Indabosky.

SS3.

Lola.

I woke up with a start, my chest heaving and my breath coming out in pants as if I had just finished a sprint, my entire body was covered in a cold sweat and it kept trembling uncontrollably.

My head swam, and I was disoriented for a moment. I found it difficult to extricate myself from my dream and I had to forcibly dismiss the lingering images before I could get my bearing.

I had a nightmare again but that was a common phenomenon by now, its appearance and frequency could no longer affect me or my day. But this morning, I was visibly shaken and it was the subject of the dream that was to blame.

I had to consciously slow my breath and think. I looked up at the ceiling and reminded myself that I was in the hostel now, it was physically impossible for it to be real, I WAS SAFE.

It was Sunday morning meaning I would have chapel soon. As I looked around my room, I discovered it was empty. I reached for my wristwatch and saw that it was half-past eight.

Just great, I barely had any time left. That would teach me to sleep by five am next time. Who am I kidding? I'll probably still do the same tonight.

I pushed back my damp duvet and jumped out of my bed, almost falling from the top bunk to the floor in the process, barely managing to correct my landing at the last moment.

I didn't have time to care about any damage because I had less than thirty minutes to get to the chapel hall and I really couldn't afford to be late as I had a lot of duties to perform in chapel today. It would have been offensive to walk in late when I was ministering.

I tugged my towel from its hanger(I'm pretty sure I broke it in the process) and raced out of the room like I was being chased by a bull; If I had never been glad that I slept in the nude, then I was today.

I ran to the bathroom stalls at top speed and saw that it was a mess as it had not been cleaned. I quickly checked the toilets and saw that they were the same.

ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴋɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ꜰ*ᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜɴɪᴏʀꜱ.

I did a U-turn and ran outside to bathe on the concrete in front of the hostel. The stragglers remaining in the hostel looked at me as I ran around, they were probably Catholics waiting for their priests or atheists trying to skip the religious gatherings. 

When I got outside, I realised that I had only brought my towel along with me, so I had to go back to my room to get my bucket of water and my bath bag.

I bathed in record time, I don't think I spent up to five minutes. Those days of training for the junior bathing Olympics really came in handy now.

I sped inside and dressed up with fifteen minutes to spare. I looked down at my Sunday wear in the mirror and noticed how tight it was across my chest plus the little bulge in the lower abdominal area and decided to change and wear Chioma's spare Sunday wear that she kept with me. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ʙᴀꜱɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴍɪɴᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ.

Chioma, my staunch supporter, was Amandi's sister and my school daughter along with Tami. She was only in Jss3 but was wise beyond her years and one of my closest friends.

By the time I was done with dressing and had grabbed my scarf and bible, I had only ten minutes left. There was barely enough time for me to catwalk to the chapel hall.

I had to skip breakfast to make sure I reached there on the dot, my ex-timekeeper tendencies wouldn't allow for anything else and it would be unsightly for me to run there.

They probably served yam and egg in both the senior and junior canteen this morning so it's not like I was missing out on something great.

As I walked to the chapel, I thought about how I would have to berate the juniors in charge of cleaning the bathrooms and toilets in my hostel and reminded myself to ask Titi about the state of the other hostels. 

A verbal reprimand should do as I'm sure things were really hectic this morning for them to have ignored their duties.

I passed in front of the school mosque and heard the Muslim prefect's call for prayer. He had such a beautiful voice though it wasn't as good as his predecessors'. 

I had to walk further down the path as the chapel was a little distance away from it. I guess they built it that way so that we wouldn't kill each other with noise. ꜱɴɪᴄᴋᴇʀ.

When I entered the Chapel, Sunday service was just about to start. I quickly went to sit with my fellow SS3 girls at the back of the hall. 

Albert; The head boy and Chioma's boyfriend, took the opening prayer. After that was Sunday school which was taken by Ebuka.

He led, "There shall be gnashing of teeth. Do you know the meaning of gnashing? It means to grind or strike your teeth together. Everybody repeat after me, say gnashing."

"Gnashing!" Everyone chorused.

"There shall be weeping and there will be no comfort. Repent now for you know not when the son cometh. That is why we need to be prepared at all times. 

Can someone open to Matthew 8:12? We'll be looking at the rapture today." Ebuka continued buttressing his point about the horrors of hell, it would have been more convincing if he didn't press Amarachi's yansh* on the way back to his seat.

