Gangs, Boys, Explosions And Football

         "Ohhh, you two are soooo in love!" Tishe sang as well walked into the hall towards our lockers. I groaned, why are their lockers next to mine?! Gazelle, I had no problem with, but the other two....gosh!

"Both of you were just staring into each others eyes, drinking in the water from the fountain of love."she said, a hand over her heart. Caitlyn fake gagged and I nudged her,smiling. She smiled back and walked over to Tishe.

"Tish, stop teasing them when we all k ow you've been crushing on Richard Peters since like forever."

Tishe's face deepened and Gazelle and I chuckled.

"True. I've watched you enough to notice how stupid you act in front of Mr Bad boy." I said and she glared at me.

"Tishe and Richie sitting in a tree,"

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g.' Caitlyn and I sang. Gazelle laughed as Tishe walked away from us.

"That'll teach her to make fun of people." Caitlyn said as we reached our lockers. 

"Must you guys talk so loudly. I mean, the entire hallway can freaking hear you." Tishe said, crossly. I smirked as I opened my locker taking out my Chemistry, Civic Education and Estate History textbooks. 

"I do hope our Chemistry class is going to be interesting. My old Chemistry teacher was dreadfully dull." Gazelle said to me. I shrugged.

"It's boring sometimes, but that's only if Mr Ogunsanya is taking us. If Professor Dike is taking us then get ready to have lot of chemical fun."

"Thank God I'm a Commercial student." Caitlyn said, throwing a pack of gum into her locker.

"Science class is not so bad." Gazelle responded.

"E tin ko chemical po, eyin omo science students." Caitlyn sang, smiling while Gazelle and I rolled our eyes. 

"And I'm the only Art student in our glorious group." Tishe said.  We closed our lockers and put our books in our bags.

"Come on, Tish. Get your books or we'll be late." Caitlyn said then shuddered.

"I did NOT just say that."

"Do you need any help there?" Gazelle asked as Tishe struggled to open her locker.

"It's..stuck..oh!"

She fell back and Richrd Peters caught her just in time. He helped her up and smiled at her. She smiled back, blushing.

"Tishe."

"Hey Richard." she replied nervously. He looked at the rest of us.

"Gazelle. Caitlyn." he snickered, "Big head boy."

I rolled my eyes.

"Sinful priest."

He smirked. Then he turned to Caitlyn.

"HQ after school, Kitty. Don't forget."

Caitlyn sighed.

"For the hundredth time, Peters, I won't."she responded and he walked away. I noticed that he and Caitlyn had similar tattoos and they both were the exact same black leather jacket. I frowned, the only people who dressed like that were........

Oh no.

She isn't.

But....gosh.

She is!

"You're a Fang."

Caitlyn smirked.

"Took you long enough."

"You're a Fang! Caitlyn, you're a Fang! Like the notorious gang. A Fang!"

"Yes, Jefferson. I am a full fledged member of the gang that controls the west side of Crystal Point estate known as the West Side Fangs."

I stared at her then at her cousins.

"You knew?"

They shrugged; Tishe with a small smile and Gazelle with her usual blank face.

"You knew!? And you didn't tell me! Guy, you're like in a cult..."

"Correction, gang. Not cult. There's a huge difference."

I shook my head as Caitlyn pulled out a packet of plantain chips from her jacket pocket. Tishe tried opening her locker again and Gazelle played with the end of her tie.

"The Fangs are the most feared and most powerful loan sharks in Ikorodu. They give loans to everybody; from petty drug dealers to large mafias. They kill their debtors."

Caitlyn shrugged.

"Just our way of getting rid of the muck of the world."

"You have no right to take matters into your own hands."

