After school I went home with Adaora,she had invited me to visit her and I gladly accepted.

"I'm so famished" I whined as I got down from the sleek Toyota car and stepped on the interlocked floor. Adaora's house was the typical rich people's home,a duplex painted yellow and a large compound, they had  a lot of trees and we'll trimmed flowers but the compound was really large, I wonder how long it took them to sweep each day.

The door was opened by a petite sized girl wearing an apron,she had extra large eyes and was the maid.

"Anita what did you cook?"Adaora asked dropping her bag on the sofa in the sitting room.

"Jollof rice and chicken" the girl replied,she looked quiet and timid but was older than Adaora and I no doubt.

"Ok, serve us lunch" Adaora ordered,carried her school bag and used the spiral staircase to her room.

The interior of the sitting room was quite impressive and screamed wealth; Italian leather chairs, Arabian rugs, exquisite royal red curtains that were hung high, glistening chalandiers above,milk walls and a 32 inches plasma TV that looked like it was glued on the wall.

There was also a complete sound system and cold air was oozing from the air conditioners . There was a big rosary hanging on the wall too. It was perfect and had a royal aura. I didn't notice Adaora was back till she tapped me. This time she was wearing a simple floral dress. We both walked to the dinning room while Adaora typed away on her phone.

Once I opened the plate,my eyes nearly left the socket, the meal was looking really perfect and immediatly I dug in.

"Aunty take it easy,the food is not running"Adaora said laughing.

"Babe you will not understand,do you know if the chicken will just resurrect?" I asked and she laughed harder as I munched on the bones of the poor chicken.

" Adaora your friend can eat oh" I heard a voice behind me say. My mouth was filled and I knew that oil would be at the edges,I was so embarrassed that moment. It was a young boy of about Chima's height,he had thick eyebrows, straight nose,red lips and caramel skin just like that of Adaora. I wonder why he had to look perfect.

"Hey,am Andrew Onyeke" He introduced himself smiling.

"Victoria Chiamaka Anthony" He nodded and then left, I faced Adaora who was doing something unknown with her phone.

"Is it the same parents that gave birth you guys?" I asked her.

"I don't understand,yes of course" she replied.

"So where are you from because that boy is too handsome"I teased and her face was immediately marred with a frown.

"What so you mean? Are you insulting me?" She asked.

"I'm just joking biko, chill"I said laughing.

*******

"Veronica where are you coming from?" The baritone voice of my father boomed as I entered the sitting room. He was seated on the love seat. My eyes went up straight to the wall clock and it was 5:00pm. School dismissed at 3:00pm,so I was 2 hours late.

"I was tutoring Adaora,you know her,that rich girl,she asked me to teach her some things" I lied. At Adaora's house,after eating her food, I watched television,then gossipied teachers and then spent time by taking snacks,I even forgot where I dropped my bag.

"So you have turned to her lesson teacher? You cannot come back to your house first?"  He asked and I kept mute.

"What if you had being kidnapped?"

"Daddy don't worry they'll just return me by theirself by the time I finish their food" I assured him.

"You think it's funny right,get out of my side" he barked.

"I don't know when you'll stop being silly"Chima said from one corner of the sitting room,so because he had managed to buy Fanta,he thinks his a big boy. He was even crossing his leg watching something on his phone.

I had just the perfect idea on how to deal with him. I went to the kitchen before I returned to the sitting room.

"Chima what are you watching?" I bent over to see.

"None of your business, leave me"he barred me from seeing and glared at me.

"Ok"I replied and left peacefully. It was not up to 3 minutes before he screamed loudly.

"Where is that witch?where is she?" He yelled very angrily while I laughed in the comfort of my room,I had poured salt inside the Fanta.

*******
Something felt weird about school the next day, everyone see to be saying something or probably looking at me or maybe it was just an illusion.

When I got to class,I saw pictures of myself all over the board,there was one that I was munching on the chicken,I looked  really stupid and then there was one with milkshake all over my mouth. There were so many stupid pictures and I remembered I ate in Adaora's house the previous day but how did the pictures leak?
When did Adaora take all these pictures?
It was no doubt when she was with her phone.

Amanda was at the front of the class smiling like she was one of the Liverpool members that flogged Barcelona 4-0.

"Poverty die die die,poverty die" Amanda sang as she laughed.

"It seems she haven't eaten all these kind things before"She laughed loudly again and pointed at the picture where I was gulping the fruit juice.

