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This Chapter is written in support of the wattpad StopBodyShaming Campaign
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04  COLD AND BITTER

It was really cold in the principal's office. The air-conditioning must have been on full blast and it didn't help because the fear in me was already sending shrills down my spine. I looked from the principal to Mr. Clement- the English teacher when I was asked how the phone got into my bag.

"I don't know," I said trying to sound as sincere as possible, "someone must've put it in my bag,"

"And who is the someone?" Mr. Clement asked glaring at me. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under.

"I was asleep" I mumbled loud enough for them to hear me.

"So you were asleep while I was teaching?" Mr. Clement asked before crossing his arms in front of his chest. It was clear I was only making matters worse for myself.

When I didn't reply, Mr. Francis - the principal decided to speak, "you know the punishment for this crime is expulsion right?"

I didn't know what to say. It was obvious they didn't believe me and I had no idea what else I could say to convince them.

I just couldn't tell who would frame me like that. It must've been someone who really hated me.

"Who is your witness?" Mr. Francis asked. I never knew I needed an alibi for sleeping in class but I didn't need to brainstorm to know who my witness was.

"Tunde" I said looking from Mr. Francis to Mr. Clement, "My seatmate, Tunde."

It didn't take long for to realise that I'd been rude to Tunde earlier. What if he decided to say I was the one who had stolen the phone? I know he hated me but I didn't know how far he was going to go or how cruel he could be.

My heart was racing when Mr. Clement had left to get Tunde. By now, I'd long forgotten that I was hungry. My brain couldn't process anything else than the current situation at hand. What if I end up loosing my scholarship? What would aunt Thelma do to me if she found out? What if Tunde is of no help? All these questions ran through my head as I sat in silence - in the principal's office - and awaited the one person I hoped would save me.

Mr. Clement came in with Tunde following him. Neither of them looked happy at the moment and I wasn't surprised.

"Do you know what Rachael was doing during the English class?" Mr. Francis didn't hesitate to ask.
"I don't know sir" Tunde answered immediately almost cutting Mr. Francis off.

I'm doomed. I thought to myself as I gave Tunde a pleading look but all I saw was anger and despise in his.

"Are you sure young man?" Mr. Francis obviously knew Tunde didn't want to talk and the old man was also trying his best to get me out of that mess.

Tunde nodded his head before Mr. Francis finally motioned towards the door meaning he could go. I couldn't believe my eyes. It hadn't even been a week since I'd returned and I was already getting into trouble for the second time. I couldn't imagine what aunt Thelma would do to me. She'd starve me for a week.

"I think she was sleeping," Tunde hadn't left. He had his hand on the door knob but I guess something must've changed his mind. "she didn't move from our seat so she couldn't have taken the phone."

Mr. Francis nodded his head slightly and I gave Tunde a smile of appreciation before he left the office. I turned to Mr. Francis and he looked at Mr. Clement- who was strangely quiet - probabaly looking for the right words to say.

"I need you you to think of someone who could've framed you," I tried to think of someone but I wasn't able to think of anyone who wanted me in trouble. "it was a combined class. So maybe someone from the art class?"

That's when it all dawned on me. I knew the person who had put the phone in my bag.

"Patricia" I said out loud immediately the name had come to mind. Of course she was the one. She wanted revenge for making her lip swell up. She had been staring daggers at me in class and when I was finally asleep, she took the opportunity and put the phone in my bag.

"Who?" Mr. Clement's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I was going to repeat her name before I realized that things wouldn't exactly be lovely for me at home if I was to get Amanda expelled and I couldn't really prove she'd done it either.

"Patricia Akachi, sir" I decided to go with my instincts. I couldn't take the blame for something my evil cousin had done. "We had a... quarrel at home yesterday and she's been angry with me since then."

I stared at the expressionless faces and wondered if they'd bought my story.

Mr. Francis let out a sigh and said, "you can go, we'll talk with her and get back to you,"

I didn't hesitate to leave the office as I silently prayed that I'd get out of the uncanny situation without losing my scholarship and/or making life a living hell (more than it already was) with aunt Thelma.

It was already lunch break and I was still famished. I could devour an entire village at that moment. I decided to pay Sebastian a visit and find out if he still had money on him.

I walked into the junior block with my stomach feeling like an earthquake was taking place in it. I tried my best to avoid the numerous short children running around the place. The last thing I needed was for someone to hit my stomach.

I walked into Sebastian's classroom and looked around for him. It wasn't that hard to spot him since the class was scanty. He was seated amongst three other boys. They seemed to be in a serious discussion.

"Sebastian," I called out when I got closer to them. All four heads turned in my direction and Sebastian stood to meet me. "Do you still have money?"

"Yeah. I haven't even spent that five hundred" he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the currency note I'd given to him a few days back and handed it to me.

"Thanks a lot!" I let out a sigh of relief before taking one last look at his friends a few feet behind him and I noticed they were all wearing a red rubber bracelet. Something didn't seem right. I had a feeling that there was more meaning to those bracelets than they appeared have but I was too famished to ask and made a mental note to talk to Sebastian about them later.

