23 THIS IS WAR.

It had started like a joke. No one actually thought they would end up exchanging blows. But if they'd been one thing I'd learned since the past couple of weeks, it was that you never knew what to expect from anyone.

It all started at the assembly ground that morning. Tunde had asked Sebastian to kneel down but there seemed to be more going on so I decided to know what was happening.

I went to the JSS 3 boys line and asked what was going on. Tunde rolled his eyes at me but I decided to ignore that.

"There's nothing going on" Tunde mumbled with a long cane in his hand ready to lash Sebastian.

"I didn't do anything wrong, I don't know why he asked me to kneel down" Sebastian complained while some other students watched.

"Shut up!" Tunde yelled, "Who asked you to speak?"

"Tunde, what offense did he commit?" I tried to appear as calm as possible in order not to say or do something I'd regret. Tunde had been getting on my nerves ever since we had that heated conversation. And that had been almost two weeks ago.

If he wasn't making side comments about me then he was spreading ridiculous rumors behind my back. I was getting tired of his childish and immature behavior but I decided to keep my cool. The only problem was that I didn't know how long I would be able to tolerate his insolent attitude.

"This idiot was talking while the assembly was going on" Tunde blurted and I had to pretend like he hadn't just called my brother an idiot, "And he had the audacity to talk back at me. I'll show you..." Tunde threatened pointing the long stick in his hands at my brother.

"What's the matter?" Jay approached us.

"None of your business" Tunde was quick to reply.

"If you don't know what to say, keep your stinking breath to yourself, please" Jay fired back and everyone within earshot either snickered are chuckled. I was shocked.

Tunde's eyes turned red with fury and he quickly turned to Sebastian who was still kneeling down, "What are you laughing at?" Tunde thundered and the next thing I heard was the sound of the cane landing on Sebastian's back and his screaming followed.

We had finally gotten everyone's attention.

"What is wrong with you?!" Jay screamed murder before grabbing Tunde's cane and breaking it in two before throwing it at him. I'd managed to get hold of Jay's arm in attempt to stop him from retaliating any further. Tunde simply watched with wide eyes.

"What is the problem?" Yvonne had rushed to Tunde's side before glaring at us like we were  the ones at fault.

Before we could say "Jack", we found ourselves in the principal's office, as usual. According to him, we were too old to be disrupting the assembly like that.
"I still don't understand the reason for your interference, Jacob" the principal said calling Jay by his full name.

"Yes sir, he's not even a prefect. I don't know why he had to interfere in Tunde's business" Yvonne added making me roll my eyes.

"What are you even doing here? No one called you here!" I snapped at her.

"I called her here" Tunde glared at me. I was dumbfounded.

"And in case you've forgotten, I'm the Disciplinarian and I'm supposed to be here" Yvonne said.

"Assistant disciplinarian," I corrected, laying emphasis on the first word.

"There's no difference" Yvonne argued with a glare I didn't fail to return.

"That's enough, both of you" the principal said, "I can't have you people arguing like children in my presence". At that moment, I wanted to be anywhere but in that office. "Now, I'm going to let this slide considering the circumstances surrounding the dispute is complicated and personal. I'm going to leave you to sort out things on your own because you're mature enough" he paused before he looked me straight in the eye and said, "But if a matter like this was to repeat itself, you will not only be suspended from your various posts but also from school. And I wouldn't mind if that was during your WAEC exams. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir" the four of us mumbled in unison. We had all rushed out of his office after that.

Although no one had said it, we knew there was bad blood between us and we knew where we stood. We knew could now clearly distinguish our allies from our foes.

"You better tell that drug addict that you call a friend that next time he'd touch a hair on Sebastian's head, one of us would have to leave Empire high school for the other" Jay whispered to me before walking past me. I understood very well that Sebastian was like a brother to him and I had no doubt that Jay would eventually put Tunde in his place (or in the hospital) if the need ever arises.

Definitely, we'd given our classmates a topic to talk about for the rest of the day. I was already used to their stares so it didn't bother me.

