ONE SUMMER FANTASY EPISODE #4
What do I do now?
I kept saying to myself. I have to get her to listen to me.
I wiped my eyes, walked into my class, and went to my seat. I was disoriented for the whole day, Zainab wouldn’t even leave her seat. People that saw what happened had already started to gossip about it.
During break I said to myself I have to go talk to her.
“hi”
“What do you want?” she asked, her eyes visibly swollen and red. I hated myself for making her cry. I wish I had been bold enough to have told her everything right from the beginning instead of being a total jerk.
“I just want to tell you what truly happened” I replied standing like a dog that is drenched in cold water.
“what else do you want to tell me?” do you know how I have been ridiculed in the hostel since last night?” “why do I have to hear it from others that you have been receiving beatings and punishment just because of me” “it is obvious you don’t trust me” she lamented.
“can we go to the library please” I begged her.
“just leave me alone please” “you even denied me, all I wanted is your note right? Thank you very much for this pain you’ve caused me” she continued. “I thought I meant something to you, I thought you had feelings for me. I thought we….” She busted out sobbing gently again.
I held her hand and forcefully dragged her up, she hesitated at first, then succumbed and followed me. I took her to the library. We sat down at the edge of the library, far away from the library attendant.
“Zainab I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you at first. I thought it will just be that once and it won’t happen again, I never knew it would continue to happen” I said to her.
“believe me I decided not to tell you because I didn’t want you to become worried about me” I continued.
“I prefer to know everything happening to you and be worried than to believe everything is alright yet you’re suffering for me” she replied.
“now everyone sees me as a wicked girl for making you suffer because of me” she said.
“whatever anyone says is their business, what matters to me is the fact that you’re my friend” I replied.
“I’m I just a friend to you?” she asked.
I had never asked a girl out in my life, I didn’t know how to go about it. I’ve watched movies, I’ve read novels about it, but I’ve never experienced it myself.
“Zainab you’re my very good friend” I replied.
She looked at me bewildered
“so it’s true that you denied me, tell me it’s not true, tell me you didn’t deny me person” she asked in a rush.
Even Moses denied his wife twice just to save his skin. I thought to myself.
“I didn’t mean it I replied, I just thought he will leave me alone if I tell him that. Zainab you mean a lot to me, much more than any other girl in this world” I said to her comfortingly. She looked at me, still unsure of what to say. But I could notice that she had begun to calm down.
“promise me that you will always tell me everything that happens, promise not to hide anything from me, please” she pleaded while she held my two hands.
I sighed, I realised I can’t tell her about senior Pyop proposals. She would go berserk. I won’t tell her I said to myself. “I promise” I replied her.
She smiled, wiped her eyes and her nose.
“he has been asking me out since I came into this school. He would give me gifts and all that which I rejected always, I just don’t like him, and I told him that” she said. “he’s proud and arrogant, just because he’s handsome, he feels every girl should worship him, well I wont” she continued.
I smiled as she spoke, happy and contented that she’s beginning to forget everything that happened.
“he told me he asked you out and that you rejected him” I said to her.
“okay tell me how it truly happened” she asked.
I told her everything, from the beginning, I told her how I misplaced the first note she gave me and how I chewed the second one she gave me. She laughed that I would actually chew and swallow a whole sheet of paper just to hide what she wrote. All these while I talked, she kept holding and rubbing my hands. I was grateful I had someone who was willing to listen to me. It felt really comforting.
“person promise me you will never deny me again” she pleaded
“I promise” I replied without hesitating.
After break we went back to our classes. I felt renewed, alive that I had finally gotten that episode off my chest. She sat next to me till classes was over. Everybody in class was shocked and confused when they saw us talking, smiling and giggling to ourselves. I helped her copy some of her notes and I found joy doing it.
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After class on getting back to my hostel, I met senior Marvins waiting for me in my corner. Cold shivers ran down my spine. “good afternoon senior” I greeted.
“follow me” he said. At that moment I thought about senior Pyop.
“senior Pyop sent me on errand” I replied
“you’re lying, Pyop is still in class” he replied “my friend follow me” he shouted
“you think you can hide from me abi, today I will kill you” he said with a devilish look on his face.
I refused to follow him. He landed me a hot slap that left me dazed, he brought out the stick he kept in his back and hit me on the head with it, I couldn’t fight back as his goons were already here. His classmates were cheering him on, “kill am” “chop him father” “him wan follow chop wetin him papa supposed dey chop” they kept saying.
Senior Marvins and his goons dragged me to the laundry, flogged me mercilessly. When they finished, they left me in the pool of dirty water on the laundry floor. I cried profusely. I could feel cut all over my body.
Some of my classmates came to me and carried me up. I was soaked, weak, unable to walk. They took off my clothes, bathe me, all these while I was still crying profusely. “why don’t you just report them” one asked. “report who? If you report them, they will deny it and when they call for witness, who will be able to testify that this happened? If they call you, will you testify?” another replied him. “even teachers will blame you for coming to report your senior” another chipped in. “the brutality in this school is just too alarming” the fourth guy said. All these while I couldn’t walk properly. They helped me to my bed. I lay down, still crying when I slept off.
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“Mulla , Mulla wake up” I opened my eyes and saw senior Pyop standing over me.
“what happened to you?” he asked
I couldn’t talk, now I was feeling sick and weak. I was running high temperature. He touched my forehead and realised my temperature was high. “have you eaten” he asked. I could only shake my head, tears had begun dropping from my eyes again.
“did Marvins do this to you?” he asked. I nodded my head again.
He called some junior students and asked them to carry me to his hostel. On getting to his corner, he gave me paracetamol, he cooked spaghetti for me to eat and asked me to stay in his corner.
“why didn’t you come to me when he came” he asked. Now I was feeling a little bit better.
“I told him you sent me, but they refused to listen” I replied
“so na so we go dey flog our school sons for this school abi, I go send person on errand, you go corner am con dey flog am, no worry we don start am for this school” senior Pyop shouted.
“in short lemme go and confront him about this” he said “don’t leave this place, even if any senior comes here, don’t get up” he ordered me as he stormed out of the hostel.
I felt relieved and worried at the same time. Senior Pyop is only doing this because of what I’m to do for him. What will happen when I don’t do it? I asked myself. I had decided not to tell Zainab about his proposal. But I have to save my skin. If I don’t tell her senior Pyop might just change his mind about me…
“Mulla what to do, what to do” I said to myself as sleep took over me again.