(048a - Once Bitten Twice Shy Part 1)

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𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐘
(Hilary Idara Eghosa)

(Monday)

"OBARA JESUS!"

I spat out my drink, the sudden yell from Dawn scaring the living daylight out of me. Thankfully, there was no one close to us, I'd have baptized the person with backwashed Lucozade boost.

When I turned back to the curvy girl sitting beside me, she wasn't even sparing me a glance, oblivious to the fact that she scared me and made me waste my drink. Her attention was on her phone, her glossed lips stretched so far up her ears as she stared at whatever it was that made her scream.

She must have felt my stare to the side of her head because she turned her head to my side, confusion marred across her face.

Then, she realized.

"I'm so sorry," She quickly apologized, laughter in her voice. "I just got really excited there for a second. My chest is about to explode with excess excitement right now, you have no idea," She rambled on, voice shaking with as much hysteria I could feel emitting from her in waves.

She was jumpy and bubbly in her seat, it made me laugh, and also curious to know what's got her so high.

"Oya, what happened?" I asked her, putting my drink on the steel table so that I could turn to her properly. Dawn also shifted in her seat, and I could tell she was really excited to share her gist.

"So, Chima and I made a Tiktok video when he came by yesterday evening."

Yesterday was Sunday and Dawn has told me before that ever since she and Sochima became official, her mum has insisted they do this thing called Sunday Family Dinner, where Sochima was invited to have dinner with them, every Sunday evening. I thought it was cute, but Dawn thinks it's just her mum's way of keeping tabs on their relationship.

She called her mum that sneaky yoruba woman.

"It's just this sugarcane challenge, you know that mayorkun's song na," Dawn continued and I nodded, knowing how popular the challenge was on TikTok. "So Chima and I made our own video, mixed the original dance with our own ajasa. It was so fun to make, and I posted it before I slept last night,"

She paused to pick up her phone from the table.

"Only for me to wake up and see this," She said, turning the screen to my side for me to see.

And my eyes widened automatically when I spotted the number of views and likes on the video in nothing less than fifteen hours.

"1.5 million views!" I exclaimed, and Dawn nodded, lips stretching again in a wide smile as she bounced on her feet.

"And 500k likes in the space of fifteen hours!" She added, causing a sound of awe to escape from my lips.

Wawu!

"My comment session is blowing up like crazy," She went on, giving me the phone to check through which I did. "I was on 33k followers before the video, but now I have like 200k plus followers," She was so pumped. "Chima's account that has been dormant for years, he now has 25k followers-"

"43k followers now," I cut her off, showing her Sochima's page and her eyes went huge.

"See! And I checked like five minutes ago o!" The elation in her voice and body language was so contagious, that I began to feel it too. "Before the end of today, his followers might get to 100k. I'm not even capping!" She exclaimed, her energy made me laugh out loud

"Couple Goals tinz!" I hyped her and she joined my laughter with her hearty ones, flipping the locks of her dreads over her shoulder with sass.

"Yes o! Na we!" She exclaimed, exuding excitement in waves she couldn't contain. It made me laugh again, excited for her. The girl was literally a big ball of glow and positive energy, she couldn't keep it to herself.

And honestly, I had Sochima to thank for giving my best friend back her glow.

Looking back at her phone in my hand, I started watching the video, watching Dawn and Sochima move the beat of the song in a perfect synchronization that only existed with them, exuding intense chemistry in ripples. Anyone watching them would be able to tell at first glance that they were so much in love with each other.

They have never tried hiding it, not even here in school where there were tons of judgemental people.

I mean, I've watched tiktok couples dance before, but Dawn and Sochima were a force to be reckoned with. Even the six hundred and twenty-three people that commented on their video could agree. And this was just their first dance video together.

"You guys are the absolute cutest," I commented again, grinning from ear to ear as I handed the phone back to her. She smiled, collecting it from me.

"I know we are cute," She sassed and I rolled my eyes comically at her pride, picking up my bottle of boost to take a sip. "But definitely not as cute as you and Simisola Jordan," That additional statement from Dawn made my drink go down the wrong pipe.

I'd have choked if I didn't collect myself quickly, beating my chest softly when fits of coughs escaped my lips.

"Dawn!" I chided, my voice hoarse.

"What?" She shrugged, brushing my discomfort away with a dismissive wave of a hand. "I'm not lying, am I?" She quirked her brows inquisitively, a smirk tugged at a corner of her lips.

This girl. I sighed, letting out a short laugh.

"Dawn, I have told you every time you have brought this up and I'm going to tell you again. Nothing is going on between Simi and me," I told her, trying to sound as convincing as possible because, at this point, my best friend has stopped believing me whenever it has to do with Simi.

"We are just friends," I added as an afterthought, looking away from the girl that looked at me like I was spitting out cock and bull.

Am I spitting out cock and bull?

"But you like him," It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And the certainty in Dawn's tone told me she wasn't believing anything otherwise.

