IBIM
Why you texting me?This is Ibim, gotta be a mistake
I didn't reply to his text till the next morning when I was finally allowed to leave the infirmary, the plaster was changed this morning and I had to come back to the infirmary after lunch to take medications.
I needed to find Mofe. I hadn't spoken to her since she walked out of the infirmary . I walked to my locker and then towards hers but I was pulled away.
"Hi, Ibims".
"Mina, you do not just grab a blind girl like that".
"I'm so sorry", she says and I nod. "I was going to tell you that Mofe left school last night and no one has
It's not a mistake. We really need to talk. I know you know somethingI stared at my phone blankly as Siri's voice stopped for the fifteenth time that hour. What do I say to this?I walk to the drama room and Chidimma's nice voice met me at the door."Hello, Ibim". Said she. "So nice of you to show up""Yes. Umm.... you said you-"."I was thinking if you've ever thought about drama club. I know you're already a pianist and you make mixtapes but I feel you have it in you"."You think I'm a good recruit for your club?'"Yes. We have drama week in March and rehearsals s
Group presentations usually took half of the first period and since this was poetry club, I was hardly interested in it. Malik and I had found seats at the far back of the hall. While they introduced the first presenter; Mofe."Hello everyone, Mofy here and I will be presenting a poem written by Sarima Egwakhide titled Texting with him". she proceeds to start her poem and soon everyone is silent listening to the words. It's a love poem from the hoots from girls and boys alike. I look away from the stage for a split second and my eyes fell on Chidimma, she smiled at me, a smile I reciprocated and then her friends; Abby and Sarima whispered something her ears then they both laugh except her who just looked at me again shyly. The whole scene makes me smile a bit before paying attention back to poetry."All these fe
Somehow, I was on my way to Drama room, we were having our first meet up today and I can hardly believe I was going through dram without her. I really miss her"Is this drama?", a voice made me lift my head. Her voice was a perfect fit for the round shape that housed oval framed glasses and a head of hair packed in a bun with glittery scrunchies."Yes...Are you signing up too?""Yes", she said falling into a seat next to me. "Have you done drama before now?".I played with the strings of my shorts, my nails were bitten back and once I noticed them I rolled my hand in a ball. "I used to play at my old school".She nods. "I hone
IBIMBevy was crying her, her voice was cracked and her sobs filled the bathroom stall, she was in. I was in the one next to hers, with my feet hugging my knees, in the most uncomfortable position on the toilet seat. I felt bad for listening to her cry, it felt like I was stealing from her, the privacy she had wanted but there I was as she cried for reasons unknown to me.She sniffed as noise made its way from her stall to mine. She was ready to leave, she flushed the toilet and her stall door opened, her feet was noisy on the chinaware floor. She walked out of the bathroom and I immediately removed my legs from their terribly uncomfortable position. I had been thinking a thousand reasons why Bevy was crying so bitterly in the girls' bathroom all day, I am still thinking of more reasons as I walk to the drama room.
Bevy fell sick the next day and the entire school was somehow aware of this, she had vomited during assembly, her temperature had skyrocketed and everyone was a buzz. Mofe stood by me, telling me everything in details; everyone was talking about her illness, rumours said she was pregnant, others said her sickness was linked with her crying fit during her presentation some days ago or was it yesterday?"She isn't pregnant", Manny said in the group."Why? Did you pull out early?", Jesse, one of the "rough" boys said. Mofe was responsible for categorising.Rough, wannabe-bad boys, etc"Shut the fuck up, Fam".No one laughs or sneers, we are all engulfed in the screaming silence of the rumours at Ogan. Bevy
RHEMAMalik and I walked to the breakfast hall that day, I was struggling with my tie when Chidimma walked up to me, her was in a high bun. She had the best hair. She waved at Malik and he replied with a grunt and walked away faster than I thought he would."Have you spoken to him?"I nod."Well, you need to , the whole Bevy thing has shed some darkness on the homosexual rumours but Bevy's gist will soon end and your best friend will be in the spot light again". She reaches for my tie and help me with it. I am too shocked by her boldness to move as she knots it. "All done". She's off her tip toes and we walk into the breakfast room."Meet you after your meal?". I say to m
IBIMWe went home first and I got out of my uniform, changed into a dress. It was easier to get out of a gown when I get to the hospital."Toku!", Mom yells from the downstairs living room. Her voice bouncing off the walls."Yes, Mommy". I replied. She asked me to bring my uniform downstairs for Mr. Abu, our laundry man to wash it. I could hear her telling him to use the ariel for ankara for the uniform because she doesn't want my clothes worn out. I greeted Mr. Abu while my Mother took the uniform from my hands."Lizzy, carry the food go motor", Mom told Ms. Lizzy, the cleaning lady."Toku, let me go and change, you can be eating your own food but fast oh".I nodded. I hadn't asked of Daa. He must be away on one of his many trips interstate or international. I hardly grew up with my Dad. I mean, I remember his face from when I was able to see, he was there on birthdays and school events but he wasn't there on e
RHEMA "It's raining Mom, why are you wearing sunshades?", I asked the moment we had left the school block. She ignored me. We walked to the car in silence, she gripped her hand bag and patted her silk scarf around her neck. "Mommy", I said again. Silence. The beeping of our G wagon and she climbed in. I look around and then climbed in with her, threw my bag to the backseat and did my seatbelts. "Mommy, remove the glasses", I said. "mba" I kissed my teeth, releasing a nauseating sound. "Tochi, what is it? I said I'm not removing the glasses is that your problem?" "But it is raining, why are you wearing sunshades?". Silence. "Unless, you're hiding something". She sighed and took the sunshades off. My eyes dilated at the sight of her left eye, a black eye had formed. The bruise was red-rimmed and had an ugly purple colour. She looked at me and I touched her face softly then let my hand drop.
