CHAPTER TWELVE

CHLOE’S POINT OF VIEW

I was exhausted when I got home. I had a long bath in the bath tub which was relieving. I put on a simple romper and played some music on my phone. I rested for about fifteen minutes before I took out a book to read. I had stumbled upon it two days ago but it had been on my mind since then.

It was a book set in the precolonial era of Africa. It was quite refreshing and unlike the other books about Africa that I had read. It showed the beauty of Africa in different societies of contrasting ideologies.

My favourite character was Princess Yashmin who was born in a patriarchal kingdom, raised in an egalitarian one and was to become ruler of a matriarchy. She reminded me of Kaffy except she was the less delightful version of the latter.

I was about to read the sixtieth chapter of the book when I heard my phone chime. It was a text from Trina, informing me that her elder sisters were home for a short break.

I talked to her for a while and she sounded excited. She was especially pumped up about the competition between Tim and Kaffy.

I was already distracted from the book and decided to go through the competition schedule. It seemed so far and stretched out.

From next Monday, the qualifying candidates would be training with the Tween Pageantry Organization (TPO). We’d be filmed, interviewed and vetted by the audience. There would be a lot of privacy intrusion and we would be paired into groups to be tutored by famous pageant royalty. We’d be graded based on our performances.The candidates with the lowest grades were dropped out like potatoes.

Each of the candidates must apply for the position of Prom Queen in their respective schools. There were at least three representatives from each school. Whoever won at the school level automatically got awarded a hundred marks. That was a bonus, though not an easy one.

Then the top twenty candidates would proceed to the final round and the Queen of The Prom Night would be announced.

Scoffing, I threw the contest manual on the floor and went downstairs to check up on Tim. He was working on his laptop downstairs and looking a little fatigued. He beamed at the sight of me.

‘Hey Princess,’ he kissed my cheeks. I looked at him, ‘You look so tired and overworked. You should rest. I’ll order some pizza.’ He smiled, ‘Thanks Chloe.’

‘Are you ready to kick Kaffy’s ass tomorrow?’ I asked him. He laughed, the sound vibrating through the entire room.

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Trina had arrived as early as 8am the next day. I was not exactly surprised because Trina could be so intense and bubbly. She was quite helpful and became friends with Tim so easily.

Kaffy arrived about three hours later with a plastic bag. She didn’t let us see its contents and kept whispering that it was her secret magic.

The cooking competition started and the main ingredient was corn flour. Tim made meatloaf and cake. Kaffy, on the other hand, made beef with jollof rice and cake.

Oh My God! It was a delight. Kaffy actually won this round for the first time in ages. Turns out home girl went to research amazing nigerian foods and asked for the help of her mother in a bid to win the competition.

Tim’s cake was a little fluffier than Kaffy’s and that made her frustrated. She was really a perfectionist and hated anything less than perfection.

We had quite a blast. We all enjoyed the meat loaf, jollof rice and cakes. We were so stuffed that we couldn’t move. Trina especially had eaten way more than she should have.

The doorbell rung, I struggled out of the sofa and literally dragged myself to open the door. I was dumbstruck when I saw Leo and the group at the door.I kept staring at them until Tim broke the silence, ‘What’s going on?!’

I opened the door wider and gestured for them to come in. Trina, happy, leapt to her feet and asked if they’d have some food.

Trina introduced the boys to Tim who I was pretty sure started to psychoanalyze them as soon as they walked into the room.

Immediately, he started to drill them about their families, grades and hobbies. I was feeling quite sorry for them. Tim could be a pain in the ass when he wanted to.

Leo answered his questions, looking so self assured though I thought he looked a little nervous.

‘I am Leonard Sanders, the head boy of Starlight High School. My parents are a business man and an etiquette coach. I am a straight As student. I love to read.’

Jay, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed, ‘I am Jay Wright. My mother is a nurse and my stepfather is a lawyer. I love sports and I want to be a soccer player. I am an As and Bs student.’

I was quite surprised that Jay was being raised by his mother and stepfather. There really was a lot to them than what they displayed to the school.

Nick smiled, ‘I am Nick Turners, a painter and photographer. I live with my mother who is an arts professor and my siblings. I am an As student’

Cole answered, ‘I am Cole Alfred. I love music and I want to be a music professor or a pianist. I haven’t made up my mind yet but something in the field of music. My mother is a ballet dancer and my father is a business man. I am an As and Bs student.’

Few minutes later, the awkward moment seemed to have disappeared. The boys bonded with Tim over football. The atmosphere was so friendly and soothing, it reminded me of the past when everything was normal. Too bad, sson this bubble would burst and we’d be back to trying to survive through the storm.

I looked around me. Kaffy was the toughest soul I knew yet I was afraid that she would go through something crushing thst she’d break. Trina seemed so confident and bubbly yet I sensed she hid a painful past of secrets that would soon boil over to the surface and there were the boys who I feared, would be pulled into the chaos of my life soon.