Want to be friends?

After running out the class, Ayla found herself outside the school building, panting, as it had been a while since she ran, not having an idea where to go, she opted to ran the same way they came this morning.

"Where are you heading to?" A voice called to her just as she was about to start running again.

"Heard what happened, thus am guessing you are skipping school,"Diana continued.

"Me go far, bad people laugh," Ayla sighed as a lone tear fell.

"Yeah that must have hurt, Stacey can be a bitch sometimes," She sympathized with her but her voice held no trace of that emotion.

"What is going on here?" A voice called from behind them.

"And here comes miss goody two shoes,"Diana sighed annoyingly loud enough for the person to hear.

"Don't call me that," The girl said rolling her eyes at her sister's antiques." You must be the new girl, am Samantha, you can call me Sam,am this idiot's sister," Samantha introduced herself.

"She is not the new girl, her name is Ayla and you know that," Diana sassed.

"Don't sass me, I just wanted her to be the one to tell me," Sam said smiling at Ayla.

"Yeah right," Diana snorted.

"Why are the two of you here?" She asked.

"Well if you must know Stacey went all queen bee on her and now she wants to skip school, and as her new friend am helping her do it," Diana narrated.

"Friend? What friend?" Ayla asked.

"Friends are close people who do things together and are there for each other," sam explained.

"And friends help friends to do stupid stuff," Diana added with a mischievous smile.

"Do you want to be friends Ayla?" Sam asked.

"Me, Diana, Sam friends," Ayla smiled.

"You got that right, we are friends and soon we will be best of friends," Diana shouted with a laugh.

This time Ayla joined in,as she felt that this one was not meant to demean her.

"Let's get out of here before anyone sees us," Sam suggested.

And they all ran out of the school compound.

They spent the day showing her around town, having her try new kinds of food, games. Before taking her back home.

       ******

"Ayla it is already seven in the evening where have you been?" Monica asked as soon as Ayla strolled into the kitchen her face exhibiting the sorry she had when Ayla was not back for the tuition.

"Me out friends," Ayla smiled at her.

"Am glad you were able to make friends on your first day at school," Monica smiled at her."But you were late for your tuition, tomorrow do not be late, I will set an alarm to remind you," Monica added.

Ayla could not give a hoot of what she said, she was still on cloud nine after experiencing what could be termed as  the best day of her life.

"What doing?" Ayla asked when she noticed all the new things laid out on the table.

"Am preparing, spaghetti and meatballs. Go rest I will call you when dinner is ready," Monica tried to shoo her away.

"Me want help?" Ayla offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she nodded with a smile for getting the word she learnt today right.

"Okay then,  clean you hands and help me mince this meat,"Monica said pointing at the meat mincer then showing her how it works.

"There you are!" Jason heaved a sigh of relief after seeing her.

"Why, were you looking for her?" Monica asked.

"I was told she ran out of school and I haven't seen her since," Jason said as he sat on the stool by the kitchen counter facing the ladies as they worked to prepare dinner.

"Is that true Ayla?" Monica asked shocked.

"Mean, bad laugh me sit Mason, girl shout," Ayla tried to explain.

"What?" Jason couldn't help but ask her to repeat.

"Stacey was mean to her and the entire class was laughing at her, so she ran away," Mason rephrase as he sat next to Jason.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Jason accused.

"I would have done something if she didn't ran away so fast," Mason uttered annoyed for having to repeat that statement to everyone that asked.

He didn't understand why everyone was suddenly worried about her while they never gave a hoot about any of Stacey's other victims.

"Are you okay Ayla?" Monica asked feeling sorry for her having gone through that.

"Me okay friends help," Ayla smiled at her.

"Meat done," Ayla announced her face lighting up brightly reflecting her feelings for accomplishing the work.

"Good job Ayla. You have done it almost as good as Mason," Monica praised proudly making the girl on her right smile even bigger and the boy on her left to click with annoyance.

Snickering, Jason rubbed it in," If you don't watch it Ayla will be doing cooking better than you ever could."

"Then let her. I have no intentions whatsoever to cook again,"Mason grumbled, picked an apple gave them all the middle finger before heading upstairs.

"Is that jealousy I smell in the air?" Jason asked with a laugh as he followed him.

"Anything help?" Ayla asked after the boys left with Jason teasing.

"No dear. I can manage the rest. Go freshen up i will call you when dinner is ready" Monica told her as she started rolling the meat into shapes of a ball.

She had been worried that Ayla was not cut out for this place and was sad that she would have to send her to stay with her brother's family in the country side, but Ayla proved that she could manage it when she spoke of how she could not wait to go back to school, even though it was just to see her friends.

But she also had something else eating at her mind. The boys would soon be done with highschool and head of to college and she was feared that they would not return back home so as to be away from her after what she did and she had no idea of how to make it better.