HADIZA

It is business as usual on the Monday morning after resumption day and you, Hadiza Ibrahim is getting dressed for school. Two Ss2 girls in your room, Tito and Winifred have been giving you bad eye all morning. They are among Midas' fan girls, they had individually asked you to convince Midas to be their dates to the Ego awards.

Midas looked like he wanted to cry when you told him. It was like he was dying inside, since then whenever you see them you remembered Midas saying, "How could you ask me to do that, D Haba! I like you and only you", but you didn't want to deal with trouble because of Midas.

"Oh! Midas catch me" one of your setmates in black tights and camisole mocks then dramatically pretends to faint. Another setmate wearing her school skirt and fitted black crop top runs towards her and says, "Hadiza I love you, I'll save you" but the first girl is already on the floor with her hand on her head in a pretend faint.

Everyone laughs as the girl in the skirt starts doing pretend CPR "Let me give you the breath of life", says Kike, the girl pretending to be Midas says.

You freeze, "Kike, What's going on?" you ask stopping Kike who is playing Midas from giving Sharon (the pretend Hadiza) the Mord-Sith's breath of life. Onari runs into your dorm wearing only her black socks on her feet while holding her 2-inch heels. "D I just heard!"

Before anyone could say anything else Jessica arrives in her full school uniform pulling in her suitcase. "Finally, the Agu's are back", Tito says as she uses her shoulder to hit yours on her way downstairs to help Nancy with her suitcase. Winifred sizes you up with her eyes before she also bumps into you on the way to the door.

"It's just me", Jessica yells and both girls stop and turn back, "My siblings aren't back yet".

Jessica is your bunkmate, and her bed is the top bunk. She drops her suitcase beside your bed which is the closest to the double doors leading into and out of the room, "Assembly has been cancelled for today. The dining hall has been set up and the boys are on their way to breakfast. Kike can you help me blare the siren", Jessica announces while unpacking.

"Congrats! I heard that you and Midas technically kissed yesterday", Kike says with a smile as she goes upstairs. "I guess you're finally done playing hard to get", Jessica smirks and you turn to look at Onari while internalising your scream. "What is she talking about!" you say through clenched teeth and Onari squeezes her face.

"Midas kind of told some guys in the sick bay that he gave you CPR", Onari says, and you scream "I'm going to kill him!". You are wearing slippers, your pale-yellow button-up school shirt and the midnight blue side pleated pencil school uniform skirt when you run out of the hostel.

One of the house mistresses calls your name, "Hadiza, you can't leave the hostel dressed like that!" but your brain tunes her out. You see Midas walking with some of your set boys towards the dining hall, they are wearing matching midnight blue trousers and a matching blazer, with a pale-yellow shirt and a black tie that you are supposed to be wearing.

"Midas!" you scream and the boys immediately abandon Midas. Midas starts running, "Just let me catch you, I'm going to kill you!" you scream as you chase him around the school building. You chase him towards the poolside before you trip on your feet.

Anger removes its grip from your body the moment you trip. It watches you use your hands to break your fall. Afterwards, Anger is unsure whether to rewrap itself around you. Midas looks back, and upon seeing you on the floor, he runs to you and falls to his knees. "I'm sorry", Midas pleads, "Very, very, extraordinarily sorry", Midas laments trying not to laugh but you refuse to smile back at him.

"No! you're insane", you say as you get up. Your slipper had cut, and you had a spare in the hostel but right now it gave Anger a reason to rewrap itself around you. You are back to seeing red, because of Midas you had forgotten to wear your tie, socks, shoes and blazer. "What is wrong with you?" you scream beating him with your slipper.

"I'm insanely in love with you", Midas says with a laugh, hoping you'll laugh back.

"Midas, do I look like I'm joking with you? Why did you tell everyone that you gave me CPR?" you scream, racking your brain for the memory of when you fainted yesterday. Flashback appears and alters your surroundings to yesterday after you passed out.