Praise and Worship took place after Sunday school.

Kemo, Shewa, Bisola, Mayowa and I were the ones leading it. We all stepped out and stood in a line on the altar. I stood next to Shewa and Mayowa because they always knew how to jinja somebody. 

We tried our best to shake off the gloom that had risen in the hall as a result of the Sunday school topic and Shewa was the best candidate for the job. She had a melodious voice and was a naturally upbeat person.

Shewa took a small step forward from our line, "Is anybody here ready to give God some praise?" 

"Yes!!" Some people responded.

"I said, Is there anyone ready to give God some praise?" She questioned.

"YESSSSSS!!!" More voices joined in.

Shewa cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "That one is too small for my God! I'm going to need you to shout louder! Are you ready to give God some praise in this houseeeeee?"

"YESSSSSSS!!!!!!" Just like that, the atmosphere had changed and the chapel was on fire.

"Everybody say Baba!" She shouted,

"Baba!" We and the rest of the church responded.

"Everybody say Ese!" She initiated a call and response.

"Ese!"

"Baba x4, Baba mi loke!" She bent down as she danced with a smile on her face.

"Baba."

Everyone was dancing as the praise went on, even the normally shy junior population.

I continued looking around and in the corner where the SS3 boys were seated, I saw Albert dancing in a very funny manner. 

He bent a little at the knees, kept his hands in front of his chest and kept turning around in circles while waving his hands around.

"Ali! Ali! Ali!" His fellow SS3 boys kept hailing him while I tried not to die of laughter on the altar. Amandi being one of the major hailers was fanning Albert with his face towel while jumping up and down. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏꜰᴜʟ ɢɪʀᴀꜰꜰᴇ.

It was my turn to sing and I initiated another call and response: "When Jesus landed?" 

"He landed in Isreallll!!"

"When trouble started?"

"He came to Africaaaaa!"

"We must praise him?"

"In the African wayyyyyy!"

"We must praise him?"

"In the Yoruba wayyyyyyy!!!!!"

"Ewa ba mi gbe'gba ope ooo!"

"YE YE YE!!!!!!"

"Nitorin kpe!"

I didn't have the best voice and I couldn't reach all the high notes but what I lacked in talent, I more than made up for in enthusiasm.

The praise and worship continued with one of us raising a song and the rest of us backing up for that person. Everyone was dancing with extreme fervour. I was the only one standing still because I remembered what one of my seniors said to me when I was in Jss1.

She said, "Lola, thank God you don't dance often cause you are so horrible at it. Seriously, you make a blind man joyous that he can't see." It was said in all seriousness and I have been self-conscious ever since.

Since then, I haven't danced except when I was forced. If I was given a choice, I would avoid it like the plague.

I know it was petty, but I was kind of glad when people didn't dance as much to Bisola's songs compared to the rest of us. I hold grudges, so what? I never said that I was perfect.

The worship ended and since I was to take prayers, I stayed behind on the altar while my set girls left.

"Let's begin to thank the Lord, let's praise him for what he has done. Let us thank him for his kindness and mercy towards us."

I finished prayers of thanksgiving, entered prayers for our families, then continued with prayers for our spirituality, after that were prayers for Nigeria and I rounded everything up with prayers of Benediction.

After I was done with prayers, I had to stay behind again and raise up a worship song because I was the one taking the sermon. I signalled with my eyes for Chioma to bring my bible and my jotter as the pulpit was being set up by some junior boys.

She brought them by the time I was finishing up my second song so it must have taken her some time to find my seat. 

I said a quick prayer before the start of my sermon and started preaching about how we shouldn't judge others because it's only God in heaven who was allowed to judge us.

"Can we open to Matthew 7:1-3? It says Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" 

I was full of righteous indignation and I could see that I wasn't the only one as heads kept bobbing. I looked at Uwana as I preached because she was always the one condemning others while she herself was having entanglements with various boys.

She would preach, saying that dancing to worldly music was bad, yet would rock boys to the extent that one would doubt whether she was dancing or having s*x. Her short skirt would likely be raised by the end of the evening.

The next morning, she would cover the four corners of her bed with wrappers and 'pray' for hours only to go to the altar with swollen lips and form Holy art thou. Who did she think she was deceiving?

