NVH

THIRD TERM

Lola gasped for air, very confused and annoyed. The water dripped down her hair to the already wet floor; her books that were on her up bunk were probably drenched. Her tongue went to her lips.

Washing water. She was soaked in it.

“Where is my check, madam?” A venomous voice came, finally making Lola open her eyes. About five of them surrounded her bed.

“Are you deaf?” someone else concurred. “She asked a question.” Lola ignored her, getting up from her wet bed. Are these people not tired? It was the third time this week they had pulled something like this.

“I’m not with your check, Misan. I can’t even wear it.” Lola said, her voice cracking a little as she said those words. Misan laughed manically, her thin frame bending over. “Of course, my check could not fit in that obese body of yours. Pig.” She said, leaving with her clique. Lola made a fist; that’s all she could do. Make a fist and imagine burying it in the face of her bullies. She glanced miserably at her wet check that was draped in front of her bunk. The other two were at the dry cleaner after some unfortunate runs with some of her classmates.

She wouldn’t cry. She promised herself she would never give any of them the satisfaction of seeing her break down. The bell came with full force; the person ringing it was definitely going to be in trouble if an SS3 student was sleeping. Unless it was one of those power-crazed SS2 prefects.

“Evergreen girls, hope no one is still in this hostel,” Lola heard a voice that definitely did not belong to any of her classmates. What would she do? It's not like she could produce a check out of thin air.

“You! Didn’t you hear me? What are you still doing here?”

Lola gulped. She had hoped that it would be one of the tired SS3 students. At least she would have been able to plead with the person. The slap came before she could blink twice, silencing whatever pleas she had.

“You must be very stupid,” the SS2 student said. “Get out.”

“Please excuse me, senior, uhm…my check is wet…well…”

“Your check is wet?” the girl exclaimed in disbelief, wondering at the effrontery Lola had to say that to her face. “How is that my business? Why didn’t you wash your check on time?”

“That’s not what happened,” Lola pleaded. “My classmate…”

“I remember telling you to get out oh,” the girl hissed. Lola walked out, grabbing her ceremonial wear to put it on outside. She would be sent out of the refectory and punished, but she would be far away from the SS2 student in front of her who looked like she wanted to strangle her. Picking the lesser of two evils…

“Fat fool,” the girl muttered under her breath, but Lola still heard it. It had been a while since the bell had been rung, and walking to the refectory at the same time with the SS2 and SS3 students was a death wish. Should she just hide and go to school block after? She decided that was better than facing another SS2 student. Beginning the walk to school block, Lola was overwhelmed with relief that there was no one on slab, and the classes from where she stood seemed empty.

Femi pursed his lips, staring at the unfortunate throng of people in front of him. It was time for food, and they were in the school block. Some of them, from the looks of it, didn’t have cutlery. That was why they were hiding in school block.

“What is it time for?” Femi asked, glancing at his Patek Philippe watch, his expression unchanged. It flashed once under his cuff; one of his most prized possessions. It had been in his family sixty years now, and he intended to keep it that way. What the hell is Ore still doing…

“Get out. Ten...Nine…Eight…” His view was empty before he blinked twice. He picked up his phone to call Oreoluwa when he suddenly appeared in view.

“Guy I’ve been waiting for you…”

“No vex. Did you share work for them?” Ore asked, referring to the students who were long running to the refectory.

“Nah, I just released them.”

“You know you are meant to do that, Femi.” Oreoluwa pointed out, as he adjusted his newly minted Head Boy badge mindlessly. “Lets just go. We are late already.”

“Whose fault is it?”

“I had to make sure nobody was in school block,” Oreoluwa just replied as they walked through the junior corridors. “I was doing your work for you.”

“Did you find anybody?”

“No.”

“Exactly.”

“You’re such a smartass.” Oreoluwa chuckled a little, shaking his head. It was at that point that Femi spotted her. So did Ore.

“You! School block slab! Come here!”

Damilola froze in fear. She was in deep s**t.

“Can’t you hear me calling you?” The unmistakable voice of Oreoluwa, the new Head Boy came again, and so she started to run towards him. He had seen her. She couldn’t run away; it would just make things worse for her.

By the time she got to him, Lola was out of breath. Her heart was beating really fast, and it began to palpitate worse when she saw who Ore was with.

Femi.

His sleeves were rolled up, and his stoic expression made him more handsome. She had been in love with this boy for as long as she could remember, and it had evolved from a little crush into something entirely embarrassing. She knew everything about him: when he got a new haircut, his favorite food and snacks; she actually got them for him sometimes.

The worst part?

Femi had no idea how she felt. Or maybe he did, and he didn’t just care.

“What are you doing in school block? In your ceremonial wear?”