I knew I didn't have anywhere else I could go to and actually get peace of mind but I still left her office. I went to the library after much thought. If I was lucky and the librarian wasn't around, then I would be able to get in.
This time around, nature decided not to hate on me and the library was free from the grumpy old lady. I went in deliberately picking up a book I didn't intend to read and heading for the farthest corner of the library where the librarian hardly ever came to.
The desks there were like office compartments where one person was shielded off from the rest. I sat down and rested my head on top of my book. I stayed in that position until I fell asleep.
When I eventually woke up, I firstly took in the environment before panicking. I looked around for a clock which I didn't find. I wasn't wearing a wrist watch either.
I stood up just as I heard the continuous bell ringing which I decided must signify school over.
I tiptoed to the entrance of the library hiding behind a bookshelf at the sight of the librarian. I thought of what to do to get past her and out of the place without her knowing.
I had half a mind to just run through the door and ignore her if she even tried to call me. Trust my stupid mind to suggest the stupidest things at the wrong times.
I stared at the shelf for a while before I got an idea. I went a bit deeper into the library and took out the heaviest book I found in the shelf there and threw it to the ground until it made a loud thud.
I heard the shuffling of a chair and then footsteps before I broke into a run from the other side of the shelf going through the door and pulling my hood over my head as I hurriedly blended into the crowd of students.
At least there was a good side to occasionally having a hoodie on. I didn't bother going back to my class to get my school bag as I just went straight for the hostel.
I was the only one in my room when I got there. I sat down on my bed which had the sheets changed and I assumed that the mattress was either dried or also changed by the same people who changed the sheets.
I stayed calmly until I started hearing voices, the familiar deep voice together with other voices. I waited until they entered the room. Chiamaka was too busy talking to Isa that she didn't expect me to suddenly lunge at her.
Although I felt highly disappointed in myself for letting my rage get the better of me, it didn't stop my from hitting Chiamaka. I deliberately only gave her a punch before letting Isa pull me away from her.
I returned to my bed as Isa rushed to Chiamaka's side. Chiamaka was still dazed by my punch and had her palms on her face. Although Isa kept asking Chiamaka if she was alright, I observed that she was happy seeing Chiamaka in pain.
I entered my wardrobe to change my clothes. It was a really small space compared to my wardrobe at home but it was something. By the time I came out of the wardrobe, Mrs. Okoye was waiting for me on my bed.
She seemed extremely enraged, too angered that I was afraid to even greet her. Mrs. Ejimbe was also around staring at me in disappointment. Chiamaka sat on her bed weeping buckets with Kaira by her side consoling her. I glared at her annoyed at the drama she was causing.
She barely had a black eye and she was behaving as if she had been bruised all over.
Isa sat on her bed busy with a book seemingly nonchalant and extremely unbothered by what was happening around her. My heart skipped a bit when I saw the dorms supervisor also in the room.
Was the punch that hard?
Silence enveloped the whole air to the point where I could almost taste it. I drew in slow breaths mentally preparing myself for whatever would come next.
"Chizitaram, I would like to know why Ugonabo came to my office in tears saying that you hit her," Mrs. Okoye spoke.
'Um... Because I hit her. Duh,' I thought. Would I get in trouble if I said that?
"I believe that question was for you to answer Alya!" Mrs. Ejimbe said staring at me.
"I don't have an answer. Maybe she just hit her head somewhere and decided once again to blame me for it, just as she did with her attempt to commit suicide," I said.
"So you didn't hit her?" Mrs. Ejimbe asked.
"Unfortunately this time around, I am guilty," I said.
"And why did you hit her?" Mrs. Ejimbe asked but before I could speak, Mrs. Okoye spoke.
"Does that make a difference? She just admitted to assaulting someone what else do you want to hear?" She voiced in annoyance.
"So what punishment should we give her?"
"I don't think we have to decide that."
****
Next school day and I was in the principal's office again! I sat off in a corner temporarily forgotten as they discussed about me as if I wasn't there. After many long minutes, their discussion was halted as Mrs. Ejimbe turned to me.
"Go and have your breakfast and return here by eight sharp," she said. "The kitchen kept some food for you and don't skip it this time around!"
I nodded and left for the kitchen. Anything that would keep me away from my classroom was very fine by me. Although I knew I couldn't keep running forever and had already let this incident affect me longer than it should have.
I went into the cafeteria instead of the kitchen hoping that I could get my food there and not have to walk all the way to the kitchen for some stupid food I wasn't even interested in.
I pushed the door open taking in the empty large hall. I remembered when it was out of order and the boarders had to make due with a much smaller hall which had initially served as a place for small rehearsal practices.
I only used that hall once before all this shit went down. Apart from that, I had been eating in the normal dinning area. I started moving towards the only cook left there who was conversing with a fair girl I couldn't exactly recognize since she had her back to me.
"Good morning. Can I please get my breakfast? I was needed by Mrs. Ejimbe while the breakfast was being served so I missed mine," I said on reaching the counter she was standing at. She barely glanced at me before muttering something in Yoruba and leaving.
