It all began in 2020

CHAPTER TWO😍

CHAPTER TWO😍

AANU

I woke up today feeling bashful. Not like it's a surprise anyway. I'm not usually the outgoing extroverted type. People say I look flirtatious, but I am nothing close to it at all. Maybe it's my environment, maybe it's just my inborn personality, I don't know, but I do wish I was more outgoing, life in secondary school would have been easier, but I'm glad it's all coming to an end now.

Being the only girl in my family has its advantages. Sure it gets lonely at times, but at least it means that I have my private bedroom and bathroom away from the boys. Many times when I'm lost in my thoughts, I wish my mum could just give birth to another girl, but that's clearly not happening seeing my mum is nearing her sixties.

I had my shower, washed my hair, trimmed my nails and got dressed for school. It was a Monday which meant there would be inspection on the assembly. We were a secondary school of about 700 hundred students but the teachers still made sure they checked every one of us every Monday. To be honest, it was really helpful seeing that people actually had their baths on Mondays. On other days, some of my classmates come to school with their uniforms of the previous day, smelling like they had no showers in their homes. My school is just a few minutes away from home which meant that I walked there every day. I would have waited for my younger brother, but he was one to always wake up late and since it was nearly 7 O'clock, I bet he was still asleep.

Don't come at me asking me why I would leave my house at such time if it were at a walking distance from my house. My school hands out punishments to the students who arrived late, and I might not be one of the popular girls in school, but I knew I had a reputation to uphold.

I left home a few minutes after 7 O'clock. The streets were pretty empty that time, indicating that people were still at home getting ready for the morning. I continued walking towards school and on my way, I met my best friend's mother. Mama Chidi owned a canteen not too far from school and whenever she willed, she gave me some food to take to school, or take back home, whichever was the case. I greeted her that morning and she greeted me back and prayed for me, like she does all the time. It's pretty amusing how she treats me like her own daughter. Maybe it's because of how close I am to her daughter Chidi, I don't know, but sometimes I wished I could have a change of parents, even it was for one day. Too bad it's only wishful thinking.

Finally, I arrived at the school gates, in time to be free from kneeling down and collecting six strokes of the cane. I wasn't the one to be flogged or punished. I just wasn't built for it. At least that's what I told myself every day. I rushed over to my class, it was the first one on the classroom block, so it was easy to get to from the gates. I always sat at the end of the middle row of the class, owing to my height. But I liked it anyway, I wasn't comfortable being near the teacher at all times.

I got out my books and arranged them neatly in the provided space under my desk. Now, all I had to do was wait for Chidi, she was the only one I talked to anyway.

Minutes passed by and Chidi finally arrived, although she got punished and flogged, she wasn't bothered about it. We talked about our favourite shows on television and even wished we could marry some of the actors on TV. But again, it was just wishful thinking.

It was finally 7:30, meaning it was time for assembly, everyone in school filed out of the classrooms and lined up appropriately. We sang the national anthem, listened to the school's management staff, babble about some things and we were finally inspected. The assembly didn't last quite long because soon enough we were back into our classes.

Our first period was supposed to be mathematics, but we heard some rumours of our teacher's wife entering labour the previous night. It was a win-win. A win for him and a win for us. Soon enough, the class got rowdy and it was only minutes until a senior staff came and gave us all detention or told us to cut the grasses with machetes.

It was a very boring Monday morning to be honest, but that wasn't until a certain someone walked into our class.

He was tall, handsome, God, he looked out of place in our school. Everyone stared at him wondering who he was, and me being me, I guess all I could say was I had a crush on this young man in front of me. The principal finally walked in and introduced him as James Odiegwu. Of course, only such a beautiful name would befit such a beautiful man. He waved at us and shyly tightened his grip on his back pack and found a seat at the back.

The girls in my class quickly rushed over to him asking about his name, despite the fact it was mentioned a few minutes ago🙄 They asked of his state of origin, why he changed schools and all that. To be honest, I sometimes wished I was like those girls, social and outgoing, maybe I wouldn't be this lonely. It's just too bad Chidi chose a different pathway from me, if not, we could have been together, talking about how the new boy would propose to me.

Anyway, all I had to do was wait a few more months and I would be out of secondary school for the rest of my life. It was so close but so far away. I have promised myself to drop my shy attitude once I got into the university. As Chidi said, I needed more friends.