Gala Night

To be honest, she was very beautiful and tall but I didn't find her as beautiful as other students said she was. I felt that they over exaggerated her looks.

"She is not that beautiful," I whispered to Stacy.

"Elsie, you don't have eyes," Jessica said to me as she overheard me whispering to Stacy.

"I'm serious. She is not more good-looking like the both of you or even Stacy's bunkmate." I defended myself.

"You are just saying this to please us," Jessica added.

"Don't mind Elsie. She's trying to whine us so that she won't give us the meat she's owing us today." Stacy chirped in.

"That's not true. I meant what I said."

"But seriously, why would you girls ask for it this night?" I stomped my feet in anger and walked away.

Stacy and Jessica didn't bother to go after me. I went back to the hostel and laid down in my bed without even changing out of my sportswear.

I was very angry with the comments the girls made but I couldn't explain why it made me so angry.

I only woke up when Jessica came back to the hostel. I had slept for a while and I was late for the gala night.

"Elsie, wake up."

"Huuh, what is it?" I asked as I turned round to face her.

"It's time for the gala night and you haven't showered yet. You even slept in your sportswear." Jessica nagged me.

"Be fast. Stacy and I are already leaving. We need to go and secure our seats at the venue." Jessica added as she pulled away my blanket and helped me to get down from my bed.

"I am leaving now. Please hurry up."

I hurried downstairs to shower as soon as Jessica left.

While dressing up, my mind drifted to what happened this evening and I came to realize why I felt so pissed off.

I had once been told by Mira and some classmates that only beautiful people could tell if someone else is beautiful. I felt angry with myself that I still felt hurt whenever I remember it and I wished that Katie was here with me. She would have talked sense into me.

"Forget about it, it's all in the past now." I waved my head as I tried to focus on the event ahead.

                      **********************

I got to the hall just in time before the event started. We were seated in front unlike during the movie night when we sat not just in front but in the row reserved for prefects.

I whispered thank you to the girls and sat down. I was already hungry as we didn't have dinner before going to the hall, we were told we will be having dinner as part of our refreshments.

The principal gave an opening speech which I didn't bother listening to but I made sure to look as if I was listening to him with rapt attention.

Things only became lively when other activities began.

Once again I found myself shedding tears again because I remembered the last birthday party I attended. I wiped my tears and forced myself to enjoy the party.

The main event of the night that was to be talked about for weeks and throughout our junior high school days was Tracy's performance. She performed "Diamonds by Rihanna " and also danced to other songs. Tracy established herself as a very talented person in our set with that performance.

Overall we enjoyed ourselves that day and after item seven, we all dispersed.

                              *************

"Clank, clank, clank." The bell rang and immediately the lights came on.

I slowly opened my eyes and stretched myself and sat up on my bed. I sighed and hissed when I remembered that today was Saturday and we had to do a thorough cleaning of the school compound today. The prefects had read out our designated places to us last night after the party.

I got down and after exchanging pleasantries with Jessica, I changed into my sports vest and shorts made especially for random activities like this. All the girls in my class were tasked to sweep the assembly ground. Jessica stayed back in the hostel as her class was tasked with cleaning the hostel.

After getting Stacy to wake up and get dressed, we both went to the assembly ground and began to work. It was an easy task but Stacy briefed me that the higher one goes in class,  the more difficult their cleaning task becomes.

We showered and had custard and beans for breakfast. We had nothing to do for the day as the rest of the students were returning that day. Some of us walked around greeting other students that they knew but my friends and I spent the day chatting and sleeping.

                           ****************

The long-awaited Sunday came and we were all very excited. Most of us had already bawled our eyes out including me.

"Jessica, will your parents be coming?"

"Yes, I cried a lot on the phone that day." Jessica shrugged. "I guess it pretty much worked out."

I nodded and sat down on her bed.

"Shall we go outside now?"

"Let's wait a little bit more." Jessica yawned and laid on her bed.

"Well, I'll be going now.  I don't think my parents will be late."

"Ok, I'll take a nap. My mom will have to send for me when she comes." Jessica retorted as she covered herself with a blanket and slept off.