The statement was so direct, that it rendered me speechless. Everything in my mind suddenly disappeared into dust. I tried to find my words but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. Only Dawn's statement kept ringing in my head.

...you like him...

Do I?

I have asked myself this question more times than I could count, trying to figure out if whatever I feel for Simi was majorly platonic... or maybe it was a lot more. I've tried to make myself believe that I was reading too much meaning into his affection and care for me, tried to make myself believe it wasn't that deep.

But it was that deep. Because no one has ever made me feel this way.

The way Simi made me feel was... another level of deep. A more intense, more intimate level of deep. Everything he made me feel was too personal not to be deep. And it made it harder to stop myself from liking him. It made it a lot harder to stop myself from feeling fiercely attracted to him, especially after everything that went down at his place the other day.

He freaking broke down the door of the bathroom just to make sure I was okay.

For someone that has been in a relationship before, this was the first time someone made me feel different kinds of emotions all at once.

All good kinds of emotions.

Emotions that made my heartbeat accelerate erratically whenever he looked at me with fiery eyes that looked like citrine gemstones, my heart beating rapidly whenever he was so close to me. Emotions that made goosebumps sprout on my skin at the slightest touch from him, even if it was just a brush of his skin against mine. Emotions that made me feel hot all over when he hugs me the way the does, with his face buried in the hollow of my neck, his soft, clean breath caressing my sensitive skin so daintily.

And God... he was so touchy in the gentlest of ways. He touched me like I was something - someone delicate, like he didn't want to break me.

I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my heart skip a thousand beats when I remembered the way he had held me in his arms that night in the backseat of his car. I could still feel everything, the way he pressed his forehead against mine, his breath fanning the skin of my face like whispers...

And that moment when he took my hand and placed it on his chest, feeling his heart thundering furiously against my palm. That was the most defining moment of that night.

I felt everything, in just that moment.

In that single moment.

It took Simisola André Jordan just one moment to make me feel everything and more. It took someone I never expected in a million years to invoke emotions I've never felt, emotions I never knew existed till he came along.

It was fücking exhilarating... and fücking scary.

It was so terrifying, and that was enough for me to try my best to subdue these feelings flaming up in me like an inferno from the inside out,

Else, I might get burned again.

"You like him, Hilary," Dawn repeated after what seemed like hours of silence. I looked at her and found her watching me intently, the expression on her face telling me she didn't need me to confirm that statement. My silence was enough confirmation.

Still...

"There is no point," I told her, shaking my head slowly. Dawn didn't stop peering at me, so it was easy to see the slight confusion in her eyes after I said that.

"There is no point liking him, or..." She was trying to understand what I meant by my statement

"There is no point trying to make sense of what I feel for him," I expatiated. Her lips formed an O shape as realization appeared in her features. I exhaled, shrugging in faux nonchalance.

"It's likely never going to lead to anything anyway, so what's the point?" I asked, punctuating my statement with a chuckle that sounded sad in my ears. It felt almost lifeless too.

Dawn didn't say anything for a moment, just kept watching me like she was trying to figure out where that came from. I averted my gaze from her inquisitive ones, taking the last swig of my Lucozade boost, allowing my thoughts to wander.

I know why I said what I said, and if Dawn was able to figure it out, she'd understand too.

And figure it out, she did.

"You are scared," She stated pointedly, and I felt my lips stretch in a wider smile. Typical Dawn, it didn't take her up to a minute before she was able to figure it out. I wouldn't put it past her anyway. She had first-hand knowledge of how it felt to be in this particular shoes of mine.

I shrugged again as I looked up to face her, and then saw the understanding I knew she'd have in her features.

"Why won't I be?" It was a rhetorical question we both knew the answer to. Dawn exhaled, shifted closer to me on the steel bench, and pulled me in for a hug. A hug I didn't know I needed until now. And I gladly accepted it, closing my eyes as I buried my face in her shoulder.

She didn't say anything, didn't try to talk me out of my fear, didn't try to invalidate it or make it seem like I was just overreacting. She didn't try to give me a speech on getting out there again, knowing full well that no matter how much I say he doesn't exist to me, what he did was still evergreen in my memory, still fresh.

She didn't judge me for feeling the slightest bit insecure because she knew firsthand what it was like to feel this way, to feel this insecure about admitting these new feelings. It was the same way she was when she and Sochima started, even though she got over it faster than I could ever imagine. But I couldn't compare myself with her because Dawn was a lot stronger than I was.

She has always been.

And I was glad she didn't use that as a standard for me too. All she did was hug me, a silent assurance that she understood how this felt and she was here for me.

Like she has always been.

"You're okay," She whispered, hand patting my braided cornrows. I only hummed in response, hugging her tighter.

With my head still over her shoulder, I opened my eyes in time to see Sochima making his way over to us. I felt my lips pull up in an automatic smile.