"Jeff, most of the people we deal with are low lives. People who have been causing havoc in Crystal Point for years. The guy that raped six year old  Eniola? He took a small loan from us, I personally made sure he couldn't pay back. This is Nigeria. A country where if we don't get rid of the dirt ourselves, no one will help us sweep it away. Nothing but corruption works in this country. Did you really think the government would have found justice for Eniola? What about Demilade Fayemi? The boy who was being abused by his step father? Did the government do anything? The stupid police men in this estate did not even take him serious when he reported the case. They only told him that his step father wouldn't hit him if he didn't offend him. That he was a man. That boys don't get abused. So, do you really think that we can rely on that kind of law enforcement? The gangs in this estate aren't here to cause havoc, we are the only kind of law enforcement that actually works in Ikorodu. Sure we fund some mafias and drug houses and all that stuff. But we pick our customers very carefully. We won't loan money to anyone that plans to hurt the community. We're here to save it, not harm it."

I stared at her. Sure, the Fangs haven't exactly hurt any innocent civilians and they always stayed within the boundaries of the east side but taking lives. That was just cruel and heartless. That petty low life drug dealer might be a father with a wife and two little girls waiting for him at home to provide the next meal for them. I don't support crime, but she was right. This is Nigeria. A country that only caters for the rich and powerful. Life was simply survival of the fitest. The rich, whether politicians or business tycoons, preyed on the poor. Leaving them to scavenge for crumbs and scraps. The middle class families, like mine, lived as honestly as we could. Regular paying jobs, whether self employed or salary earning, with average houses and maybe even a small car. I was what you would call average. But I had met those who were at rock bottom. Those who didn't have any other choice than to succumb to the devil. Drug addicts, fraudsters and prostitutes. Mom dealt with a lot of them and I had accompanied her to some of her field work. The sight made me feel fortunate yet depressed. It felt unfair that I had a roof over my head, clean and constant found and water and a loving family. 

I had a PS4, they had sticks and stones.

I had health insurance, they had cocaine and heroin....if they could afford it.

I had a part time paying job at the local library, they had a rundown vegetable stand.

I can decide to skip a meal cos I 'just wasn't hungry', they went hungry almost everyday.

There were only few people ready to help these people. Eniola's rapist would never be justified. Demola's step father was most definitely a monster. But no one deserves to die in the hands of another.

But then, we'll all die one day. 

"Jeff?"

I sighed.

"I still don't feel like you and your gang have any right to kill people. No matter what they've done. It's wrong and makes you no better than them."

Caitlyn frowned.

"If we don't do it, someone else will."

I exhaled and leaned on my locker. The warning bell rang and I looked to Tishe.

"Tishe, haven't you gotten your locker open yet?"

"It's..still...stu-ahhhhhhhhh!"

I felt something push me to the floor and a deafening sound reverberated through the hallway. I heard screaming and the rush of footsteps around me. I turned over and sat up. My left shoulder hurt and I think I might have sprained my ankle. I looked to my left and found Tishe sprawled on the floor, her left leg in a twist.

"Tishe!" I screamed rushing over to her side. Caitlyn was hunched over her and Gazelle knelt beside her.

"Tish! Darling, are you alright?" Gazelle asked. Tishe stirred and coughed violently.

"Ugh... What happened?"

"Uhm, your locker kinda exploded." Caitlyn said, helping her sit up. I looked at her locker. It had now been replaced with a gaping smoking hole that gave a view of the Chemistry lab. I looked around, a crowd had already gathered and our Chemistry teacher, Mrs Olamuyiwa came running towards us.

"Blood of Jesus! Adelanwa, Michael, are you two alright? Did you injure yourselves?"

I held my aching ankle.

"I think I sprained my ankle. My shoulder hurts a bit too."

Tishe tried moving her right leg and flinched.

"God that hurts so much."she whispered. Mrs Olamuyiwa looked like she had just been given a life sentence. 

"That Mr Peretti...you!" she pointed at a random student. A junior.

"Go and tell Olakunle Peretti that he should go and wait for me in the staff room." 

The junior nodded and ran off.

"Stop running in the hallway!" she shouted after him, "Oya, Miss Taiwo and Miss Blossom, help me carry Tishe to the clinic. Mr Adelanwa, can you manage to walk to the clinic?"

