I flinched as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned to see who it was, and my heart nearly leapt out of my ribcage.

What was going on with me?

I forced a smile that felt more like a grimace as I faced Gilbert.

"Good morning," he greeted, giving me a small smile before removing his hand and standing beside me, effectively placing me between him and Beatrice.

"Morning," I replied, turning my gaze back to the compound.

"How are you?" he asked casually.

"I'm good, and you?" I managed to say, trying to remain unaffected by his presence.

"Alright" he nodded and I did the same.

"Were you able to finish your assignment yesterday?" he inquired.

I was surprised he even knew I'd been working on assignment yesterday.

"Mm," I nodded, wishing I could ask how he knew, but my tongue felt tied.

I really wanted to keep the conversation going, but I was at a loss. Geez, I really suck at this.

"So where..." he started, but Beatrice interrupted.

"Gilbert, you didn’t send me my pictures," she said, looking at him expectantly.

I glanced at Gilbert as well, curious about his response.

"Why didn’t you send them when you had phone?" he replied, glancing at her briefly, as if she didn’t matter much.

I wondered why he behave strangely toward Beatrice, even though they were friends.

"There’s a password on your w******p," she shot back.

Feeling like I was intruding on their conversation, I decided to slip away and let them sort it out. After all, it wasn’t my business.