"Your boyfriend is coming here," I whispered to Dawn, pulling away from her so she could turn around to look at him too. Her lips stretched in a wide smile as soon as she sighted him, watching him walk towards us while he briefly greeted some guys that threw greetings at him across the garden.

He got to us in no time, throwing his hands around Dawn from behind to hug her.

"Hey," He whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her head that elicited a fit of giggles from Dawn as she hugged his hands tighter around her body.

"Hi," She whispered back to him, closing her eyes as she nuzzled in his embrace. Thankfully, we weren't in an open part of the garden, distance away from the prying eyes of our amebo set mates.

"Hey, Hilary," Sochima greeted me when he finally noticed my existence. "I'm so sorry, I honestly didn't see you there," He added and I laughed, rolling my eyes comically.

"Of course you didn't," I answered him. "You were pretty occupied, so I understand," I added, flashing Dawn a teasing smile that made her slap my thigh playfully, color creeping up her cheeks that indicated that she was blushing.

This made Sochima and I burst into another round of laughter, causing Dawn to blush the more while she kept muttering for us to stop teasing her, threatening Sochima with a breakup we knew would never happen. Sochima dug his fingers to her sides and started tickling her, trying to get her to laugh with us. She tried to hold off for as long as she could, but in no time she was laughing like a mad woman too.

After we stopped playing around, Dawn and Sochima went into a full-blown conversation about the Celebrity Bon Fire party coming up in a couple of weeks. It was a Dance Party of some sort, coupled with a get-together for teen stars and celebrities and it was taking place at Greenland Park. I was neither a dancer nor a celebrity so there was nothing I could contribute. Instead, I settled for listening to them talk about it.

Yes, I paid attention to everything they were talking about even if it didn't concern me in the tiniest bit.

No, It wasn't weird. I didn't feel left out either. I actually do enjoy listening to both of them speak, listening to how easily Dawn and Chima communicate with each other. Their dynamics were almost flawless, perfect in fact with Dawn being the talkative one and Sochima being the listener. And by God, he was a good listener, even when she's rambling nonsense.

They made it almost impossible not to envy what they had together, what they have built in such a short period. They were fiery, unapologetically burning with so much love they don't care if it consumes them or anyone around them. And deep down, something kept telling me that I already had something like it... or was close to having it.

With someone.

But fear.

Fear will never let my mind think further about it.

Dawn's head turned to my side and her mouth started moving, but in the haziness of my thoughts, I couldn't hear what she was saying. I shook my head, snapping my mind back to the present.

"What?" I asked, blinking.

"Do you want to come with us for the Bon Fire Party?" she repeated her question.

"Yeah, I can easily snag you an invite," Sochima chipped in after her. The Bon Fire Party has been making headlines on social media and anyone would kill to be invited. Dawn and Sochima didn't have to hassle to get invited, especially after their big Wonder Coast dance-off. And now, they were fast becoming a TikTok sensation.

Of course, it would be insane for me to pass up on the free opportunity to see some of the teen celebs I follow on the gram. But then, I knew how left out I'd feel so I didn't think twice before shaking my head.

"I'd have to pass on the offer," I declined, flashing the both of them an apologetic smile. Dawn pulled her lips into a pout, obviously bummed that I declined. "It's a party for celebrities and I am no celebrity. I'll feel so left out there." I told them.

"You won't," Dawn shook her head. "You'll be with Chima and me of course," She said like it would be enough to convince me to change my mind. But it only made me not want to go even more. There is absolutely no way I'd be a third wheel.

"It's all good Dawn, really," I assured and she sighed in resignation, nodding. "But I'll let you guys know if I change my mind," I added just to get her off my back for now. Sochima will obviously not pressure me to come, but Dawn certainly will.

Soon, the warning bell went off.

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(Friday)

"God forbid that woman gets to physics lab before me,"

"You people should move fast na!

"Who is that idiot blocking the road? Abeg, pack well!"

"Modupe, keep space for me o!"

"Shebi it remains fifteen minutes to her class? Why is everyone rushing?"

"It's until she locks you outside that you'll understand. Ode."

The hallway of the Laboratory and Studio building was in a frenzy, but it wasn't as noisy as the physics lab itself. The two science classes were having our first combined class of the session, which made the lab rowdier than it usually was with just one class. That, and everyone was trying to make it into the lab before Mrs. Khadija shows up.

That woman.

If she gets into the lab before any student, they weren't going to enter the class again. The woman would intentionally give a pop quiz, record it, and make sure it carries a large percentage of our continuous assessment, just to show the students that were outside pepper. It was almost as if she enjoyed recording zero for her students. It's only in her subject that mass failure is always recorded.

She was always so eager to call and portray us as failures at every given opportunity.

I don't know if she could get any more wicked than that at this point, but knowing the kind of person she was, I won't be shocked if she does something a lot worse. I honestly won't put it past her. She was evil like that, and that's even putting it mildly.

