Dedicated to FavourFyneface for being the first person to like the previous chapter❣️

Also a quick reminder to everyone out there that you are loved. Even if you don't believe it, you are...if not by any human, God loves you, I want you to know that.

"What was that?" Ifechi inquired hearing the noise, they were a few feet away from the top floor.

Rachel didn't reply, instead she increased her steps, reaching the top of the staircase and sighting her accomplices scampering out of their class towards the end of the hallway...well just Aliyah, Grace sashayed out as she always did.

It was when she saw the unfortunate victim of their assault that she gulped.  "Um... I'm coming" she said to Ifechi who was behind her.

"Where are you going? Don't you want th....."

But the other girl had already turned to run back in the opposite direction they'd just come from.

Ifechi watched her leave, becoming irritated. She let out a long hiss and rolled her eyes scornfully, sighting a crawling figure at the door of her class

"What the...?" She started, walking in the direction of her class.

"Ahhh" she said taking in the sight before her.

"Who is that? Pls hold my hand and help me get up, ow...." The figure growled in pain, a hand on her eyes.

"What in the world happened to you and fhmph! What's that smell? She asked extending one hand while she used her other hand to wave away the stench approaching her nostrils.

"It has to be from this thing they poured on me...ew, gawd what is this thing, hope it's not what I think it is" she ranted out at once while Ifechi helped her to her feet.

"Why are you holding your face like that?" Ifechi queried.

"Some of that rubbish entered my eyes, God what did I do to these people na?"

"Which people?"

"That's the problem I don't even know, I didn't see them...I just came here to check if anyone was here because I was hearing noise and i thought maybe it's all these SS1 and 2, only for me to reach her, I slipped. Before I could stand up, she poured something on me head..."

"She?" Ifechi interrupted.

"....yes...I saw their skirts, plus they started laughing at me after she finished pouring the stuff, then.."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, they just stopped laughing suddenly and left until you came"

That is weird Ifechi thought but she didn't voice her opinion. She recalled the loud thud they'd heard at the staircase...it must have been when she fell, but who were the girls that did it to her, she didn't see anyone upstairs and the only person she'd come with was Rachel who fled for some weird reason.

Taking a deep breath, she scanned the semi-blind girl. A black, grey liquid was dripping from her hair to her shoulders to some parts of her blue sport joggers. The floor beneath her was a little soiled from the mixture as well. She eyed it with a grimace, it was sticky and heterogeneous, almost as if someone had mixed an oil with something foul. She went back to her head noticing her prefectship badge pinned firmly to the top corner of her stained, white shirt.

It was the same girl that woke her up.

"Is this your class?" She said snapping Ifechi from her thoughts.

"Yes"

"Your class girls are psych"

She frowned "how sure are you that one of my class girls did this?" She asked, although a small part of her mind wandered to a group of females who were potential sociopaths.

"Who else will it be?"

"I don't know, it could have been anyone, you said you didn't even see them"

"Ow", the girl growled in pain. "Can you help me?"..."I don't know what to do now, what will I do about this?" The girl said gesturing to herself, her eyes still shut due to the liquid around them and Ifechi fought an urge to laugh at how weird her eyes were closed tightly.

"What can I do for you?" She replied.

"I don't know, lead me to the bathroom perhaps, so that I can wash my face first, then help me do something about my clothes, they're soaked in this disgusting thing"

Ifechi sighed. The request though not difficult seemed like a daunting task and she wanted to get down to where the others were, even if she was just going to sit around and gist and not actually partake in any sports. But the Christian side of her pricked her conscience, so despite her immediate desires, she replied.

"Sure"

~

Ifechi stepped into the large field some minutes later. She was surprised to still find sport activities in full swing meaning they hadn't taken as much time as she thought. After the girl had cleaned up in the bathroom, she'd helped her collect some spare emergency clothes, she never knew the school had, from the store near the school clinic.

The girl, now fully clothed in fresh clothes, though old and faded, thanked Ifechi immensely and hugged her before leaving to the sports arena to fulfil her prefectship duties.

She was near the one of the various courts when she saw some SS3 girls gathered around the sports master, Segun. It seemed like they were about to play a game but she didn't know which one.

"You!" She heard a loud voice, the group of girls turned to her, making her aware that she was the one being referred to.

"Me?" She asked coming face to face with the huge, tall man who served as their sports instructor.

"You're in SS3 right?"

"Yes sir"

"Come here, you'll be the last player for team 2" he said motioning with his huge hands.

"Erm ok.." she said and approached them, making sure to watch her steps as she felt the burning eyes of her classmates watching her intensely. Most of them, especially in the other arms still had that look of unfamiliarity in their eyes, a sign that they didn't know who the hell she was.

She didn't blame them though, she hadn't done anything prominent since she arrived almost a month ago. She hadn't gotten involved in any serious drama either, save for the encounter with Grace and co during the bullying incident, but that was rather neglible. She liked keeping low profile.

"Sir she can't play volleyball" it was Aliyah who spoke grudgingly, when she saw that the girl was going to fill in as their team's last player.

"And how are you sure?" He asked the whining girl who hissed softly while folding her arms.

He turned to Ifechi "Can you play?"

"Volleyball?...yes...no....well no, I can't. But I can learn...I'm sure I'll learn fast" she stuttered when she saw some of her teammates already rolling their eyes at her and hissing.

The man looked at her for a while before he spoke "well, she'd have to do" he said and dismissed them into taking their positions.

She scanned the vicinity, not sighting any of her friends nearby, only a bunch of unfamiliar faces and the scornful look on Aliyah and Grace.

