"I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right. There's a difference."

                      Y E M I S I

Second day at this school!

Everything seems so strange, and the way people here stare at me is just creepy. Back in CHA, no one would dare stare at me this way. Once they sensed my presence, they'd all shudder in fear and beg me for friendship.

But here, no one seems to give a damn about me. I need to keep my bad girl image intact, regardless of making a "good impression".

While strolling to my class, I got halted by Felix, who stood in front of me hiding both hands behind his back.

Freak!

"Good morning," he greeted like a butler. I felt this urge to ignore him and walk away, since I detest weirdos, but I didn't. I remembered what my mom told me, about making a good impression and not messing things up so I can write my final exams here.

I sighed, swallowing the rudeness in me. "Morning."

"How was your night?"

What's your business? Mitchew.

"Fine."

Felix's eyes lingered on me, expecting more conversation, but I'm not a fan of long talks. I gave him a curt smile, hoping he'd take the hint.

"Good, good," he said, nodding excessively. "I, uh, I had a great night too. I was, uh, studying... for waec." He chuckled awkwardly, his eyes darting around the filled hallway.

I raised an eyebrow, sensing his unease. What was he so nervous about? I crossed my arms, intrigued despite myself.

Felix cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself. "So, Yemisi, what... what do you like to do for fun?" he asked the question with an air of desperation, like he was grasping for conversation topics.

"I dance, I guess." I didn't feel like elaborating, but Felix's eager expression made me relent. "And I like listening to music."

Felix's face lit up, and he launched into a passionate discussion about music genres and his favorite artists. I listened, surprised by his enthusiasm, and found myself having common interests too.

As we talked, I couldn't help but notice the way Felix gazed and smiled at me. It was... distracting.

"Felix!" A girl yelled his name. I saw him groan inwardly when his eyes met the girl.

She's dark, and her black natural hair was straight like she stretched it with a stretcher and hot comb. Her lips were small, and the lip combo she applied just added volume to her appearance.

"What's up baby?" the girl cooed, wrapping her arms around Felix's waist.

I remember where have seen her. She was with that Makayla girl that day.

I raised an eyebrow, watching Felix's behaviour. He wasn't smiling, infact, he was frowning like crazy. He pulled the short girl away from him and held her shoulders.

"Babe, what's going on?" the girl asked, averting her gaze to me. She looked me up and down for a while, which irked me. I didn't hesitate to eye her back in disgust, from head to toe.

She seemed shocked by my gesture, and she parted her lips in astonishment.

Felix let go of her shoulder and she scowled at him.

"Baby, who's she?" she asked Felix, pointing her dirty finger at me.

Felix rubbed his eyes with his fingers, before exhaling in exasperation. "Zainab, let's. . ."

"Who is she?" she asked again, cutting Felix off. "Answer me."

"She's the new student that joined us yesterday, and I was assigned to show her around," he explained, without looking at her.

"So, what are you two doing together now? Dosen't she knows her way around this school now?"

Gosh, I don't know how I even remained patient through out. Normally, I would've thrown a slap across her ugly face, disfiguring it further. Who's she to Felix? And what was with the possessiveness?

Felix's expression turned increasingly uncomfortable as Zainab continued to press him. "Zainab, stop," he said firmly, holding up his hands. "You're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous? E-ehen? Because this girl is here, you're behaving like we don't know what we are. What's so special about her?"

I'd had enough of Zainab's attitude. "Excuse me," I said cooly, "just wanted to let you know you should watch your mouth."

Zainab's eyes flashed with anger, and she took a step closer to me. "Who the fuck do you think you are to speak to me like that?"

Ayyyy, see this small rat o!

I couldn't help but laugh inwardly and glare at her. My mind started wandering to things I'd like to do to her, but I couldn't afford getting into trouble.

Felix quickly intervened, placing a hand on Zainab's arm. "Zainab, that's enough. Leave her alone."

"Leave me jor!" she freed her arm from his grasp. "Let me face this bitch properly."

"The only bitch I see here, is you."

Well, as much as I wanted to, I didn't say that. But the person that said it, actually read what was on my mind.

My eyes flickered to a tall imposing figure. She looked like a model, and her hair's dyed orange. She's light, and actually very pretty. Like, really really pretty!

"Divine, stay out of this," Zainab warned the tall girl, who was now standing next to me.

"Why should I? When you're always acting like a bitch around this school!"

"Felix, warn your best friend o," Zainab said, glaring at Felix angrily.

"Divine, please-"

"Oga shut up, I'm not talking to you," Divine snapped, interrupting Felix. "I don't know why you act like a jelly around this whore. Better learn to speak for yourself and throw this rat out of your life. Mitchew."

Zainab's expression turned sulky, but she backed off, shooting me a dirty look. While Felix couldn't even look at me, I'm sure he felt ashamed.

Suddenly, Divine took my hand and whisked me away from there. I felt a jolt of astonishment. Who was this audacious stranger, and why was she intervening on my behalf?