I bought myself two bags of potato chips, four sausage rolls, one big scotch egg and one Coke. It wasn't too. People in the cafeteria were looking at me like I was nuts. I struggled to hold everything as I made my way to Aisha's table.

"Wow," was the first thing Aisha said when I dropped everything on the table. She stretched her hand from across the table to collect one sausage roll and I slapped it off. "Ouch!"

"I'm not sharing" I smirked and she playfully glared at me while I put the huge scotch egg in my mouth taking a bite out of it.

"You're acting like you haven't eaten in a decade" said Aisha before taking another bite from her meat pie.

I shrugged and said, "maybe I haven't"

Aisha shook her head and said, "What happened in the principal's office by the way?"

I told her everything pausing once in a while to eat my meal. I preferred talking to Aisha about how messed up my life was than bringing up conversations about our past with Rebecca and the cult. I didn't even bring up the issue of her stealing Feyi's diary. Aisha knew everything about how aunt Thelma and her family maltreated me and she was the only one who knew that Patricia and Cynthia were actually my cousins.

"Well, you have to thank Tunde for saving your ass" said Aisha. I loved the way she spoke without a hint of Hausa accent in her voice although she was very fluent in speaking Hausa.

"Yes, I know but I don't know if I'm off the hook yet." I said finishing the last sausage roll I had left.

"You've really changed a lot Rachael" I was taken aback with what she'd said. I didn't even know how to reply her.

"I don't understand" I simply said taking a sip from my Coke.

"I mean, this is not the Rachael..." she motioned towards me, "...I met at Rebecca's house that night. The Rachael that was shy and quiet, the Rachael that nearly jumped when I asked if she was still a virgin-"

"I'm still not following," I interrupted her

She let out a sigh and continued, "When I saw you trash talk Tunde in class the other day, I was perplexed and then you told me how you put too much pepper in Patricia's food and I was just...dazed"

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I know that you're still hurt from your mom's death and it's made you turn so bitter and cold-"

"Okay, that's enough," I put up my hand to shush her. She'd used the same words Sebastian had used: bitter and cold. I was not turning bitter and cold and even if I was, my mom's death wasn't the reason.

I heard the bell and I took it as an excuse to get out of there immediately. I was the first to enter the class or so I thought. On entering the room, I spotted a girl crying. I couldn't remember her name but she was chubby and very quiet.

I didn't want to ask her why she was crying because I was at the verge of crying myself but for some reason, I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't cold and bitter so I walked up to the girl.

"What's the problem?" she didn't say anything rather she tried wiping the tears that travelled down her cheeks freely. "Why are you crying?"

"It's Peter," she finally spoke up with her thick Hausa accent. Her name was Fatima, I finally remembered and the Peter she was talking about was a well known talkative in our class.

"What did he do?" I asked her with all concern.

"He keeps making fun of me because I'm fat. He and his friends are calling.... me names" she managed to say in between sobs. I sat next to her and calmed her down not knowing exactly what to say. I patted her shoulder and made sure she'd stopped crying when I went back to my seat. Everyone was already inside the classroom by now.

Tunde seemed to be engrossed with the book he was reading that he didn't notice me sit next to him or he was still angry and decided to give me the silent treatment.

"Thank you for telling the principal the truth" I said with all the awkwardness of the situation displayed in my tone and actions.
Tunde didn't say anything. He didn't even spare me a glance so I decided to apologize, "I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier. I was just so angry and grumpy. I woke up in the wrong side of the bed and I was starving."

He finally turned to me and said, "No problem"

I was going to reply before the vice principal walked in and said she wanted to make an announcement. "The SS 3 students are starting their exams in earnest and the school needs a new student body council. It's your turn. I'll be handing out the forms for you to fill. Feel free to apply for the position of your choice and submit your application letters to me." she said before distributing the forms and leaving in a hurry. She was already direct and straight forward. Never beating around the bush.

"Everybody knows Fatima is going for food and nutrition prefect," Peter joked "everytime she's eating. Orobo" his friends and few other people burst into laughter but I didn't find it funny.

"Lipstick is for slim girls, fat people like Fatima should use roll-on" another round of laughter erupted and this time, it was loud. Even Tunde was laughing.

"The same thing with body spray" one of Peter's friends started. "Body spray are for slim girls, Fatima should use fire extinguisher". The laughter was now louder than ever and I couldn't help myself anymore.

"Will you shut up?!" I hollered, "why are you here taunting the poor girl because of her body when most of your mothers are twice her size?" people laughed harder but Peter and his friends were abashed.

"I swear if I ever mistakenly catch you making fun of her or any other girl again, this school won't accommodate the both of us." I threatened with a death glare. No one was laughing anymore.

I didn't know where the boldness to talk like that had come from but I instantly knew Sebastian and Aisha had been right when they'd said I'd turned cold and bitter.

Body shaming is a rotten, filthy act of bullying that should be avoided at all cost. Everyone is beautiful just the way they are and when they are told otherwise, it could lead to ulcer, eating disorders and even suicide / death. Thanks for reading.