Shame had come along with Flashback and it removes Anger from your shoulder. "One two three… you fainted for less than ten seconds, Why is he acting like someone died?" Shame says as it watches Midas crying beside you. "Midas, I'm okay", you say as you regain consciousness. Beside Midas, Onari looked frozen in shock then she let out some tears of relief.

"No! you need to go to the sickbay", Midas says as he scoops you into his hands and runs to the sickbay. "You like him, don't you?", Shame asks and you shake your head and say, "Midas and I are just friends".

"You chop this much embarrassment for an ordinary friend", Shame says nudging you. "I didn't know you're a Mother Theresa", Shame says sitting on the sickbay bed beside the one you are laying on, enjoying the scene.

Your eyes are shut because Midas can be very dramatic. "Aunty Nurse, you can't just say she's fine", Midas protests. "You didn't even test her blood or do an MRI or CT scan", Midas complains following the nurse around.

Onari stood in the corner leaning against the taking deep breaths, you wipe your tear the moment you return to reality. "I'm sorry", Midas says, "Some boys were saying how innocent and pretty you look with your eyes closed and I kind of lied due to jealousy but I swear I only told those boys".

Anger had long since disappeared and Shame too had gone along with the silence that proceeds Midas' confession. All that is left is Guilt. Guilt looks at you like it had labelled you a sinner, "How could you forget that?" it asks. "And you call yourself Onari's best friend, her sister from another Mrs and Mr", Guilt says shaking its head in disappointment.

You wipe your tears the moment they try to fall. You had been so busy trying to forget about Angel and the Ego awards that you forgot that you made Onari go to a hospital. "D!", Onari says as she runs towards you holding your tie, heels, socks, and blazer. You immediately run to her, "I'm sorry", you say through sniffs.

…

The plan to ignore Angel at school ended right now during Monday breakfast. Angel is right in front of you, life and direct on the breakfast queue. You decide to pretend to get something so you can go to the back of the queue but your plan to avoid her fails when Onari interlocks her elbow with yours before you can walk away.

"We came together", Onari tells the girl behind you on the self-service breakfast buffet tables. "I got us tea", Onari says handing you a cup and Angel looks back. "Hi I like your studs", Onari says and Angel smiles a thank you. Then Onari's eyes drift to the boys' side, which is left of the breakfast buffet table. She is surprised that Midas is nowhere to be found.

"Hey, new girl! Angel right", Onari starts and Angel looks back. "Somebody befriended the school pariah", Onari says after she catches a glimpse of Junior smiling at Angel. You look at Angel perplexed as she finger-waves at Junior, and before you can comment Onari continues.

"I would have done so but he smokes and-" Onari unbuttons her t-shirt, to reveal a t-shirt that read 'I'm against smoking, #drugfreeclub". She gestures to her shirt and says, "I'm against smoking, plus I'm the captain and founder of the school's DFC, the Drug-Free Club", she explains then buttons it back, "But he seems nice".

"Why did you call him that? The school pariah?" Angel asks clutching her stomach. She looks offended like she thinks pariah is an insult.

"Was she hurting?", "Is she okay?" You ask yourself before vexing at your own curiousity. Guilt hides behind you snickering, it climbs your back and wraps its hands and legs around your body in a by-force piggyback, and says, "Hadiza, Hadiza, Hadiza, your life will be easier if your eyes could lie".

"Forget her", you remind yourself as you sip your tea and try to shrug Guilt off.

"Oh!" Onari thinks of the best way to explain it. "Because he avoids everyone and stays anti-Parisian towards all school events", Onari says.

"Partisan, anti-partisan", you correct Onari while trying to avoid making eye contact with Angel, scared she might see Guilt hiding behind you. "Do you know him outside school? Are you guys family friends?" you blurt out trying to find a link between Angel and Junior.

"No, we met last night", she said. "I don't have anyone to tell so I'll tell you guys", Angel says leaning closer and you immediately step back. "Yesterday night, I was er- feeling sad and went to the pool and he kind of cheered me up... And then we watched the stars dance", Angel says looking totally smitten.

