Unto say : Shakespeare

Oh I shall do thee mischief in the woods!".

Emmanuel reads dramatically from his copy of 'A midsummer night's dream during literature class.

"Translation to Nigerian English: I will fuck you inside bush if you don't leave me alone"

Laughter follows.

"Let Okiki read Helena's part since blessing left." Victory says to me.

I nervously move out to the front of the class.

I sigh deeply before starting. I'm barely two lines in before I'm rudely interrupted.

"Why are you talking like you have a dick in your mouth?!" Lucy shouts rudely.

I stop and glare at her.

"Not everyone sucks dick for 200naira like you Lucy." I reply coldly. So coldly, I'm surprised at myself

"Eh? Are you fucking mad?" She fumes.

"Shh." I shush her immediately.

"Look at this one o. Because you talk in a faggot accent you're feeling like one Badoo like that?"

"Wow. You learned a new word. I'm proud"

"You must be very stupid!"

"Keep quiet so we can all appreciate Shakespeare."

She stood up angrily.

"Bloody bitch!"

"Go stick an Ss1 boy's dick down your throat so we can get on with our lesson." I mumble.

Lucy is about to attack me when Mr Evans returns.

"I only left the class for five minutes. Just five. Ehn? What is going on here?"

Lucy glares at me before going back to her seat.

"Pathetic bitch. Later now she will go and be pretending to faint so that boys will kiss her." She said.

That pissed me off. But I couldn't reply.

"Anyways, Ss3 art class will be joining you." Mr Evans says.

The SS3s soon begin trooping into our class.

"This is a sort of revision for the Ss3s so they will join those reading out today's play. You are more likely to remember it if you act it out." Mr Evans explains

M staring out the window angrily.

I dunno why, but I've been angry since I woke up. Partially cos if the dream I had.

In the dream, I was in class, when someone told me my father had come to see me. I took my sketchpad with me to meet him and instantly he started screaming at me.

"I told you to stop drawing!" He thundered, tossing my book away.

I began running and fell and the same boy who had given me CPR was above me, pouting for a big salivary kiss. Then, I woke up, sweating.

Maybe I should stop drawing.

Wait. Where did that thought come from?

Dad get out of my head!

I closed my eyes tighly.

"Are you ok?" Cam asks with a concerned look on her face.

I nod.

I never really gave a proper description of cam and fey..

Cam's full name is actually Okeke Cameo. Her dad is Igbo and her mum's Italian. She was born and raised in the US where she lived till she was nine. She's petite with long, curly, brow hair lightskinned and with cute facial features. Big round eyes, thin small lips and a cute nose.  And she's super organised. She's been my best friend since we were in Jss1. We both met fey a little later in our JSS3.

Fey's full name is Onomherino Oghenefejiro. She's from delta, and very insane. Dark skinned with thick short hair and quite curvy. She has big , very pink naturally outlined lips and thick long lashes. She makes sure not to wear her glasses often so people can see them. She's very assertive and confident and also is a wannabe rapper. She has a very nice alto voice and can sing, dance and rap and also low key looks like Tems, the singer.

And then there's me. Okiki.

I'm Brown skinned, more fair than dark, with slanting eyes (which I hate) and a pointed nose. I'm average heighted but slightly taller than fey and cam. I love drawing and we'll..that's it. I'm not beautiful like them but I would like to describe myself as just there.

I picked my pencil and started to draw a cartoon ish version of myself standing on top of my father with a sword sized pencil pointing upwards.

I sigh. If only...

"Hey. Van Gogh. Would you mind moving your chair a bit?" I hear.

I look up towering above me is My predecessor, in the Arts club(I'm president). I've even forgotten his name.

I look up.

"Kehinde abi? The one with the queen Charlotte accent."

" Okikioluwa."

"Oh. Please move your chair."

I do, and he places a plastic chair beside me and sits down. His cologne slaps me in the face.

Damn he smells good!

Why the hell. Does a teenage boy wear cologne anyways?

He's pretty tall. And fair. Part of his dark hair is peeking out from beneath his beanie.

I continue sketching.

Mr Evans watched us read act after act of Shakespeare and I stared absent mindedly out the window. We're going home for midterms this Saturday. And I was definitely not anticipating going home. At all.

I pictured dad's face as he laughed over something he saw on the phone. In our huge living room. Mum will be hovering nearby, reading. Or knitting. As meek as a mouse with a plain expression.

Other than them, the house would be totally empty.

Wale, my elder brother hadn't come back since last Christmas and  Kunle, my second brother, probably won't come back  either. I miss them like mad.

My predecessor nudges me.

"What?"

"Mr Evans just called you."

I stood up slowly and glances pensively at the class.

"Read out the summary of the scene we just finished."

I nodded and flipped open my book.

"Umm....which page?" I mumble.

Cam stands up and helps me up look for the page.

I clear my throat when I finally find it and start reading.

Mr Evans watch es me with a smile. The kind a proud father would give their child.

He'd said countlessly that he loves my accent and always makes sure I read something out loud during class.

Come to think of it, this is a silly book. About fairies and sleeping potions. Couldn't Helena just given up and not snitched on her bestie cos of a guy? Err...hello??? Girl code. Plus Demetrius shouldn't have gone after his ex girlfriends best friend. That's just cold.

When I was done, he nodded.

"All of you should be talking like her. Pure English from great Britain."

A hum begins rising on the stuffy classroom.

"Sir but she sounds like she's dying." Lucy giggles.

I roll my eyes.

"What's so special in her accent?"

I wring my hands, uncomfortable at the attention I was getting.

I sit down slowly.

My eyes drift outside. Then I spot someone. A tall boy with a black hoodie on. He was not on uniform and he was walking closely behind a man. They were walking towards the reception.

"ALAKIJA!"

I turn.

"How many times will I call you?" Mr Evans asked.

"What are you even thinking about?....."

He was interrupted by a deep voice.

The same man I'd seen  outside was now standing in the doorway.

He was very tall and dressed in black from head to toe. But the boy was not with him.

"Sorry sir but before you look for a student, you have to...."

"He was granted permission." Mrs okafor our guidance counselor said, emerging from behind the man.

"Are miss Alakija and miss okeke in this class?"

My heart skipped at the mention of my name.

What could it be?

I raised my hand.

"Come meet us outside. Now."

Excuse me?