This chapter is dedicated to PreshyO_

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Officer Jerry felt reluctant when giving the press the news about the case that happened at one of Nigeria's best secondary schools, Greenville High School.

"It turned out to be a suicide case," he'd said, "and now we hope for the family members to recover from this shock."

Every article, both national and international, reported his statement and the public was left with one question: Why? Why would a girl as young as Danielle take her own life?

Many speculated that she was terrorised by gangs from her school, knowing it was a school for the rich and possibly had no strict supervision. Others said she was probably depressed by the things going on in her family. No one knew what really happened, but every commenter agreed on the fact that she committed suicide based on Officer Jerry's public statement.

Debby was not sure how to take the news when Officer Jerry visited to tell her the final statement at her doorstep. Danielle doing this to herself was just too hard to believe. She wasn't sure how to grieve, knowing it was all over the Internet, and she had to be strong or pretend to be strong, cause of Delphine. It must be tough, she'd thought, knowing the bond between Danielle and Delphine. She wasn't sure how to tell Delphine the news either, so she relied on Mrs. Emma for help.

Debby looked around the airport while checking the time. She'd spoken to Mrs. Emma the last two weeks, and the latter had informed her that the school was granting Delphine's request to come home for a few days. She was relieved after hearing that. She wanted Delphine home, not just for Delphine's sake but also for her sake as well.

She'd cried a river last night after remembering Officer Jerry's words about her sister, Danielle. People from the Internet had gone over to her Facebook and Instagram accounts to express their sympathy under random posts she'd made in the past.

She'd received over a thousand followers on Instagram after it was made public that she was Danielle's older sister. A thousand followers she'd always prayed for, but not in this way. Good thing she'd left Delphine out.

With Delphine schooling in a boarding school and hardly being home, she had no time to socialise on the Internet. Debby and Danielle had pressured her to make other accounts aside from WhatsApp, but she'd refused, saying she wouldn't have time for it because she'd be going back to school anyway.

Now Debby couldn't help but see Delphine's decision as a good thing. No one on the Internet was aware of her to bombard her with unreasonable questions. The questions from the Internet were depressing in a way, and the only shoulder she could lean on was Trust.

She wasn't sure why Danielle and Delphine hated him so much. Yes, he cheated once, which made them fight as hell, and almost broke up. But he came back, apologising, and it was sincere enough for her to give him a second chance.

"Sis Debby!" Debby looked up to see her baby sister, Delphine, and realisation hit her. Delphine was the only family she had left.

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I flipped to the second page of the school's handbook to look at the picture of the vice principal. The vice principal was a man, probably in his forties; he was dark in complexion with lots of facial hair. He had friendly eyes that were almost hidden by the big-rimmed glasses resting up his crooked nose. I flipped through other pages until I landed on the ones I was interested in: sports.

"Danielle!" I looked up. Kim had left the class earlier after a student had told her that a teacher was looking for her. Now I was staring at Kim, who was standing beside her desk with a pile of books resting on her chest while being supported by her lower arm.

"Did you just say, Danielle?"

"What?" Kim turned to me with a bit of an annoyed expression.

"Did you just say, Danielle?" I questioned, a bit louder this time, though no one was paying attention to me.

"What?" Kim laughed. "I said, Daniel-lah, you must have heard me wrong. Daniela!" She yelled louder, and a dark girl with a low cut stood up and walked over to get her book from Kim. "Romeo!" 

"Yes, Juliet," Romeo responded, and everyone else in class laughed.

"Not funny," Kim hissed, and she flung his book at his face. I ignored the rest of the name-calling as I turned to the handbook, though I was no longer reading it. I must have missed Danielle so much. Why did someone have to have similar names?

"What are you doing?" Kim questioned after she had shared the books.

"I'm just looking at sports to join," I said to her.

"You know you can join the debate team." She leaned in.

"I said sport."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, feigning hurt. I could tell by the tone of her voice. "The debate club is like a sport for the brain. Besides, we are just three, and I need members."

I laughed at her pouty expression. Well, if anyone could call it a laugh. It was just a small chuckle; there was nothing heartfelt about it. "I'll think about it."

"So what sport are you planning to join?" She questioned. 

"The track team I'm good at running," I said to her.

"Jealous. I run out of breath easily." She said, then brought out an inhaler I never knew she had and applied pressure at the top, to suck in air. "Maybe you should ask Ore; she's the captain of the female track team."

"Ore?"

"Her," Kim said, pointing at the second seat of the first roll. I recognised the girl she was pointing at, one of Krystian's friends. She wasn't afraid to call out the so-called pretends of her friends during my sister's funeral. Now I wasn't sure if I still wanted to join the track team. "But are you any good, because Ore doesn't tolerate laziness? So I heard."

