Adiya
After my encounter with that boy, I ran to the restroom. I was shocked was beyond understatement.
The dark promises were still replaying like a mantra in my head. I splashed some water on my face to calm myself.
I went to my next class after I was through with calming myself, I opened the door and was greeted by a scowling teacher.
I was doomed on my first day of resumption.
"Ms Amir, I don't tolerate latecomers to my class, this is your last warning or else till the end of this session you would not be permitted to my class and mind you, it's a must for you to write my tests and exams," she said sternly while I gulped visibly in fear.
"Yes ma," I said meekly as I heard snickers among the students.
Loser!!
Whipped!!
"Wait, Missy, introduce yourself," she said while I internally groaned.
I hated introducing myself, I sucked at it.
"ERM...I'm Adiya Amir,17 years old, just moved to Lagos today," I said while stammering and looking at the ground.
I got nervous and tensed while talking to a group of people or being the centre of attention. I fiddled around.
"Look at her, village girl" a random girl shouted and all the whole class erupted in laughter.
Araoko*
Onidoti*
Arindin*
"Go find a seat, you are disturbing my class" she shouted at me, making me flinched from where I am.
I saw a free seat at the back of the class besides the window, I was very grateful for that.
As I was walking to my seat, I tripped and landed on my butt, I very was sure that there was nothing on the way when I was going but how come.
"Bitch, look at where you are going" a girl sneered at me.
I found my seat and sat down, grateful for being at the back. I didn't want any attention to myself. I just wanted to be invincible.
As the class was going, I couldn't concentrate on what the teacher was saying, because of kids; yeah I called them kids. Because they kept throwing murderous glares and papers at me which contained some abusive words.
I started out the window thinking about my life before I was snapped out of thinking by a loud bang on my table. I looked up and saw a fuming teacher "what were you looking at?" She practically showered me with her spits.
"I.m..sorry ma, I was..." She cut me to it.
"What are invertebrates?" She asked me, eyeing me as if she was accessing my IQ. The students focused were on me some were smirking evilly while some were videoing, waiting for me to make a mistake or blunder.
"Emm..." my heart was beating vigorously, sweating profusely " erm... invertebrates are animals without backbones" I responded and visibly relaxed.
"Give me one example" she glared hard at me.
"Earthworm; it belongs to the phylum Annelida and class Chaetopoda, members of which bear segmentally-arranged setae (chaetae)". I said firmly, smiling at myself for not stuttering.
"Phew!, good job" I praised myself silently.
She just nodded her head and her mouth twitched like she was fighting off a smile.
I may be a local girl but my IQ was extraordinary, I smirking slyly in my head.
The bell ran, indicating it was lunch break. I packed all my books to my locker and locked it.
Everyone was avoiding me like a plague, I was trying to ask for the canteen from a guy. He snubbed me and shoulder pushed me away.
I roamed around the hallway with my map, trying to read it before I heard students noise from afar. I followed the noise and saw the canteen but as I opened the canteen's door, I was greeted by silent. I raised my head and saw everyone had stopped eating. They were judging me again. I stood still trying to search a corner for me to sit before the boy I met earlier in the morning came to me, with a drink in his hand.
"Look at who shows us her presence" his voice boomed out the defending silence which made me shivered. I didn't even know whether in fear or delight.
"What did I told you earlier?" He said, shaking his head in a thinking mode.
"Ah ..I remembered, what's that your name, Ummm oh monkey, no no not that I think it was pig," he said while the whole canteen erupted in laughter and snickered.
I couldn't look at him or anyone, I just wanted to run out, I wasn't hungry anymore. As I was about to turn, he held my arms.
"When did you think you are going, Darling?" He asked mockingly.
"Guys, shouldn't we give her a welcoming party?" He said with amusement and wickedness glinted in his eyes.
"Okay" he clapped his hand "here goes my welcome party to you pauper" he seethed out and poured his cold drink on me.
I was shocked, humiliated, afraid of glancing up because of the cruelty and ashamed.
His friends whistled where they were, some students were videoing it.
"Silence everyone" he ordered and everyone even the birds shut their mouth.
"Now everyone, I want you to throw your food on her, she is our garbage disposal for today and I'm going to repay you all thrice of it," he said smirking.
Before I knew what was happening, I was thrown into different types, the taste of food.
I knelt and cried.
I couldn't even run away or safe myself.
I hope I've not come to the wrong place, I thought.
*********
Rough Translations
Araoko* = village person or like illiterate
Onidoti* = wench
Abacha*= rubbish
Arindin* = imbecile