Don't believe you have to be anybody to be somebody

-Nike

This chapter is dedicated to divinviolet for the amazing cover photos 😘

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Zarah smile uneasily and rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress.

"Oh, good morning" The teacher stared at her, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

"Sorry, you can come in" He added when he noticed she was still standing at the door.

An uncomfortable feeling overwhelmed her as she walked into the classroom. She was aware that all their gazes were fastened on her which made her very self conscious.

She lowered her gaze.

"You're new right?" The teacher asked her.

"Yes sir" She responded meekly, her voice was barely audible.

"Your name?"

"Zarah Adavize"

A smile lit his face. "Oh! You were the one who scored the highest in the school maths exam, I've been waiting to see you. Your performance were impressive" He rapped all in one breath. Tilting his head to the side, he asked "I think You scored ninety eight, Am I right?

Zarah nodded still staring at the floor.

"Welcome to Regal academy, the school would be lucky to have you, I hope you enjoy your stay with us"

"Hmm..." He had a strange glint in his eyes as it scanned the class. His gaze landed on an empty chair at the end of the class. "You can sit there and if you're not comfortable sitting there you can let me know"

Zarah looked up and caught the scowl on a girl's face and her eyes reverted back to her toes immediately. She scampered over to where she was asked to sit, she didn't make the mistake of looking at anyone again although she could feel their stares until she arrived at her seat.

She could clearly hear all the furious whispers about her but she chose to pretend she didn't hear.

"She's so beautiful" Came an astounded whisper

"Huh!" A feminine voice snorted "I think she's rather ugly, can't you see she's flat"

"Humph! You're just jealous"

"How could I be jealous of someone that poor, see the cheap bag and sandals she's wearing"

"But you can't deny the fact that the dress is beautiful"

"All the same she's poor"

"And I still maintain that you're jealous because you're not half as beautiful or as intelligent as she is"

"Okay, class!" The teacher started and the students grumbled under their breath.

"Eh, Uhn... Zarah, Like I said earlier, You're welcome to Regal academy, My name is Bassey Ojodomah and I'll be taking you maths"

Zarah nodded with a wide grin to hide her nervousness.

"Lemme give you a quick rundown of what's on the board" He pointed at the white marker board on which some solutions were scribbled down in his horrible writing "The topic's logarithm, you must have been taught that in SS1. Am I right?"

Zarah nodded in the affirmative.

"Well can you tell me quickly what it is?" He asked with a smile. You could tell he took an instant liking to Zarah.

"Oh no! No need to stand, you can sit"

Zarah sat down uneasily and cleared her throat.

"The logarithm of a number is the power to which it was raised to give that number"

"Great" He quipped sneaking an indiscreet glance at his wristwatch. "Em, My time is far spent so I'll just quickly solve one example after that I'll give you assignment and we're done for today"

The class grumbled as he wrote the last question on the board.

"This one never forgets to give assignment" Zarah heard someone say.

"This one no get joy oh! First day of resumption fa!"

Zarah breathed out a sigh of relief. She made to take her books from her bag before she remembered that she hadn't gotten her books yet. She wilted against the back of her chair ready to enjoy the day lessons.

Zarah succeeded in slipping out of the class unnoticed after the civic teacher left the class. She closed the door gently behind her and let out a sigh in relief.

Her eyes darted across the hallway. Now she'd have to find the VP's office. She could have easily asked one of the numerous students clustered around the hallway but she stubbornly decided not to.

I could find it all on my own!

Or so she thought.

After walking around the large school aimlessly for some minutes, she reluctantly admitted to herself that she needed held.

She stood at a spot, her arms on her waist with her brows puckered in confusion. The problem was she just didn't know who to ask.

She felt a presence behind her as the pungent aroma of orange spice assaulted her senses. She turned sharply and stared into a pair of beautiful dark brown eyes.

He was around her age and dressed neatly in the school uniform, tall with a slim athletic build and his enviable black hair well loaded with gel and hairspray. His brown eyes glinted in the bright sunlight.

He grinned cheekily at her showing off his perfect set of pearly whites.

"Em, Sorry to disturb you" He scratched the back of his neck in a way that suggested he was nervous but he barely looked it.

"But I'd kill myself if I let this opportunity slide without getting to know you, I'm Abel and you're?" He extended his hand for a handshake.

Zarah took his head with a smoke, her eyes twinkling "Zarah"

"Wow that's a pretty name, Well you looked like you were looking for something earlier on, would it be impertinent to ask what it was?" He shoved his hands into his pocket and looked into her eyes. His eyes gleamed with a golden light.

"Oh! No I wasn't, I was actually looking for the vice principal's office, I am supposed to get my books there" She laughed. She felt at ease talking to him, like she had known him a lifetime.

"Well, how about I show you to his office"

"Okay" She mock saluted "Lead the way"

His rich laughter filled the ear, the corner of his eyes crinkling "Sure"

"So what's your view so far of Regal academy?" He asked as they rounded off the corner.

Abel stubbornly insisted on carrying half of her books for her even up to her desk much to her protests. She thought she was stressing him until she realized he was in the same class as her.

After chatting about random stuff for a minute, he sauntered off to talk to his friends.

Zarah smiled and arranged the textbooks neatly in her backpack. She preoccupied herself with writing names on her notebooks.

