St Louis Secondary school
8:00 am

Yobanna

I tried my best not to doze off as the Government teacher explained 2 party systems.

I was bored, bored, tired and just bored.

I rubbed my eyes and rolled my eyes at Miss Juliet, on a normal day I would have listened to her, she was a good teacher but today I was definitely not in the mood.

I bent my head on the desk.

I was slowly drifting into a smooth slumber but I could hear multiple voices.

Slowly I woke up and I saw a new girl beside the teacher. Was it not just a minute when I dozed off?

I placed my head on my desk again.

"Welcome dear, welcome to your class. Take your seat at the rear end,it's the only available seat"

" I'm sorry ma,I have a bad eye sight"

" Selena, would you please give up your seat for the new girl?"

Selena,where have I heard that name?

I heard shuffling of feets,the exchange of seats and then the presence of a person beside me,my head was still on my desk.

The person settled down beside me and soon  Miss Juliet continued her class.

I slept off, again.

I didn't know how long I slept but when my eyelids flattered,I met her gaze,warm eyes,tired ones.

"Do you always look at people in creepy ways?" I asked tiredly.

She took her eyes away and focused it on the book before her.

I looked at the girl, trying to figure out where I've seen her and then it struck to me.

Selena M. Donald.

The girl from the cafe,the bullied girl. She looked a bit different from yesterday, probably  because she was wearing the ash and red wine uniform of our school.

Her hair was now knotted into two rows, the front gelled a little hurriedly,I could tell cos it didn't look so well laid, I looked at her critically now,well enough to  notice the fullness of her brows,the tiny scar under her eyes,the fullness of her lips. She looked raw,if that was a term to describe a human, lacking the tenderness of St Louis girls and then she turned swiftly. Raw,like strong coffee,like I couldn't explain but not ugly,never,her beauty didn't hit one right at the face,just slowly until you get immersed in it.

Now I realize I was the creep.

I turned my eyes away and tried to regain myself.

"You've slept for two hours" I heard her frail voice that sounded like glass, fragile. She still had her eyes on the book before her. I looked at the book cover, The thing around your neck by Chimamanda Adichie, I've read that book probably thrice or so and sometimes when I get bored,I simply choose a particular story among the collection and re-read and somehow I seem to find deeper meaning at the second read or third. But I didn't tell the girl before me all that,she didn't seem interested. Her head was still bent over the book,a small grin on her face as though she was on another world of her,she raised her head and caught me, again

That was the second time already and I stood up and left the class,so much for not being a creep.

***
Gum body by Burna boy was playing softly from headphones as I stood in front of the car,hoodie over my head, watching out for....

"Big broooooooooo" She squealed like a little child and hopped on my back roughly that I nearly lost my balance,a 15 year old little child, annoying brat.

"Zara get off my back"I struggled with the girl that seemed to be gaining more weight with each visit.

"You should be glad I'm on your back,do you know a lot of boys would kill to be in your shoes right now?"

That made me drop her quick like lightning and I glared at her,like really hard, what boy? But she was laughing really hard.

"You should have seen your face right now,you are so overprotective"She scoffed. Seeing that I wasn't smiling yet,she tickled me and I moved backwards trying to hold the giggles.

"You should be careful Chizara,boys are dangerous"

"Coming from a boy"She sassed and I felt like hitting her head on the car but no,my car was more precious than the stubborn teen before me.

Chizara was the fifteen year old baby of the house, stubborn,my look alike,she had the brightest eyes I've seen,honey eyes,brown glistering skin that shone always and a dimple,one that appeared once she flashed a smile,she was always smiling though and the height,she definitely got that from Mattew,she definitely didn't look fifteen and though I would never let her know,I could give up a kidney for her.

"Bro Mattew didn't come with you?" She asked pouting and twirling her knottless braids, well,i played the role of mum,dad,big bro and big sister to her so I knew all her hairstyles,long story for another day

" His kinda busy today you know,he wouldn't miss your visiting day for nothing" I pulled her closer and repacked her hair and turned her around so I could see her face.

" Hmm and mum and dad?Busy?" I could see the sad glint that passed through her eyes,briefly.

" Yeah...But am here right and I came with ice cream"I tried to cheer her up and oh yeah, that did the trick

"Ice creammmmmmm" She nearly screamed,her eyes depicting true joy,see
..she's a baby,short attention span,easy to please,it was hard to detect she was sad just a minute ago,Zara was just jovial and I was happy she got to smile that widely.

I got to the car and brought out the different flavors of ice cream.

"You really do know how to put me in a good mood,I love you"

Foodie I muttered under my breath,she ate a lot for her own good but as long as it kept her happy,I would make she was always stuffed.

