Chapter 6: People.

Jss3.

Lola.

The noisy chatter of the girls in my year surrounded me as I lay down on my bed in one of the communal bedrooms on the third floor of our hostel in Cameroon. 

The floor had three other student bedrooms, each with its own bathroom as well as a kitchenette and rooms for the hostel mistresses and cooks.  My room was the first door on the right once you opened the door at the top of the staircase.

The kitchenette was directly across from the staircase door while the other bedrooms were situated towards the left, further down the corridor. 

Each room could only contain six bunks, so we had to place our lockers and boxes in two separate rooms on the floor: one room was used to store boxes and ghana must gos, while the other was for our cloth and shoe lockers. 

Three rooms had direct access to balconies: my room, the last student bedroom on the far left and one of the staff rooms. The two balconies were shared by all the girls in the hostel.

It was Saturday afternoon; we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything since we had begged them to scrap afternoon prep for the duration of our stay in Cameroon (which was basically for the entire term. Yay).  

Since there was no itinerary, people just ended up doing their own thing. 

The room's windows  and balcony doors were opened to let in the fresh air, music was being played from iPods, and the rooms bustled as people from different rooms mingled: 

Some girls were gisting, a few others were playing cards, some particularly slow washers were still washing their clothes. Other girls were reading storybooks or novels while a few talented ones were constructing their own stories.

I was glad for the break as I had forcefully gotten out of my bed that morning to do my hostel duties despite my menstrual pain and diarrhoea.

I was in constant pain, it was so severe that I couldn't move and I couldn't eat. My body was in utter discomfort no matter how many times I adjusted on my bed. All I was able to do was lie listlessly on my bed, like a rice worm and hold back tears.

Bisola came and stood by my bedside;  I was wondering if she came to take care of me and was about to shift to make room for her on the bed when she said, 

"Lola, how far? Are you with the key?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

She was asking about the key to the padlock on my provision ghana must go*.

Since we were staying in a foreign country, our school allowed us to bring provisions and money(to buy more provisions.)

I guess they were afraid of us starving to death and our parents holding them accountable since they also allowed our parents to visit us once every month with more money and provisions as we would be staying for a full term with no breaks in between to visit our homes.

My parents had come by the previous month and had promised to come visiting in the following months. 

I tried to dissuade them when I remembered the struggle of passing through the border: The hours we spent travelling from Lagos to Cotonou to meet up with my brother's set (we spent two weeks with them) to adjust to life in a french speaking country before parting ways.

They drove back to school while we drove the rest of the way to Douala. 

I abruptly recalled the two weeks I had spent with the current SS1 and almost burst out in shudders.

People finally found out that Tobi and I were related;

It wasn't a secret or anything, we looked alike, but it seems that no one had caught on since I wasn't really popular while Tobi was on the other end of the spectrum.

The fact that we were siblings was discovered through a frankly stupid situation I must admit:

The freshly washed wrapper that I hung on my floor's balcony flew to the last floor. Some boys helped pick it up thinking it was Tobi's and brought it back for him.

It wasn't until he double-checked and made sure that it wasn't his and further stated that it must be mine (we had identical wrappers) that they finally realised he had a sibling remaining in our school.

Tobi was in Jss1 when our eldest brother Seun was in SS3. He was the only sibling Tobi had acknowledged, so imagine their surprise when nerdy Lola was added to the mix,ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴘᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜᴏᴛ ᴏɪʟ.

Tobi's concubines: Marianne (a tall, dark-skinned wholesome beauty) and Shaina (a tall, light-skinned Egyptian goddess) began to curry favour with me which was, in my opinion, useless since

One: Tobi and I hardly ever spoke, he was much closer to Bisola;

Two: he wouldn't listen to my opinions on anything, much less who to take as a girlfriend and

Three: if we did speak it was just for him to get me to agree to persuade our parents to increase our pocket money and to warn me to be careful of Bisola, which was weird because she was his friend too.

I couldn't for the life of me understand why two very beautiful girls would be fighting over Tobi.

Don't get me wrong; they weren't exchanging blows or anything, they were more subtle about it, engaging in schadenfreude, acting like a first and second wife choosing the days that their husband would belong to them, fighting for the favour of their 'husband'.