"You got high with him!" Onari starts slowly reducing her tone. She begins to look uncomfortable, "You're not… are you a junky? Did he force you?" Onari says scrambling for the right words to use to discourage Angel from drug abuse. "No I wanted to", Angel says while you do your best to ignore Guilt.

"Hadiza! He was in that room at the Ego awards so there's a chance he raped Angel", Guilt begins to ramble. "That's kind of like Stockholm syndrome, isn't it? Are you going to let her fall for her alleged rapist?", Guilt grabs your shoulders.

"Hadiza, this is serious you need to do something because if he really raped her and you knew and did nothing-", Guilt grips the parts of your shoulders close to your neck tighter. "Do you want to quantify the amount of bad karma you'll get from doing nothing? Or what would happen if people found out you knew?"

While you and Guilt are discussing, Onari spoons equal amounts of scrambled eggs and baked beans into both of your plates. Then she removes the onions from your plate, "Wow! You guys are really close", Angel says and Onari smiles because she likes hearing that. Onari is five months older than you but she was born around the Christmas period so she's already 15.

You go into panic mode thinking of the snowball effect of Angel falling for Junior. "Angel", you say still not making eye contact. "I, I, I", you stutter and take a deep breath. "Chill! Give me a second", you say squeezing your fingers into a fist. Onari and Angel stop walking away from the buffet table and wait for you.

"Angel, junkies are capable of anything they are like vampires and drugs are the blood they crave. I think", you pause. "There as so many good guys in B. I., baggage-free guys that will worship you. You seem like the type that already has enough Wahala on your plate-", you say.

Guilt lessens its grip on your neck after you, advice Angel. So you inhale a deep breath of relief. Onari beams after your speech. She is proud that her chats about the DFC are finally rubbing off on you even though you refused to join her club because you use extracurricular periods to give lessons.

The three of you silently walk down the short stairs to the sitting area of the dining hall. The sitting area is split into two sides. The boys' side is on the left and the girls' side is on the right. Each side has four rows of 6-seater dining tables with 12 tables per row.

"Good guys like me", Midas says sneaking in between you and Onari as you and Onari drop your trays on your regular table. He had overheard part of your speech. "Hide me", Midas says crawling with his back towards the boys' side of the dining hall. He packs his dreads up into a high ponytail immediately after he sits down.

"My housemaster caught me trying to sneak to your side of the breakfast buffet," he says with a smile, then winks at you. "Obviously I escaped", He says receiving his breakfast tray from Fiyin who rolls her eyes before walking away. "I heard you say there are many good guys in B.I.-" he says.

"Can I seat with you guys?" Angel asks, cutting him off and Onari pushes a chair out for her. Angel's hand is still clutched on her stomach as she goes to get her tray from her regular table.

"Are you okay? Angel, you keep touching your stomach", you blurt out without thinking.

"I don't know... I think MP is trying to kill me. Oh, God! it's definitely trying to kill me", she says as her legs give out for almost a minute, and she steadies herself on Onari's chair. If Midas' didn't dive forward to catch her tray, it would have toppled over. You study her sweat-spotted forehead.

"Hey D! Did you see that?" Midas says wondering if you had seen how he caught the tray. You are so focused on Angel that you don't notice Midas' house master crossing over to the girls' side of the sitting area to pull Midas back to the boys' side.

"You like girls too much", Midas' housemaster says as Midas tries to escape. "Hadiza! You saw that didn't you?" he asks hoping you thought the way he caught the tray was cool.

"Angel, I'll escort you to the sick bay..." you say standing up. "I was having a headache anyway", you say taking her hand. Onari resists every urge to follow you because she wishes you'll increase your friendship bubble to more than just her and Midas.

"Hadiza, where are you going, should I come with you?" Midas yells but Onari runs to hold him back. "Midas go and eat your breakfast. D is fine, I think, I think Hadiza is trying to be friends with Angel", Onari says smiling. "If she's trying to open up, Midas, you might be in luck", Onari's words reassured Midas.

…