I looked at my ankle. The clinic wasn't too far. I guess I can bear it. I nodded.

"Oya, stand up. Sorry ehn. Is it paining you? Ha, pele dear. Sorry."

---------------------------------------------------------

    To say Tishe is a drama queen would be the understatement of the century! 

"Yeeee! Ow! Aunty Nurse na! It's painful."

Nurse Chioma, popularly known as Aunty Nurse, scowled at her.

"Keep your leg one place jare, you this girl. See, if you shout again, I will just leave the leg. Na so e go stiff. You will just turn to k-leg like that."

Tishe pouted, tears glistening in her eyes as she gripped the rails of the cot as Aunty Nurse tried to pop her leg back into place. I felt bad for her. Fortunately, all I needed was an ice pack and a bit of balm on my ankle. After another few minutes of agony, Aunty Nurse was finally able to fix Tishe's leg. Now she was lying in her cot with three ice packs wrapped around her leg and she was moaning loudly every second.

"Tishe, stop it joor." I said. 

"Are you the one that they had to shift her leg back into place? No. So leave me o. I have the right to moan and cry. That Aunty Nurse gan is wicked. She did not even pity somebody." she said, sniffling. I rolled my eyes.

"Isn't the ice supposed to make it feel better?"

"Shey you don't know that at a point, ice used to feel like fire. See, leave me o. Me that I'm in pain."

That was how I spent my school time in the clinic with an aching shoulder, a swollen ankle and a dramatic moaning Tishe. I heard the bell for lunch time ring and I sighed. If it was a normal day, I would be at my regular spot eating the fried yam and stew Mom had packed for me. Maybe with a bottle of Coke. But now I'm here and I have no idea how I am going to get my lunch bag from the classroom. The door to our ward opened and Mide walked in. She rushed over to Tishe's side, worry etched all over her face.

"Guy! What happened? AY told me that you were in the school clinic with a broken leg. I wanted to stab class and come over but Mr Maduka caught me and gave me Saturday detention."

Tishe giggled.

"Were you that impatient to see your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? Who is the boyfriend o?"

"Me of course."

Mide hissed.

"Idiot. What happened?"

"My locker blew up while I was trying to open it. I guess Kunle was trying one of those his stupid experiments and it backfired."

"Mad o. That Kunle gan is a fool. So, is your leg broken?"

"Nope. Just dislocated. Aunty Nurse has fixed it sha."

"Pele love. Shey I should buy your lunch for you?"

"Yes please." Tishe said, adorably. Mide smirked.

"Bring money."

"So you cannot even buy me lunch."

"I can. With your own money."

Tishe pouted while Mide laughed. It was strange not seeing Mide in her rude snobby mode. She was actually quite nice, I guess, with a witty sense of humor.

"Olamide na! Buy lunch for me with your money."

"Why?"

"Cos you're my bestfriend."

"And?"

"And I'm your baby."

Mide snorted, "And?"

"And I'm the boyfriend in this relationship."

"Abi this one is mad ni. Boyfriend ko. Everyone knows I'm the boyfriend in this relationship."

"But I'm older!"

"So?"

"So I'm supposed to be the boyfriend. That is if we were like, you know, gay and all. Wait, do they like have any boyfriend/girlfriend titles? Or do they just stick with the girlfriend/girlfriend thing?"

"How would I know? You're the one with the gay cousin."

I frowned. Tishe had a gay cousin? That was something I did not expect. Do we even have gays in this country? Isn't it like, a crime here?

"True. I'll ask her. Even though she said I should stop asking her questions like that, but I'm sure she won't mind. I hope."

They talked for awhile and Tishe had finally been able to get Mide to buy her lunch. She even shared some of her lunch with me. Gazelle and Caitlyn came in moments later and talked with me, leaving Tishe and Mide to themselves. Caitlyn had helped me get my lunch from the classroom and I couldn't express my gratitude more. By the time lunch was over, I was able to leave the clinic.

"Be careful on that ankle o. If it should just shift small, e don break be that." Aunty Nurse said. She wrote something down on a brown card and handed it to me.

