Keywords:

Sadira balls: potato mashed and fried with bread crumbs and stuffed with cream.

Fro ji- thank you

Yuwi - head covering sometimes worn in cold weather but is also fashionable. Made from silk, ties around the head with one end used to cover the face.

•Surayya

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a friend."

"I don't know you."

"I'm Dami. Your course mate. I've been seeing you ar—"

I was in no mood to talk to anyone today. The one person I've been looking for has refused to return to school and won't pick my calls.

Greg has turned to a monster and I didn't know how to stop him. I couldn't get his words out of my head.

You spill, the whole Nahur will know the princess is a MURDERESS.

I hold my hand out in his face "Hold it right there."

"Please listen."

"You're all the same." I hiss, packing all my notes into my bag "Same pick-up lines, same everything. I demand originality."

He was really getting on my nerves. I don't even know who he is but if I have to use my boxing skills to use today then so be it. Greg could take the blame for this mans reason for being in the hospital by the end of the day.

"I can do that." He continues to smile despite how much I antagonized him.

"If you had that i wouldn't be such a hard case to crack."

"I just need time to prove myself."

"Excuse me." I wear my bag to the side and head straight for the elevator of the library.

He follows like a lost puppy and my anger continues to increase with the steady rate he's been talking. I press the button to open it and I enter but he squeezes in before the doors close and I almost snap the smile off his face.

"Let me show you how it feels to be with a man." He approaches me with his arms open to give me a hug.

I push him back and press the number zero for the ground floor. He doesn't stop when ignore him and he tries to lift my yuwi "Your hair must be pretty long for a fine girl like you."

That was the last straw for me.

I twist his arm immediately and kick the back of his knees to meet the floor. He thinks it's a joke so he starts laughing "Kink—" he says, right before I sucker punch him in the face.

He spits out blood and wipes his mouth "You like to play rough hmm?"

"You still think this is funny?"

I kick his chest and he falls, still smiling "What kind of fool is this?"

"I'm a fool for you." He replies.

I hit him repeatedly and continue to punch him till I'm tired, somewhat satisfied since he's stopped talking and I get out of the elevator with a deep breath.

I run for the toilet instead of the main exit to wash my hands and roll my sleeves so no one notices the stains. Just as I'm about to leave, Kareema walks in. She's on a phonecall so she doesn't notice me on sight until she ends the call when I'm already cleaning my hands with a paper towel.

"Look who the burwa dragged in." She snorts, playing with her long, twisted braids "Please talk to him ba Bala." she holds her head, laughing.

I fold my arms and lean on the wall, watching her laugh at me. All I see is her face being pounded against the wall. I smile and make for the exit before the thought of releasing my anger on her materializes to life.

She follows me to the door and shouts "You'll always be a coward."

I sigh, holding my chin "Say that again."

"You heard me the first time."

"Too scared to say it a second time?"

"I'm not like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now she's got me riled up.

I run after her and use my elbow to hit her nose. She's screaming and hitting me without enough force. Her hands don't even reach me. Before she lands a hit, I've already spilled blood ten times.

I drag her hair since her braids have been untwisted at the tips and smash her face against the wall just like I wanted to at the beginning and throw her to the floor before heading out.

I found myself at the forest of fingers debating whether or not I should cut off mine and bury them under a tree by a hero's grave too. The forest wasn't always of fingers. It was said to have been a cemetery for all the past Presidents of Academic councils until it was tainted by a small group of Bunisari clan people who became their worshipers. They'd cut two of their fingers and buried it under a tree as a way of repenting for their violence and other misdeeds.

I was a woman of rage. For years I refused to accept that. Until today. I almost killed two people and I didn't even feel remorseful. My father had raised two monsters, just that one was merciful and the other was me.

"Princess?" the waiter hits the counter with her acrylic nails.

"Oh sorry." I smile, finally realizing I was now in the cafeteria to eat lunch.

"What would you like to have?"

I look up ahead at the menu and decide on just three things "Sadira balls, rem and water."

"320 trinks please."

"Here." I give her the cash and she takes it before grabbing a plate to pack my order.

"Have a nice day." She smiles whilst handing me the bag with everything in it.

I hear whispers behind me and I turn to see people pointing and gasping then a notification rings in my phone and I look at my screen to see I've been tagged on Instagram by Kareema.

The message caption read Princess of Kindo turns a peeress to a punching bag then I click on it and see a video of us fighting—or rather, me beating her up—in the bathroom which was a live video that had just ended twenty minutes ago.

I look at them and just laugh "Is this what you all like to see or hear?"

They're all silent with their eyes on me.

"You enjoy seeing the likes of us fighting all over the internet. I'm not even going to stand here and tell you what's wrong or right. Figure it out yourselves."

What I meant by the likes of us was that we were all of high nobility in this university so I believed such things shouldn't be of importance to us like the clans people of the Gasodi kingdom who knew nothing but how to create rumours about the lot of us and lie to the tabloids so they can get paid for false gossip.

"But—" A girl begins but I'm already out before she finishes.

I couldn't go out in shame. I wasn't raised that way and I won't live that way. I made a mistake and next time Kareema do more than pay for it.

I requested for a room change after the marijuana incident because it was then I knew she was a bad influence entirely who was set out to endanger me and my family.

My phone rings and continues until I pick it up and see that it's Sanusi.

"Tell me it isn't your fault."

"It wasn't."

"I believe you."

"Are you coming to see me?"

"No. Take the heat by yourself. It'll teach you how to manage people and find how to avoid future mistakes like this."

"That's fair."

"Tey taught us to never go down without a fight but he also said to become a snake when the grass was too high."

"I know. Fro ji."

"Stay safe Su."

I throw the phone in my bag and ask for my food to be packaged in a container. Next I was heading to Greg's house. I called his phone and it rang straight to voicemail so I began;

Greg *deep sigh* I'm on my way to your house. It's probably the dummest thing but I think we can work this out. Keep rejecting my calls, it'll only make things worse for us.

And send.

I aggressively match the pedal and stare straight into the road. Suddenly I felt like I was loosing my breathe. I was taught to be the one who made others cry and not the other way round so I took a bottle of water out of my bag, took off the cover and swallow all of its content in one gulp but that only made the knots in my stomach grow tighter.

Frustration and vengeance had set in but who was I going after when I couldn't reach the main culprits? I had tuned out of my senses going back to the cause of my sleepless nights and is now the person blackmailing me.

I have really lost my semblances of sense and cognizance.

And the dizziness came but I was strong till my car crashed against the gate of Greg's mansion and I wouldn't be conscious to see what would happen after.

_______________________________

-Aisha SafiyanuXO 💚