Ever since she embarrassed and humiliated Simi that day in front of the entire class, unapologetically demeaning and degrading him like he wasn't a human being with feelings, God knows I have had that woman in mind. I'm not one to hate teachers, but that woman was no teacher. I used to wonder how she has been able to keep her job since countless complaints have been about her, but she was very good at her job.

Still, that didn't justify how she continuously puts down students. Nothing can justify such terrible behavior. Her license should be revoked and her teacher's training certificate should be torn to pieces.

She didn't deserve it.

I took the chair on the third row, not too far from the board because Mrs. Khadija seemed to always target the people sitting at the back, concluding in her mind that they were unserious. The last thing I wanted was to be on her radar today, especially since it was like she got crankier and crankier in every new class. I don't think I have met anyone as - God forgive me - bitter as that woman.

It wasn't up to a second after I settled down that I saw Kizito and Semeeha walk into the lab together.

"Kizito, Semeeha!" I called, alerting both of them to my side. While Kizito smiled and waved back, the initial smile on Semeeha's lip when she walked in disappeared, her expression transforming into an impassive one. She looked - no - stared right past me like she couldn't see me.

She has been doing that a lot, ignoring me everywhere and anywhere. I would greet her in the hallway and she'd just breeze past me. This has happened severally that I had to stop because it was getting embarrassing. If this was how it felt to be part of the people she used to consider irrelevant, people she snubbed when they greet her, then it stung badly. I never thought I'd ever be part of those people, but yet, here we are.

I wanted to get used to this, but I could never get used to my own friend ignoring my existence. I won't lie, it hurt quite a lot, but I tried not to let it faze me.

"There is space here," I beckoned to them, waving them over so that they'd come and sit down beside me.

The chairs and tables in the laboratory were long ones that could contain about five people at a time without any inconvenience so they could sit with me. All the times we have had combined classes in SS1 and SS2, the three of us have always had one seat to ourselves. I'm not sure if that would be the case today though, especially with the recent strain in our friendship.

Kizito won't have a problem sitting beside me, I knew Semeeha might. She still wasn't sitting beside me in class even after I told her it was okay for her to. Even with that, I wanted to try my luck. Maybe she'd finally sit beside me today. But deep down, I knew she won't.

Just as I presumed, she stopped Kizito when he wanted to move, looping her arms around his tightly, almost possessively. She then tiptoed and whispered something to him. I don't know what it was, but I had a pretty good idea when Kizito looked back at me with a small apologetic smile on his lips and allowed Semeeha to whisk him away to another seat.

I had to stop the scoff from escaping my lips.

This is getting serious. I thought to myself.

My eyes followed the duo till they sat down on a seat on the other side of the lab, quite far away from where my seat was. Semeeha's smile had returned to her face, and she continued talking to Kizito like she didn't just brush me off.

This is so absurd. I couldn't stop the scoff this time, almost facepalming.

What is this pettiness, though?

This was fast becoming incredulous, unbelievable in fact. And no matter how much Kizito has told me to be patient with her, I still can't wrap my head around the reason for this beef. This was the longest we have ever gone without resolving a fight and it was getting really childish.

On a normal day, I'd have convinced Dawn to let's apologize to her just for the sake of peace. But not this time. Not when she was totally out of line. Truth be told, It was so mind-boggling how she still doesn't understand the gravity of what she did, even after we pointed it out to her severally.

Did she not understand? Or she just didn't care?

And... is it just me, or she's trying to get Kizito to pick a side?

Just thinking about it was nerve-wracking and disturbing. Made chills run down my spine.

What's up with you, Semeeha?

"Is this seat taken?" A familiar deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and automatically, my lips stretched in a smile. I didn't have to look to know who it was. That voice was enough, and so was the familiar redolent scent that always followed him.

Still, I looked up to meet golden eyes smiling down at me.

"Do you even have to ask?" I teased, carrying my bag from the space to my left to put on the table. Simi laughed, settling down beside me.

"Who knows?" He asked, placing his books on the table. "Two of your best friends are in science class," He was talking about Semeeha and Kizito. "You might have kept the space for them." He stated. I chuckled humorlessly, shaking my head.

"They rather sit somewhere else," I answered, allowing my eyes to travel to the duo again.

Surprisingly, my eyes met Semeeha's immediately. It was like she had been watching me. Kizito didn't know this because he seemed so engrossed in whatever he was typing on his phone. Semeeha still held my gaze, something akin to a scowl marred across her face.

Not knowing what else to do, I rose my hand in a small wave, flashing her a good-natured smile. Only for her to look away from me abruptly, her head turning sharply I feared it would fall off.

This made me frown.

What was that about?

"Trouble in paradise?" Simi asked. When I looked at him and found him watching me, I knew he must have seen the weird exchange between Semeeha and me. I chuckled again.

"You have no idea," I answered in a whisper, glancing to Semeeha's side again, watching as she tried to get Kizito's attention away from his phone and to her.

