PERFECT FLAWS

Broken

My eyelids felt heavy as I struggled to flutter them open. I heard my mum's voice but it sounded so far away as my head pounded with an irregular rhythm. I felt like a drunk who was hit by a truck. Stumbling out of bed, I dragged towards the bathroom. Every part of my body was in pain.

Staggering over to my mirror, the sight before me caused tears to well up in my eyes. My face was swollen, a discoloured bruise covering one side of my face.
My eyes were red with dark circles from lack of sleep as a result of the immense pain and nightmares I experienced during the night.

I inhaled deeply, cursing as a sharp pain coursed through my chest.
With trembling fingers, I lifted up my shirt to reveal an ugly cut right beneath my ribcage hidden behind a bloodied bandage. Staring at my battered reflection did nothing to erase the memory of yesterday's escapades. It did quite the contrary as tears trickled down my face.

“So you're trying to play hero eh?” Ola's voice surrounded me as he walked around me in a steady, predatory motion, his cronies already encircling me.

This reminded me so much of the hawk I saw earlier making my present state the more ironic.

I gulped, swallowing fear as my trembling voice whispered.

“You shouldn't have touched her like that.”
His foot hung in the air for a second before he dropped it right in front of me, closing the distance between us. He leaned downwards to face me, his face blank.

“Did you say something?” He turned to face his cronies 'Did you hear anything?'

They responded with a series of 'no boss', some nodding side to side in emphasis.

“I said, you shouldn't have touched her like that.” I spoke up a notch louder. Well, I'd be damned if I do and damned if I don't. There's no escaping anyways so no room for cowardice now, as much as I wanted to be as far away from here as possible.

“Who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do?!” Ola's eyes flashed with anger, his fist pulling my collar with a viselike grip. My pristine beige uniform crumpled underneath his fist. I inwardly groaned at my rumpled uniform, though deep down, I knew that was the least of my problems at that moment.

“What are you going to do huh?” He continued. “Report to the disciplinary committee or even better” he chuckled “Principal Peters?”

Oladimeji Badmus was the son of Chief Seyi Badmus, a business mogul and oil magnate, and major stakeholder in several large corporations and institutions, including Paramount High. That spelt one thing for his good-for-nothing offspring.

Immunity.

The blasted beast before me had immunity so I couldn't even threaten him with any of that.
Anger stirred within me at that thought. Ola didn't need to be suspended or expelled(if it was possible for him to be). Guys like Ola should be locked up in jail.

“No. You deserve even worse.” I sneered. “You deserved to rot in prison.”

Never in this world did I think I'd have the boldness to stand up to Ola the great. He had been my worst nightmare for years and the shellshocked look in his eyes brought me satisfaction mixed with dread.

Ola hated surprises. More than that, he hated being countered, especially with a better comeback. This, and the deadly glint in his red eyes, made him look like the devil himself and I couldn't shake off the thought that he'd be taking me through hell.

Ola chuckled darkly, his malicious eyes gleaming with hate as he lifted me off my feet with his grip on my throat tightening, causing me to gasp for air.