I gazed up at Divine's resolute expression, she was just bouncing, probably forgetting she held onto my wrist.

"Hey, slow down!" I exclaimed, laughing.

Divine stopped immediately and creased her brows, before remembering she was holding my hand.

Her eyes widened and she flashed me a quick smile. "Omg, sorry, girl. I totally forgot I. . ." she trailed off, laughter escaping her pink pouty lips. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

I nodded slightly, shouldering the strap of my bag properly. "I'm good. T-t-t," I dragged.

Ugh!

I really have a big problem with saying thank you to someone, and I have no idea why. Nonetheless, I forced the words out of my mouth because Divine deserved to hear it.

"T-t-thank you!"

Phew! That was hard.

Divine furrowed her brows a little, her lips curved sideways in a smile. "You're welcome," she said slowly. "By the way, I'm Divine Wilson."

She stretched her hand to me and I accepted the handshake. "I'm Yemisi Richard."

"Yes, I know."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "How do you know?"

"Oh, well I'm the captain of the press team and social media page. I saw the photo of the principal with the famous Jackie Richard. He tagged it as; "A diva's daughter attends my school". And well, Felix told me about you yesterday. He's my best friend."

"Oh, wow! I had no idea."

Nawa for the principal sef.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Yemisi," Divine said, already jogging away.

"Nice meeting you too," I said in a hushed tone, as I watched her go.

I entered the classroom and made my way to my seat. I scanned the room, everyone was busy chitchatting with their pals, whereas I've got no friends here.

Ugh, I never imagined I'd feel like a dork!

My eyes met Makayla's gaze, and she was staring at me with pure contempt. I did the same, but she quickly looked away.

"Whatever," I mumbled, sauntering to my seat. Seeing Tyler there already, just annoyed me.

A dirty smug was plastered on his lips when he saw me. I felt a surge of annoyance at the sight. Just seeing me was enough to make him look like the cat who ate the canary.

I dropped into my seat, trying to ignore him, but I could feel his eyes on me. I refused to give him the satisfaction of reacting. Instead, I pulled out my books and began to organize my notes, deliberately keeping my back to him.

Gosh, why did I get stuck with him as a seatmate? It was like the universe was conspiring against me. As much as I want to change my seat, there's just no available chair.

He's always so full of himself, and it grated on my nerves.

"Morning, sunshine."

I rolled my eyes, refusing to face him. "Don't talk to me."

Tyler chuckled like a goat. "Oh, come on. I'm just trying to be friendly."

"Baba, abeg stay on your own."

Tyler's smile faltered for a moment, but then he recovered. "Hey, I'm just trying to make the best of our. . . unique situation."

I raised an eyebrow.

Tyler gestured to the two of us. "You know, being seatmates despite our differences."

I scowled. "You know how much I despise you, right? Just because we're seatmates and we attend the same school now, dosen't make us friends. Keep that in mind."

Tyler suddenly reached out and gently grasped my shoulders, his fingers wrapping around me with a firm but gentle touch. I felt a shiver run down my spine as he slowly turned me around to face him.

"I'm well aware of your feelings towards me, Yemisi," he said. "Just so you know, I don't like you either."

I blinked, ignoring the feelings swirling in my chest. I threw his hand off my shoulder and eyed him from head to toe. "Are you stupid? Who gave you the right to touch me like that? Eh? Are you high on drugs or something?"

Tyler exhaled, leaning on the chair properly, and facing the blank board. "I've had enough of your attitude."

"Then stop talking to me! Leave. Me. Alone!"

"I don't know what you think of me, but you should know by now that I have no interest in speaking to you. Nevertheless, you need to learn manners, and I'll make sure to teach you that," he said dryly, without even looking at me.

I was about to stand up and yell, -"How dare you!"- but Tyler rudely pulled my arm back down, causing my ass to drop back in my seat. And he wasn't even looking at me.

It was like he knew what I was about to do.

"Don't create a scene," he said lowly, before looking at me directly in the eye.

His gaze was piercing, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. My heart was racing, and my palms felt sweaty. I tried to look away, but Tyler's eyes seemed to hold me captive.

A flutter in my chest made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't like the way Tyler made me feel at that moment - like I was losing control. I tried to push the feeling aside, telling myself I was just angry, but deep down, I knew it was more than that.

No, no, no!

A loud interruption made us flinch, infact everyone flinched. A fat girl stood in front of our class, panting for breath. She didn't even knock before entering. A whole SS3 class o!

If someone tried that rubbish in CHA, definitely they know they'd be drinking toilet water for a week.

"Hey, hey! Are you sick?" A guy who sat at the back, lashed out at the fat girl.

"Guys, come in. She's here!" The fat girl squealed, staring at me. That's when some other juniors entered the classroom.

"What rubbish?" Tyler yapped, making the juniors flinch. I rolled my eyes at him, because I didn't know what he was feeling like. Mitchew.