"I didn't want to bring it up because I thought it was none of my business," Simi started and I turned back to pay attention to him. "But I've noticed the strain between you and the model," He went on, nodding in Semeeha's direction. "She has stopped sitting down beside you in class and she doesn't hang out with you guys anymore," He pointed out.

I intentionally didn't want to tell Simi about what was going on because I didn't want to bother him with it, especially with what was going on at home for him. But I didn't expect him to have figured out this much. It wasn't supposed to be shocking that Simi picked up on these things because I have seen first-hand how attentive he was. He was the kind of person that could figure anything out at first glance.

But honestly, him still being this attentive even when things were rough for him, especially when it had to do with me can never stop being... insanely attractive, and dare I say it, sexy.

I'm not sure if I'm making sense or not at this point, but I really don't care. All I could think about was how I don't think I've never had someone pay as much attention to me as Simi does.

At least, not in a way it made me feel so wanted... so desired.

Stop it, Hilary. I chided myself, shaking my head to clear up all the haziness.

I need to put myself together. I shouldn't be feeling this way.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Simi asked when I didn't say anything. I exhaled, shaking my head. Simi hardly liked Semeeha. I didn't want to give him more reasons not to like her.

"I'd rather not bore you with the details," I told him, mustering a small smile of reassurance and flashing it his way. But Simi shook his head, as if to disagree with me. I should have known he won't let it go so easily.

I opened my mouth, wanting to assure him that he didn't have to bother about it, but every word at the tip of my tongue disappeared into thin air when I felt his hand flatten on the small of my back, causing a sharp gasp to involuntarily escape my lips.

The touch felt so soft, almost like his hands just brushed my back in a soft pat. I'd have thought it was just a soft pat if I wasn't still feeling the heat of his hand against my skin. He was touching me through my uniform, but it felt like he was touching my bare skin. I could feel all the hair on my body standing, goosebumps forming.

It only took one touch from him to do that. Just one touch.

When my eyes met his again, he was smiling.

"You can never bore me, Hilary," Was all he said, his words escaping his lips in a breathless whisper that tasted like sweet nectar, making goosebumps sprout on my skin.

And as if that wasn't enough to keep me on edge, I felt the blunt tips of his fingers down the line at the center of my back in a lewd sweep, causing my back to arch on impulse and strings of shaky breaths to escape my lips. I swear, I felt like a puddle from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet.

The boy looked away like he didn't just shatter my entire being with a mind-blowing spaz attack.

He's making this so hard. So hard.

"She's coming o!"

Was all Collins needed to scream to snap me out of my obscene thoughts, and for the entire class to be thrown into another round of frenzy.

Everyone that was initially on their feet, gisting with their friends ran to their designated seats to settle down. Those that were outside ran inside immediately, some even dashing over tables to get to their seats quicker. Last minutes students were also rushing in multiples.

Soon, the class was a ghost town, as silent as a graveyard. It was so quiet that everyone could hear the heavy clicking of heels on the tiled floor of the hallway, approaching the laboratory. It was like everyone was holding their breath as the steps got louder, till they were sounding in the lab, from behind.

At that moment, more last minutes students attempted to enter the class.

"GET OUT!"

I swear, everyone sat up sharply like we were shocked by electricity.

Except for Simi.

Boy didn't flinch, his hands moving in circles as he doodled at the back of his notebook. Honestly, it seemed like he was unaware of what was going on in the class at this moment.

"But ma," It was Tomilola Akin-Fasae that decided to serve as the mouthpiece of everyone that was at the door. "It's still remaining two minutes to the-"

"Are you mad?"

Mrs. Khadija spat out venomously, cutting Tomi's words off. The girl didn't dare speak again, her eyes suddenly huge like someone that had just seen a ghost. I knew immediately that Mrs. Khadija had just shot the girl a death glare.

"Na wa o," The person sitting behind me whispered.

Na real Wa.

Mrs. Khadija didn't say anymore as she walked to the front of the class. She didn't have to repeat her order for the guys at the door to retreat. There was no point trying to beg this woman who had a heart of stone. They just walked out of the class.

"I don't want to see you anywhere near this lab," The woman told them, waving her hands for them to get away. "I don't want to smell your body odor around this place. Stupid idiots," She added so casually, but I felt that insult to my core.

"This woman has bad mouth abeg,"

It was Modupe who sat on the seat to my right that said that and I couldn't agree more. It was so appalling how a human being would be so comfortable throwing insults around like it was normal.

It's not normal. And she wasn't even done.

"And all of you," She was talking to those of us in the class, her face scrunched up in disgust like she was looking at a dunghill. "Bunch of Fools," Was what she called us.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Simi roll his eyes, still doodling

"You people think you are smart, abi?" She went on, folding her hands across her voluptuous bosom. "I could hear your noise all the way from senior block, always making noise like you don't have anything better to do with your lives. Your parents should be ashamed for wasting their hard-earned money on blockheads like you," She said and she turned around to write on the electric board

Wawu.