"Hey" She heard a slightly deep voice. Zarah looked up and was surprised to see it was a girl. Her hair braided with attachment was tied up in a ponytail, it fell down to her mid back. She was tall, slender and mysteriously beautiful. Her skirt was a little bit short due to her height and it exposed her long flawless legs.

She drew a nearby chair and sat beside Zarah.

"Hey!" Zarah smiled back at her.

"In case you're wondering who I am, my name's Adaora"

"I'm Zarah"

"I know that already"

Zarah laughed, literally everyone in the class knew her name.

"So I see you're settling down already" Adaora remarked, her eyes scanning the books on Zarah's desk.

"Zarah Adavize" She tested the name on her tongue "You're Ebira right?"

"Yes I am"

"That explains your remarkable beauty"

Zarah flushed "Em... Thank you?"

"Would you like me you borrow you the notes we've written today? Cause I see you haven't written anything down yet"

"Sure I'd love that"

Zarah noticed Adaora wasn't that much of a talker so she decided to take up the conversion. She dipped the pen on her books and relaxed into her chair.

"So you've been in this school for how long?" She asked.

"Well not long, just about a year" She shrugged "I'm on scholarship"

"Wow me too!" A smile lit Zarah's face.

"I'm sure you don't want people to hear that"

"Why?" Zarah asked genuinely confused.

"Trust me, if you knew the kind of treatment I get around here you wouldn't, I'm not suggesting you lie but do not tell anyone who does not ask you. Enough on that, I seriously do not want to talk about it"

Although Zarah was curious, she decided not to pry cause she saw that the subject unsettled Adaora. She straightened up and slapped a smile unto her face.

"Em... So what do I need to know about Regal academy? Tips? Rules? Anything?" She steepled her fingers and rested her chin against the tips.

For the first time Adaora laughed. "Well... Nothing really" She shrugged "This is Regal academy, we're known for our remarkable excellence in academics and sports. It's reputably the best in the whole state..."

"Skip the facts, I know that already"

"Kay, the only thing I think might interest you is that braids are allowed but only the colours black brown and recently dark purple. But mind you, it must exceed waist length."

Zarah's eyes widened in surprise "Wow!"

"Phones are allowed for the senior class but not in classes" She paused "Hmm... What else?"

"One more thing" She leaned in and whispered "Be careful of Jade and Queen"

Zarah furrowed her brows "Who are they?"

"Let say best friends who think they own the school... Scratch that! They literally do own the school"

Zarah's eyes lit up "Is it like those teen fics on wattpad? Like the queen bee?"

"Well you can call them that if you want to. The reason I told you to be careful of them is that they do seem quite... What's the word? Em... Bubbly and friendly on the exterior but believe me when I say they can be bitchy at times"

"Okay..." She drawled. It took her a minute to digest all Adaora had said.

"Hey newbie" A sugary sweet voice chirped.

"Talk of the devil" Adaora muttered rolling her eyes.

Zarah's head snapped up and was greeted with the sight of two girls walking towards her. She sat up and plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Hi" She caught a whiff of her floral perfume.

She had to admit they were extremely beautiful. The one she assumed to be Jade had a sickening sweet smile plastered on her face. Beautiful didn't even begin to describe her and curvy was an understatement. She was so well endowed that her skirt stopped at her mid thigh, Her purple braids, curled at the tip fell across her waist and her big brown eyes complimented with long eyelashes gave her an innocent look.

Her friend beside her was very light in complexion which contrasted sharply with Jade's flawless dark skin. Her identical purple braids were also loosed like Jade's and her skirt as short. She had the perfect shape that would make every girl jealous and curves at the right places.

Zarah knew she was right when the one she assumed to be Jade introduced herself as Jade.

"I just thought I should say hi, welcome to our school, Hmm... Maybe I could show you around sometime" She smiled.

Something about her was off but Zarah couldn't quite place it.

"Sure I would love that"

"Okay, see you around then" Jade waved her goodbye and waltzed off, her friend Queen following closely behind her.

"Show off" Adaora huffed.

"They're both beautiful and kind, how can you not love them?" Zarah asked bewildered.

"Huh?" She snorted "You don't know them like I do. Trust me, they're devils" She stood up from the chair she was sitting on and dusted imaginary dirt from her skirt "I'll bring the books later... Wait! There's an empty chair beside me, it's in the centre of the class and it helps you concentrate more and one more thing..." She reduced her voice to a whisper and winked "It's close to Abel"

Zarah threw her head back in laughter.

"I'd love to" She then proceeded to arrange her things in her school bag.

The door flew open and a boy in junior secondary school uniform appeared at the door. Everyone's eyes were zeroed in on him.

"Hmm... Excuse me Seniors, I was sent to call..." He checked his book for confirmation "Em... Zarah Adavize, The tailor's here and the principal said to call you for your measurements"

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A/N

😌 Finally! I'm done with this chapter.

Sorry for the late update tho 🙄

So what do you think?

Boring? Don't worry it'll get better.

And of the cover photos? 😄 I think they're superb

Just introduced four new characters I hope you like them.

Special thanks goes to
ibby_gal
Desi0725
Thanks for giving this story a shot, it really means a lot.

🙏 Please, I'm practically on my knees. Please tap on that orange star and put a smile on my face.

Don't forget to comment tho, I really love reading your comments.

Lot's of love 😍😍😘❤❤❤❤💖💖💝💝💗💗💗

Signing out 🙅
It's your favourite gal
Favour 😇.