Corpse of steel

He would be a happier person if he had to go anywhere else but home. John walked back home from school. He was sure he'd get a long sermon from Mum,and lots of serious warnings from Dad. Bridget, his twin,walked quietly behind. Unlike her brother who was a naughty,truant and stubborn kid, Bridget was a courteous, well-mannered girl. She outnumbered him in everything they participated in. Bridget was a sixteen-year-old high school student. She was tall, dark complexioned and slim. Her bulgy eyes were white with dark brown eyeballs, shielded by heavy eyelids. John, on the other hand, bore a striking resemblance to her. But he was taller and more slender. His face was contorted in an obvious state of anxiety. He had gotten himself into trouble again,but he refused to blame himself solely for it. He had fought with a junior student whom he had caught vandalizing school property. He confronted the student, but instead of reporting to school authorities, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The younger student had tried to run away when he caught up with him and they started fighting. Mrs Nora, their principal who was on her way to her office, had seen them, and taken them to her office. "What were you two fighting about back there in the corridor?" "I caught him vandalizing some school properties and when I confronted him,he tried to run away, so we got into a fight", John explained. "And you didn't report to any one? I'm disappointed in you John" Mrs Nora issued a letter inviting both parents to school. It wasn't the first time John's parents had been invited to school. In fact, John's parents were well known because of the number of times they frequented the school. The last time, he had promised not to do anything that would bring them back to his school's premises. He walked back home thinking about what he was going to tell his parents or how he was going to present the letter. ******************** Mrs Fortune Chukwu was a young woman in her late thirties. She lived in Port Harcourt with her husband, Mr. Cyril Chukwu and his kids, Bridget and John. She was a housewife. "Good afternoon mum", both Bridget and John greeted them as they headed towards their room. "Afternoon lovelies. How was your day?" "Fine mum" Bridget answered. John quickly ran up to his room ,locked the door, and began pacing. He thought about what to do. He couldn't just give the letter. He sat on the bed, got up and continued pacing. "Mum's gonna kill me" he muttered. "I just have to tell her right away. No, she's never going to believe my side of the story." "John! John! Come down here", his mum called. He could hear his heartbeats. He couldn't bear to stand in her presence. He was scared she would figure it out by just looking at him as though it was written on his face "I've just committed a crime". He climbed down the stairs as slowly and quietly as he could. His mum stood by the staircase folding her arms with Bridget standing beside her. He suspected Bridget must have said something. " You called Mum" "Yes...This letter fell out of your bag" she said, holding up the letter like a referee would when issuing a red or yellow card. He was mortified. He stared at it as if his eyes could turn it into a burning coal. "How could I have been so careless?" he thought. His mum tore open the letter, unfolded it and started reading. He felt like turning invisible at the moment. He wished for the earth to open up and swallow him whole. "What's the meaning of this?" His eyebrows shot up. He raised his head. That was definitely not the question he was expecting from her. He wondered what was in the letter. He tried to scan the paper and try reading it from the back. "So you now exchange love letters, right?" "What's this woman blabbering about?"he wondered. " Sorry mummy, but I don't understand. " "Don't stand there behaving like you have no idea of what I'm talking about. Who's Treasure? Take a look at it for yourself. See what She sent for you." His mum shoved the letter into his hands. He opened it and started reading. He began laughing. " Why are you laughing? "Bridget asked. " Because your friend Treasure is very stupid" he simply replied without looking up as though he were stating a fact. "She's not my friend" Bridget hissed. "But you talk with her", John argued. "It doesn't mean anything", she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "You hang out with her all the time" he argued still. "Whatever... What did she do?" Bridget asked, finally giving up, her curiosity overwhelming her desire to argue and prove she was right. " Listen to what she just wrote in this letter." He read the letter out loud. "John my love, How are you? I'm fine cos I know you care. It's been long since we spoke. You don't write back anymore. You don't talk to me in class either. I know you don't want people to know about us. But I can't keep away from you much longer. I won't be able to live this kind of life much longer. I love you and I want the whole world to know it. I'm expecting a reply this time around. Your love Treasure "Does this mean you are dating Treasure?" Bridget asked. "No way! How can I date such a girl? Even if I were to have a girlfriend, Treasure would not even be on the list of eligible girlfriends." he said with so much detestion evident in his voice. "Why would you say so?" What about all those letters you've been writing to her?" his mum asked. "I've never written anything to her"he queried. " She stated in the letter that you don't reply anymore. That means there's been more than this one letter which you've not replied to after the first", Bridget argued. "That's why I said she's stupid. The only letter I replied to was the one she sent asking me out. And I told her we'd see at school the next day. "So what happened the next day?" Bridget asked, eager to hear the end of the story. "You should let me finish before cutting in", John snapped, before continuing. "The next day we met outside the classroom but I was with Chris. She said she didn't want Chris to be there. So he left. She then repeated everything she said in the letter. I told her I wasn't interested." "When did all this start?" his mother asked, obviously irritated by everything. "Mum, please allow him to finish the story" Bridget begged. "It started three days ago" John replied to his mum's question. Bridget burst into laughter. " Just... just three days?" She nearly choked on her words. "She is truly stupid. " John gave her an 'I just told you so ' look. "Okay,I'm calling your principal to report this to her. That Treasure girl is harassing you. She needs to be put in her place". John rushed out to stop her. He knew if she called his principal, then she'd find out about the scandal that took place at school earlier . "No mum, don't worry, I'll take care of it" "Alright dear. But I don't want any girl to be chasing my young son around", his mum said, patting him gently on his head.