The story

~ ANGEL'S POV ~

In my old school, I was treated like a nobody. Almost everyone had no regard for me.

Why?

Because I was from a poor background and I wasn't like "every other normal kid."

Mum always wanted the best for me, only when it came to my education. She would make sure I went to big schools no matter how much money it would cost her. She just wanted to see her daughter become either a doctor or a lawyer - Typical dream of almost every Nigerian parent for their child.

But, why couldn't she just learn that "those big schools" weren't for me. Those big schools did nothing but make me feel inferior among my peers. I was bullied frequently. I barely had someone whom I could call a friend. I was a nobody back at Ralph's academy.

When mum found out about my horrifying experiences in the hands of the bullies whom were rich kids as expected, she tried to make it seem like it wasn't her fault.

And when I thought she would change for the better and just take me to some middle class school or just marry our rich landlord that had been eyeing her ever since dad got sick and then put me in another big school, that woman brought me to Nexus high.

Now tell me, for what reason? Not that we had suddenly become rich o. She just wanted to disgrace me to my rich classmates that I was poor.

I wasn't going to let such happen, I told myself.

Everyone believed I was the daughter of some rich politician, I made them think so. I didn't want to be bullied nor did I want to feel small amongst my mates at Nexus high.

Was it bad for a poor girl like me to want to be rich? Was it a sin if I wanted to enjoy life like my mates? No nau, tell me!

But you know, nothing can be hidden for ever. That was seriously the most unfair thing the universe could do to someone like me.

Bimbo, the Queen bee of JSS3 then, found me out. From the very first day, she never like me. She had always felt like she was the most beautiful girl in our class but when attention started getting to me, she went livid with rage.

She was a rich and spoiled daughter of a senator. She always wanted to seem and appear better than everyone else. She hated me for being better than her in literally everything.

She and her friends bullied me. It started with small jokes made about me and then turned into physically torture. She made school a place of hell for me when she found out that I had a crush on her boyfriend.

I really liked Daniel. Maybe he knew it or maybe he didn't but he acted so nice yet, he was dating someone as mean as Bimbo.

Like I said earlier, Bimbo found out my secret when we in the second term in JSS3 which was a term after I had newly been admitted into Nexus high. My dad was down with stroke and mum could barely keep up with paying his bills but she strived hard to anyways.

I mean, why was she struggling so hard to do so when we all knew he would die at the end of it all? Was it worth saving the life of a poor man who couldn't afford the things his daughter wanted? My classmates threw parties and enjoyed their birthdays but I only got to receive a birthday song and a thousand naira on my birthday. Didn't I deserve more?

I thought my secret was safe deep inside of me but no, God and everything just hated me so much that the hospital in which my dad was admitted, turned out to be owned by Bimbo's mother.

An annoying plot twist, right?

I never wanted to go to the hospital that day but mum forced me.

"Mummy I don't want to go. You can go alone," I mumbled but the woman wasn't having it.

"Angel, this man is your father for crying out loud! You haven't been to the hospital for three weeks now! What is wrong with you?" Mum barked at me.

"I don't need to go everyday na," I frowned.

She ended up forcing me anyways. Bimbo had come into my dad's hospital room with her mum that day.

I was shocked to the bones. The amount of shock I felt in that moment was indescribable.

She would spill my secret to everyone, I thought in fear.

It turned out that Bimbo was a b*tch. She had always been one but she proved it that day.

"Your secret is in my palm but I don't get to make the decision, you do. Whatever choice you make will determine if the secret slips out or if it remains," She said to me in school the next day, after her girls had bathed me with a crate of egg in the school backyard.

"Please don't. I won't be able to face anyone if you do," I clasped my hands in pleas and tears started rolling down my cheeks.

"Your choice, Angel. Your choice," She giggled and left with her friends.

In that moment of weakness and pain, I could only cry, and curse inwardly. If only I could strangle the three of them to death. If only I could make mum pay for making all these happen to me. If only I could blot dad out of the picture so he doesn't keep on wasting the money I would have used to buy the things I wanted.

Bimbo continued bullying me. The bullying increased and she threatened to reveal my secret almost every time.

Soon, it was third term in JSS3. Our graduation ceremony and class party was near. Everyone was excited about it but me being the poor girl, I had no money to attend even my own graduation.

"Mummy, I must go to this year's graduation o," I hmphed while sitting opposite my mum in our small living room that night.

"Angel, you need to understand ehn," Her voice of feigned pity came. It was definitely fake. "There isn't much money on ground or do you want to use the little money we're managing to buy a dress, shoes, and make your hair for a one day party?"

"Mummy that one is not just my concern o," I frowned deeply. "The only graduation I have ever attended is that of Kg 3. I will not accept no for this year like I have done since then."

"I don't like this thing you're doing o. You know how things are..." I cut her short.

"Yes, yes, your husband is in the hospital and I can't enjoy my life because of him," I hissed.

"Ehn? Are you mad? Shey werey nie?" She was on her feet and once she got to where I was seated, landed me a dirty slap. "When did you start speaking to your parents like that?"

Another slap came on me and soon, she was in tears. She was beating me and was still crying on top.

"Do you think life comes easy for everyone?" She shouted at me in tears. "Learn to understand. Learn to manage. Learn to sew your clothes according to your material and not even your size."

My heart hardened despite all she said to me. That one was just her business but as for me, she could not keep on ruining my teenage years for me.

I was supposed to be going to parties, hanging out with friends, going on vacations, having the best times in school, and being with the one boy I liked but here I was, trying to do everything my mother and father forced me to do.

On a faithful day in school, my mind wandered back to how I was going to raise money for both my graduation and class party. I didn't want my graduation to be just any graduation, I wanted it to be THE graduation.

"Hey," I turned to see Bimbo but this time, her girls weren't with her.

"H-hi," I quickly looked elsewhere. What did she want? Was it to pour a bag of cold water all over me? Was it to make me use my school skirt to clean the mud off her shoe as usual? Was it to do silly dances for her anonymous instagram account?

"You seem worried," She said, a hint of sincerity in her voice.

I looked back at her. When did she start to care?

"It's nothing," I muttered.

"Come on," She playfully punched my right shoulder. "I know when something is wrong."

I sighed.

"I don't have money for graduation or the class party," I blurted out.

"Ah!" She laughed. "You should have told me earlier. I can help you nau."

My eyes widened with excitement.

"Really?" I asked but then the excitement died when I remembered that this was the same girl who had made me eat rice off the floor in the girls' restroom.

"I know you don't like me much," She began, a sad look on her face.

Don't like her much? I literally hated her!

Was she apologizing? Had she suddenly changed?

"But I do have just the amount you need as a politician's daughter to attend the parties," She smiled, hinting at ' politician's daughter.'

"I don't understand."

She chuckled lightly. "I can lend you 200k as a friend. You can have the time of your life at the parties once you use the money to buy good outfits and stuff. You can pay me whenever you have the money I don't really mind."

"Are you for real?!" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Of course, darling. What are friends for?" She smiled brightly as she gently caressed my hair.