"She isn't the coach, so why is it her call?" I questioned. I knew the answer to that, but I'd developed an instant hatred after Kim pointed her out.

"She's the captain of the female track team," Kim repeated. "She must have some authority. Just talk to her; she'll give you some guidance on what to do to join."

I sat on my seat, already dreading things that hadn't happened yet.

"All stand, greet!" Kim exclaimed as she quickly stood up from her seat. A young, dark woman, probably in her late twenties, walked into the classroom with a textbook and higher education note in her hands.

"Good afternoon, Miss. Susan!" Everyone greeted, aside from me.

"Good afternoon; sit down." She responded more sternly. She was about to look down at her book when her eyes met mine, and she frowned in distaste. "You, stand up."

"Me?" I asked, pointing at my chest. Everyone else had their heads turned in my direction.

"Yes, you," she responded, and I stood up. "Did you miss your way?"

"Sorry?" I was surprised at her tone. "I don't understand, ma."

"Did you miss your way? You're not from this class."

"She is, ma," Kim said, getting up. "She's a new student."

"A new student in Ss3?" Miss. Susan scoffed. "This school never ceased to surprise me. What's your name?"

"Delphine Peter," I said, still ignoring her hostile tone.

"Well, you know Greenville High School, and you know the school is famous for its academic and athletic excellence. Do not bring the grades of this class down. You can have your seat."

I didn't like the fact that she was already concluding that I must have enrolled here because I failed to get into the Ss3 class in my previous school. I sat back down while trying not to take her words to heart. I was going to prove them wrong with my grades.

"That's Miss. Susan, one of the mean teachers in this school." Kim leaned in to whisper. "She hates when someone asks too many questions in class, especially when they're repetitive, and she hates to hear the sound or see the sight of phones in class. Danielle almost got into trouble once."

"How?" I was instantly interested in the stories once Danielle was mentioned.

"One time, Danielle's phone rang in class because she failed to put it on silence or vibration. Miss. Susan heard it, but thank God, she couldn't catch the student." Kim said, and then her face turned grim.

"What's wrong?" I asked almost immediately.

Kim opened her mouth, then closed it. She felt hesitant to speak. "That day, Danielle had received a message, but I couldn't see the content!" She said it almost immediately. "She was so eager to probably go meet the person who had texted her, that she was ready to leave the class before Miss. Susan was done, even though it was a lunch break."

"You say that like it's a crime."

"Oh, it is," Kim dragged, "when you know who Miss Susan is. Danielle left after lying about constipation, and the next thing everyone heard was her body being found at the press club."

I remained quiet, being reminded of the other side of the story about my sister's tragic death. "The thing is," Kim continued but in a very hushed tone. It took a miracle to grab every word. "Danielle was so eager and somewhat excited to leave the class like she'd won a jackpot. That jackpot she usually gets when she wants to uncover new rumours. She didn't look like she wanted to end it all. I got interrogated when the police came to ask questions about Danielle, and I told them about the message she'd received."

"And?" I pressed on.

"And they said I must have seen wrong," Kim responded. "The police said they checked her phone; she hadn't received any messages that day. But I swear, she did!"

"Kim!" Miss. Susan spoke out angrily. She was in the middle of class, and I wasn't sure what she was teaching the class. I wasn't worried; I could read the textbook to catch up.

"I was just telling her not to bring her phone to school; it's bad!" Kim said. That must have done the trick cause Miss. Susan's expression softened.

"Yes, er, Delphine," Miss Susan called. "Do not bring your phone to my class."

"Yes, ma," I responded.

"Now, back to what I was saying, . . ." Miss. Susan continued, but I tuned her out.

"Kim," I said, pulling her attention away from Miss Susan. "Who found Danielle's body?"

"The principal knew about it and called the police right away," she answered.

"I know that," I said to her. I mean, it was obvious that the principal must have called the police after the incident. "I meant who found it. Who told the principal?"

"Oh," Kim nodded in understanding. "That should be Krystian."

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Kim decided to show me where the cafeteria was located once it was lunchtime. It was kind of a large hall, with several benches. Higher and wider benches served as tables, and lower and slimmer benches served as chairs. I could spot a CCTV camera at the far end of the room. The cafeteria staff was behind a counter, distributing food students chose to buy. Kim ordered jollof rice and a bottle of Pepsi, while I went for jollof spaghetti and a bottle of water. We paid the cafeteria staff and turned to search for a less crowded table. Eventually, Kim found one and led the way.

Our table had two junior students in Pinafore. We didn't mind them as they went on with their small talk.

"Right, Delphine," Kim started. "I heard Ore would be at the track field next period since it's free for our class. Most students from our class usually spend their free period at the sports complex, so you can catch her there and ask for instructions on how to get in."

"Thank you," I said to her, then paused. "But are there other students I can ask?"