What made matters worse was that they were family friends and close friends themselves, yet that relationship had been turned into a shallow string of connection by competition.

Meanwhile, Tobi just watched all the excitement from the sidelines.

Any who, back to what I was saying before I got distracted.

My parents informed me that they wouldn't have to drive for nearly an entire day like us poor students.

They could just take a direct flight there and that since they had visited my brother during his time, it wouldn't be fair if they didn't visit me.

I wish we could have just taken flights but the school scrapped that idea since they weren't sure that all the parents would be willing to pay for it, and they didn't want to make the scholarship students feel burdened.

Bisola's parents weren't able to make it last month and had already told her they wouldn't be able to come by even in the following months. 

Her father was an engineer and her mother was a businesswoman so I couldn't understand why they couldn't at least come and see her during a single weekend.

They had given her five thousand naira and some provision when she was coming here and told her to manage it for her entire stay.

I couldn't see how that would be enough for her since she has an ulcer but it wasn't my family so I couldn't interfere.

Back to the food issue, the school still provided three regular meals. All they had done was to remove the midday meal and nightcap due to the limited staff. 

It left me wondering if all the extra food was necessary? 

ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀʀ ᴜꜱ ɪɴᴛᴏ ꜰᴀᴛ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴘɪɢɢɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴀᴛ ᴜꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴀɴꜱᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴛᴇʟ?

Bisola was one of the numerous students that took full advantage of this extra food policy and ate like she was about to go into hibernation though you couldn't tell just by looking at her, she was as thin as a reed.

I gave her the provision bag key; I had decided to share my provisions with her since I didn't need it and I was still able to get more. I lay back down and wanted to try and sleep to numb the pain when she interrupted me.

"Shoo, why are you now acting like I'm disturbing you? Is it because I came to ask you for the key? You feel like I'm eating too much right?" 

ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ɪ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴇʏ ꜱᴏ ʜᴏᴡ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ?

"Or is it because it's your stuff that I am eating? Take your stupid key self, I'm not a beggar that you can be treating anyhow." An odd note had crept into her voice but I couldn't place it. As she became more and more aggressive, her voice started to get shrill.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ? ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ꜱʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴘʀᴇᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴇ ʟᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ?

"Bisola, what are you talking about? Beggar how?" My voice was tinged with exhaustion.

I wanted to sit up but decided against it when my uterus started becoming twisted into a pretzel on my failed attempt, or at least it felt that way. I held back my wince and quickly laid back down.

"Yes now, see the way you're acting like someone is begging you, giving me key like I'm your house girl. That's how last week I was trying to talk to you, you just gave me attitude." One of her hands was still placed on her hips and the other kept thrusting the key towards me.

"I'm having Mp Bisola, I'm just trying to rest. Last week I was having PMS. That was during the height of my mood swings and I didn't want to transfer any aggression to you." I explained in a low voice.

"Which one is PMS again? You think you can deceive somebody just because you read books, we are all students here. If there's something like that, how come I've never heard of it?" She cocked her head to the side with a smirk on her lips.

"Just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Have you forgotten when that pad company came to our school? They spoke about it when they were explaining the menstrual cycle." I responded dully.

"Lola, why are you lying? How come you are the only one who heard about it? Abi, should I ask Twinnie?" One of the things I hate most is when someone calls me a liar and she should know that by now.

"Don't bother calling Shola, if you don't want to believe me, fine. I've done my part, I've explained to you so please give me my key back before you continue to disgrace me." I stretched out my hand for the key and she gave it to me while grumbling.

I don't know what her problem is, ever since she started hanging out with Shola, she's been acting crazy, always second-guessing my words and actions.

Demanding that I don't have any other friend because she's 'Afraid that I'd leave her, and we promised to be best friends, so we should only be close with each other'.

If she sees me talking to anybody else after leaving me to sit alone for hours in classes, the dining hall and even during prep, she'd get angry and sulk.

I'm sick and tired of her temper tantrums, I don't have the energy or the patience to reassure her today, she can think whatever she wants. 

I heard her and Shola mumbling about me being rude, antisocial and a weirdo. I ignored it because I knew that it was Shola that had been poisoning her mind. 

