Esosa

Mondays suck more than all the other days of the week.

I dragged myself out of bed and reached for my phone which is lying on the bedside table. I check the time and realize it's six o'clock. My school isn't so far from home, but the traffic doubles the travel time. I'm surprised no one is yelling my name and the house is actually quite peaceful, way too peaceful for a Monday morning. Or did they finally leave me behind like they'd been threatening to do all this time?

"Esosa!" A voice yelled angrily from downstairs. Damn, I jinxed it.

"You have thirty minutes to get down those stairs or you're going to school yourself! You can't keep delaying your father and sister..."

Blah, blah, blah, blah. My mother's usual blabbing went on and on as I made my way to the bathroom. Usually, I'd at least try to listen to what she's saying but my brain is still really foggy. By the time she's done with whatever it is she was saying, I'm already done with brushing my teeth.

"Alright mum." I reply loudly to fulfil all righteousness. I'm praying that she was just yelling at me to be quick as usual. Hopefully, she didn't say anything important.

Showering, dressing up and packing up my books are all activities that go by in a flash. It's a Monday morning after all. I decide to take a quick look at myself in the mirror before I head downstairs. My hair is a little bit rough, but my hairstyle is feathers so it's not too bad. I made sure my white shirt was properly tucked into my green skirt to avoid any drama with my seniors and teachers. I was actually considering putting on some lip gloss when I heard my mother's voice again.

"Esosa!" She shouted louder this time. I don't know how she does, really. I don't think I could be that loud even with a megaphone that's been conjoined with the world's loudest speaker.

"I'm already on my way down mum!" I replied before rushing out of my room.

The stairs were a stupid idea. I didn't mind them, usually and when I still had "weight problems" I was grateful for the exercise. But when I was in a hurry or my parents were livid, the stairs basically became a pathway to doom.

"I'm here mum, good morning!" I say as cheerfully as I can. She's on a sofa in the living room typing quickly on her computer. Beside her is a stack of books along with a school bag and lunch box, readily prepared for my sister. Knowing her, she's probably working on some article even though she's supposed to be on leave. She looks up when she sees me, dark brown eyes meeting my light brown ones as she regards me disdainfully.

"Good morning." She replied dryly "Where's your sister?"

I squinted at her, confused as to why she was asking about Amenze. Not that I didn't care about my little sister, I just thought that she'd be waiting downstairs. Then, I remembered how I had tuned her out earlier.

Shoot... Did she ask me to help Amenze with something...

"Um..." I stalled for a bit, but quickly recovered "I thought she was right behind me, let me go check on her."

The look on my mother's face shifted from bored to angry in a second "You didn't go check on her, did you?"

I sighed, knowing that there was no point in lying to her "No mum, I didn't."

My mum hissed at me before replying "The simple things I tell you to do, you don't do them. Not that you can't do them, you just choose not to listen when I talk to you. Why didn't you stop by her room?"

I opened my mouth to respond but she stopped me before I could.

"How many times have I told you that you don't talk when an adult is talking?" She snapped.

I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion. Didn't she just ask me a question? While quietly waiting for her to continue, I noticed my dad step out of the kitchen. When he saw the look on my mother's face, he quietly went back the way he came. I can't quite blame him for not wanting to get involved. My mum has been... a lot since the "incident."

"I'm sorry mum." I replied calmly but not in the least bit sorry "I'll go check on her now."

And immediately after I finished my statement, guess who screamed my name from upstairs.

"Mummy!" Amenze yelled in her tiny voice "I need help with my zip."

My mother didn't have to tell me with her eyes that I had to go upstairs but she did anyway. I sucked in a deep breath trying my hardest not to show the slightest bit of disrespect as I made my way back up the stairs. My mother could obliterate me for even looking at her the wrong way. Unlike everyone else, she didn't need a world class canon or CIA missiles to knock me down. Her words alone were more than enough.

When I got to Amenze's room, I could hear her struggling with something from the door. I opened it and stepped inside, just to find her jumping up and down with her hand on her zip, obviously frustrated with it.

"Mummy said you were supposed to help me with this!" She complained immediately she saw me.

'You didn't even say hi first" I said, looking for her trouble "What if I hadn't come back upstairs? Wouldn't you have found a way to do it on your own?"

Amenze pouted at me, her little eyes reducing to slits. I already knew what was coming before she opened her mouth.

"MO-"

"Okay, okay sorry." I said quietly before coming down to her level "Turn around and let me help you with your zip."

Amenze smiled gleefully, showing all her adorable white teeth before doing as she was told. My sister was seven years old but still got away with acting like she was three, Perks of being the last born, I guess.