"You can ask Daniela," I wish she could stop calling that name because of its similarities to Danielle, "Nerit, or even Chika. But they'll still refer you to Ore, so . . ." She trailed but didn't continue.

"Alright, thank you," I said to her. At the same time, I noticed Krystian and his friends approaching the cafeteria's staff. "Why did you call them the Elites?"

"Uh?" Kim turned her head and nodded. "Oh, they're a group, that's why. The students started calling them the Elites, and it sort of stuck."

"Why the name?" I questioned. "What's so special about them?"

"Everything!" Kim exclaimed like it was an obvious answer. "I mean, I introduced Krystian, right?" I nodded. "Well, the other boy, the dark one with great skin, is Hymn."

I knew that name when it was mentioned last time, but it never occurred to me how ridiculous that name was, probably because I was trying hard to contain my anger. "His parents named him Hymn."

"I know, adorable, right?" I was now certain we had different definitions of adorable. "He's the son of J.K., the talented Nigerian singer. Know him?" I nodded. "Well, that's his son. You see the fair girl?" Both girls were fair, but I was guessing she was referring to the fairer one. "That's Toyosi, the daughter of the well-known actress Yemisi Abiola. Her parents got divorced two years ago, and her mother legally changed Toyosi's last name. But you know the actress, right?" I nodded again. When I was in Ss1, there was gossip going around in my former school that actress Yemi was divorcing her husband. It was a hot topic. "Toyosi is known as the mother Theresa of Greenville High School because she's so perfect yet generous and kind."

"No one's perfect." I cut her off.

"Oh, but she is." Kim stood her ground. "She's just too good for this world. I'm not saying she should die," Kim said in a rush. "I'm just saying . . . she's well . . . perfect! Plus, she's so beautiful; she took after her mother so much that boys couldn't help but fall for her. The last girl is Ore," Kim said. "You already know her, but what you don't know is that she's the daughter of Nigeria's well-known pop rapper, Baby."

"So . . . they're all children of celebrities," I dragged.

"Exactly. Even in the school of the rich, they stand out. That's why they're called the Elites. Besides," she continued, "they're childhood friends, which makes their friendship cuter."

"You and these words, cute and adorable," I dissed, and a tray landed beside mine, followed by long legs swaying the lower bench to sit beside me, cutting Kim from whatever words she was ready to throw out as a comeback.

"Hey, girls!" I turned to see Romeo, but he wasn't in his glasses.

"What are you doing here?" Kim had to lean forward so she could have a better look at him since I was seated in their middle.

"Relax," he said boredly. "I'm here for her."

"She isn't a scholarship student,"

"So?"
 
"So . . . you have no reason to be here." Kim finalised. 

Romeo visibly sighed, then turned to Kim. "I'm here because I find her interesting. Scholarship or no scholarship." And then he pulled his gaze towards me. "I'm Romeo, by the way."

"Delphine, Delphine Peter."

"I know who you are," he said, popping the Gala out of its wrap. "How can you stand her?"

"Kim?" I laughed a little, looking at Kim's annoyed face. "She's good." 

Romeo ate a large bite from his Gala as if that would push whatever comment he had, down his throat.

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Kim had said nothing during the rest of the lunch break, and Romeo and I did most of the talking. Now we were heading back to class, and she still wasn't saying anything.

"You hate him that much?" I asked as we both walked towards our classroom. Other students were running in the halls because they didn't want to be late for class, unlike us, who had a free period.

"Because he's so full of himself," she clarified. "He must have heard me calling him a rich snob and only sat at our table to piss me off."

"I think he sat at our table because he genuinely wants to be friends with me." I stopped and turned to Kim. "Not everything is about you."

Kim looked like I had just slapped her across the face, and I immediately felt guilty and wanted to apologise. She'd been nothing but nice to me.

"You are right," she said before I could even open my mouth. "It probably had nothing to do with me. I'm sorry." 

I sighed, feeling a bit exhausted, and nodded. "It's fine." 

I couldn't believe I was about to argue on my first day of school. I wasn't this emotional to begin with, but I guess with everything going on in my life right now, I wouldn't blame myself for having mood swings.

We got to the class and noticed it was half empty. I guess Kim was right; the class does spend their free period at the sports complex. I looked over at the Elite seats and noticed they were all empty.

"I'll be going to the debate club," Kim announced to me. "You should head over to the sports complex. Ore is sure to be there."

"Thank you," I said, and she rushed to the door. "And Kim . . ." 

"Yes?" She turned once she got to the door.

"I'm sorry too." She smiled widely like she could finally be at ease.

"It's fine," and she turned to head out.

