KIKIOPE

I felt a hand on my body and my eyes opened slowly while wondering if I was dreaming or not, raising my head slowly, I laid my eyes on Moye it was as if I should slap her but I only groaned.

"What is it?" I shrieked.

"AY is here," she announced.

Immediately, my eyelids opened that instant.

"What do you mean?" I removed my duvet away from my body.

"He just went down to Khalid's place, he said he'll be here in a few."

"What!" I jumped out of bed and stared back at my alarm.

"It didn't ring?" I pointed at the alarm and Moye smiled.

"It isn't time yet, I guess AY decided to come early today."

Instantly I rushed into the bathroom. Did I wake up late on the first day of resumption or what? This AY is stupid oo, why would he come so early today? I grumbled while having my bath quickly, in a twinkle of an eye, I rushed out of the bathroom the way I rushed in, immediately I finished dressing, AY's horn came up as he kept on blaring the horn.

"Take your food oo," Moye called behind me as I picked up my bag.

"Thanks jare, for all of us right?"

She nodded and I waved at her before walking out of the house. After dropping my bags in the boot, I entered the car and AY zoomed off.

"Why did he come early?" I questioned Bimpe who was right beside me immediately I entered the car.

"You won't greet us first abi?" Kunmi shouted from the front.

I smiled, "Good morning sir oo."

Everyone laughed before I waved at Tunde while I ignored Khalid's smile at me before turning to my now bigger Bimpe.

"Seems like it was only food you ate throughout the holidays, the one that you're fatter yii."

She chuckled, "I didn't eat that much ooo and everyone keeps saying I'm fatter, see the way you're also glowing."

Courtesy of Sugar Boy, he'd given us the new body cream and soap that would be launched soon last week.

"That's the truth oo, anyway why is AY early today, it's not yet 6:30 gan," I asked while glancing at the wristwatch Sugar Boy gave Moye and I. We'd gotten along pretty well ever since he revealed his identity but what still baffles me is why he stays at our place and most of all why he's in a relationship with Mama D?

"He has to go back home early, his wife mustn't know he left the house," Bimpe whispered to me, she stayed in the same street with AY.

"What? Why?"

"His baby is missing, we've been looking for her since yesterday," Bimpe revealed.

I squeezed my face, "What? The baby that we just did her naming ceremony two days ago is missing, how come?"

"Reduce your voice joor, anyway, I don't know how the baby disappeared oo, but they've been looking for her since yesterday."

"Are you sure nobody kidnapped her?"

Bimpe opened her mouth to reply but AY impeded her, "Get down and answer me ooo."

I looked out through the window and was caught by surprise. How did he get to school so quickly? We all got down from the car and immediately we got our things and walked into the school that was still somehow empty, apparently, we were the first students in school then he zoomed off.

"But, that's so bad oo and that's still their first child. I hope they find the baby soon," I said before Khalid turned to me.

"Kikiope, you didn't respond my greetings, what's going on?"

I pursed my lips, "Water, when you ignored my calls and even my knocks yesterday, you expect me to smile with you today abi, you got back yesterday and you couldn't even come over to my place, I came to your place and knocked for hours but you didn't open the door."

"What!" Bimpe and Kunmi shouted in unison.

"When did I do that?" Khalid asked with confusion written all over his face.

"You can ask my head, stop pretending jare."

"Is it true?" Kunmi tapped him.

"I don't know what she's talking about, I didn't see any missed calls or hear any knock."

I eyed him before facing my front, just then I sighted the quiet girl in our class staring at something in the gutter in front of our class.

"What's that one doing there?" I questioned as others turned to where I pointed at.

The quiet girl sounded like someone sobbing and as we moved closer to her, we all gasped as our eyes widened in shock. Immediately, she heard our gasps, she ran into the class.

"What's this?" Tunde shouted.

"Oh my goodness," Bimpe muttered as we all stared at the lifeless body of a girl.

"This is Rebecca," Kunmi announced while he still gaped at her body.

"Who is Rebecca?" Khalid asked.

"She was my classmate, a very quiet girl until she became friends with that girl that just ran into the class," Kunmi explained.