Bisola, my best friend would never do those things normally, she wasn't like that.

I dozed off a little while later and woke up past lunchtime. The hostel seemed more peaceful as more people were resting. I quickly stood up and checked my bed, praying that I didn't stain it.

Ever since I prayed that I no longer wanted cramps but a heavier flow in exchange for it, I started having a moderately heavy flow and my cramps reduced. Praise God. ʜᴀʟʟᴇʟᴜʏᴀʜ!

The only downside was that it had become more likely for me to stain my bedding. 

I breathed out in relief once I finished checking my bed and saw that it was clear of any spots of blood. I went to the bathroom with my extra pad and period pants to take a quick shower and freshen up.

Once I was done, I went to the box room with my key to find something to eat. I opened my ghana must go and just stood there stunned. What I saw shocked me.

What was once a bag full of provisions had become a barren wasteland. All that was left were a few empty wrappers, an almost empty can of melted milo and a few scattered packs of variety pack rice Krispies.

It looked like the aftermath of a raid. 

I know I gave her the key but I gave it to her so that she could eat freely, not to throw food into the abyss or to throw a party.

 I had only visited the ghana must go twice, the first time had been to fill up the bag after my parent's visitation and the second time was to get something to eat. The bag was still full then.

Thank God that this month's visiting day was coming up next week. I really needed to learn to be more niggardly.

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The boredom caused by the lack of activity got so much that some girls suggested going out for a stroll or playing some games before the social night in the evening.

The suggestion gained a lot of approval so everyone quickly dressed in sporty outfits. We had gotten permission from the hostel mistresses and had gathered by the corridor within fifteen minutes. 

We were getting ready to leave the hostel when someone brought up involving the boys and since the majority carried the vote, they were invited along.

I for one was against it because we saw them every day and we were still going to see them at night. I just wanted time for us away from boys but it seemed that only a few people shared the same sentiment as me.

My entire year set out in little groups, having paired up in the courtyard of the hostel.

I was about to ask Bisola what her inclination was that afternoon when I remembered our little spat earlier that day.

I shrugged it off and walked towards her to see if she had calmed down.

She saw me coming and immediately turned her body around in rejection.

I winced and I'm pretty sure there was a flash of hurt across my face because Titi along with Tade and Mayowa walked towards me and suggested going window shopping.

They almost dislocated my shoulders with how hard they were pulling me. I went along with them because firstly, they were my friends and secondly, I didn't want to be in an environment where I was not wanted nor appreciated.

We strolled around, checked out some clothes and shoes before sharply grabbing a bite to eat and heading back to the hostel.

When we were coming back from our stroll, I saw Dayo and Tosin sprinting. The twins were always competing, weren't they tired of it? 

I knew for sure that Dayo would win since he was better at short distance running while Tosin would always triumph in long distance.

The twins were fraternal; Dayo was taller, darker and less muscular, while Tosin was shorter by a few inches, fairer and more heavily muscled. They both had six packs which they always made an effort to show off. 

Dayo usually had a smile on his face with small dimples peeping through and seemed the more approachable of the two while Tosin walked around with a smirk that showed that he thought he was hot sh*t. 

Dayo was more into science while Tosin had already decided to go into art class. They couldn't be more different except that they both had a knack for getting into trouble.

Mayowa and I were on our way to congratulate Dayo when Tosin blocked us and threw out a statement that was completely ludicrous.

"Lola, this your breast dey grow oo." He was pointedly staring at my chest.

"What!" I clutched at my chest in shock and used my arms to cover my breasts. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴇᴘ!

"Why you dey shock? Don't worry, I'm not interested. After all, na small orange you get, abi na even orange seed." He looked at my arms piercingly before eyeing me dismissively.

The effrontery of this boy, to openly objectify my body without a shred of shame. 

"Guy! Stop now." Dayo came and put an end to the conversation. 

Great, this is just wonderful. The guy I had a crush on overheard his douche of a brother sizing me up like a piece of meat.

"Sha do fast, we got's do long distance." Tosin raised his hands over his head in surrender and walked towards Grace. 

When he got to her, he held her by her waist and started whispering into her ear while she giggled and put her hands around his neck.