The juniors ran to me, bombarding me with sweetness.

"Hi!"

"Omg, she looks just like her mother."

"She's so pretty."

"Is she finer than Makayla?"

"Abeg, who Makayla hep?"

I laughed inwardly at that, resisting the urge to turn and see Makayla's face. I smiled a little at the juniors, who were shining their teeths. It felt awkward, but I didn't want to be rude. . . yet.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We came here to confirm," the fat girl said, smiling.

"Confirm what?" I turned to see who yapped; Makayla. Mitchew.

"If she's the actress', Jackie Richard's, daughter. And fuck, she is!" the fat girl dragged.

Makayla abruptly stormed out of the class, and a girl ran after her like a puppet. She probably felt hurt by their statements, and she should be.

I returned my attention back to the juniors. "How do you know I'm Jackie Richard's daughter?"

"Duh," the fat girl drawled. "We all saw the principal's post yesterday. And you're the only new student bearing 'Richard'. You're her daughter, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, please be my friend!"

"Marry me, I'm bisexual."

"You're so beautiful, ahh!"

"EVERYBODY, TO YOUR CLASSES, NOW!" The juniors scrambled, their chatter and laughter ceasing abruptly as they hastened to obey Tyler's command.

Some of them almost collided with each other in their haste, while others tripped over their own feet. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of scraping chairs, shuffling feet, and muffled apologies as the juniors made a mad dash for the door.

In a matter of seconds, the classroom was empty. I stared at Tyler, who was now solving maths on his notebook, probably doing the assignment Mr Akin gave us yesterday.

I haven't even done mine sef.

"Stop staring at me," he stated coldly, not sparing me a glance.

Idiot. I swear, I hate his attitude eh!

                           ✿✿✿

The bell rang for lunch, and the flat data processing teacher left immediately like a hungry pig.

She's so flat sha.

Everyone closed their notebooks and stood up to do their various activities during lunch. I stood up, smoothing my skirt and grabbing my phone from under the table.

Suddenly, that girl, Divine Wilson, came to our seat and sat on our desk - Tyler's side of the table.

"Wassup ranger," she said, pinching his nose.

"How far?" Tyler asked, playfully swatting at her hand.

"I dey. I'm hungry, borrow me like five kay naw."

Tyler didn't even think twice, he tugged his hand in his pocket and brought out his wallet. "Is the lunch lady's POS working?"

Divine nodded, and Tyler handed her his CREDIT CARD!

Ahahn!

"This is why I love you," Divine stated confidently. "Thanks Ty."

Nickname too? Oh wow.

As I watched them interact, I couldn't help but feel a pang of... something. It wasn't exactly jealousy, but it was definitely a strong sense of discomfort.

I frowned, feeling a little annoyed at myself. Why did I even care? Tyler was the last person I wanted to be around, and yet. . .

I shook my head, pushing the thoughts aside. I had more important things to worry about. Like getting lunch, because I was famished.

It was when I skirted out of the desk that Divine noticed my presence.

"Hi, Yemisi," she beamed. I just flashed her a quick smile, before glaring at Tyler with contempt.

"Hey," a voice said behind me. I literally felt the person's breath so close to my ear. I spun around, my heart skipping a beat as I came face to face with David.

Yes, that same guy!

His tugged his hands in his pocket, and his lips curved into a charming smile.

"David," I said, trying to sound casual despite the sudden racing of my pulse. "You scared me half to death."

David chuckled, licking his lips. "Sorry about that," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

I smirked, folding my arms. "Then why did you sneak up on me like that?"

David shrugged, coming closer to my face. "I guess I just wanted to catch you off guard."

His warm breath danced across my skin, sending shivers down my spine. I tried to maintain my smirk, but it faltered as our eyes locked.

In fact, it felt kind of... nice.

"It's cute when you're trying to be tough," he whispered, in my ears.

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I took a step back, trying to compose myself. Even though what he said had a BIG effect on me.

Fuck, David is hot!

"Let's get lunch together?" It seemed more like a question, so I nodded and he took my hand, leading me out of the classroom.

<————>
A/N

Na wa oo 😂

Yemisi, na wa for you.

Zainab and Felix, na wa for una too🙄

Who else is suspecting David? 👀

But let's not spoil things for ourselves 😎.

I wonder what Tyler's reaction is to this 🤔

I guess we'll find out in the next chapter 😙🫠

Abeg, make una no forget to vote, biko🥲

Toodles!

CiCi 🌹

🌺TEASER🌺

"It's cute when you're trying to be tough," he whispered, in her ears.

Screw this guy!

"Let's get lunch together?" Yemisi accepted David's offer, and he grabbed her hand. I watched them both walk out of the class, even though my eyes were mostly focused on Yemisi's swaying hips.

"Wetin you dey look?" I felt a slap on my shoulder. A hot slap!