I had to let her and her cronies know that we were unto them and that everyone was accountable only to God for our own spirituality.

 I'm pretty sure at the end, I said pure rubbish but you wouldn't know from the response. I was given a standing ovation and my anger was finally nullified. 

A junior was elected to take the closing prayer.

I left the chapel hall and gave Chioma my bible, scarf and jotter to take back to the hostel and exchanged it for the novel she was carrying for me. I instructed her to go for her mid-day meal and to collect mine in the process if she was interested.

And to observe her siesta so she would be refreshed in time for afternoon prep.

"If you're hungry, take whatever you want from the provision locker. Or if you want something from the tuck shop, you can buy it on my account

and if you're in the mood for suya or buka food, just send your brother to get it for you. You know where the money is so do whatever you fancy." I said and pecked her on the forehead.

"I don't want to eat anything, I'm already fat." She pouted.

"Listen to me. You are not fat, you just have curves and height. You are beautiful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If I come back and find out you haven't eaten, I'll be really angry." I defended as I held her chin and tugged her face downwards so that she could look me in the eye.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips, "Then I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye minion." I flicked her braids playfully.

I was wandering around school and had just decided to head to the classroom blocks to find a class to chill in, when Simon; Ronald's school son came to inform me that Ronald was waiting for me by the staircase in the senior block. 

I sent him away with a smile and a head rub. 

He was grumbling about me ruining 'his waves' as he walked away. I continued on to our meeting point and saw Ronald waiting for me on the staircase between the second and third floor.

Warning: Minor sexual content up ahead.

"Hey you." He stepped closer and gave me a peck when I reached his location.

"Hey right back to you." I dropped the novel onto one of the hallway chairs and held onto his arms. "It seems that someone is happy to see me. How was service?" I inquired teasingly.

Ronald was a catholic and their service ended an hour earlier than ours.

"Short as usual. I heard you preached today, oh righteous defender of the sinners." He teased back.

"If I don't defend you, who will?" I gave it back as good as I got.

"Ouch. How could you say that about pure holy me."

 What pure and holy? The speed at which you removed my glasses contradicted that fact. Plus one hand is already on my waist and your second hand is already lifting my face up for a kiss, yet you still claim to be pure and holy. ꜱᴏ ꜱʜᴀᴍᴇʟᴇꜱꜱ. 

We started making out but I just wasn't feeling it. It felt like I was starring in a porno. It was that sloppy.

"Oga, calm down, you're acting like you want to swallow me. I'm not some steak that you can just slobber all over." I wiped off the saliva at the corner of my lips. 

"Tilt your head a bit more to the side and less tongue this time please. I know I taught you better than that." I bit his lower lip to show him I was just joking and to take the sting out of the last comment.

"Fine, your highness." He just grinned back at me, I guess I was just being overly sensitive because it was obvious the jab didn't even register. ꜱᴍʜ, ʙᴏʏꜱ.

The kiss got better and at one point he started smooshing my *ss and b**bs. He lifted me and placed me on the handrail. I guess his neck got tired, so now our heads were at an almost equal height, my head was just slightly higher.

I should have been getting excited or at least reciprocating but my arms remained slung around his neck and the whole experience just felt like I was a spectator. I was numb.

I couldn't go on and put a stop to it. I felt for the poor boy, he was obviously excited and I stopped it when it was just getting good.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really not in the mood right now. Maybe another time?" I apologised and suggested sheepishly. My breath was coming out in short bursts.

"No problem. We can just talk, you don't have to apologise." He was obviously uncomfortable, as evidenced by the way he kept adjusting his package, but he still tried to reassure me.

I don't know why but the thought of just sitting down to talk was even more uninviting than the prospect of continuing to make out.

YOU'RE GOOD NOW.

"No, I'm good. I think I just want to be alone for a while." I bluntly refused.

"Are you sure? We can discuss 'the calm walking series'." He suggested. 

I was already done with that series but I couldn't tell him that because we had promised to exchange our copies when we were done and I had taken his and Dotun's copies from their desks, finished it in one night and returned it the following morning with none of them the wiser, so I had to politely decline.

I went to give him a parting peck and caught a whiff of his soap. I ended up feeling even more irritated. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴄᴋ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ? I had to force a smile and convince him that I was fine on my own. When he finally left I was able to breathe out in relief.