Grace was a fair igbo beauty and one of the fastest developers, she had sizable breasts and hips while most of us were still trying to get our periods.

"Sorry about him. Please just ignore whatever he says." Dayo shifted to block my line of sight.

"It's ok." Truly it was, Mayowa was already getting ready to deck Tosin when Dayo interrupted.

She was their friend so I knew that Tosin wouldn't retaliate.

"No, it's not. I apologise on his behalf." He smiled down at me and the little pimples popped out. ᴄᴜʀꜱᴇꜱ. ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴅɪᴍᴘʟᴇꜱ? ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ꜱᴜᴄᴋᴇʀꜱ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

"As you should." Mayowa crossed her arms and cocked her hips to the side, showing that the matter wasn't over.

ᴍʏ ʜᴇʀᴏ. I wanted to clutch my chest and flutter my eyelashes at her. She's such a sweetheart.

I was about to brush the offence off but I decided to remain silent and milk it for all it was worth. I mimicked Mayowa's stance and waited to hear what else he would say.

He was about to say something when his brother cut him off.

"Guy! It's time." Tosin yelled.

"I have to go. I'll talk to you guys later. Okay?" He cocked an eyebrow and flashed a dimple at me.

"We'll see." Mayowa stepped in front of me with her arms still crossed.

"Bye." I said and waved from behind her.

"Bye." He replied.

I stretched my head out from behind her to see him walking away. I rested my head on her back and held her waist. She held onto my arms.

"You do know that they're the same right?" Mayowa asked me.

"They're different. He might not be all that good but at least he's a gentleman." I let go of her and she turned to face me.

"Aunty, remove your rose tinted glasses. They're both dogs, it's just that Dayo hides it better." She bent down slightly and held onto my shoulders.

"Let's wait and see." I smiled foolishly up at her.

She laughed and shook her head then walked hand in hand with me back to the hostel. Titi and Tade were waiting in front of the gate for us.

When we got back, it was almost dinner time so we all stayed behind on the first floor and went to the dining hall to have dinner.

After dinner, we had only an hour left to get ready for social night. The hostel masters and mistresses usually had a night off on Saturdays while one person was designated as the chaperon. 

That night, one of the hostel masters was in charge which made it easier for the boys to convince him that we didn't need monitoring. 

No chaperone equals a crazy night. I wondered at the antics we were going to get up to that night.

I quickly took a shower and washed my clothes in our cojoined bathroom and made way for the girls waiting for their turn.

Even though we had five showerheads in the bathroom, time and hot water never seemed to be enough.

I went to the balcony to spread my wet clothes and spread my towel outside while I was at it.

When my hostel mistress saw me sneaking back with just my undies on and my hand covering my chest, she exclaimed.

"You this girl ehn, you sha like to be walking around knaked. One of this days, you won't be able to cover yourself with just one hand. Go and get dressed my friend." She laughed and walked away.

Judging by how she was dressed, she was probably on her way out for her break.

What's she worried about? That day would probably never come and if it did I would worry about it then.

I smeared cream on my entire body and quickly put on some deodorant. I had only thirty minutes left and I hadn't even picked out my outfit, God.

I rushed into the locker room and picked out one of my distressed jeans, a plain white round neck T-shirt and flat thong sandals. I didn't feel like dressing up especially after Tosin's creepy comment.

I got dressed and styled my braids into a ponytail, then put on my black Shamballa*, beaded bracelets and pin earrings to complete my look. I sprayed on some perfume and went to Titi and Mayowa's room to see if they were ready.

By the time I got to their room, they were finishing up and were dressed similarly to me: Plain tops over jeans and sandals. We stepped out of their room in unison and headed to the multi-purpose hall where we usually held our social night.

We had just stepped into the hall when they were both called away; Titi by Ebuka and Mayowa by Dayo.

I waggled my brows at Titi and pointed at their joined hands. She laughed and waved me off. They weren't a couple yet, it was more like mutual flirtation.

After they left, I was left standing by the door all by my lonesome.

I surveyed the entire hall and saw a rainbow of supras. All the 'biggest boys' had them but red was still the most popular. There were a moderate number of girls in the hall as few were still getting dressed.

The boys were like colonies in a petri dish.