"Abeg go and rest," Simi whispered beside me. I had to bite down against my lips to stop myself from laughing.

"Simi," I chided, slapping his thigh teasingly.

"What?" He glanced at me, the corner of his lips tugged slightly too, indicating that he was also trying to fight his smile. "She knows she can't give us any pop quiz as punishment because it's pointless since we are not having school exams anymore, so she just transferring aggression. I don't understand how it's possible for someone to always be in a bad mood,"

"It's bitterness,"

Collins who was seated to Simi's left was the one who spoke, obviously contributing to what Simi had said. The both of us turned to look at him, trying to be as subtle as possible without attracting the woman's attention to us.

"See the way she's talking to people's children," The darker boy went on, sparing us a glance. "When she gets home now, I'm sure she'll still go and ask God why she doesn't have kids. This," He gestured to the entire class. "Is why,"

Ouch.

Even Simi flinched.

"God can not bless a person like this with children. She doesn't know how to take care of them." Collins concluded.

Simi and I didn't say anything, but deep down, there was so much truth in what Collins said. Sad but true. God is a merciful God and he was doing a whole lot of mercy by not giving this woman children. She'd destroy them with just one word from her mouth.

If Emotional Abuse was a Person, it had to be Mrs. Khadija Adeloye.

Class began in a matter of minutes with Mrs. Khadija treating past questions with us, throwing questions at anyone, and giving them only one minute to solve any question that needed solving. If you get a question wrong, you'll stand up. Crestview's management frowned against any form of gruesome punishment, so that was the most she could do.

That was probably why she wouldn't stop spitting flames and sulfur from her lips.

As expected, she was only targeting those at the back, leaving those of us in the middle and front thankfully. But to be on the safer side, I answered every question that was asked in my note. Simi did the same, mostly for the questions that didn't require calculations, occasionally asking me if he was correct whenever he made a guess.

He was improving, remarkably. His only weak point was calculations which we were really working on.

Whatever he didn't understand, I'd simplify it for him in his notebook, breaking it down for him in a way that would make him understand.

"You," Mrs. Khadija pointed to Collins suddenly, startling him a bit. "The speed of light will be minimum while passing through what?"

"Glass," Collins answered. She didn't look too happy that he got the answer right, but she moved on.

"Sports prefect," She was talking to Kizito now. "The working principle of a washing machine is what? And state the reason for your answer," His own question was a little complex.

"Uhm..." Kizito snapped his fingers, trying to remember the answer. "Centrifugation," He finally got the answer. "And this is because a washing machine consists of centrifuge equipment that uses the action of centrifugal force to promote accelerated settling of particles in a solid-liquid mixture,"

Mrs. Khadija rolled her eyes.

"Are you trying to show off?" She eyed him, her baseless question eliciting a little murmur from the class. Even Kizito looked confused. The entire class was.

Wasn't she the one that said he must state the reason for his answer?

"You asked me to state the reason for my-" Kizito tried to explain, but of course, he was rudely cut off.

"Are you talking back at me!" She snapped at him.

"I'm sorry ma," Kizito didn't bother arguing back. There was no use arguing with this problematic woman. She eyed him again and let out a disdainful hiss before looking away at him. Kizito saw that as his cue to sit down, shaking his head.

We are all tired of the woman, I swear.

"Head Boy,"

What Mrs. Khadija said didn't register until I heard his voice.

"Ma,"

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand, a lump appearing in my throat out of nowhere. As if he sensed the sudden change in my demeanor, Simi turned to look at me. That was enough for me to know that he had noticed. I knew my sudden discomfort won't get past him. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, trying to take several calming breaths.

"Are you okay?" Simi whispered shifting closer to me. I swallowed and nodded, glancing at him. He didn't look too convinced, but he didn't argue with me. All he did was place his hand on my thigh and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I exhaled, trying to be calm.

I might be over him, but I don't think I can ever get over what he did to me. Just his voice alone was triggering the hell out of me.

"The most suitable unit for expressing nuclear radius is what?" Mrs. Khadija was asking Jidenna. The question made me frown slightly because it was pretty easy. No, it was too easy. But shockingly, Jidenna was taking a long time to answer it.

"Err..." I could imagine him scratching the side of his head, trying to recall the answer. Everyone had turned to look at him, everyone except me because I didn't want to look at him. But I was quite aware of everything going on.

Jidenna Okojie couldn't answer a question, and that sparked up a murmur across the class.

Against my better judgment, I have noticed how much Jidenna was lagging in class. His first test was a total flop. Second test was nothing to write home about according to what the teachers had said to him in class. Sometimes, he'd be absent from school for days. When he's even present, he's always absent-minded in class, sometimes even restless.

I wasn't worried. It was just very hard to miss because it was a strange behavior and pretty shocking.

