The next two days, school for Jessica was hell as she would try to avoid all the criticism, gossip, teasing, and pranks.
I felt so terrible and bitter.
There was nothing like being bullied at school, especially having the thought that you would be meeting the same set of people every single day.
Jessica thought that she could wear them out by paying no attention to them just as I decided when I was being bullied by Nicole. But ignoring bullies and keeping mute was never a good option.
We went for science class and the whole boys set Jessica and Jeremy up and when she fell for the prank, they all laughed and teased her more.
"Let's hear it for Jereca!"
"Jessica, aren't you gonna call on Jesus to save you?"
"Jeremy, you aren't even saying a word, or do you like the freak? There's a spot for one more freak, you know"
"They can get married on the dressing room bench."
Before I knew what was happening, Jessica left the class in tears. I had actually been seeking the right moment to speak and when Jessica's depression increased, I blew a fuse.
"I swear to God, if I hear any word from one of you jerks, you won't live to tell the story," I grabbed a stick and pointed it at all of them and they immediately burst out in laughter.
"Who called the bluffer? Would you shut your trap?"
"You shut your stupid asshole. You are all just too dumb. Not one of you in this room knows Nicole. She digs up secrets and weaknesses of innocent people and uses it against 'em. Just as y'all are making ha, ha, ha, and ho, ho, ho, mark my words—it'll be your turn next," I bawled and immediately, a teacher walked in.
I turned a blind eye at the teacher's words and went to find Jessica.
I found her in the library, sobbing at a corner. I felt so hurt.
"This is all my fault"
"No it's not. I'm the freak, remember?"
"Stop saying that. You being different, loving God and striving to live a holy life doesn't make you a freak. You know, I was once like you."
Jessica turned to look at me in the face and asked, "for real? Then what happened? No offense but you seem wayward."
"Can I tell you the story of my life? You know, just to keep you company and cheer you up," I smiled.
"I'm all ears."
I began to tell Jessica about my life from my fourteenth birthday to my little trip to America.
I told her everything in details and she gave me an overwhelmed look all through.
It took a lot of time but I eventually concluded the story and rendered Jessica awestruck.
"Oh my God, I can't believe any of this. Stephanie..."
"What?"
"It's pretty obvious that Nicole has been using you to keep her secret safe and you fell right into the snare."
"I'm sorry, what?!" I wasn't hundred percent sure about what I heard.
"She probably wanted you to become like her so you wouldn't be able to justify yourself or point an accusing finger at her.
You should have listened to Arthur and the school's counsellor because they saw what you couldn't.
Nicole was the one who set you up for everything. She made you lose focus on your ambition, your virginity, even Emlyn and everything else. She set you up with Leonard that night when she poisoned your drink.
She obviously did the hook up thing with her Dad to make you fall deep for her diabolical acts cause she knew you were desperate—you were being bamboozled. Later on, she brought Leonard into the game to sweeten things up by making you lose interest in your dream, can't you see?"
She paused and said, "Steph, you can't associate with certain people who are this different from you, even if you feel you can add to their change. There are some people you just have to stay away from. People like Nicole cannot change so easy, no matter how you think you can positively influence them, their negative influence will always make a greater impact. She's a celebrity for crying out loud! How much influence do you think you can cause on a celebrity mostly considering how ordinary you are, Especially one like Nicole.
Arthur did warn you about her great influence on people and you mentioned to me that you realized you were becoming like her in just few days so why didn't you see that Arthur was right?"
"We both know that the main reason why you decided to be friends with her was because you had always admired her lifestyle and since she was all you ever dreamt of, you felt connected to her and felt she'd give you a better chance at attaining your goals. Desperation kills, it ruins."
She said again, "How does it feel telling me about your past life?
Are you still that same person? Just take a look at yourself and weigh the difference
You forgot your main goal which was to change the world. You began to chase your dreams the wrong way and later abandoned them. Above all, you shut God out of your life and built a throne for the devil who later caused depression."
After listening to Jessica's words, abruptly, tears came down my eyes and I felt a huge rock of regret on my chest.
I couldn't believe that I had told those boys they didn't know Nicole, that they were dumb. Moreover, that I was the girl who once had dreams to be the opposite of Nicole and do a lot of good.
I stared into Jessica's eyes trying to assimilate her incredible words.
It took me three minutes to fully understand all that she had elucidated.
"I am a fool... What have I done?" Lugubriously, I said.
My eyes became swollen as I didn't stop crying.