I hurried down the stairs, this time with Amenze in tow. We met our mother in the same position I'd left her except now she had her glasses on and was scrolling through channels with the remote. When she heard us coming, she turned away from the tv.

"Your dad is already in the car waiting for you" She said "And Amenze, I put some bread in your lunch box. Please make sure you eat in the car."

"Bread!" Amenze squealed like she wasn't going to eat it three more times this week. My mum handed her her school bag and lunch box which she'd placed on the couch.

"Bye mummy!" Amenze said before running towards the door.

"Be good!" My mum called after her. Amenze turned back to give her a quick nod before slamming the door behind her. We've been trying to teach her how to shut the door properly. Now, not only do the neighbors know whenever we're going out, we're also worried that one day, she just might rip the door off its hinges.

"Bye mum." I say dryly. It's not like she ever says it back these days.

"Please be careful in school Esosa" She replies. Call me a fortune teller, let me see those palms.

"No fights, no bad language and please avoid any confrontations whatsoever." She said sternly "Have you heard what I've said."

"Yes mum." I replied begrudgingly.

"Be fast, your daddy is waiting for you in the car." She said, dismissing me.

I walked towards the door completely unfazed by mother's attitude. Just another typical day in the Ogbeha household.

***

When my dad saw me walking towards the car, he started the engine. I opened the door and sat in the passenger's seat. I gave my dad a fake close-lipped smile and greeted him as he reversed out of the compound.

"Ób'ówie [Good morning] daddy. Thanks for having my back earlier." I add sarcastically. My dad and I are close, so I know he's not going to get angry about that. Having successfully pulled out of the compound, he drives smoothly towards the main gate.

"Good morning." He replies "I really didn't want to get involved; you know me. Also, isn't it too early to be provoking your mother."

I snuck a peek at the back seat to check on Amenze. Somehow, she was already fast asleep. I was grateful if I'm being honest. The last thing I need is Amenze adding to my list of problems by telling my mum that I'd reported her to dad.

"What about her?" I complained quietly so as not to wake Amenze up "She basically treats me like I'm the bane of her existence. She didn't even make anything for me this morning or say goodbye.

"Ah ahn." My father replied, shaking his head. "You are not the bane of her existence Esosa. Don't act like you don't have a part to play in all this. Why weren't you listening when she was talking to you this morning."

I sat quietly, an evident frown on my face. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him because I knew that if there was one thing my father couldn't take, it was disrespect.

"And you also know that you should be making breakfast and doing other chores in the morning before you go to school. You're not Amenze."

I nodded wordlessly so I wouldn't end up saying something rude.

"Ọfure [okay]," My dad said before changing the topic "How has school been?"

"Terrible as usual." I said before taking a look at the window. A few kiosks were already open, and some school children were already making their way to school. The road was already getting busy and when I looked up at the sky, it was already turning to a lighter shade of blue.

Shoot. The last thing I want to be today is late. I guess I should've thought of that when I was setting my alarm last night. Did I even set my alarm last night?

I slouched back in the passenger's seat, resisting the urge to cross my arms like Amenze does. My dad noticed this and paused for a bit before continuing the conversation.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, his eyes still glued to the road.

"It's just been really stressful." I explained. "There's Doyin and her consistent reign of terror, her stupid, wannabe musician, boyfriend, Eric and Benjamin, the prick who has screwed up my stay at Emerald high."

"Oh wow." He said quietly. We were approaching quite an amount of traffic so I couldn't tell what he was exclaiming about. What I did know is that I can't keep getting stressed out about the inevitable. I'm going to be late, unless I suddenly receive the power to perform miracles. Might as well mentally brace myself to face the music.

"I thought you said you hadn't crossed paths with Benjamin since the incident." My dad said, turning his attention to me. I guess that's one good thing about the traffic this morning.

"His presence irks me." I simply replied.

My dad shook his head, smiling in amusement "I think the best advice that I have is for you to calm down. Some of the problems you have are caused by the constant anger that you keep bottled up inside of you. You need to find a way to release that negative energy, Esosa."

I shrugged, not really taking his advice seriously. It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before if I was being honest. Teachers, other adults, and some family members had all said things along those lines. At this point, all their advice was basically like the Kellogg's commercial. I was so used to it that it, I could recite it word for word and still not take it seriously.

My dad sighed, noticing that I didn't care all that much about what he had just said. His advice wasn't all that impactful, but he was still one of my closest confidantes. I never wanted him to feel ignored whenever he spoke to me.