But then, should I really be surprised? He has been shocking me since the beginning of the school year. Maybe it was even the guilt of his deeds eating him alive.

With that single thought, I felt my heart suddenly sink to the pit of my stomach, surprising me.

What was that?

"Get up when I ask you a question!" Mrs. Khadija thundered and I heard the creaking of the seat on the floor, indicating Jidenna had stood up. "Answer the question,"

"Err..." He stuttered again, trailing off. "Nanometer?" He sounded so unsure. Even his answer was wrong. Mrs. Khadija scoffed out in irritation, glaring right at Jidenna with blazing eyes like she wanted him to catch on fire.

"Even the Head boy is more useless than I thought," She muttered, but the rest of the class heard her. I watched her eyes dart around, looking for her next victim. They traveled around the class for a second or two before they landed on me.

No. Before they landed on Simi.

My heart picked up a rapid beat.

"You, get up!" She ordered, snapping her fingers for him to get up quickly. I looked at Simi, trying to silently ask if he knew the answer, but he didn't meet my eyes. His eyes were on Mrs. Khadija, holding her gaze daringly. The entire class had their eyes on both of them, and it gave me serious anxiety.

If Simi was uncomfortable, he was doing a fantastic job hiding it.

"Yes ma'am," He politely answered her. I swallowed nervously, looking back at Mrs. Khadija.

She had a wicked glint in her eyes, and I swear, I saw her lips quirk up in a malicious smirk. She looked and Simi like a predator would look at its prey. Simi had always been her prey, someone that couldn't evade her wrath no matter how much he tried to. I sincerely began to hope and pray that he gets the answer to this question correctly.

"Answer that question." She told Simi, hands akimbo with that devious smirk still quirked on her lips like she was waiting for him to flop. I closed my eyes and quietly began to pray

Please, don't flop.

Please, don't flop.

Please don't...

"Fermi,"

What!

My eyes shot open in shock, and I looked at Simi. He looked so certain of himself, so sure that he got the answer correctly. He kept his eyes trained on the woman in front, his stance not faltering.

He got the answer right!

The entire class was plunged into deafening silence. I could see the look of shock on everyone's face as they stared between Simi and Mrs. Khadija. When I turned and saw the look on her face, I almost burst into laughter.

She looked Discombobulated. And that was putting it mildly.

"Excuse me?"

Yes, Excuse you! I almost yelled back at her.

"That's the answer," Simi sounded almost bored. "The most suitable unit for expressing nuclear radius is Fermi," He answered the question with such laid-back swag that only he possessed. I had to bite down against my lips to stop myself from smiling but I couldn't help it.

And it got me into trouble.

"You told him the answer, abi?" Mrs. Khadija attacked me out of nowhere, glaring laser beams at me like she wanted to burn me down with her stare. "You told him the answer, that's why you are smiling abi?"

Jesus! My eyes widened. Everyone was already looking at me.

"Ma, I didn't tell him the answer,"

"She didn't tell me the answer,"

Simi and I said at the same time.

"Will the both of you shut up!" She thundered, making me jump in my seat. Simi on the other hand exhaled like he was exhausted, rolling his eyes.

"You think you can play me for a fool, hmmn?" She went on, rambling on about nonsense and jargon. "So you mean to tell me that this one," She pointed to Simi, casting him a disdainful look. "Suddenly knows physics out of nowhere?" She asked rhetorically, staring him down.

Simi didn't say anything back but still held her eyes, staring her down too. And I think that made her even more livid. I could feel her anger radiating off her body in surges.

"He is being tutored and he has been improving," I spoke in Simi's defense, trying to make her tear her angry gaze away from Simi and focus it on me. I hated that she was looking at Simi that way.

I hated it so much. But obviously, she hasn't even done her worse.

"This one? Improve?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice like poison. Then she started laughing all of a sudden. A scornful sound that filled the silent class and made everywhere feel so toxic.

"This one can never improve. He's a lost cause. If not for his parent's money, he'd probably be in a lower class. Shame!" She spat at Simi unapologetically, and I felt my heart shatter into pieces.

Jesus.

Her words had gotten to me, and from the look on every other person's face, those words had gotten to them too. Collins, Modupe, Godwin, Christabel, Bukunmi, Hope. I could see it in their features. It got to all of us.

But not as bad as it got to Simisola.

For the first time, Simi broke character. He averted his gaze from hers, looking down at the table. I watched his eyes flutter close just as his hands that were flattened over the surface of the table tightened into fists. I felt the overwhelming urge to take his hand in mine right there. I wanted to hug him so bad, it hurt.

From the rapid rise and fall of his chest, I could he was trying to breathe, just to calm himself. His eyes were still closed, and his nose flared. I could tell he was angry but he was trying his best to mask it.

"Can I sit down now?" He asked her, his voice dangerously calm.

His calmness angered her the most.

