CHAPTER TWO
One of the many advantages of being an ss2 student was that when the ss3 students finish their exams you guys own the school. For instance, I was supposed to run to the assembly ground at the sound of the bell but since my mates were the ones that would stop and punish the late comers and they were the ones that would conduct the assembly I took my sweet time. Waving a good morning at the acting assembly prefect I walked to my class line on the assembly ground. Oh, I forgot to tell that that day the school would officially hand over the mantle of leadership to my mates. So I could not wait to know the post that would be given to me. Just so you know, my father was the P.T.A. chairman and he pumped money into the school bursary so I was sure that my principal would not dare to give me an unrecognized post or no post at all.
"Maryann!" a voiced snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Harriett and Chioma
"Watsup" I asked.
"Nothing is up. How are you doing" answered Harriett.
"Am good"
"I like your bag, dash me biko" that was Chioma.
"Good morning to you too, I am fine thank you for asking" I snorted.
"Ndo" she apologized and I nodded in acceptance.
"How are you doing"
"Am good, I will see if I will give you my bag later" I answered her first question.
"Thank you very much" she enthusiastically replied.
"Have you seen Lucy or Sarah?" Harriett inquired.
"No I haven't what of you girls, have you seen them?"
"No" they answered.
"Listen up everyone" shouted the principal through the microphone.
"Obodo Chioma come and lead us in prayer" she ordered
Harriett and I made the sign of the cross thanking God that neither of us were called up. We playfully pushed Chioma forward since she was pretending not to have heard the principal. She scowled at us and gave us the middle finger. I just shrugged it off while Harriett answered with a roll of her eyes.
"Good morning Jesus, good morning lord…" Chioma stated singing into the microphone.
I was not a fan of praying, maybe because I was sure my parents would always attend morning masses or because I was sure my mum would never miss evening benediction and pray for my brother and I. Whichever one it was, I brought out my phone which I smuggled to school and started reading a story I downloaded.
I was so engrossed in my reading that I didn't know when the prayer was over, the national anthem sung and the pledge recited. Someone stomped on my feet and when I looked up it was Chioma. She shrugged her shoulders when I raised an eyebrow in question.
"Ouch!" screamed Harriett when Chioma also stomped on her feet and in response Chioma rolled her eyes.
I chuckled when I realized that she was getting back at us for pushing her forward to say the Morning Prayer.
"Good morning girls" greeted the principal.
"Good morning ma" we answered in unison.
"We all know that the session and term is coming to an end. I want to remind you girls that as usual there would be holiday lessons going on here for JSS1 to SS3 students and it will hold from Mondays to Fridays. It will officially commence on the 31th of July and wind up on the 2nd of September. You all should endeavor to be present as an intensive teaching of what you need to know for the new session will be given." There was murmur through the crowd of students.
"Silence!!" she ordered. And there was silence.
"The following students will be expelled from this noble institution: from SS2, Okafor Chidimma, for the offence of bullying and beating up a junior student and from the SS1 class, Obasi Joy, for the offence of incessantly insulting a staff of this school" she paused.
I felt sorry for the girls to be expelled and pity especially for the fact that their patents weren't rich enough to prevent such shame from befalling them. The truth being that I had committed those offences severally yet I was still a student of the school. Fortunately for me no rascal decisions were ever made when it came to my welfare.
"I am sure the rest of you will do well to abide by the school rules and regulations so as not to find yourselves in the same situation. Again, I will use this opportunity to thank the acting prefects from the SS2 class for their help in ensuring that orderliness was maintained in the school while the SS3 students were writing their final exams. A round of applause for them please"
I shifted from one foot to the other, I sign of tiredness and boredom. I did not clap with the other students because I didn't participate in "ensuring that orderliness was maintained in the school". In my defense, I would say that all the students participated all labored in vain because they would not be given an official school post. The girl that was expelled for bullying was simply "maintaining orderliness" when unfortunately a wealthy junior student insulted her and she reacted by giving the girl the beating of her life.
"Furthermore, I will call out the names of the girls that have been assigned a school post. Like we usually do it, the names of the main prefects will be announced here by me while the names of their assistants will be pasted on the notice board. So if you do not hear your name here, kindly walk up to the notice board after this assembly and check to see if you are a functionary of this school"