Chapter Three.

♡Chioma♡

Previously
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Today is Saturday and we're meant to wake up later than usual but today we woke up a little early for a Saturday morning.

We all started our morning duties and finished except for some people like me and well some other people, so I finished later and went outside to fetch my water.

Luckily for me, I was the only one at the tap since most people had already taken their bath.

I put my bucket under the tap and was waiting for the bucket to get full before I was interrupted by the chattering and laughter coming from the gate.

"Oh no" I shouted and started running as fast as I could.

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I'm sure I was running faster than Usain Bolt, nope I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm sure I'm running faster than Usain Bolt.

To make matters worse I had only my small  purple towel to cover my body.

What did you expect me to do? Just stand there? Of course not I had to run so that my bride price doesn't reduce.

I stopped as soon as I found myself in my room.

Let me clear your doubt,  I was sure panting like I just fought with a lion,  that's if I'd be alive.... Whatever you get the point.

"Chioma what is it again? You like you just fought a lion" Bisola said

You see that was the first reasonable thing I thought of and I guess that was the same for her.

"The basketball team is around" I said still panting a little.

I need to exercise more often

"Ah! Let me go and dress up o" Bisola said and opened her locker probably looking for her neatest house wear

"Oya SS2's the basketball team is around, you all should dress up in your sport outfits and be ready in thirty minutes" Aunty Pataka shouted from the corridor

Just then I realized I hadn't taken my bath.

"Bisola abeg I'm begging you can I use that water that you kept there" I said pointing towards the bucket of water under her bed. "I will fetch another one o ezigbo nwannem nwanyi(my good sister)" I said and carried the bucket of water still smiling.

"Sha my own is that I hope you will just fetch my water,  abeg just ezigbo nwannem nwanyi yourself there,  me I don't want to hear stories" Bisola said.

I just laughed it off and made my way to the bathroom, after fifteen minutes I was done,  I mean I was completely done all that was left was to tie my shoe lace.

I was currently dressed in not-so-short shorts, a black T-shirt and my white canvas.

"Bisola go and change to your other short, Aunty Pataka will not let you wear this one, it's too short" I said to her and she just frowned.

"Why is this one squeezing face, no don't change it so that she will drag it down in front of the boys, abi that's why you kuku wore it" I said and she walked to her locker to change her shorts.

I don't know why girls actually put in extra effort to impress guys, I wonder if guys put in effort to impress girls?.

"Everybody come out, last person will be flogged five strokes of my cane" Aunty Pataka said and we rushed out of the hostel.

"On a straight line, to the basketball court,straight line ooo,  I'm coming let me do something in the hostel I will meet you people there" Aunty Pataka said and walked into the hostel.

Well nobody actually listened to her and walked in different groups to the basketball court. Nobody would like to be seen on a straight line,  it's not like we're in nursery school.

"Oh they're here" Coach said, you might be wondering what his real name is but truth be told we really don't know.

"What does he mean by they're here" I asked Bisola.

"I wonder how our presence will affect their game,maybe-" Bisola said but was cut off by coach.

"Today, we're going to have something I'd like to call a game changer" he said causing people to murmur.

No offense but this man called coach is a little too dramatic. 

"Today, the girls will be joining us" coach said. "You'll be going in pairs, a boy and a girl or girls since it looks like the girls are more.

"The boys are more experienced in this game, and we need female players, since there'll be no time to coach you all, the boys will do the work, Do you understand??" he asked. 

"Yes" we chorused lowly.

"So now, it's going to be a fair game, the boys get to pick the girls they want to coach, Okay? "

What kind of fair game is that?!

"Yes" some girls said excitedly while some mumbled out answers.

This couldn't get any worse!

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Being paired with the most annoying person on earth is the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone on a Saturday morning. Worst part, he had to pick me.

It also pisses me off that some girls are dying to be in my place right now. I really wish I could switch partners, I wouldn't even spend an extra second with this douche bag but unfortunately the reverse is the case.

It's not like I'm really interested in this basketball stuff, I just accompanied Fatima to the first game practice they had here.

People like Fatima will be really happy with their partners when they resume school, and here I am brooding over nothing. I'd say let me make the best out of it but I don't think anything positive can come out of this pairing.

Oh! I haven't mentioned his name to you yet, my bad!
Make a quick guess, who do you think he is?

Drum roll please..

You were right if you thought about Mofe. Yup  that douche bag I met on my way to the court yesterday.

"It'll be so hard to teach you, so you mean you don't know anything about basketball?" Mofe asked.

"I do not know and I'm not interested, why did you pick me in the first place, Posi would have been a better person to be paired with" I said, before actually listening to my statement.

"Really?" he asked.

Of course not I can't stand that one

"Yes" I said and walked towards Coach.
"Coach can I be repaired" I said and slapped myself not mentally though.

"I'm sorry but I'm not a mechanic" he said and continued what he was doing.

"Haha, very funny " I said sarcastically, mentally though.

"I mean can I be paired with someone else?" I asked hoping to get a positive answer. 