A vast number of them were gathered at the centre of the hall and Lucas was in the middle of the circle like a king addressing his subjects. I could hear what he was saying as the music hadn't started playing yet.

"Guy, I dey tell you, I don almost bag am. See, by the end of the night, she for don be my babe. You wan bet? Abi, you no trust your guy again?" He thumped his hands on his chest.

All the other boys started hailing him, calling him 'Sure guy', 'Finest boy', 'Sharp shooter'. He basked in the praise with his arms stretched out.

I perused him and saw that he was wearing a black flat brim NYC snapback, a white 'ama keep keep' shirt, yellow chinos and red supras. He even had shades on. ꜱᴍʜ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴋɪɴɢ.

I shifted my gaze away and looked at the other colonies.

The second-largest grouping was by the technical area; a group of boys were setting up our playlist for that night while the others were setting up the laptop, Tv and speakers.

There were a few other stragglers that were paired up with the girls that had already come down while others just sat alone.

The last few were on the balcony, hanging in the dark like they were batman or something.

The rest of the girls mingled among themselves and complemented each other's outfits or joined in with the technical dudes. I spotted a cooler that I knew would be full of alcohol in one corner of the room, hidden behind a chair.

I shook my head and went to sit down in a relatively well-lit area. I was twisting my beads when Dotun perched on the table next to my seat.

"Hey, what's up? Where's your friend?" He asked.

"Dunno, probably still getting dressed." I shrugged and kept playing with my bracelets.

"Ahan, this one that you're not following her around today, wetin happen?" He probed deeper.

"Who is following her around? Can't you say something nice." I looked up and eyed him sharply.

"Nawa for you oo, someone cannot joke with you again." He laughed and kept his arm across my shoulders. I shrugged his arm off because I remembered that Bisola liked him and she said he started chyking her recently.

I was about to respond when music started playing.

"When we celebrate! We dey pop champagne x3. Pop Pop Pop Pop."

I swivelled my head round to see the 'Big girls' making their entrance. They all wore micro-mini jeans skirts, three-quarter trousers with halter necks or short gowns with heels. They tossed their braids from side to side as they walked in.

Peter, Albert, Ebuka and some other boys started thrusting forward in time with the beat. Their hands miming popping champagne bottles.

I bid Dotun goodbye and tried to hightail it out of there. He might be my family friend but I was determined to avoid anything related to Bisola tonight.

He stretched out his arm in protest but I just avoided it and moved towards the technical area. My butt had barely warmed my seat when Mayowa waylaid me.

"Okay, so I just finished talking with Dayo and he was telling me that he liked you. That I should help him put in a good word. What do you think?" She rolled her eyes and questioned.

"One, I'm not in the mood for boy talk tonight; Two, it's too early for me to even start thinking of having a boyfriend and three, I have a crush on his dimples, not on him. Besides, the high school wannabes are here so he probably won't even spare me a glance tonight."

I pointed with my chin towards the latecomers though I don't think she could have missed their entrance.

I looked towards Dayo and saw that he was already enraptured by Shewa. "Case in point."

She glanced at him, saw the evidence and patted my arm consolingly. I assured her that it was ok since all we had ever spoken about was football matches and Manchester United.

The social night started in earnest. In the beginning, the lights were still on and we danced to songs like stanky leg, crank that and started doing 'New jerk'. 

I know, I know. I had previously promised to never do the accursed action. ꜱʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ. ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ? ᴇᴜʀɢʜ.

Thank you sassy mc sassy pants for the completely unnecessary comment. 

As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I was doing the thing that shall not be named but only because it was so easy and everybody was distracted leaving me to showcase my awful skills without anyone being the wiser.

We were all on the dance floor doing our various forms of jerking when they moved on to songs like Nwa Baby (Ashewo remix), love is wicked and Do me.

The lights had been dimmed and so had my enthusiasm for dancing.

I found a good vantage point and settled down for the show. Wine bottles were opened, party cups were passed around, spirits flowed and everybody indulged.

People paired up, hands wandered and bodies rocked against each other. Overall it was still a milder scene than what would have happened in the main campus. The only thing that was slightly risque was Shewa being sandwiched between two boys.

I got tired of people watching so I decided to go for a walk and just stargaze.

