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"Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense. You mean to tell me you used to be friends with 'that'?" I almost burst out laughing. He was far too amusing with his tone and the way he scrunched his face in disgust.

I said it again, with a sad but genuine smile.

"Didn't the Devil used to be an angel?"

I was in class at that time. Following the library incident with Silver. Frederick and I had walked to class together because we were in the same class. People in the hallway didn't disappoint either; as I expected, they looked at us openly in surprise.

Frederick walking beside me was sure to cause a commotion throughout the school because they all had nothing better to do with their lives.

When we got to the classroom, it was even worse; you could clearly hear my classmates murmuring.

"Oh, you're crazy, o. Are my eyes really seeing clearly?" In disbelief, I heard a random voice inquire.

I had always ignored them all and was about to return to my seat when I heard Frederick say.

"Bye, Amanda," I said as I looked at him, wondering if he was going to stay for class. The English teacher was most likely on her way here.

I was about to inquire further when I remembered that Frederick rarely attended classes. It wasn't like he skipped classes on a regular basis; instead, he was given formal permission from the principal to not attend classes when or if he didn't want to. See what I mean? He was really favored, and I'm not saying that in any way to imply that I'm complaining or anything. To be honest, it was none of my business.

Despite the fact that he wasn't a regular in class, he was one of the best academically. Who exactly was Frederick? He was indeed a fascinating character.

I muttered a low "Bye" and returned to my seat. I didn't notice the slight grin that appeared on Frederick's face after I spoke. He then left as well.

"Can anyone tell me what a noun is?" Miss Faith, my English teacher, interrupted my train of thought.

Everyone let out a strangled groan in response to her question.

"What is it, ehn?" she asked, adjusting her thick-rimmed glasses.

""It's just that we've been doing the topic for a long time now," Ireti, one of the few classmates I could say was nice, began. From JSS to the present day. Why do we have to learn the same thing every year? "I could hear her annoyance in her voice, and I couldn't blame her.

This was very common with English teachers in Nigeria; they always taught us the same thing over and over, and they always gave us unnecessarily long notes that we wouldn't even use during exams; it was quite frustrating.

Letters, essays, parts of speech, figures of speech, and articles were the most commonly taught topics. It's as if they couldn't stop themselves from teaching it every time.

"Forget about JSS sef, we're talking since primary school sef," Emmanuel added, making everyone else laugh.

"Silence!" demanded Miss Faith, who appeared to be about to slap someone.

"Go ask the school syllabus if you have any questions, then stop bickering and jot down this few notes." She yelled angrily, causing the entire class to fall silent.

"Oh God, I hate dictation," muttered a voice somewhere in the classroom.

I then started writing down what Miss Faith said.

.....................

(FLASHBACK)

"So, Amanda, have you heard about the incident you caused the other day?" My room was filled with the sound of my father's stern voice. I had been in the hospital for five days after my failed suicide attempt, and as I had expected, no one had visited me during that time, not a single soul. I was discharged today, so I was now at home in my room, and my enraged father was reprimanding me.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" My father inquired after a few minutes of me not saying anything.

I rose from my bed to get a good look at my father. Mr George was a tall buff man who, like all Igbo men, was not lacking in the looks department, despite the fact that he was not particularly young.

"I'm-so-rry sir," I say. I squinted, tears threatening to fall from my eyes. I am well aware of my weakness; there was no need for me to deny it.

He sighed angrily "You're a disgrace, God. After only a week away from the country, you attempt such a foolish act. Do you want to tarnish my reputation, this girl?" The more he spoke, the more enraged his eyes became.

My father and mother, you see, had almost nothing in common, which made me wonder why they ever married in the first place. But they all had one thing in common: they didn't want their good name to be tarnished. They were both high-end perfectionists, so no matter what I did to please them, they both saw me as a disgrace.

"I'm sorry, sir," was all I could mumble before he finally left my room, his face disappointed and angry.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"Miss Amanda!" I awoke dazed from my sleep and looked around. It dawned on me that I was in the car.

"Miss, we've arrived," Mr Ola said, pointing out that we were parked outside the house.

"Oh, thank you," I said as I reached for the car door.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Mr Ola's voice stopped me from stepping out of the car with my other leg.

"Yes?" I inquired.

"It appears that you zone out and sleep a lot these days; is there anything wrong?" 

To say the least, I was surprised because I and my driver had never really interacted that much. As it was, our relationship was strictly professional. This was the first time he had bothered to inquire about my well-being.

I told him with a genuine smile.

"There is no need to be concerned, Mr. Ola. However, I appreciate your concern." I lied without even batting an eyelid. I mean, how could I tell him the truth? I don't have 'a' problem, I have 'a number of' problems, and it didn't sit well with me to bombard the poor man with them.

I then exited the car, giving him another smile. He called my attention once more as I was about to enter the house.

"Oh, and ma'am," I returned my attention to hear what he had to say.

"Your parents said they'd be joining you for dinner this evening," he said as he drove away.

My parents were supposed to join me for dinner? Don't we see surprises all the time? I'm curious what the occasion was.

After clearing my mind, I entered the door passcode and entered the empty Wallow mansion. I'll just have to wait until evening to find out what was so special about today.

..............................................

The sound of cutlery striking the plates filled the silence in the dining room.

"Isn't the steak well done, dear?" My mother was the one who broke the silence.

"Yes, it is," my father said sternly. The silence returned after that. God, this was so awkward; it had been years since my parents and I had dinner together, so it was a little-dare I say-uncomfortable for me.

"So, Amanda," my mother began, her gaze leaving her food to look at me. To respond to her, I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth.

"Yes Mom" her gaze hardened. I quickly rephrased my statement.

After I responded, "Yes, mother," she looked at me and smiled in agreement.

"Well, Father and I have some exciting news for you." I was afraid her mouth would tear apart from the size of her smile.

'Exciting news?' I asked, raising an eyebrow. She's definitely caught my attention now. I waited for her to continue while stuffing a piece of steak into my mouth.

I should have known that any news that was 'exciting' to my parents would be completely uninteresting to me. I wish I had known.

"You're getting engaged!" she exclaimed with delight. I spat out the food I had been chewing, not caring that I would probably be yelled at for it.

"Amanda, you need to get back here!" My mother's commanding voice called out, but I was already running up the stairs, not looking back. Angry tears streamed down my cheeks.

I couldn't believe it; I'd always assumed they were low, but I had no idea they were this low. How could they have married off their teenage daughter so casually? How could they have been so cruel?

As my room door came into view, I quickened my pace. I rushed in, banged the door shut behind me, and locked it.

My gaze began to scan the entire room for something specific. When I finally saw the gleaming small black rectangle-like object, I dashed over to it. I carried the small flat object around with me but couldn't bring myself to use it. You promised not to use it again.

'