The rage in me was boiling but I couldn't explode just yet, after all it was true,in my house,we had a pattern,yam, beans,rice or eba,few times spaghetti, chicken was a luxury reserved for Christmas.

I turned to look at Adaora,she was clearly avoiding my face,she was behind this embarrassment. How could she!

"But honestly Veronica, didn't you learn table manners,look at your mouth, yuck" Amanda squeezed her face to show disgust.

"So what point are you trying to prove?" I asked her when I finally found my voice.

"That you are poor and you lack manners" she replied as she took a look at the picture where my mouth was filled with chocolate and I was probably talking. I went out of the classroom trying hard not to tell out my frustration and anger to the world. When my mom said that food will lead me into trouble, this is what she meant. When Chisom told me to fear no man and trust no bitch,this was what she meant.

I heard footsteps behind me, turned around and I saw Adaora.

"What do you want?" I growled at her angrily,I trusted her so much but she turned out to be Judas.

"I'm sorry,I never knew Amanda was going to use it to humiliate you like that"

"Now you know,get out of my life"I barked

"Please"she tried to beg

"Just leave me alone,I trusted you but you just had to betray me,you are wicked Adaora. Why would you give her my pictures in the first place and that kind of pictures for that matter,what were you expecting? You are very wicked" I shouted.

"Don't yell at me like that Veronica,you think it's easy being in your shadows,you think it's easy being fat and unloved"

Wow. But she wasn't done yet

"You have every boy looking at you and I'm the unwanted trash,you insulted the very boy I have a crush on,yes, Ebube and the foolish boy keeps coming back to you not even sparing me a second. Yes,you are Veronica the intelligent girl and I'm Adaora the dumbass that follows her about,you use your beauty to intimidate everyone especially me" Adaora yelled very loudly and I was too shocked to talk.

She wiped the streak  of tears on her face and continued.

"Everyday I try to be better and get people to accept me but no,you cover the glory,you think am wicked,I am not,you are the wicked person here"

"How are my supposed to know you like Ebube?"I asked after finding my voice " Why do you envy me when I have my own flaws,you are my friend Adaora, I've always stood up for you and I've done nothing wrong to you" I said calmly still shocked at the revelation.

"Oh please how will you notice,you are perfect to everyone Veronica and you rub it on my face, I'm not your friend,you treat me like a sidekick" she replied her eyes filled with tears that was already pouring . My anger against her dissolved and it turned to sympathy and just then Amanda and her minions came by.

"You don't have to cry baby girl,you are now my friend,she doesn't deserve you"Amanda said and gave Adaora an handkerchief to wipe her tears.

"Let's go"Amanda told her and giving me one last look, Adaora turned away and left.

It was then i knew I was holding back my tears,seems like I've lost a friend but then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault,you did nothing wrong"A voice I recognized as that of Ebube said,he spinned me around and hugged me as I cried on his chest,I realized while I was pushing him away,I didn't really want to.

"I'm sorry for the other day" I apologized still crying but he only consoled me.

***
Chisom was home,my dad,my bro, my mum and I. We were all seated in front of the TV watching news,well they were watching news because I was not concentrating, my mum was knitting but her eyes were on the television.
Chima was sitting beside me and he kept disturbing me all through.

"Are you sure you are not pregnant,why is your face like decayed amala?" He asked and I hissed.

"And I wonder why you smell like that boxers you soaked for three weeks at the backyard,hope that's not what you are wearing?"
He only scowled and turned away.

"And on business news today,this year, analysis have being carried out and D-Dozie group of company have made over 5 billion more than Dangote group of companies, thereby making Me Dozie officially the richest man in Nigeria and Africa"

The newscaster read and then Mr Dozie was shown,he was wearing a suit and smiling to the camera. I could imagine Amanda's face covered with my smiles once she saw the news.

"Veronica looks like this man honestly" Chisom pointed out

"I think so too, especially the smile" My dad added tapping his chair.

"Maybe we are related?" I chipped in smiling at the idea though it was really impossible.

"In your dead dreams I guess"Chima said.

My mum only smiled at everything we were saying while she kept knitting her bag.

"Mummy what do you think?" I asked her.

"There's nothing to say. Go and boil water for your dad's bath" She ordered.

****
I know you love me😘😂
I just had to update honestly
Please don't stop reading 😭
For those asking for an update of "we meet again".. I'm working on it
Thank you for reading ❣️