"Tunde is not my friend," I said to Jay after I'd returned to our seat, "After the stunt he'd pulled this morning, I can't call him a friend"

"Good, because he won't be so lucky next time he pushes my buttons" Jay said while glaring at Tunde who sat in the front row with his back facing us.

"Are you trying to get expelled?" I turned to an angry looking Jay, "You can't just go around fighting anyone who infuriates you"

"When it comes to bullies like him, I don't mind. So he better stay out of my way" said Jay.

I simply sighed in defeat. I wasn't ready for an argument with someone as hard headed as Jay. I could only pray that I'd be there in case Tunde was to cause trouble with Jay again or else one of them would be expelled and the other would most likely end up in the hospital.

"So now he's going after your brother?" China asked out of disbelief, I'd told her about what he'd said to me the last time we'd talk, "What an asshole"

"I thought you guys were friends? What changed?" Frank who was sitting with us asked.

There wasn't a specific answer I could give to that question because I'd asked myself the same thing a few times. "I honestly don't know" I replied before picking up a spoonful of my rice.

"Cocaine has messed up his head, that's what's wrong with the idiot" Jay mumbled but we all heard it.

"Will you stop calling him a drug addict? It's starting to annoy me" I'd snapped at Jay and his silly remark.

"But that's what he is" Jay insisted making me drop my spoon.

"Just stop it," I said, "It was that theory that got us into this mess in the first place"

"So he's acting up because you called him a drug addict?" Frank asked with disbelief written on his face, "Now I think about it, he looks like one" Frank shrugged.

"Thank you!" Jay exclaimed making me roll my eyes, "Finally, someone with eyes"

"And how are you so sure he's a drug addict? Can you really tell just by looking at him?" China asked looking in Jay's direction.

Jay shrugged. "I just know"

"Well, I don't want to hear anything about it anymore" I said with a tone of finality.

That evening, Mrs. Jacobs wanted reasons as to why there was a red, swollen line on Sebastian's back. In as much as I'd loved to try and sugarcoat the incident, Jay was there to paint Tunde black and I had no choice but to let him have his way.

"I'm going to that school of yours tomorrow," Mrs. Jacobs fumed, "They must be crazy..."

"They've already taken care of the matter..." I tried to explain to Mrs. Jacobs.

"They didn't take care of anything" Jay interjected making me give him a look that made him shut up. He should've known better than make him mother angrier than she already was.

"I'm going to give that principal of yours a piece of my mind" Mrs. Jacobs said with a tone of finality before storming out of my room.

I turned to Jay with a questioning look, "So what you really want is for your mom to take her wrath to school?"

"Have you seen your brother's back? That bastard drew the Pacific Ocean on his skin!" exclaimed Tunde.

"I know what Tunde did was irrational, unreasonable and uncalled for and nobody is as angry as I am but we would never hear the end of it if your mom happens to show up at school. You know how she is" I tried reasoning with Tunde but he wasn't listening.

"Maybe someone like my mother is what we need to put that..." Jay hesitated thinking of a name to call Tunde, "That... Imbecile... In his place"

Once again, I sighed in defeat, "You know what, that's your business. But what I'm trying to say is that it's just a matter of months before we graduate and go our separate ways and I don't see why we can't just tolerate Tunde and let this slide"

"You are really delusional if you think he won't do something worse than this," Jay said. "If you really care for someone, you will do anything to make sure no harm comes their way. You have to stand up to these people, Rachael. They've declared war on you" Jay turned around and left the room and I went back to reading my biology with much thought about what he said.

We got to school the next day to find out Tunde and Bayo had picked a fight as early as 8am. What had gone wrong between them? I had no idea.

Like I'd said, no one actually thought they'd come to the point of knocking out each others teeth. I never thought Tunde was capable of fighting for no just cause. But we never know what anyone is actually capable of. Do we?

Things had quickly gotten out of hand and before I could drop my bag, Segun had dropped to the floor after a hard push from his opponent. Everyone began screaming and there was chaos because Segun looked dead.