"No no no you can't, manage your partner, In fact you should be happy he's one of the best players here, so I'm hoping you'd learn fast, Mofe my boy come here" he said.

"Yes coach" Mofe answered.

"I hope your partner is learning and improving" Coach asked.

"Well" Mofe said and I gave him one of my death glares."Yes coach, she's improving but there's still room for more improvement." 

"I know it, I can see potential in her, I wonder why she came here to complain, just go and continue with your training as you can see I'm busy you'll show me what you've learnt okay?" He asked obviously directing the question at me.

Chai! Who sent me to report, this my mouth sef

"Yes sir" I said and we walked back to where we were training.

⬜◼Mofe⬜◼

What have I put myself into, who sent me message. This girl is just here talking and shouting, learn she will not learn, Oya shut up she will not shut up, I'm exhausted already.

Wait I don't even know her name

"I'm tired,  I don't want to learn any basketball rubbish, what is so good about basketball sef?" she said and hissed.

"I guess your done with your ranting now can I know your name?" I asked and she looked at me from head to toe before shaking her head.

"So after all this you still don't know my name, you're a disgrace to people who make it their business to find out people's names" she sighed.

Whatever that meant.

"What is so special about your name sef?" I asked but she ignored my question.

"Oya guess" she suggested.

"Okay, Angelina?" I joked.

"Which Angelina, am I a market seller?,haven't you watched that movie, please that is not my name " she said and I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You know you're a typical parrot" I said and I'm pretty sure anyone that has met her will think the same.

"Ehen? Is it your business see you typical gorilla, don't disturb me abeg" she said and started walking towards her friends I guess.

"Girls it's time to go" coach said and they started walking out of the court.

"Wait! I still don't know your name"

"Maybe, you're not destined to know" she said and started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" I shouted.

"Priceless!" she said and left the court.

I wonder what she meant by priceless see her mouth like priceless. This girl sef, I wonder what her name is, I think she's Igbo well she looks like an Igbo girl. I'll ask her classmates.

"Posi! How far?" I said and we fist bumped.

"I dey, so Chioma is your partner, omo she go finish you with insult, why you pick am sef, I pity you na you use your hand go pick trouble" He said.

Hmm so her name is Chioma.

"I swear she can talk for Africa, I'm not sure she even thinks before she talk" I said.

"Guy let's go and get something to drink then we'll buy suya outside school" Posi offered, changing the previous topic.

"With who's money?" I asked knowing what the answer was going to be.

"Who else?" he said and we walked to where the other boys were standing.

♡Chioma♡

"How was your basketball practice" Michelle asked no one in particular.

"It was nice at least the person that was teaching me was not so annoying" Tammy answered.

See me o I didn't introduce you to my roommates, well there's Tamilore Aka Tammy, Michelle and Bisola.

Our room is relatively small that's why we're four and luckily for us we're all SS2s no junior no senior.

"Ha! You're lucky, me I was paired with one mumu Afeez that didn't even know what he was teaching me, telling me to just do what other people were doing" Bisola said.

"I was paired with this boy what's that his name again. Yes Mofe, we didn't even practice anything he was just annoying me saying all sorts of rubbish" I said, remembering his cute yet annoying face.

Did I just say cute?

And then you don't expect me to say I was also looking for trouble?

"Chioma do you know how many people wanted to be paired with that guy you're here complaining, you don't know anything" Michelle said.

"Let them come and take him and give me another partner because this Mofe that I know is annoying" I replied.

This Mofe that I know?

"I wonder who was paired with Posi the person will suffer ehn!

"News flash I was paired with Posi" Michelle said with a frown.

"Eyah sorry ma" I said, laughing.

"Abeg shut up and he's not even that bad, In fact he's even cool" Michelle said.

"Okay, madam cool" I said stressing the cool "Let's go and get our food, they said that we're allowed to eat it inside our rooms since its already late" I said and we changed to our house wear and went to the dinning hall.

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"Pray for me, gbadura funmi" Layeni sang. She was asked to sing a worship song and she's singing pray for me, I don't know why people mistake the song for worship song.

It's Sunday and we're in the assembly hall for our church service. It's a little boring but I'm sure I'll pull through it.

"Layeni should just shut up and come and sit down" Bisola said.

"Pray for me" she finished and walked majestically to her seat. If only she knew what people were thinking.

"Chioma come and give us a worship song" Aunty Rose shouted from the stage.

Why me? Every time Chioma I just pray I don't tabo there

"God why did I even talk? " I said to myself as I walked towards the stage.

"Be fast about it" Aunty Rose said.

"Yes ma, ehm destiny changer destiny changer come and change my destiny my destiny today come and change my destiny my destiny today" I sang and everyone sang along.

After a long boring one hour we were done and asked to go back to the hostel.

We washed all our bedsheets and clothes and before I knew it we were all tired and found ourselves on our bed.

🎶It's not over tonight 🎶
🎶 Just give me one more chance to make it right 🎶
🎶 I may not make it through the night 🎶
🎶 I won't go home without you 🎶