"No!" She snapped back like a petty kid, and I almost yelled back at her. "Since your girlfriend is saying you have improved," I frowned so hard at how incredibly childish and stupid she was sounding, feeling anger boiling up in my chest. "Let's test that theory, shall we?" She smirked.

What the fuck does she want to do now?

It was easy to figure out the game of someone as diabolical as Mrs. Khadija. Victimizing Simi was easier for her to do than commending his improvement or encouraging him, especially since she knew his history in this school. And the fact that she couldn't think that he'd ever be good enough made me sick to my stomach.

Coupled with all the complex emotions I'd been feeling all day, I was suddenly Disgusted, Irritated, and Angry.

Very Angry. Tipping over the edge Angry.

"Come out and solve this equation," She turned around and began to write on the board.

No. Not equations. My shoulders slumped in dejection. I could feel Simi's stance falter too.

"I'm not good at equations," He told her, causing her to turn around and face him. "It's my weak point. I'm trying to work around it and get better," He was trying to get her to understand him.

But Mrs. Khadija Adeloye can never understand.

"So you are suddenly not good at calculations, ehn?" She was mocking him. "You people honestly think I'm stupid. You want to take me for a fool. Even this empty barrel is trying to act like he has sense-"

I sparked.

"HE HAS DYSCALCULIA!"

The entire class shut down immediately after I said that. Simi's head swerved in my direction, his eyes widened in shock. He didn't expect me to blurt out like that.

But right now, I was on a fucking roll.

I was livid. Mad with rage!

"Dys- what?" Mrs. Khadija sputtered, confusion written all over her face. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The fact that she didn't even know what that was made me mad with rage.

"Dyscalculia!" I repeated, enunciating each letter for her so that her small-minded brain would be able to comprehend faster. "It's a learning disability that has to do with calculations but of course, you don't even know what the fuck that is because you are the perfect example of the worse teacher ever!"

"Osanobua!"

"Blood of Jesus,"

"Wait, what did Hilary call that thing again? Dys- what? Let me go and research."

"I've never heard of it before o. Is it actually a thing?"

"It is o. The internet never lies."

Mrs. Khadija looked like she had just been slapped across the face, and it was fucking priceless.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, Excuse you! Excuse you, ma!" I fired back, eliciting an uproar from the rest of the class.

"Hilary, it's okay," Simi whispered, taking my hand to calm me down. But I jerked my hand out of his. I wasn't going to calm down. Not until I give this woman a piece of my mind.

"You have never for once encouraged a student in your class!" I went on, looking at the woman right in the eye. "You have always demeaned, degraded, talked down, and looked down on students just because they are not doing well. Even the ones that are doing well, you are not happy about it and it's disgusting ma! It's fucking irritating!-

Simi has been bursting his ass off, trying to get better in every way he can. And instead of you following his progress, encouraging him, and trying to help him as a teacher should, you look for every chance you can to victimize him and try to prove that he can never make it. What kind of wickedness is that? What kind of person are you!"

"Madt o!"

"Hilary is just giving this woman wotowoto,"

"Tell her abeg! Wicked woman!"

"Thank you, Hilary!"

"God bless you, Omo iya mi."

The class was already a marketplace at the point, chants coming from the left, right, and center. But I didn't for once look away from the woman in front of the class who glared back at me like she wanted to wring my neck with her bare hands till I was lifeless.

Witch!

"Hilary, please. You are going to get into trouble,"

Simi began to plead desperately, now coming to my front to try and block my view from the woman that looked like she was about to combust at any moment, acting like a sort of human shield for when the explosion will come.

But I had a deadlier detonator.

So I maneuvered till I was out of Simi's grasp, now standing out of my seat and in the middle of the walkway till I was back to looking directly at her. Then I said exactly what Collins had told Simi and me just moments ago.

"This is exactly why God will never bless you with a kid because you will never know how to treat them right!" I spat out.

And all hell broke loose.

𝐀/𝐍

Aba Mee (draws a sign of cross over chest and sprinkles holy water over my body).

Do you think Hilary shouldn't have mentioned Simi's Dyscalculia in front of the class? Do you think Simi might take offense?

I want to put it out there, that no matter how angry you are at a person, no matter how much the person has infuriated the fuck out of you, please never use the person's predicament to insult them, no matter how much they deserve it, no matter how badly you want to say it.

I'm not supporting what that witch Mrs. Khadija did and said to our darling Simi, but Hilary was also out of line when she brought up her childlessness. She was actually meant to make that mistake, it will make sense in the next chapter.

For all those people that were calling Hilary seductress, oya... who is the seducer now? Simi seems like a master at using his hands🌚 (pun heavily intended 🤣).

So, the #silary ship is sailing small-small 😌❤️. There might be small icebergs here and there, one being that Hilary is scared of admitting her feelings and acting on them but... e go be🤧.

Semeeha and Kizito tho 👀.

See you when I see you 😘.