Eniola sat with Helen and Olanna around a table in the school orchard. Chilled bottles of Fanta they bought from the school shop were on the table.
Eniola stared at the bottle in front of her.
"Anyone notice how the colour of Fanta keeps on changing nowadays?" she asked.
"it isn't a joke oh. See, how this fanta is so orange." Olanna took the Fanta up and peered through the transparent bottle at the liquid inside. "It is so obvious that it's just orange colouring and sugar they used" she dropped the bottle back on the table.
"The Fanta I drink in this Nigeria is different from the one I had when I went to the states on vacation during the summer holiday" Helen piped.
Eniola used her hand to cover the snicker she unsuccessfully tried to stop and it came out sounding like a snort.
States nii, states nor. Helen just wanted them to know that she traveled to the abroad.
"Eww, that's disgusting" Helen said her face scrunched up.
"Are you okay?" Olanna asked. She sounded concerned.
"Yes I am" Eniola assured her.
Olanna reached out to open her bag, it was besides her seat.
She suddenly hissed.
"What is that?" Helen asked
" This leaves keep on falling on my bag, look they even brought ants with them."
"What are you expecting? we are in the orchard. Did you expect the trees to rain down gold"
Olanna glared at her. Opened her bag and brought out a book.
"What is that?"Eniola asked when she saw the book.
"A novel."
"What is it about?" she was curious
"it's a suspense. A killer is on the rampage and is killing people and there are two detectives who are trying to find out who the killer is. You want to read it when I'm through?"
Eniola could not stop the shiver that ran through her from showing.
Her? Read a book voluntarily… Only over her dead body.
Olanna must have mistaken the reason for the shivers because she quickly reassured her. " No, no it's not scary. I even read it at night."
"Don't worry. Thanks" when She hadn't read the ones mandated by the school, she would then pick go and another one to read. Did she look stupid? Reading wasn't for her Fullstop.
" Isn't Sport time over? Abigail should have been here since." Helen complained.
"Maybe she is talking to the sport Master. That man would look for any reason to keep her back. He is always doing it." Olanna said.
Helen hissed. "And there is no junior student around here I would have sent to call her."
She went back to drinking her coke while Eniola placed her head on the table.
After a while, Abigail came.
"That Mimi girl has no shame. Do you know that she reported to the Principal that Lady Koi koi wanted to kill her?" Abigail said immediately she got to the table her friends were.
Eniola raised her head when she heard Abigail's voice.
Seriously?" Eniola asked.
What was wrong with that girl's head?
"How do know?" Olanna asked
"The principal called me after sport. She came to the field. She asked me about it?"
"Hope you told her it was a lie?" Eniola asked.
"Don't worry, I and Enare convinced her and showed her what a liar that girl, Mimi is. Her parents came to pick her though. She was just crying. I saw her with them from afar."
Helen shook with laughter. "she was really crying?"
Abigail shook her head in aaffirmation
"Kai, There are a lot of Fraudsters in our class" Helen said.
Eniola was drinking from the Fanta bottle but she felt like someone was staring at her she looked away from the bottle only to see Helen glaring at her. A dark look in her eyes
She was shocked. She blinked and looked at Helen again but it wasn't there.
Had she thought it up just because Helen annoyed her?
She shrugged, though by the way Helen kept on staring at her abashedly, she could tell that Helen probably included her in the class of fraudsters.
She said nothing refusing to give Helen the chance she was looking for to make trouble.
"But what if Mimi wasn't lying? Olanna asked in a quiet voice that belied her doubt.
"She was lying, trust me I can smell a Liar from afar." Helen said.
Eniola noticed again that Helen was glaring at her again. Why this attitude from Helen?
"Helen, it's just because she hugged Michael, that's why you are angry. Michael isn't yours, you know" Olanna burst at.
Wawu. So Olanna had the guts to stand against Helen. Eniola hid a smile.
Eniola could almost see fire and brimstone shooting out from Helen's ears. "I never said that Michael was mine. So please warn yourself and stop speaking Nonsense."
"Okay, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that nobody is thinking that Mimi may not be lying."
Eniola was amused. As usual Olanna had bowed to Helen.
"Okay, let's say she wasn't lying. What are the places Lady koi koi haunts?" Abigail asked .
All eyes were on Helen.
Helen rolled her eye. "Mostly in toilets, dark corridors or classroom or even hostels. In fact, anywhere that is dark so far as there is only one person. How does that help now?"
Everyone was quiet.
Eniola spoke up. "Well, one of us can wait in a dark place alone and see if she comes. Infact I will do it."