Burn With The Stars

                                                          ~Moji~

I wasn't dreaming.

I was about to kiss Neymar, my crush.

It felt too good to be true but that's exactly what's about to happen and the good thing was that it wasn't a dream.

I closed my eyes in anticipation of his lips closing in around mine. I could feel his hot breath on my face already.

"MOJI!!!"

The intensity of the voice that called my name was so high that my eyes opened instantly. It was eerily quiet in my room and I looked around, still not sitting up. My eyelids were starting to flutter close again when I heard my name again. It was louder than usual now and it went straight to my brain. I sat up, feeling the start of an headache. I specifically showed mom the meme that was made because of the fact that African parents shouting their kid's name to wake them up could lead to brain damage but it seems like mom forgot or she simply did not care because that must be the only reason why she was shouting my name like this.

"Moji, can't you see the time? Abi you want to be late to school on your first day?"

That woke me up instantly.

What?

I glanced at my bedside clock. The time was 7:15am and I had less than 30 minutes to be at school. It was with a great lightening speed that I shrugged my nightgown and entered the bedroom. It was more like a rub and shine because I spent less than 5 minutes in the bathroom when on a normal day, I'd have spent more than 15 minutes.

I wore my underwears hurriedly and it was only when I was doing the buttons of my shirt that I went to stand in front of the mirror. My mouth dropped open at the thin but yet, visible lines on my face. I stared at the lines, my brain still not comprehending what had happened.

Then it slowly dawned on me and I couldn't stop the loud yell that escaped my lips.

                                 *********

Mom and my two younger siblings were sitted at the dinning when I got downstairs. My two siblings were drinking their cereal gently as if they were the perfect angels. I felt like smacking the back of the head but then, I had to restrain myself. I'd never hit them, not for anything in this world.

"Moji, must you always oversleep....."

Mom trailed off when she saw my face. She stared at it intently for a minute or two before her gaze zeroed in on the two devils sitting in front of her.

"Taiwo, Kenny, did you guys do that to Moji's face?"

I walked from behind them to sit on the chair opposite them so I'd see their faces. They were trying to keep a straight faces but I could make out the grins on their faces. See these set of troubles oo.

"It was Taiwo."

"It was Kenny."

I rolled my eyes as I picked a cup and a spoon and I mixed the cereal with milk. I don't know how I was supposed to show up at  school with lines made with markers on my face. And I just couldn't wash it off, No matter how hard I try.

"Guys, let this be the last time something like this would happen. You can't go around writing on your sister's face."

Mom's voice was stern and the twins sat up soberly.

"Okay Ma."

"Now, apologize to your sister."

"Moji, We're sorry."

I glared at them and they both recoiled in their seat. I knew it was all an act. Those two little things were so full of mischief and they weren't sorry at all. If I gave them the chance self, they'd marr the rest of my body too.

"And you should try to not sleep heavily again. How you slept through them writing lines on your face is what I don't understand."

I heaved a sigh. So it wasn't Neymar's breath that I was feeling on my face. It was my siblings. I groaned and I facepalmed myself. I've really suffered in this world. My  brother walked into the dinning room, then. Eyes fixed on the phone he was pressing with his left hand. He was always pressing his phone. No doubt talking to his girlfriend. I've never seen someone more lovestruck that him. How he even managed to be in a relationship with his too demanding course was what I don't understand.

"Mom, good morning."

He looked up briefly from his phone to greet mom and she replied with a smile in her voice. Their relationship had blossomed over the years. Infact, now I was starting to feel jealous that they were getting closer.

He took his seat beside me, his eyes still fixed on his phone. I hissed underneath my breath.

"Maybe you should just spare a minute to greet your siblings, Sir."

He looked up the and he did a double take at my face. Then he glanced briefly at the twins sitting solemnly opposite us. He returned his gaze back to me with a smile on his face.