I picked up my novel but I was soon put off by all the swooning the female lead kept doing for the 'tall, dark and handsome Scottish warrior' male lead. 

What did I expect? I mean the cover page had the female lead draped all over the male lead's humongous bicep with her hand on his chest and a besotted look on her face. 

Her lips were slightly parted as if she were gasping, her gown was torn and exposing key parts of her body.

The male lead was bare-chested and wearing a kilt, his long luscious hair blowing in the wind behind him and a sword was strapped to his back.

The title was the icing on the proverbial cake: THE WARRIOR'S VIRGIN BRIDE. 

Such good stuff. Add to that the trashy smut and I was ready to throw the novel in the literal trash bin before I remembered that, One: I wasn't the owner of this masterpiece wannabe. 

And two: These genres were the only ones free at this point in time, the other books I was on the line for were still with the people that lined up before me. 

Guess it's time to reread Chimamanda's books or MIH. Sigh.

Simon came to keep me company and I knew he was sent by his school father so I reassured him that I was fine and that I didn't need anyone to check up on me, I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

After he left, I went to the window of my class and started removing the louvres because I didn't feel like going to the utility officer and borrowing the keys. 

When I had removed enough for my body to pass through smoothly, I jumped through the window and started checking the desks of my friends to see if they were locked. Most of them were and the ones that weren't locked, had meagre pickings in terms of novel options.

I opened Amandi's desk with the key he gave me and saw that it was empty save for his notes and textbooks. 

He must have taken the novel I saw him reading earlier to his hostel.

I went to Bisola's desk and saw only literature novels. Considering the fact that I had already read their entire syllabus, it wasn't a viable option.

I went back to my desk in front of Amandi's and took out my biology textbook for some light reading. To think that I had to resort to this saddened me.

I also took out MIH and Half of a Purple Sun to read during evening prep and dropped the sad excuse for a romance novel back in my desk.

I stuck my head out of the window and looked around the corridor to ensure that it was empty. Once I had confirmed, I smoothly jumped out of the window and fixed the glass louvres back in their place.

I went back to the staircase and sat there until it was time for lunch. When the lunch bell rang, I went to the canteen and divided my Sunday Jollof into two. 

I asked who wanted extra rice and gave one half to a random SS1 boy while I ate the other half. 

I couldn't give it to any of my friends because the SS1 girls weren't around, I didn't have any friends in SS2 and SS3 students usually came towards lunch ending. Hardly any senior girl would be present shortly after they rang the lunch bell. 

After lunch, I walked to the little pagoda near the dining hall and continued reading the biology textbook. 

I had already flipped through the essential textbook twice and was already considering if I should just delve into the novels to stave off my boredom when Titi came to join me with her school daughter.

"Ah ahn Lola. How far now? Why are you here?" Titi inquired.

"Nothing oo. I just didn't want to stay under the sun." I pushed my glasses up and looked at Titi.

"Lunch inko? This one that I didn't see your brake light inside the canteen. Are you not eating?" She questioned with her hands on her hips.

"Lol, I've already eaten. You inko?" I asked.

"Yes now, I don chop tete. They're already locking the canteen self. Omo, that means you must have gone extra early. I trust you, Time keeper of life." She raised up her fists and shook them in a salute. 

"Come now, let us go and gist by the home econs lab." She stretched out her hands towards me.

"Sure, let's go." I followed her to the home economics lab with my two novels and one textbook in hand.

"Efi iwe*, you and these your books ehn. What happened that you're still on your Sunday wear? Are you too lazy to change or you haven't reached Hostel yet?"

"Like you're one to talk, you that burns midnight candle every night, smh. I haven't reached Hostel yet." I replied.

"Ehen, Abajo. I was wondering because I know the normal Lola will not tolerate dirty hostels and unruly students. You for don treat their f*ck up since." She sat down on the raised platform.

"What do you mean? You mean that they haven't cleaned the hostels by now." It was just now that I remembered that I wanted to ask Titi about it this morning but I wasn't able to since she went to the mosque before I woke up.

"All the juniors have rebelled oo, hmmn. From Jss1 to SS2, none of them did their duties this morning. I even excused them as everyone woke up late thinking that they'll still come and do it when services finish. 

