Oluwatimilehin.

Zainab

Haleemah

I stare at her, she's so pretty, her perfect eyelashes blinked innocently as she asked the teacher to re-explain the problem on the board.

'Miss haleemah may I have your attention?' the chemistry teacher asks me.

I look up, I had been completely absorbed in watching her.

Fuck.

What was valency again?

I decided to be witty.

'Excuse me sir, what does this have to do with this class' I ask staring at the problem on the board which was concerning pH levels.

'You've obviously not been paying attention and I'll send you to the principals office'

I roll my eyes and he sees me.

'That's it, go to her office now!' he was practically screaming.

Some students laugh.

What is this nonsense again?

I walk out of the class making sure to slam the door.

I take long strides to the principals office.

'Haleemah, you've been here 3 times this week' the principal Mrs Okoye sighs.

'Mr Clinton doesn't just like me' I say taking a seat, crossing my legs and staring at the material of my blue trouser pants.

'What did you do this time?' she asks putting her glasses on.

'I wasn't paying attention' I say nonchalantly.

'Your parents won't be happy about that'

I shrink into my chair 'When is it my turn to be happy?'

I was honestly tired of only what they wanted coming first, I couldn't have anything to myself, it was frustrating.

'When you grow up' she says, 'You're too young to know what you want', she remarks taking off her glasses.

I sigh, 'What is my punishment this time?' I ask dreadfully.

'Nothing, you can go' she says. 'Just keep your head up and think of the future'

I stand up from the chair and excuse myself to the washroom.

School had been hard to get through without Timi. I wanted to gossip under the bleachers with her.

I sigh.

I see her, Zainab, I had liked her ever since I'd laid my eyes on her.

Everything she did was flawless, just one simple thing,

She hated my guts.

I don't know if it was in jss2 when I'd embarrassed her in the schools spelling bee or when I'd wiped her out in a tennis tournament.

But she hated me and made it obvious that she did, she splashes water on her face, her eyes are red.

'Are you okay?' I ask, she ignores me.

I come near her.

It was evident she was crying 'is everything fine?' I ask again.

'No' she answers weakly.

'What's wrong?' I ask her.

'My dad' she starts her lip trembling.

'My dad' she continues and pauses wiping her tears.

'It's fine, just calm down' I say, trying to dry her face with some paper towels that I'd grabbed from beside a hand dryer.

'Now talk' I say.

She tells me everything, about how her did hit her mum, how eating was really hard and how she was a smidge bit jealous of me because of how pretty I was.

Me pretty ke?

It keeps on playing in my brain, she thought I was pretty.

I eat my lunch with her, some boys try to join us, but I shoo them away.

'No one likes lesbians' one of them mutters under his breath.

'What did you just say?' Zainab asks with venom in her voice.

'No-nothing' he stammers walking away briskly.

'I still get more girls than you' she adds cackling.

This earns her a few stares from opposite tables and I couldn't help but smile.

No one approached our table for the entirety of our meal and I was grateful for it, she'd picked at her meal the whole time and I'd tried to encourage her to eat but to no avail.

I get home at around 5pm, tennis practice had been strenuous and I needed a warm bubble bath, I trudge upstairs and it took all my strength not to fall over.

The door bell rings, I try to ignore it.

'Haleemah' my mum yells.

Ughh.

I run back down the stairs and to the door.

I peep through the look hole.

It was Timi's mum.