COLOR ME

CHAPTER TWO

Tendai Moyo Dube

We brainstormed ideas for the duration of the period until it was time for lunch. Let's keep in contact, Adessa. We need to continue brainstorming even after class. When you think about something you can call me and vice versa. I gave Tendai my phone number. "Tell me Addie, did he abuse you again?" Jensen asked me after class. Because I will show him! No, he didn't do anything. He was actually okay, we exchanged contacts so that we can continue brainstorming later on. How about you, how did it go with King? King is a cool guy, he told me that we shall use his followers to help us do the work. You know he has a TikTok channel that has many followers. "Are you okay with this?" I asked him. It means you won't learn anything because his followers will do the work for you. I don't mind, it will give me time to focus on doing what I love most, which is to make you love me. Jensen made me smile. I liked how he tried so hard for me.

We found the cafeteria packed with students as usual. I was so hungry, I hadn't had breakfast earlier on. We found Mae and Andrew waiting on the side. Kemi and her friends were seated on a table talking. Tendai had joined them. When Kemi looked at us she smiled. Her smile made me scared. They've told us to wait for everyone else to get food. "Who said that?" I asked. Andrew pointed at a prefect who was supervising the cooks. "Why?" I asked. No particular reason. When it was finally our turn we lined up. The perfect told the cook to serve us from a particular saucepan. I knew this prefect well, she was Cassie Graves. She was in a class below us. "Hi Cassie," I said. She said Hi but didn't look into our faces. The cooks served us our food and we went and sat down. Mae, Andrew and Jensen began eating immediately. Something about what had just happened felt strange. I was hungry but didn't eat the food. I turned around to see Kemi, Liz and Raven looking at us smiling. "Stop eating!" I yelled. At that moment, Andrew found a rat tail in his soup. Everyone dropped their forks and knives. It hit all of us at that moment about what had just happened. Kemi and her friends had put a rat in our food which is why they had made us get food last. This was such a low thing for them to do. Their table burst into laughter when they realized that we had noticed what they had done. I noticed Tendai wasn't laughing with them.

Jensen picked up the plate of food that had the rat tail, got up from the table and walked up to them. We all followed him. Kemi, you have crossed the line this time and you know it. He walked out of the cafeteria with the plate. "What just happened?" Tendai asked. "Stop acting innocent Tendai, you know what they have done to us," Mae fumed. I don't know Mae, I was in class with Adessa so how would I know. "They put a rat in our sauce Tendai, Andrew, found it in his sauce," I said. Tendai was shocked. "Kemi, is this true?" he asked. "I did it because of what they did to me earlier!" she said. That was a low blow, Kemi. I have watched you disrespect them ever since I joined this school but today is the last straw. I am breaking up with you. "You can't break up with me because of them and not in front of everyone," Kemi yelled. Jensen came back with the Headmaster in tow ."Kemi, is it true that you put a rat in their food?" he asked. Yes, I had Liz and Raven get me a rat from the lab and put it in one of the soup saucepans. I forced Cassie Graves, the Food Prefect, to make sure that only the four of them ate the soup. Follow me, the three of you! The headmaster pointed at Kemi, Liz and Raven. Those who ate the rat soup, I need you to go to the dispensary for some medicine. Mae, Andrew and Jensen went to the dispensary to get some medicine. I hadn't tasted the soup so I stayed behind. I was left standing there with Tendai and his friends.