I also left the class a few seconds later while asking for directions on how to get to the sports complex. Out the back of the school's main building and a few metres away, I could tell I was in what everyone referred to as the sports complex. From my line of vision, I could see the school's football field with students in different coloured shirts playing on it. The field was filled with richly trimmed carpet grass and large enough to not disrupt those sitting on the bleachers. On the far left was a kind of basketball court with only a few students in it. No one was playing, though; those few students just sat there with books on the hard floor. On my right, beside the football field, was what I felt was my destination. It was the track field. Just like the basketball court and football field, it also had its own bleachers and separate segments. But the only way to get there was to walk through the football field.

So I found a path that was far from the players and journeyed from there. The grass was still wet because of the heavy rain that fell in the morning. Not even halfway through, a ball came flying and smacked me on my left shoulder. The pain was so intense that I felt my eyes watering. I looked at the ball covered in green grass as it rolled past me, and a player running to retrieve it. When I thought he'd apologise, he just ran past me like I was invisible.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I yelled angrily, blinking the tears away while gaining the attention of the students and other students around me. When the student turned, I couldn't help but feel angrier. I never liked him and his group and hated him more after Kim's revelation, knowing he must somehow be involved with Danielle's death.

"What?" Krystian turned, giving me an annoyed look. Probably because I was stopping him from getting back to his game. I noticed that the different coloured shirt they were all wearing was the school's sportswear, which was different from the uniform I saw him put on earlier.

"I don't understand!" I yelled angrily. "Is your father the president of Nigeria or am I missing something?"

"Excuse me?" 

"You're excused. You are very much excused." I said this to him in annoyance. "First your car splashed water all over me, and then you . . . you—" I cut myself off by looking him dead in the eye. "Apologise." 

"What?" he questioned.

"Apologise," I repeated, ignoring the fact that I was causing a scene.

Krystian scoffed in front of me. "Why should I apologise?"

"Are you kidding me?" He was frustrating. He was so rude that I couldn't stand him. "First it was your car, and now you threw a ball at me." I pointed at my left arm, which, thank goodness, was saved by the fabric of my school jacket. "Apologise!" 

"Krystian!" Someone called from the field. "Guy Abeg, leave this girl; come make we play ball."

But instead of leaving right away, Krystian still had his attention on me. "Why should I apologise for things I didn't cause?" He questioned. "I didn't splash you with water, and I definitely wasn't the one that played the shot. He did. I'm just retrieving it." He pointed at someone from the field, but I couldn't tell who. When he had his attention back on me, it was with an amused look. "Bye, new girl."

And I watched him jog over to the others on the field. I looked at the bleachers to see some students giving me looks, and I ignored them and marched over to the track field. I tried to calm myself all the way there so Ore wouldn't think I was some troublemaker who wasn't fit to be on the team. Again, that wasn't meant to be her call.

No one was practising on the team; it was just Ore and the other girl, known as Toyosi, and both were sitting on the track field. Both already had their eyes on me as I was approaching them, and it was obvious that they saw the drama.

"What happened over there?" Ore asked before I could even get to her.

"Come on, give her a break. I'm sure Krystian caused it." Toyosi said to her, then turned to me with a friendly smile. "Hi, Delphine. I'm Toyosi, from your class."

"Hi," I responded, pretending like I wasn't aware of her existence.

"This freezer right here is Ore; ignore her talk the majority of the time," Toyosi warned. 

"Hey, come on, I'm no freezer."

"Then why are you so cold?" Toyosi questioned, and Ore rolled her eyes.

She finally looked up as if remembering my existence, then cleared her throat. "Why are you here?"

"Right." I was glad she asked that. "I would like to join the track team."

"Slot's full," she said, and she didn't hesitate with her response.

"The principal didn't say anything about slots being full."

"Well, I'm the captain, and I say the slot's full." I gave her a hard stare while refraining from balling my hands into a tight fist. I didn't want to show how much her response upset me.

"Who's the coach?" I questioned.

"Aha?" Ore opened her mouth to look at me.

"Just give her a chance. Delphine, maybe you should—"

"Auntie, are you captain?" Ore asked, looking at Toyosi. "Just because you're my friend doesn't mean you have a say." She then turned to me. "I said the slots are full. Be going, na, what's your problem?

"I'm just asking for the coach," I said to her.

"You have no business with the coach." She quickly got up, and Toyosi did the same. "Let's go, abeg. She just came and ruined someone's peace."

Toyosi gave me an apologetic look as she went away with Ore, who was mumbling incoherent words.

"God help me," I whispered to myself. I had dealt with the worst girls in my previous school, and this girl called Ore was just too small for me not to handle.

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Where are my STRAPPED readers??? I believe you can see the pattern abii. If you haven't read STRAPPED, you can go over and read it while waiting for newer chapters so you can get familiar with the Elites' parents.

That's it for today's chapter? It's just the first day of school and Delphine is already receiving it hot hot. How do you think she'd cope?

Till next time✨