She didn't even know Grace was there.

"Don't even think of playing nonsense here!" Aliyah spat at her as they got into position. Not knowing where to stay, she simply distanced herself a few inches away from the seething girl as she saw the other girls were doing. One of the girls on her team tapped her and pointed her to the right position she was to stay.

Even though she wasn't good in the game, Ifechi knew a few basic things. First, she wasn't allowed to catch the ball with her hands, only toss it back using the back of her hands folded into fists. She also knew a team scored a point when the ball fell on the ground of their opponent.

She was good to go....a bit.

A whistle was heard, signaling for the game to begin. The other team served first, with the server being a tall girl from another arm, Grace nudged the ball again before sending it over the net into her team's side.

Her eyes darted back and forth as her team mates skillfully played, watching as the game was being tossed back and forth. She braced herself ready to receive the ball, even though she was grateful the ball hadn't gotten to her since the first few seconds of the game.

"look!" She heard a girl yell at her, seeing the ball approaching her direction with full speed, she acted fast, bending slightly as she hit the ball from under before it could touch the ground. The ball flew higher away from the floor and another player tossed it over the net to the other side, it landed on the floor with a loud sound.

"Well played" the girl beside her complimented as the sports master called a point for their team. She nodded her head and smiled, turning to see Aliyah and a girl high-fiving each other. Their eyes met and the latter rolled her eyes, but Ifechi didn't miss the small smile of victory on her face.

The whistle was blown again and the game continued, the ball being tossed back and forth and Ifechi couldn't help but marvel at the expertise of her class mates.

A whole minute into the game and no other team had won a point. The ball came rushing down to the floor close to Aliyah. Ifechi tried to act fast this time, moving forward to try to grasp the ball, the same time that Aliyah was reaching for the ball. The two girls bumped into each other, both losing their balances while the ball landed on the floor.

"Bitch!.." Aliyah spat. Noise from the opposing team cheering downed half of her words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were also going for the ball" a bewildered Ifechi apologised

"Stay in your fucking lane!" She yelled attracting stares from all the players including those nearby.

"Aliyah careful with your words" the sports master warned but she only hissed loudly, furiously eyeing Ifechi. "Just stay in your spot and stop doing over Sabi over Sabi" she gritted.

"Sorry" Ifechi apologised again sincerely.

She went back to her position when the girl ignored her apology and stood, feeling sorry for herself.

"Don't worry, she's just a sore loser...it wasn't your fault" the girl beside her whispered, assuring Ifechi who smiled in gratitude. "Thank you"

"Shhh the both of you..focus" another girl in front of them turned and said, giving them...most especially Ifechi, an eerie look.

"Wait!" Segun called out when the game was about to resume. He turned to Ifechi.

"You...." Pointing at her, he redirected her hand to the the girl in front beside Aliyah. "Switch positions"

What!

They all looked at him confused but his stern face made his decision unquestionable. Ifechi couldn't understand why the sudden decision so she asked unsure "sir me?"

"Yes you, so far you've played well, for a beginner at least" he said, Ifechi's eyes lit up in pride. She was playing well? Wow her first time ever.

"...so come to the front, Zina go to her position" he said to the girl who quietly moved to the back with a neutral expression almost as if she didn't care and wanted to leave the game entirely.

Ifechi took her new position beside Aliyah still half grinning from the sport's masters subtle compliment. The girl beside her scoffed bringing her back to reality, she looked up to see who she was directly facing at the opposite side of the net..

Geez

There stood Grace, hands on her knee, looking straight at Ifechi, not even bothering to mask her intense gaze. She looked very displeased as if the sight of the new girl annoyed her, irritated her even.

Ifechi tried to ignore her, but she could still feel the tension in the air.

Finally, the whistle was blown and the game continued as usual. All the while Ifechi tried her best to ensure she didn't fail her teammates again. She hit the ball with her full strength, perhaps even more than she needed too, sending the ball flying way too high and over to the other side. It landed on the floor, before their defender who who happened to be Grace could catch it.

Her teammates burst into cheers, having scored another point. Ifechi smiled too despite the terrible pain she felt on her wrist. Her smile was wiped off when she saw Grace's face, hatred was oozing from her body as she glared at Ifechi, moving to the back to hand the server the ball before going back to her position. Ifechi saw her do an exaggerated stretch, as if getting ready for war, she moved her neck both sides as well producing soft crack sounds and focused back on glaring at her.

She physically gulped.

After some seconds the whistle was blown again. Something told Ifechi to call attention to her wrist, but she ignored it keeping her eyes on the ball that had just left the server on the opposing team.

The series of things that happened next, happened too fast. But in Ifechi's eyes, it was like a movie in slow motion.

Her eyes were on the ball, then it was on Grace, then back to the ball which had flown over the net and was approaching her direction, she reached for it,  she tripped, Aliyah came to the save, tossing back over the net, but to a particular side, as if she wanted to pass it to someone specifically. Ifechi looked up from her position on the floor and saw who the ball was passed to, it was Grace, the caramel girl reached for it quickly, hitting it first with both palms which sent it flying high into the air, then she leaped, a high jump that had her feets some inches of the ground and almost as if it was planned, she raised both arms to  the ball as it was set for Ifechi's face....

...and she struck!

She basically hit it so hard that it came down with speed. The last thing Ifechi saw was the ball approaching her in a straight line, with such as a speed as quick as lightening, before the ball made an impact with her face, punching one of eyes.

"Jeeeeeeeesssus!" A female voice was heard as she fell back down to the ground and everywhere became black.

A/n

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