"But what is her lifeless body doing here in front of our class? Who killed her?" I inquired while we all covered our nose in an attempt to block the stench coming from the body.

"Let's get away from here, I'm almost suffocating, if anyone should see us now, they might attribute her death to us," Bimpe suggested, and we all obeyed as we walked into SS2 Pink; my class, there we met the quiet girl in my class crying her eyes out.

"Why is that one crying?" Khalid questioned as Tunde left for his seat.

"Wire, they were somehow friends now, we gan, we are meant to cry, she was our mate," Kunmi replied and others scoffed.

"Guys, don't you think, there's a reason her body was dumped in school and in front of our class for that matter," I voiced out.

Bimpe turned to me, "And the body is still fresh gan."

"Let's ask that girl about what's going on at least she was her friend," I suggested and others nodded in agreement as we walked over to the quiet girl in my class.

"Hey, Ann," Bimpe called. So, Ann is even her name as simple as it is, I didn't know.

Ann turned to us with her eyes red-rimmed.

"Why are you in school early?" I questioned.

"Is that why we're here?" Khalid interjected and I rolled my eyes.

"What happened to Rebecca?" Kunmi asked.

She bursted into another fitful of cries again and I shook my head.

"Wo, me, I want to go and sit, this one that doesn't seem like she's ready to answer yii," Kunmi said and Bimpe turned to him with a glare.

"You're heartless."

Kunmi hissed as he proceeded to leave and Khalid followed him, they both went to Tunde's seat.

"It's okay," I patted Ann's back as I sat by her left while Bimpe sat by her right.

She nodded while sniffing.

"It was all my fault," Ann muttered but it was  audible enough for me to hear and I guessed Bimpe did too as we both shared a look.

"What do you mean?" I queried but Ann stood up and rushed out of the class while still crying.

"Did you hear what she said?" Bimpe asked and I nodded.

" I think she knows something," I stood up and Bimpe did the same as we walked back to our seat while the boys joined us.

" So, did she say anything?" Khalid questioned, I ignored him while Bimpe only shook her head.

"You shouldn't question her, she's still grieving," Kunmi uttered.

I bobbed my head, "But I think that girl knows something, she claimed it was her fault, right, Bimpe?"

"Yeah," Bimpe confirmed.

The boys turned to look at us squarely.

"Maybe she was only saying that because..." Khalid shrugged.

I shook my head, "E ehn, that reminds me, during the holiday I found something like a threat letter in her novel."

"Whose novel?" Kunmi asked.

"Wuraola, ode, Ann na," I opened my bag as I searched for the novel, seconds later, I found it and pointed it at the boys while Bimpe quickly joined them.

"What should we do with this?" Khalid inquired.

"You can start chewing it, dumb question, open the pages of the book, you'll see a small paper," they did as instructed and Bimpe brought out the paper from the middle of the book as she read out its content.

"Keep it a secret. It was only to help you but, if anyone knows about it, just know, you're dead."

"It really sounds like a threat," Kunmi commented.

"I agree," Khalid added.

"So, you think this might be related to Rebecca's death?" Bimpe asked and I shrugged.

"I guess."

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We were at our rendezvous during break eating the Rice and Beans Moye had prepared, thank goodness she woke up early and prepared the food if not I wouldn't have brought food to school this morning. We couldn't eat it in the morning because of the school's first day stress and also due to the news of Rebecca's dead body, the news was all over the school and it was currently trending at every corner of the school, certainly, it was the talk of the school throughout this week or even month, but it might not be month so far our Founder's day celebration would be starting next week.

Bimpe and I had watched that Ann of a girl during our welcome test period, and we noticed she didn't stop crying, she'd been crying and vomiting all through the day.

"So, you guys are suspecting that Ann?" Abee asked as he dipped his hand into the stew in an attempt to steal a fish but I caught him red-handed and hit his hand with my spoon.

"Ouch," he exclaimed.

"But I don't think she knows anything about the death of Rebecca, we don't even know what killed her," Doyin reasoned. We'd explained the whole thing to her and Abee earlier.

"I think she has something to do with it," I insisted.

"We need to find out the cause of her death first," Bimpe proposed.