Let's visit our main guy Rhema. RHEMA I kept zooming into the video on my phone pleading the image to change from Malik to someone else, I didn't want to believe he had killed her or had a hand in killing her. We were like siblings, he was always around us and now all of a sudden he killed her? My insides were doing flips. I want to be anywhere but here right now, Chidimma and Sarima are talking on and on about the video giving their theories and I just seated here in denial. "Are you okay?", Sarima asked and that's when I realise them staring at me. "Why?".
IBIMMofe and I were sitting in one corner of the prep hall in the hostel that afternoon. She was busy copying the notes she had missed when she was away in surgery and well, I just didn't copy notes."Floxy, she said something so weird. I think she's abroko, ask Tochi. Guy she was weird...really weird".Mofe dug into her bag of plantain chips and chewed noisily while listening to me talk."I always suspected her but what's her connection with the whole thing sef. See at this point I just want to graduate from Ogan and never step my feet back here", she said."I swear ba... the school is tiring". I said and ran my hand over my face."So what did she say exactly?"."She said that Mina and Malik deserved the cloak and she somehow expected me to know why they deserved it".Our phones buzzed.Mofe looked into her screen, it was a screenshot of a message between two people. Abroko has struck again.
LOLAIt all started the day I overheard Ms Angeline and Senior Daniel in her office, he was telling how they needed to stop whatever it was they were doing. I should have walked away but I stood at the door and pressed my ears to the door."I can't do this anymore Angie,if we get caught, you'll lose your job and I'll get expelled"."We won't get caught"."We could, the sex was good, the dates perfect but everything needs to end"."But Daniel, we're in love"."I'm seventeen,Angie. This doesn't go anywhere, we're just going to end this now".She let out a noise like scream. "I won't let you do this boy, I will make sure you pay""Your back again with your threats,did you smoke a blunt today,Angie." My heart was beating in my chest. I looked around and nobody was on the hallway. We were all meant to be in the assembly hall with Ms.Yakubu for a briefing on the inter-house sports. I wanted to go to the b
IBIMThe hallway was quiet, teachers were in their meetings, the SS3s were having a seminar with some people from outside school. Tochi was striding easily behind me humming some tune, I recognised to be Burna Boy's but not sure what song exactly."What song is that?", I asked."You don't know this song?!", he sounded terrified.I laughed. "I recognise it but I can't remember the name"."Bank on it"."You can bank on it, you put a hundred grand pon it"., I said and he cooed."You know the vibes then", he hopped like a child waiting for
IBIMOgan looked a little bit different than I remember it to have been all those years ago, the grass hedges looked a bit higher, there were more flowers outside and the uniform was better looking. One thing about seeing is the world looked new to me, everything caught my eye. The house fly on the kitchen counter, the stain in the car seat, the white spec on my uniform skirt even the dust that danced in the sunlight. I just taught I hadn't seen enough of the world yet. When I walked into the hallway, Mofe was standing at the door with a blue bag slumped on her shoulder, she had texted me the precise location, she would be and I wouldn't have recognised her if she hadn't described her location. She looked so new to me like she wasn't my best friend I had known for all these years."Ibims", she said and ran in for a hug."Mofe?""Yes", she said still holding me in her embrace."So many people are lookin
IBIM.The door creaked and Mom's perfume filled the ward, I moved in my bed and she tsked."Toku, they said you should not move oh, this is a major surgery"."I feel like I need to itch my eyes". I said with a chuckle."Madam, don't talk like that.""Mommy, I'm just joking", I said amidst chuckles. "Don't freak out. Where is Daa?""He went to get you food"."Please nothing with carrot milk, the surgery is done. I will throw up if I so much as see carrots".Mom laughed and I felt the space on the bed dip. She held my hand and was p
Ibim was not in school, the next day as she had said earlier. I stayed with Chidimma all the time, she held my hand every time we were together and that was holding my sanity. Malik was not in school either and so was Mina. Nobody knew what had happened when they were called but it seemed like Mrs. Yakubu was trying to save her son. The ground was shifting beneath us already when another video was uploaded by abroko. It was a video of Manny carrying Bevy, she looked lifeless. The caption was....the cards are beginning to flip over."What doesManny have to do with this. I'm honestly tired", Floxy said. She walked faster than us so she could stand in front of us and talk."Who do you think Abroko is?", she asked looking at me and I shrugged."No idea"."First,they were just making people listen to gossip but now they are beginning to ruin people's lives. I think shit just got real in Ogan".I looked at Floxy as sh
IBIM"I don't know why she didn't tell me", Tochi said as we walked with Mofe down the hallway. He was talking about Mina's nudes and somehow they were friends or cousins or family friends."She won't tell you, genius", Mofe said and I laughed."Are you minding this one?". I asked her and he laughed."Ibim so about your surgery"."You have another surgery?", Mofe asked. I had forgotten to tell her yesterday, I didn't feel like talking to anyone after Tochi said goodnight to me."Yeah, she didn't tell you?""Shoot! I'm so sorry, best friend. I for
IBIM"I like the way, I'm feeling now", I sang as I opened the door to my room, all day in school I couldn't wait to come back and lay down and stare at the light bulb on my ceiling because it felt good to see it just exist. Lola had gone since Tochi and I left the room, I was grateful that she had gone to wherever she disappeared to it let me feel normal again."Boo!!". I jumped and laying there was Lola."You'll kill me this girl"."So did you talk to Tochi?""About what?". I asked looking back at the light bulb. It was the only thing I could see that was in my reality."Nothing much". I said.