"Aww, don't cry. If God does not love you irrespective of your foolishness, He wouldn't have sent me to you. All you need to do is confess your sins and ask for mercy." She turned to me and held my face, "listen to me, you need to understand that He's ready to have you back irrespective of your sins"
"You don't understand... Arthur said... Oh jeez, I'm a mess," I cried more.
Jessica wrapped me in her arms.
The tears of petulance and morose still doesn't end.
I cried the whole day at school and when it was closing hour, I grabbed my bagpack and fled.
I was very much agitated that I could break the head of the person who would try to talk me out of killing Nicole.
I had never felt that much ire in all my life. I wasn't really the type that blew a fuse so easy; I was all about remaining calm and staying out of trouble just as the Bible defined a wise person.
I had given easy access to a kid like me to toy with my life like a video game and I wasn't willing to forgive her that easy.
𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩?
I got home as soon as possible and took a shower. I changed my clothes and went to the kitchen to pick up knives of different sizes, a rod, a glass, a bottle of pepper spray, a liter, and I picked huge sizes of rocks from the backyard. I placed everything in a bucket and kept the bucket by my side as I sat on the couch in folded arms.
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙔𝙤𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡.
Ten minutes later, I heard the sound of a moving car and looked out the window, it was Nicole.
"Show time," I said and grabbed my bucket and went outdoor to make trouble.
"Hey Steph. I just received a call from Kevin, he is having a party. Wanna attend?"
"Nah, I'd like to attend your funeral first," I said and aggressively grabbed a rock and tossed it at Nicole. She ducked and the rock landed on the glass of her car and smashed it.
The incompetent bodyguard who stood beside the car tried to make a move but Nicole insisted thrice that he stood back.
"What is wrong with you? Why are you suddenly going bonkers? We could talk about whatever is bothering you over a bottle of red wine. What has gotten into you?!"
"How about I make your bad blood the red wine for your funeral?
You! You ruined my life. You made me lose my virginity at a very tender age, you made me lose good friends, you made me someone else—someone I never imagined I'll become. You decieved me."
"Shocker! You found out. I'm done acting, now let's be real," she simpered. "So what if I did all those things? You're as dumb as f**k. You're useless to me, honestly you mean nothing."
I looked around and saw people with phones, already making comments and filming. I cared less, I placed my concentration on breaking the celebrity's head.
"Ain't ya a naive Nigerian pest afterall? You're still Nigeria's worst freak. All of this will definitely go viral and everyone in your country will see how much of a dumbass you are. Oh, you think I'd just let you walk into my life, get in touch with my Dad and become famous so you can compete with me? Hell no"
I got so raged and walked over to trash her with a slap and she slapped me twice in return. We began to wrestle and the incompetent bodyguard could only struggle with Lucas to separate us.
I picked up a knife from my bucket and tried using it to get back at Nicole but she snatched it away from me and sliced my flesh in different places. I tried to get her back for that, but then she tore me on my cheek with the knife.
Blood gushed out and when she saw the appalled look on people's faces, Nicole entered her car and Lucas drove away.
✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆✮☆
I sat on the floor in my bathroom and the running shower washed the blood away as it didn't cease.
My hair got soaked and I bent my head over my knee as I folded myself and watched as the blood kept dripping.
"I don't know what to say to you. I don't know if you can still look at me in the face and call me your daughter. Just look at me... I've made a mess our of myself. Lord, I let you down and I'm earnestly sorry.
I know how much you love me... I know how much you warned me but I neglected your words. Here I am now, in the pool of my own blood, having regrets. I'm sorry," I shed tears.
I left myself to bleed not because I was too caught up in praying for God's intervention but because I was willing to slowly bleed to death.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚?
I ruined it all, I failed my parents... I failed Arthur. I was a fool, desperate and stubborn as a mule. I was naive.
I couldn't bear the thought that my ex classmates were right—I wasn't that much different from them; in fact, I had turned much worse than them.
I couldn't bear the thought that my ex classmates would eventually see the news on the internet and gloat and scorn me.
"Stephanie you're worthless, you're doomed," I heard the usual dark and loud voice in any teen's head say to me. "Your Dad will be home very soon and he will kill you. Everyone hates you, you're a monster. Remember I told you that you wouldn't succeed"
"Yes I remember," I sniffled.
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛! 𝙒𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨?!
"Yes. I told you that you were nothing and that you'd amount to nothing. You're not as special as you think, you never were. This is the real you, Nicole didn't do anything. She just brought out the real you—a monster."
The blood mixed with the water from the shower, mixed with my tears and flowed.