"Hey Midnight, you are in trouble for snitching to the HM, you know what Kemi is like," Grayson said. Grayson, don't threaten Adessa, can't you see she has already been through a lot today. It was the first time that Tendai had ever stood up for me. I was shocked and so was he. He couldn't believe that the words had come out of his mouth. "Let's go, Tendai," his friend Fajir Eldridge said. Tendai and Fajir walked out of the cafeteria. I too began walking off but not before hearing Grayson say call me Darkie. After lunch, we had a free period and physical education. The others weren't around. Even Kemi, Liz and Raven hadn't returned from seeing the HM. P.E was better today because there were no snide comments from Kemi or her friends. I could say that I was happy. I left the changing room earlier than everyone because I needed to see my friends before I left. In the corridor I found Kemi with her mother. Her mother was beautiful and elegant. She had the poise of someone who may have been a model in a previous lifetime. It was evident that Kemi got her looks from her. Kemi never talked about her dad, her mom was the only one who ever came for school functions. Kemi told everyone that her dad was a busy man but we all suspected that her dad wasn't in the picture. Kemi's mom stopped when she met me in the corridor. Listen, you little girl, stop making my daughter's life in this school hard or else you will see.

This woman who was way older than me was threatening me. A young girl in high school, this was wrong. "Excuse me Madam, do you know what your daughter has put me through all these years?" I asked. "I have warned you," she said. Kemi lets go. Kemi and her mom walked away. How could another parent threaten me like that? "Should I tell my parents?" I wondered. I don't think I need to involve them in this matter because it will blow out of hand when my parents find out. My friends found me in the corridor thinking. "Addie, what are you thinking about?" Andrew asked. I told them about what Kemi's mom had just told me. "You should report her," Mae said. Who the hell is she to threaten you, you're not her child! Mae, I won't for now but if she continues I will do so. I went back to class to pick my bag. The others left. I found Soren and mom waiting for me. "Let's go," I said. "Soren has told me about something to do with a rat in your food," mom said. Mom, my friend Jensen already reported the matter to the Headmaster. Can we please go home? No, Adessa, the HM has to know that what happened here is bad. Mom moved out of the car and went back to the school. I followed her. The HM was in the corridor. Mr. Smythe, tell me you have punished the students who put a rat in my daughter's food? My daughter complains of harassment and bullying at the hands of her classmates but I always thought it was not this bad. I am sorry madam, it won't happen again. The culprits have been given a punishment. "Although, your daughter has never come and reported to anyone about any bullying she has been facing," he said. Now it was my fault for not reporting yet the HM showed open favoritism to Kemi. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make it much worse for me. "Now that I know that it has been happening I am going to put an end to it," he said. When my mom felt satisfied we went back to the car. Soren was listening to music on his phone. Mom, now you believe me when I tell you that this school is very bad. I am sorry Ade that I didn't believe you when you mentioned it. Mom took us for some fast food, she said we deserved it after the day I had had. I hadn't eaten for the entire day. I told her along the way about my breakfast meal. Addie, you need to wake up early if you don't want something like that to happen again. She was right, I needed to avoid getting myself in trouble. At the traffic lights, I looked at the billboard of the model who was fair. She was advertising a lotion called Pure Glow. It wasn't a secret that this lotion was used for skin lightening. What if I bought myself this lotion and became a little lighter would I still get bullied? These were just my thoughts. We reached home five minutes later.

I went and shut myself in my room. I wanted to cry myself to sleep. My life was going to get harder because of today. I wish there was a way I could finish school without actually going there. Mom and dad said home schooling wasn't an option because schooling would allow me to learn how to socialize and network. I had made it this far, I was only left with a few months then it would all be over. I cried for all the pain I felt that day. My phone rang. I picked up my phone to see who was calling. It was a number not in my contacts. Who was it? I wiped the tears from my eyes. I picked up the call. Hello? I cleared my nose. Hi, Adessa, it's Tendai. I couldn't believe that he had called me. What did he want? As if he read my mind. I am calling to brainstorm about our ideas for the project. Tendai, right now am not in the right mind to think about anything. I am sorry about what Kemi and her friends did to you, if I had known I would have stopped it from happening. This hurt me, this is the same guy who had watched his girlfriend and his friends bully me, my friends and other students. Now he suddenly cared! Tendai, I need to rest. I hung up. Who was he to start caring now that we were about to complete high school. I don't need his pity.