"That's your medical pass. Use it to excuse yourself from Gym class till your leg is healed."

"Thank you ma." I replied. I limped out of the clinic, saying a quick goodbye to Tishe. She would have to stay in the clinic till her Dad could come pick her up. Caitlyn and Gazelle walked me to class and I almost choked on air when I found out what our next class was.

Gym.

Mide walked past me without a single word.

Well, snobby Mide is back.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why they all don't like me. Yeah, I know most people thought I was an I-too-know(The Nigerian version of a know it all). But it was like Diana, Mide and the rest of their group hated me because of something else. I just didn't know what it was. 

      Coach Rogba, our buff yet block head Gym teacher acknowledged my medical pass, thankfully, and let me sit on the bleachers watching the rest of the class play football(soccer). Caitlyn was fast and skilled in it. Gazelle not so much. Okay, that was putting it mild. She was horrible! She was on Caitlyn's team of four and I could tell that Gazelle's poor performance irked Caitlyn. She was practically gritting her teeth and tugging at her hair. Her team was still in the lead, but I guess it was just the fact that Gazelle kept kicking the ball out of the field that got to Caitlyn. They were down to the final round and Caitlyn's team was one of the two teams to reach the final, despite Gazelle's terrible game play. Caitlyn could have had a chance to win, if the other team didn't comprise of AY, the sports prefect, Annabella, the captain of the school's boys football team, GB, a football pro and Tife, another football pro.

Caitlyn was completely toast.

Obviously, she knew cos she groaned as she sighted the team she was playing against.

"Argh! Seriously? Forget it, we forfeit."

"No forfeiting Blossom!" Coach Rogba shouted and blew his whistle. I watched the game play out and felt bad to Caitlyn. She was being totally whipped down there. Gazelle fell over a dozen times, with Coach Rogba yelling at her to 'Walk it off and stop being a fool'. In all, they lost and Annabella's team won 5-0. Caitlyn stomped into the showers, angrily with a tired out Gazelle behind her. 

"Hey Adelanwa!"

I looked down to find Tife and Annabella walking towards me, smiling.

"Heard what happened to you. You alright?" Annabella said.

I nodded.

"I'm fine. Just a sprained ankle."

"Eeya, sorry ehn. Hope it doesn't hurt too much."

I shook my head. They sat beside me. Annabella wore a blue Black-Pink themed tank top, a pair of black jean shorts and blue running shoes. Her long black hair was braided and tied up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Tife wore a white T-shirt, black Manchester United shorts and white converse. They both wore matching cowrie wristbands. Must be some sort of couple thing.

"Thanks for the concern Annabella."

She grimaced.

"Abeg, don't call me by my full name. Just call me Abella."

I smiled.

"Alright, Abella."

She grinned.

"By the way, we're glad you finally talked back to Diana and her crew. But mainly to Diana. The others are just trying to protect their friend but that Diana, she has problem."

I shrugged to conceal my shock. What is it with people being on my side nowadays? It's getting creepy.

"It wasn't really me that did the talking. Caitlyn and her cousins were the ones that stood up to them for me. So."

"Either way, we're glad. She deserves to be put in her place and reminded that we're all equal." Tife said, rubbing his face with his green towel. I smiled and the closing bell rang.

"Guess we should get going." Abella said standing. I nodded and stood as well.

"Nice meeting you two." I said, genuinely. They smiled and Abella gasped excitedly. She whispered something into Tife's ear. He smiled and shrugged. She squealed and took my hand.

"Tife's dad owns a club on the west side of the estate. They're having a sing-off tonight by 10. Wanna come? We could come pick you up."

I smiled.

"I'm not really one for late nights."

That and Mom would never let me go, and I have a lot of notes to complete and tons of homework. I just don't have the time. 

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think about it, just come! Please!" Abella pleaded and Tife nudged her. I smiled.

"I'll try."

"Bamgbose! Okoye! Adelanwa! Get off this field before I drag you out!"