Can you believe? These people came back and still didn't do their duties except for a few students. To make matters worse they did not observe siesta, they treated my words like air and still missed afternoon prep.

They've just been playing music and dancing since morning. When I wanted to deal with them, Kemo now came to be talking in the rubbish and forming protector like say she be bulletproof vest.

Talking about she was the one that told them to entertain her. Like dancing and rocking each other in the common ground and whining on top of the fence is more important than their duties.

I almost spark finish for her, na because say I no just want fight in front of juniors that's why I had to just leave oo. I think they are still dancing and playing up to now." Her cheeks were puffed up when she finished ranting.

"Please tell me you're joking? What kind of stupid nonsense is this? When did the sports prefect start interfering with the hostel prefect's duties? 

Goodness run to the hostel and announce that I want all the girls from JSS1 to SS2 to gather here before I finish counting to fifty." My voice carried notes of irritation and mild anger as I instructed Goodness, Titi's school daughter. "If they don't listen, tell an SS2 girl to announce for you.

She came back after like five minutes with only twenty students, the majority consisted of Jss1 students with only like two students from Jss2 and SS1.

Chioma was the only Jss3 student present. I waited for five more minutes and only five more people came. My irritation turned into agitation.

"Wonderful! I can see that my words no longer count for anything in this school. They can ignore their head girl and hostel prefect today, give them enough time and tomorrow they will try to take over the school. 

Titi let's go to the hostel, I'd like to see if they will ignore me to my face." I strode to the hostel with short and fast strides.

Titi followed beside me while the rest of the juniors trailed behind us. I hadn't even gotten to the pool and I could already hear Iyanya's 'Your waist' blasting loudly. 

I got to the common ground and saw bodies grinding against each other, girls whining down to the concrete, people on the veranda's fence. 

In one corner, I saw people sipping on what I suspected was alcohol hidden in water bottles. It was pure chaos, Titi wasn't exaggerating; if anything, she downplayed the seriousness of the matter.

Annoyance immediately blossomed within me. 

I walked to the extension box and unplugged the speakers. Noisy boos rang out and my annoyance turned to white-hot rage.

"All juniors line up according to your class!" I commanded in a quiet shout from between clenched teeth. Some people were dragging their feet and sluggishly forming rows.

My rage intensified, I was ready to murder someone. 

"DID I F*CKING STUTTER! IS IT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SPOKEN FOR A WHILE IN THIS HOSTEL THAT YOU THINK I'M A DEAD CAT.

IF YOU DON'T F*CKING GET IN YOUR LINES BY THE TIME I COUNT TO TEN, I'LL SHOW YOU WHY I'M THE F*CKING LION. ONE!" Juniors started running to get into line, five rows were quickly formed in front of me.

"Chioma, go and get me five hangers. I want them to differ in thickness." I called Chioma out of the Jss3 line and she came out with shivers racking her body. She went into my hostel and brought out the hangers before five minutes had passed.

I pointed at five SS1 girls, "Go and check inside the hostels if anyone is there, if there is, bring them with you. I'll give you three minutes to get it done. Go." They swiftly carried out my instruction.

Everyone was gathered in front of me except a few stragglers who were with Kemo. The SS2 girls were leaning on the bannisters with smirks on their faces.

"Are you guys deaf? Or did you suddenly become my mates?"I asked.

"Lola, they're with me. You can say anything you want to say and they will hear you here." Kemo explained.

 I didn't think my rage could get any hotter or that Kemo could be more stupid, but she just surpassed my expectations.

My rage became cold and my thoughts became perfectly clear.

"Yo, sports prefect, I didn't know this was your jurisdiction." I looked around, "Or do you think this is the sports ground." Kemo's face flushed with shame. 

"If you f*cking b*tches don't get here in the next ten seconds, I'll baptise you with beating until you'll have to be carried off the ground. You already have fifty extra strokes because of your bosom friend's intervention. You choose."

They rushed off the staircase and came to stand in front of me.

"I can't shout so listen well. 

You have four offences; One: You neglected your duties, Two: Your hostel prefect spoke and you didn't obey, Three: I spoke and you ignored my instruction." I chuckled coldly. "Four: You missed Siesta and Prep.

Do I look like a soft persimmon to you?" Heads were shaken.