"I agree," Kunmi said before gulping down the water from his cup.

"But, how will we know that? The school might not reveal that," Khalid countered.

I shrugged, "We'll find a way, have you forgotten no news is hidden from us."

"Yes oo," Kunmi and Abee shouted.

Bimpe dropped her spoon, "Moving away from the mysterious death, Doyin you haven't given me the perfume na."

Doyin turned to her, "You're paying to get it se."

"Me, your friend, you want to sell it to me abi?"

"You don't know what I had to go through to steal them from my Aunt's shop, that woman has been extra careful lately."

Bimpe gave a dismissive wave of her hand, "Whatever."

We all chuckled.

"How did your visit go? Did you see your  father?" Khalid turned to Kunmi whose mood turned sour that instant and his expression dulled up.

He'd informed us during the holidays that he would visit his father at the prison.

He shook his head," He didn't want to see me."

"Again?" Abee exclaimed and Kunmi nodded. Well, ever since he got sentenced, Kunmi had never seen his dad, though he always visited him in the prison but his dad never faced him, maybe he was ashamed or afraid to see his son, no one knew his reasons, we just know he was reluctant.

Tension filled the air as we all chewed on our food slowly, as I opened my mouth to talk, I felt a hand on my body and that hand dragged me up.

"What are you doing?" I shouted at Abimbola who ignored me but rather pulled me away from the rendezvous.

"Are you okay?" I asked in annoyance.

She scoffed, "I thought I warned you to stay away from Khalid, why are you still eating together with him?"

I rolled my eyes, "Are you in your right state of mind? Is this the first time we are eating together, not alone oo but with our other friends too."

She stood akimbo while her nose flared, "But I warned you to stay away from him, getting closer to him day by day will make him fall harder for you."

I scoffed a laugh, "It seems you have brain touch, who are you to order me around?"

"Your three-months old elder sister," she bragged before pressing her lips together.

I snickered, "You're definitely sick," I turned to leave, but she stopped me by appearing in front of me again."

"I'll make sure you stay away from him, it isn't hard as I thought at least I did it yesterday and it was successful."

I scrunched my brows, "Were you at his place yesterday?"

"Of course, I was the one that switched off his phone when your calls kept disturbing me and I increased the volume of the music while he was taking a shower so, he wouldn't hear your knocks," she revealed with a toothy grin.

I scoffed, "And you're proud of that? Don't you have any dignity at all, you're just so shameless."

"You're mad, how dare you talk to me like that? If you provoke me I can tell Dad to stop paying your fees including your allowance," she threatened while pointing her ugly fingers at me.

I shook my head in disbelief, "Now, I just confirmed that you're a crazy fellow, lest you've forgotten, I'm on a scholarship, Is that all you amount to? Your threat is empty and boring."

Well, we JANU Icons were on scholarship, the school sponsor every of our fee in the school no matter how much or little it may be. We'd been offered the scholarship after we all had straight A's in our Junior WAEC and the scholarship was till the end of our secondary school years.

"And so? He won't pay AY's money again and you wouldn't get any allowance," she shouted.

I chortled, "Not like he does anything other than that," I snapped my fingers around her face, "FYI, I don't need your Dad's money for my upkeep, I have my money and my mom isn't jobless."

She clapped sarcastically, "Of course, your excuse of a mother wouldn't be jobless so far she's busy sleeping around with every male specie."

As the words left her mouth, I slapped her face. What a nerve! How dare her? She stared at me in surprise but I hissed and walked away, while she tried following me, I picked up a stone and threw it at her.

"What happened?" Bimpe and Doyin asked concurrently as I sat down.

"Don't mind that useless thing jare."

"Khalid, you won't go and carry your thing? See the way she's throwing daggers at us?" Kunmi jested.

"Abi oo, better go and meet her before she explodes," Abee snickered.

Khalid shrugged, "It's her problem."

This Abimbola is just getting stupid day by day, overlooking that.
Why do you think about dead body that was dumped in front of Kikiope's class first day of resumption?
Do you think they're guessing right?
Is Ann involved in Rebecca's death?
Comment your thoughts and don't forget to vote.