Chapter 3

So Charlie and I got to put most of my stuff away, she was really helpful, fast and very chatty. Once we got done we decided to get a tour of the place. It was late afternoon by this time and the lights of the hostel were already being turned on, some floodlights attached to the buildings were beginning to cast shadows on the wall. 

 Charlie slipped her socked feet into her flops "Meet me behind the hostel in five " she said and started moving out. 

"Where are you going? " I asked. 

"I need to get something from there. Just do as I say, don't talk to anyone yet, mind your business too " with that she slammed the door shut leaving me all by myself. For a split second, I felt like a baby without a mommy. I want my mommy! She's the only friend I knew for now and the idea of leaving the room without her didn't taste nice on my buds so I got down to putting the rest of my stuff away and throwing my bags in one of the other empty lockers. But soon wait was getting too long so I decided to go find Charlie. Digging out new sandals from my bag I slipped them on almost tripping over the straps in my eagerness to get out of the room quickly. 

Opening the door, I was met with the strange faces of some shorter students. Short because I'm more than a head taller than most, one of my best qualities from dad along with my hazel eyes. One of the good things about being tall in my family is that people tend to mistake me as the oldest whenever Beatrice and I go out. Sometimes some years back, mostly when we go to see a movie together, I'm not to let my younger sister out of my sight because 'any damage to properties would be fined'. If there's anything Beatrice hates the most it's going out with me because outside the house with a palm tree for a sister is where she's at her lowest.

The students moved out of my way quickly before I could even ask if they by chance saw  Charlie who magically was nowhere in sight. I stand by my point, she's a sorcerer.

With my quick feet, I hurried to the first door, the glass door, and it slid open as if I somehow willed it to. 

"The porters know you want to get out, " someone said from behind me with an almost bored voice. I looked over my shoulder at a short redhead with a novel in hand she was walking around the hostel with her book. She pointed to a security camera at the top of the door. 

"Thank you ". My voice came out too friendly, not how I expected it to. She just waved my appreciation away and continued with her lazy stroll. The next door was the dark wood door which I saw swung open with much drama. Elsa has nothing on me.

I had barely stepped out of the second set of doors when my roving eyes fell on a group of people standing on the last step. Three girls were standing at the bottom of the last step with their backs to me; a one to the right was a redhead, the one at the middle was of caramel complexion with dark curly hair that she pulled back with a band and the one on the left had short brown hair. There was a freckle-faced kid with them shaking like a leaf.

"What was that you said about me?" the dark girl asked.

"I didn't say any-anything," the boy stammered. He didn't look any younger than twelve, he could have been older but he looked so small trying not to meet the gazes of the girls who as I walked closer for a clearer view were easily the pretty creatures I had seen so far.

"He wants mommy....he's a scared little boy! " the redhead sang. "You will never call us bitches or the three witches again Fred. You watch your back from today"

It's up to Super Good Girl to save the day! Enough of bullying, I say. Say no to such animalistic behavior in such a school filled with animals! Say no to such barbarian act in this wildlife reserve! 

"If you girls are going to keep acting like that I might say he isn't exactly wrong about those adjectives". 

As if pulled by some mechanical force the three girls turned round to stare at me. If looks could kill I would have been laying in a pool of human mess at their feet. I crossed my hands across my chest and gave them my own killer stare. 

The redhead looked me over "And who just talked? " she sneered. I would just love to string her tongue as a souvenir in my room as proof of what happens to idiots who talk back at me. 

"Don't recognize this one. " It was the one with the short hair this time. 

I almost laughed. If that was their best shot the demon in me needed more shaking than that "You wouldn't. Doesn't matter just let the boy go "

"What are you? Mr. Edwin's daughter? Get a life," the redhead said. 

That one stuck in my nails so bad. She couldn't even refer to be as who but as a what. And if  I was to answer that I would be letting them know that dad just got his job under Mr. Edwin and I'm proud of that but these girls would have one over me if I told them so I came up with the lamest thing ever:

"I'll report to the authorities " that one sounds like 'Mommy Beatrice took my ball and wouldn't give it back! ' but I said it anyway and it worked.

The dark girl looked like she was about to say something before she pressed her lips tight together and smiled. Something about that smile put me on guard.   " The Authorities." that smile again and this time with a cocked brow. She called out to her friends " Let's go so we don't get punished by the authorities ". 

On her way back into the hostel, the one with the short hair hit my shoulder. It took all the self-control in me to keep from snapping her bones into two. Shaking the thoughts of having short-hair girl soup for dinner I turned to speak to the boy who somehow had magically disappeared. Something wasn't right and the smile that girl had on her face was no brainer, I messed up something.

"Hey, what are doing standing there like that I told you to meet me behind the hostel? " Charlie's voice broke through my thoughts. She was holding a stick of Richo (that's rice covered with chocolate, some weird snack Beatrice and Mark love to eat).

"Right, after you practically disappeared into thin air ".

"Sorry. Had to get this quick. Someone promised to throw one to me from the boy's hostel they ran out of it at the school shop. It's almost time for dinner though, let's go to the dining ".

I wasn't really hungry and whatever appetite I had before wasn't there anymore. "You were going to show give me a tour"

"Let's do that later please I'm so hungry"

"Alright ".