Before I could get to the car and bring other goodies,she was halfway with the vanilla flavor

"Zara!" I exclaimed.

"What?" She had a poker face on like she didn't see the magic she performed. God,how did she eat so fast and so much.

"I pity your future husband" I said under my breath

" That's if I'll have one,you keep scaring boys away from me"

I eyed her.

"You are too young to be talking about marriage,you are just 15"

" Yen yen yen,stop acting old dude,get a life and a girlfriend too" she mocked and stuck her tongue.

Girlfriend?

That thought rarely crossed my mind,I wondered how it felt like,love, relationships,nah,I'll pass,Zara was enough trouble.

"Oh my God...it's Yobanna" I heard a girl shout.

Oh shit,how did my hoodie come off?

***

Selena

Manya by Wizkid was playing softly from the barber's shop across the road while I sat between Faridah's legs.

It was a cool evening and my step mum had gone for a wedding and that was my opportunity,my opportunity to braid my hair and my neighbor and friend was the perfect person for the job.

Faridah's house was 5 houses away, paints peeling from the walls, flowers that were already falling off. She had started making the hair inside her house but like my house,it was stuffy and thank God she suggested we went outside, Faridah's mum was cooking something weird in the kitchen that filled the house with a smell that unsettled me.

"How are you faring in that school?" She asked me and made my hair into parts, applied the shea butter and massaged it for a while.

"Annoying kids, nothing new" I replied and adjusted my skirt better. I was sitting on the pavement while she sat on a stool . I could imagine her face,light skinned face in a serious grimace,she really made sure my face shone each time I finished making my hair.

"That Cynthia girl,does she still bother you?" She asked.

"Sometimes" I lied, Cynthia made sure she made me miserable everytime

"I've told you to stand up for yourself. Walahi God knows I would have removed someone's teeth in that your school,ripped some hairs,dragged people's face across the mud"She fumed.

I chuckled, imagining Faridah dragging Cynthia by the hair.

I wanted to badly correct Faridah,I wanted to tell her that it didn't work that way,I wanted to tell her that life was unfair, that there was no mud in school,that Cynthia didn't seat on the pavement between someone's leg to make her hair,that Cynthia made her hair in high class saloon, that she would never dare but I knew Faridah,she would flare up and I didn't want someone talking too much,it was enough that my hair was a little on fire.

"And your aunt?" Faridah asked.

"Just there, her usual self"I replied. I felt her sigh quietly behind me. By her usual self,I was still a slave to the family,I still slept in the stuffy store, still received caning, still went to school late sometimes cos my step mother made sure I did all the chores and extra.

Sometimes I wanted to envy Faridah but I paused and thought of it, Faridah's father was mentally unstable, her mother worked multiple jobs and her brother was a mechanic. Life wasn't fair to her too,life wasn't fair to anyone around.

"You'll be fine" Faridah muttered.
I tried to believe her but it was useless.

The song across the barber's shop changed to No stress by Wizkid and I smiled,like I couldn't hold the grin and Faridah seemed to notice before chuckling.

"Still crushing on that short singer?"

Faridah and her bad mouth.

"His not short and his name is Wizkid"

I thought about it,i wasn't crushing on him again but the love was still there. I started crushing on Wizkid when I heard Holla at your boy but then it died when I noticed the age difference.

"I'm not crushing on him again,I just like his songs"

Faridah laughed heartily. I felt a little embarrassed though but I ignored her and then I felt an excruciating pain as she combed my hair.

"Ouch!" I yelled.

"Sorry mana, don't call the attention of the whole street." She chided me.

" It's because I've not pulled your hair that way"I whined like a child and I could hear her scoff.

"Better don't talk too much, I can still make you cry"She threatened.

"Wicked girl"I muttered and she tugged my hair and I screamed again, people's attention was drawn to us and they took their eyes off almost immediately.

I turned around to meet the wicked girl trying to hold the laughter threatening to erupt.

"You are so dead"I threatened but the witch was light on her feet and before long she was inside her house.

****

This is me listening to songs and getting more ideas for this book,I have a feeling this book is going to be one hell of a ride and I can't wait mehn,for reasons unknown to me,I'm having fun writing this book.

So Zara or Faridah?

I told you guys that I'm crushing on Yobanna already 😂💓💛

Fun fact: I was writing Yobanna pov close to my friend and I wanted to describe Selena face,I turned around and scanned her face, trying to use her features. Aunty was like,wait o,is it me you are describing like this? And her name is Juliet 😂,madam told me to make sure she's a good person in the book,wahala too much 😂