"So why didn't you obey me? If you did your duty today, step out." Only six people stepped out, Chioma included. I burst out laughing in rage. "Good, very good. Minus ten strokes for you guys. For those that answered me, minus ten strokes. Those that were late by five minutes, minus five.

Listen and listen well, these are my rules: Starting from Jss1-twenty strokes, Jss2-twenty five, Jss3-thirty, SS1-thirty five, SS2-forty. 

And for Kemo's bosom friends, ninety. You can choose the hanger you want and where you want to collect your strokes, your hands or your backs. 

If you collect on your back, it has to be on your bareback. 

You rub, plus five. You shift, plus five. You shout, plus ten. You do all three and I beat you everywhere. You resist and I give you a baptism, no counting. Simple as that!

Please feel free to report me and I will disclose everything that happened today. 

They punish me, we do a repeat of this. The more I'm reported, the more this repeats itself. If a single person reports me, I'll record that name in my little black book. 

If they ban me from beating you, I have other ways to torture you.

There can not be two tigers on one mountain. As long as you are in this hostel, you are obliged to obey me. Today's incident must not repeat itself. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!!!!" They chorused.

"After you've collected your punishment, go into your hostels and do your duties. I'll volunteer all of you to take turns cleaning the pool over the next month. The first person should step forward."

The first person stepped forward and I commenced the beating. 

People chose the hangers they preferred and as one broke, I replaced it. I stayed true to my word and the punishments were carried out accordingly.

Even when Chioma and Tami stood in front of me, I didn't become soft-hearted. If anything, I became even more vicious so that they could earn the pity of the masses and wouldn't suffer the repercussions of my actions today. 

"As you're going back better donate my hangers back to me, unless..." They shuffled along, some had burst out in tears, others had swollen bodies.

I didn't care, if fear was going to be their motivator then I'd rather be feared.

I walked to Kemo and spoke quietly to her. "Kemo, what you did today went against the very purpose of us prefects. 

You led the juniors to shirk their duties and responsibilities, opposed Titi's authority and even my authority. Do you understand what that would mean for the school?"

"I do." She replied and was about to continue but I cut her short.

"I don't think you do because if you did, you wouldn't have done that. 

If Juniors stop seeing us as prefects first before friends, the law collapses, rules would no longer be followed. 

The school would erupt in chaos. 

Decisions; overruled because they have prefect friends. The hostels; a pig sty,  the classes and canteens; unruly.

I'm not against your fun, don't forget how many times I've joined in but that was when everything was in order and the students needed to let loose. 

It was usually at night and we couldn't be seen, we played the music low not blasting it like today. You drank in broad daylight for God's sake or do you think I couldn't tell that you guys had been drinking?

Now imagine if a hostel mistress had walked in on that scene, you would have been impeached and suspended. All the prefects punished, the juniors facing disciplinary action. What you did wouldn't have affected only you. It would have spread out in ripples and affected us all."

Her face paled as she realised the full implication of her actions and she almost burst into tears. She tried to apologise but I brushed it off.

"I'm sorry that I had to trample on your authority like that but this situation required immediate action. Please next time, stop and think about your actions and their consequences. You have power and authority and because of that, you also shoulder responsibility.

Thank God that all the hostel staff had a meeting outside of school today and would return at dinner time,unless, only God knows what would have happened to us. 

I'm not ready for any prefect to be sanctioned during my tenure. I apologise for my manner of approach. Are we good?"

I gave her a hug when she responded affirmatively and she burst into tears in my arms. I had to console her for a while until she calmed down and went over to supervise the junior students.

Titi came over to me, "Man power! See the way your hand did not even get tired after beating all those juniors, I hail you oo." 

"Commot jare! You're coming to mock me after borrowing my power. Naughty girl." I tugged on her hijab.

"When I know that you will settle the issue inko. Let me go and supervise all those cockroaches before they will go and do nonsense." She laughed and left the common grounds.

I went to check up on Tami and Chioma who were still crying, they kept complaining about me being unfair to them and I had to explain my reasoning to Chioma but she didn't want to understand because she was hurt. 

I ended up coaxing them all night before they forgave me.

Glossary.

Yansh: Butt.

Efi Iwe: Bookworm.

Midnight candle: To either stay up late reading or to wake up in the middle of the night to read.