"I see you are still alive," I heard a familiar annoying squeaky voice. I turned to confirm who it was and it was no other misery than Angela Attah.
I really should have shoved her off my seat that day, maybe if she fell hard enough, she might have recovered some lost sense.
The cook soon came back with two trays of food. I took mine from her and thanked her before leaving. I sat down on a table near the exit only for Angela to join me there.
"I really don't think Samosas should be used as breakfast," she commented staring at the triangular snack dangling from her fingertips in disgust.
"No one begged you to eat it," I said before sipping from my bottle of water. I was in no mood for breakfast and nothing on my plate interested me.
She kept quiet as she picked up a spring roll and took a bite from it. She was right though, this wasn't breakfast. But we had basically missed our breakfast and should just make do with whatever was provided, even if it was meant for afternoon snack.
"So Ami Tara is your mom? Like biological mom?" She asked after a while. I didn't respond as I forced the last spring roll down my mouth. I stood up and returned my tray before leaving. On my way to the principal's office, I discovered that I had eaten for nearly twenty minutes.
I knocked on the door leading to the office twice but didn't get any response. After much thought, I got myself to open the door which wasn't locked. The office was empty and I was a bit skeptical that going into the office without anyone being in there was a good idea.
I had been accused of a lot of things recently and the last thing I wanted to be accused of was theft or breaking into the principal's office. I closed the door and stood next to it waiting for the principal. I glanced at my wrist watch and it was eight am on the dot.
'Be back here by eight sharp,' Mrs. Ejimbe had said and now none of them were even present. I waited for about ten minutes more before I saw the principal coming back accompanied by Mrs. Okoye, Mrs. Ejimbe and a dark short lady who looked more like a football.
I shifted from the door when they got close and greeted the dark lady who did well to ignore my greeting and barely acknowledging my presence, went in with the principal. I entered the office last standing until I was told to sit.
I sat in silence for a while watching the women exchange pleasantries until the door creaked open and Chiamaka stepped in together with Miss. Guidance counselor.
I watched them exchange greetings before getting seated. Then the principal finally started to speak.
"Everyone here already knows the reason for this meeting. Since the two girls are here, I would like to hear their sides of the story..."
She was interrupted by the dark woman with a resemblance to a football.
"My daughter doesn't need to say anything else. Has she not made it clear that this girl has been making her life miserable? If you are interested in wasting time, please be informed that I am not and I still have somewhere else to be!" She yelled.
Oh! So the round woman was Chiamaka's mother! How come she got to have her mother around and I didn't? Wasn't that like extremely unfair?
"Please calm down Mrs. Ugonabo, it is still important to hear from both of the parties. I promise it won't take much time but if you don't have the patience to sit through it, then you could kindly leave," the principal said.
"Now Chiamaka, you are sure that Alya is the responsible for your attempt to commit suicide?"
"Yes ma'am," she said.
"Alya, do you admit to ever doing anything that could cause Chiamaka any harm?"
"For the umpteenth time, I did absolutely nothing!"
"So are you saying that Chiamaka, your hostel mistresses and the guidance counselor are all telling lies?"
"Chiamaka is telling lies for sure. The rest are just mistaken!"
"But you admitted to having the intention of hurting Ugonabo yesterday," Mrs. Guidance counselor spoke up.
"Ma'am if someone did something to damage your reputation, wouldn't you be angry at the person?"
"You are deviating from the topic..."
"Sorry but I'll have to interrupt you ma'am. I am not deviating from the topic. Chiamaka has done a lot of things to me, so it's natural for me to be angry at her. That does not mean that I would hurt her or anything..."
"Mrs. Okoye informed me that you gave her a black eye yesterday. That is hurting her in case you aren't aware," the principal said interrupting me.
"But ma'am..."
" I don't want to hear it Alya," she interrupted me again. "The truth is that you have a problem with Chiamaka which you have openly admitted which gives you every reason to threaten or hurt her. I don't want to waste my time by listening to anymore of your lies. I, together with the rest of the management, have decided that we don't want a student who would be a danger to other students..."
"But ma'am..."
"Alya be quiet," Mrs. Ejimbe said.
"Thank you," the principal said to her. "I don't want to be interrupted again. As I was saying, the school does not want any student who could be potential harm for another..."
This was not happening! I was getting expelled? No! No!! No!!! I glanced at Chiamaka who bore the slightest smile ever as she watched the principal keenly. My eyes clouded with tears which I didn't want to fall.
Relax your jaw and refrain from blinking.
And that was enough to hold the tears back until my eyes were cleared. I stared at the principal as she continued speaking, "Alya Chizitaram is henceforth expelled from Venos High..."
"You don't have any fucking right to expel her!" I heard someone say from the door. I didn't even need to turn to know who it was.
"And who are you?" The principal asked obviously annoyed.
"I am her mother!" The queen- Ami Tara spoke ushering herself into the office.