She cut a path through the narrow road with some grasses and flowers "It's quicker this way and illegal " she snickered "If Mr. Dan sees us doing this he's going to go into rage mode." I laughed.

 For a moment it looking at her twist and turn through short grasses I could just imagine her on a jungle safari. 

"What kept you so long anyway? " she asked as she crossed a line of bricks used to mark the lane to what I suppose was the dining. 

"I met a group of people in front of the hostel. Some redhead with two brunettes bullying some poor soul"

Charlie stopped abruptly "Tell me you didn't interfere! "

I almost ran into her back with the suddenness with which she stopped.

I shrugged "I sort of came to the guy's rescue that's all "

Charlie whirled around almost knocking the wind out of my lungs "You what? !! I told you to mind your own fucking business! " her eyes were bulging and it almost got me scared, her eyes were wide like crazy. And all of a sudden she smiled and relaxed and even shrugged "Well, I told you to mind your business but you didn't. Whatever comes out of it you've got to be able to deal with it ". She started walking again, heading toward the huge building with a domed roof at the end of the rough path we cut through the building was painted cream and the tinted windows barely revealed the interior. 

Charlie was heading towards it so fast I had to run to catch up with her "What do you mean to deal with whatever comes out of it? "

She shrugged "Exactly what I said. Don't let me spoil the fun for you, though, you will see for yourself, just don't get me into trouble ".

"Is something bad going to happen? Like will I be reported for not minding my own business?" I asked with sarcasm, rolling my eyes so far back in my head they almost got stuck.

"Make fun of it all you want but when trouble comes knocking don't say I didn't warn you ".

The hot air blew her hair every which way, blowing on my face, making sweat pour down my face in streams. Some hot sun this is, adding more tension and hatred to the already growing ones in me 

Why the fuck would she think I'm making fun of this? Even though I am. Is there some sort of rule to minding my own business? Ok, so I get that minding my own business means no one sticks his or her nose into my own business but helping someone in need? 

Maybe there's more to being a good girl than I know about. There are probably times I should ignore the right thing and turn a blind eye to what is bad. If that's the case then I probably would go back to how I was. Grandma would be proud of me that I tried so hard.

We got to the dining room and the noise in it was almost deafening. The students gathering in the hall, both male and female, were moving around carrying trays and talking all at once. The only comforting thing about the dining was the air-conditioner. The cool air instantly dried up the heat on my body, tickled its way into my scalp, and brought some sort of relief to my skull which was almost melting from the intensity of the summer heat. 

There was a long line in front of a counter behind which two huge women stood with huge ladles that looked more like weapons than spoons. 

"Today's Saturday? Ugh! Thin soup, rice and dried vegetables " Charlie complained. She stuck her tongue out "Those cooks think we don't know but they sneak out the ingredients which are supposed to be used in our food for their own homes, then they boil lots of water and spices it calling it soup "

Sounds awfully familiar to me. I'll rather make away with the pieces of meat mom uses to cook. Having me around while grilling the barbeque for the family get-together was always mom's worst nightmare.

Charlie picked a tray from the stand where lots of trays sat, some of them were broken at the edges. After passing one to me she started towards the long line. 

What I had expected was people staring at me to see the new girl in school but what I got was a lot of people almost pushing me down trying to stay in the already tight line. I was almost struggling to stay on my own two feet.

Charlie grabbed my hand and walked to the front of the line in front of a junior, the one who had been reading the novel in the hostel "Beat it. " she said and calmly the girl walked out of the line for Charlie and me to take her place. I swear my eyebrows hit the ceiling. 

Charlie looked back at me with a smirk "Don't get it wrong, I don't run this school the ones who do are not having lunch with us today " she swept her hand across the room "It wasn't always like this before, we used to have our food served in some fancy pots for each class to share but some 'boys' stole took them and they were never seen again".

I wasn't even listening to half of what she said, it was the cooks' reaction that bothered me. 

They weren't bothered that they just saw us bounce a girl off her own right, they just kept on serving, heaping some suspicious-looking stuff masquerading as a stew.

Once we got our food and found a seat among the already crowded ones I took my time to look around.

Cliques. 

Typical.

A group of people taking a table to themselves, some juniors sitting on the floor since some of the empty tables were obviously reserved for the seniors. 

The line in front of the counter grew longer, more juniors were bounced off the line and more juniors joined the others on the floor. 

It looked like some of them enjoyed the floor. 

A girl was sitting beside a table of seniors at one end of the dining who had her tray placed on her head, the girl was forced to spoon her food from up there on her head to her mouth. It looked comical because she was actually laughing.

"That one must have taken a senior's seat," Charlie said between bites of the food I couldn't bring myself to smell. 

I ask once again... What is this place?.

Ask Diddy your most personal interrelationship questions. Tell Diddy everything. Go on! We dare you!

Remember, the reason Ask Diddy is added to the school newspaper is to help students interact with a fellow yet an anonymous student. All secrets told to Diddy remains secret

Dear Diddy, 

There's a new girl in school and we intend to make her life miserable because she failed the mind your business rule. 

- Yours Bad Boys Club.

Dear Bad Boys Club. 

Who am I to say no?

- Your faithful servant, 

Diddy