I took a deep breath before replying. "Alright dad. I'll try."

He nodded before continuing "And as for Doyin and Eric, you need to ignore them. They seem to feed off your defiance of their antics. If you stop reacting, they might just leave you be."

Yeah, right. And the king of England will get off his throne because Alice from the wonderland asked him to. That girl and her psycho boyfriend feed off of the pain and suffering of others. While people are afraid of demons, demons are afraid of them.

But obviously, I didn't say any of this to my dad. Calmly, I replied him.

"That really might not stop them." I said, sitting up straighter. The traffic had started to move, and we weren't too far from Emerald High.

"But I guess I might try to ignore them." I continued "Key word here being 'try' dad."

"Alright." He shrugged. His eyes were back on the road now. "Just try not to maim anyone while you're at it."

Mhmm... Yeah, we'll see about that.

I laughed "It won't get that far dad." I sucked in another deep breath for good measure. Today is Monday, let's just hope I can keep that promise.

***

I stepped out of the car calmly, well aware of the fact that I was late. I waved goodbye to my dad and to Amenze who had woken up when my dad had parked the car. I walked toward the school gates already knowing that today would be a long day. When I was about to step into the school compound, I noticed my junior school English teacher, Mrs. Zainab, walking towards the gate. She walked through and eventually we were walking at the same pace. I smiled politely and greeted her.

"Good morning ma," I said. She said nothing and kept on walking.

Truth be told, I knew she was ignoring me. But I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt by greeting her a second time. She'd been the nicest teacher on the block in my junior secondary school days. I didn't want to believe that some office gossip had been enough to turn her against me.

"Good morning ma." I said again, a little less cheerfully this time. But she still didn't reply, she just kept on ignoring me till we got to the school entrance. It stung but by now, I'd learned to ignore the attitude I got from teachers. I adjusted my backpack and walked on past her with my head held high. I wasn't going to give her something to gossip about in the teacher's lounge.

But when I noticed what was going on at the school entrance my shoulders slackened instantly, and my "Confident posture" fell apart. There, at the entrance, smiling and yelling like the trolls that they were, stood the punctuality prefects, senior George and Amanda. Senior George saw me approaching and his evil grin stretched even wider.

I'm screwed.

I also saw that there were students in different places, all with garbage bags in their hands and waste bins not too far from them. They were picking up the myriad of trash that I'm pretty sure a lot of them had contributed to. When I got to the little steps that led into the school, Senior George was already there, waiting for me.

"Drop your bag there and join them." He said pointing to a pile of school bags by his side. I was pulling off my backpack begrudgingly when senior Amaka walked up to us.

"George where did you... Oh." She stopped when she saw me. The smile on her face morphed into a scowl real fast. Then her evil grin came back up and her eyebrows went up slightly. She'd gotten an idea.

"Did she greet you?" She asked George, feigning innocence.

This little bitch...

"No." George said with a shrug "She didn't." I knew for a fact that George couldn't care less if I greeted him or not. He got enough jollies from punishing late comers every morning. But it was obvious that senior Amada had other plans.

"Kneel down first." She said, "When you've learnt some respect, you can then go serve your punishment for coming late."

"But I could miss first period." I said. I knew she didn't like me but there would be several other opportunities for her to showcase her wickedness. Missing the first math class of the week wasn't exactly the best way to start said week.

"Do what I asked you to do." She snapped "Or would you rather sweep my class during long break?"

I sighed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Yet another drama queen, abusing the powers that weren't even all that great. I did as she said, my knees stinging as they touched the ground, coming in contact with stones, gravel and whatnot.

"And if you ever talk back to me again," She said, moving closer to me. "You'll sweep the entire SS3 block every day for two weeks."

She towered over me now, probably thinking she'd made it in life by doing do. I couldn't judge, maybe this was her definition of making it in life. I knew deep down that it was only the head girl and head boy that had the power to assign such a punishment, but I didn't want to dare her. I nodded and looked away before she could accuse me of eyeing her.

Today was already off to a great start.

Author's note.

Hello there! It's been a while since I wrote anything here. I stopped writing novels for a while because of schoolwork and I also noticed there were a LOT of things I had to improve on. Like a lot.

I'm back now though and I'm really praying that I'll be able to finish this novel nicely and not in a hurried or weird way. I came up with the idea for this book when I was fifteen but lost interest in it. I'm going to give it a second chance and see how it goes. So far, it's been going well.

Please and please, do not forget to vote, share and comment. I need all the support I can get, and constructive criticism is also encouraged. God bless you!

~Anne ;)