"Wow, Karma is really a bitch though. Who would have thought you were going to get paid for all you put me through?"

I rolled my eyes at his words before I focused my attention back on my food. He resumed pressing his phone.

"I did not even do half of what this bunch of trouble are doing."

He shrugged, his attention still on his phone.

"Exactly why Karma isn't fair."

He still did not look up from his phone and I felt like snatching it away from him.

"You should give Sister Jade a breathing space na. Haba! At least you have to eat."

He looked up at my words with a smile on his face.

"Who told you I was chatting with Jade?"

"It's pretty obvious. You never smile that way with any other person."

His smile brightened and I rolled my eyes again. They've been together for more than 5 years and if anything, they seems to be falling in love more and more everyday. I was about to say something else but his attention was on his phone once again. I shook my head. Talk about being hopeless.

"But you look beautiful."

Taiwo, the male one said and Kenny nodded gingerly.

"You look like a character out of a Disney movie."

Then the two of them burst into laughter. My five year old twins siblings were trouble itself. And to actually think I was happy when I discovered mom was pregnant, my happiness tripled when she gave birth to twins but the happiness started to dwindle when right from when they started to crawl, they've made my life a living hell.

                                  ********

"Mojisola Gbadamosi as the Social prefect."

I beamed as I climbed onto the podium. This was why I couldn't avoid to stay away from school today. We were all under probation in my set. One of the major reasons why senior prefect weren't chosen when we were in SS2. I've always known that I was going to be the social prefect and I was not going to allow my minute of glory to pass because of some lines on my face.

The students were staring at me in an extremely odd way but I could care less as I took my position beside the Social prefect boy who happened to be no one else but Tobi.

"See, I told you. We're a match made in heaven. Social prefect boy and social prefect girl. Please what other signs do you need?"

I smiled but I hide it quickly. I wasn't going to let him see that.

"Tobi, keep quiet and concentrate. You don't want us to be stripped off our role before we even get to start."

I heard the deep chuckle from him and he moved closer to me.

"You look pretty though, even with all the hideous lines on your face."

I smiled tightly. I'd have so much loved to smack the back of his head but I refrained from doing that. We were after all, standing right beside the principal of Lakeview High.

                              *********

The first period was free and the prefects were to overlook the Juniors as they arrange the chairs and tables in the classes and all that. That was only an excuse though, the chairs and tables had all been neatly during the holidays so we all just loitered around in our classes while waiting for the teachers to finish their meeting so we'd get the day started with.

"Social girl. How does it feel to be  prefect?"

I rolled my eyes at Tobi's words. I actually don't think this boy would ever grow. The Tobi I met when we were in JSS1 and the Tobi before me now were totally the same person, no additional sense.

Except his voice grew deeper, he now has broader shoulders, he is now finer and all that.

"Tobi, have small sense na. Ain't you supposed to have changed over the holidays?"

"Oh come on, Moji. Who'd crack you up then? I live for putting a smile on your face."

I rolled my eyes but I still couldn't help the small smile that's found it way to my lips.

"But how come? Why did your siblings do this to you this time around?"

I heaved a sigh as I started to tell him how it all happened. He burst into laughter when I got to the part where I said I thought it was Neymar's breath on my face whereas it was the twins. He laughed so hard that he almost fell off the table.

"Moji oo. Swears, they fit use Neymar to kidnap you. But your siblings no try sha, they should have used red marker instead of black, this one is already fading with your color."

I smacked the back of his head before I could stop myself and he yelped, jumping off from the table. It was at that same time that our class teacher entered the class with a girl behind her. The class fell into a huge silence before they started talking in loud whispers again.

It wasn't because of the teacher.

It was because of the girl that entered with her.

It was because of the real scars on her face and neck.

Without meaning too, I started tracing my right hand over the lines on my face.

I looked up to see the girl's eyes on me.

I looked away immediately, feeling instant guilt raise up in the pit of my stomach.