I headed to the balcony but I saw Peter standing at a turn on the balcony. He noticed me and came forward to hold my wrists together.

"Come, let's talk Lola." He was shorter than me (and that's saying something because I was really short) but his strength was really great, I couldn't break free. I had to point at a nonexistent person behind him and free myself while he was distracted.

I ran into the hall and sped down the stairs to the courtyard. I was walking around the compound and had just decided to go to the rooftop terrace when I heard feet shuffling on the staircase.

Shola and Lucas came into view so I hid behind one of the tank posts and peeped at them.

"You know I like you, I've been chasing you for months now. Will you be my babe?" He held her hands and drew her closer. He had shifted the bill of the cap to the back and was leaning closer to her face.

"I don't know yet. I don't want to be one of the first people to date." She muttered embarrassingly, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

"Fash that one, do you know how many people are secretly dating in our class? Forget about everyone else. I'm the one standing in front of you and asking you if you'll go out with me?" He leaned even closer though I didn't think that was physically possible as there wasn't any more space left between them.

They were probably sharing the same air by now. 𝐸𝓌𝓌𝓌𝓌.

Her light chocolate skin was so red that it bore a close resemblance to a baboon's ass. It reminded me of the monkey we had seen that afternoon that kept blowing kisses at us and beckoning us to come closer.

I couldn't hear her reply as it was too low but I assumed that she replied positively because they started kissing.

I shifted my eyes away as it was too embarrassing to continue watching them. I placed my palms on my face and my entire face felt hot to the touch. 

I did a U-turn and was leaving the area when I noticed Albert hiding at a spot not too far from me. I didn't try to get his attention or find out when he had gotten there, I just picked race and left his visage behind me. ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴏʏꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ᴏʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ.

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It was Sunday morning and we had gone for our usual service in RCCG headquarters, Douala. They had assigned a bus to come and pick us up as well as dropping us off after service. 

They had an English translator so it was easy for us to follow along if we missed anything that had been said in french.

The service was enjoyable and the follow-up team that was assigned to us promised to come on Tuesday and Thursday for our scheduled weekly services. I grumbled internally because I remembered how they always reprimanded me for chewing gum.

As we walked toward the bus, I noticed Dotun staring at Bisola's yansh in her tight black skirt. I burst out laughing because he didn't know that she wore bum shorts under her clothes to add more volume to her body.

We weren't required to wear our Sunday wear here since we were meant to blend in with the common people so everyone was able to show off their mufti to their heart's desire.

People had popped tags to get dressed that morning as was their usual custom.

Sunday passed fairly quickly after service.

We had lunch when we got back, hot jollof rice with plantain and chicken.

The free time after lunch was used to perfect our french, brush up on our vocabulary and cram our conjugasion.

Dinner followed after and the night ended with actual prep, though most people just used it to make googly eyes at each other - barely any reading was done.

I got back to my room and took a quick shower before changing into my Pjs and checking my locker to make sure that my khaki uniform was pressed and my shoes were polished.

I said a short prayer before falling into a blissful sleep.

I woke up groggily to the sight of my roommates surrounding me and trying to wake me up.

They were already dressed in their uniforms and looked like they were on their way to breakfast.

I looked up at the clock and almost swore, I had only ten minutes to get ready and I would have to skip breakfast to make it to school on time.

I really need to change my sleeping habit, I had once slept through a rainstorm. There was currently a running bet among the girls on whether I would be aware if I was placed in an ocean or just continue sleeping obliviously. 

I dressed in record time, smoothed the front of my khaki gown, grabbed my bag and wore my glasses. I ran down the stairs and saw that my year girls were waiting for me.

We usually walked to school together and chatted along the way. The boy's had already left earlier since their school was farther away than ours.

We had just reached the expressway which was fifteen minutes away from our school and were about to cross it when Ola, who was walking backwards, stepped onto the road.

She was so engrossed with our gist that she didn't see the car coming and was hit until she was sent flying.

Glossary.

PMS: Premenstrual Syndrome.

Ghana must go: A large bag.

Shamballa: A bracelet.                                                                                                   

New jerk: A dance move.                                                                                                    

Stanky leg: Another dance move.                                                                                

Crank that: A dance move.