CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE; My sit mates

" Yes now.. you don't know?"

"Well.. I didn't... but - why?.. me? what?" I stammered as it dawned on me immediately that my former sit mates didn't like me. In fact they hated me to the point that they wanted to get rid of me and replace me with an old friend.

"but how did you know, Jeremiah I trusted-"

"That's because you are very foolish."

"Ah me?"

"Yes now... you think they like you but they don't. see let me tell you , those boys are very devilish and cunning. Thank God you left them. I was there when they were planning everything. Even Eniola know as she was there when they were hiding the table-"

" What? even Eniola too? "

" hush bring your voice down. please don't put me into trouble. "

" but-"

" Eniola is not part of them. those boys Are to childish and stupid for her to work with. She just knows and she didn't want to tell you. "

" oh.. okay then. "

" So, nobody stole your table it was those boys you call your sit mates that planned to chase you and you fell for it. omò you be múmú ó. "

I didn't say anything because at that point I felt like a real múmú- a dummy. I head learnt a new lesson the hard way.

I've been sitting with Jeremiah and Kenneth for the past one week now and it just dawned on me now that Jeremiah was a repeater in JSS 1. He repeated JSS 1 and ever since, he made yo his mind not to repeat any class again. I was happy with his thought decision even though I knew that wasn't very possible in Osa School.

I'm really enjoying my new sit mates. They get offended sometimes when I state obvious facts about their academic status which sounds rude and harsh to them, but after a while they forget about it and act like I didn't say anything at all.

They also help me out with buying snacks during break and most of the times they now protect me from Matthew, Ayomide and their new sit mate Bolu whenever they tried to disturb or bully me.

I know deep down within me that if my sit mates were girls, my story would have been different. I've made up my mind, to only have make sit mates. I think they are cooler and very understanding, more understanding than girls.

I was in School one morning, when Mr. Dele came into the class room and warned that parents would be coming into the School to register their children who have been admitted to JSS 1 in Osa School.

I immediately remembered that my mum informed me last night that Rebecca would be coming to Osa School today to finish her admission process and probably start in JSS 1 again. She would loose a while year because of the irresponsibility of a stupid government worker.

I immediately rushed downstairs to the front of Mrs. Akuna's office. I saw a lot of parents waiting patiently at the corridor and on front of the admins office. I searched through the faces of the children that were with the parent and I didn't see my beloved friend Rebecca. I wasn't sure I'll still recognize her so I just gave up and went back to my class room.

When it was time for break, I went out if my class room and walked backwards to where my former class -JSS 1C was and I could see only a few students playing inside the class room. some of them were in mofty while some were in their public primary School uniform. I didn't see Rebecca. I didn't check again for the rest of the day to avoid being disappointed again.

I told my mum how disappointed I was when I got home and she calmed me down telling me that Rebecca's mum actually in School but she didn't take Rebecca along with her because she was in her former School learning.

The very next day, I went straight to JSS 1C and there she was. She was sitting down very close to the door. She sat down like a lonely kitten.

"Rebecca!" I called out to her happily and she looked at me surprised. It was her look of surprise that exposed the dried tears on her face . I knew she had been crying. Just like me when I first came to Osa School.

She stood up to greet me and I noticed how big her uniform was. This was normal for her because her mum has an annoying habit of always making Rebecca and her siblings uniform big. So they can use it for long and pass it down to the younger Sister. I really like her mum because she is nice and caring.

"Winner, I'm so happy to see you!" She said as we hugged tightly.

"I am too." I replied thrilled and excited that I now have a new best friend and a childhood friend for that matter after Mary's travel.

After a long paise I asked boldly" Rebecca were you crying?"

"Yes now? do you think I'm happy to be in this class? I'm supposed... ah God! I'm supposed to be in JSS 2 now but I have to repeat my JSS 1 again because they made a mistake with my name. it's their fault but I have to pay for it... they are so wicked !" She lamented bitterly.

"it's okay come let's go out for break." I said to cheer her up a little and like Mary did the very first day we met, I got Rebecca and I ice cream. Not the expensive ones but the cheap ones. She didn't put much interest in it. Not because it was cheap or not creamy but because she was unhappy. She wanted to be in the same class with me and I wanted that also.

The only thing that cheered Rebecca up that day and that week was the LIBRARY.

When I took her to the Library the first day, she was so excited that she almost exploded for joy. She went to all the shelves and searched out the book like a hungry lioness ready to devour everyone. Rebecca is a book worm just like me . Someone who can sacrifice almost anything for a good Novel.

I took her to I and Mary's usual spot and we both sat down and read and played Scrabble together remembering our good old primary Schools days.

I started walking to the bus stop after closing with Rebecca and like child that I am, I quickly forgot about Mary completely . I now have Rebecca.

Rebecca wasn't bothered about cutting her hair because, all her life she she's been on low cut. This was mostly by choice don't get me wrong my best friend isn't a tom-boy she just doesn't like being stressed out and can not endure pain. She looks good with her low cut unlike me with my round head.

We were moved from our class upstairs to a small and good class downstairs when we resumed for the Second term academic session in JSS 2. Our class was now downstairs and I didn't like it. I immediately changed my mind when I realized that the light bulbs and the fans in my class were working perfectly well.

I liked my new class.

" hey ... una like una new class abi? ( you all like your new class right?)" I. T. K. asked the class when he came in as usual. He was stupid and very proud of it. It seemed strange because he was big and old too. I was told that he was eighteen years old and yet he acted stupidly with pride. Maybe that's why he repeated JSS1. But still, that didn't stop him form coming into our class room regularly and misbehaving.

When we settled down in our new class room, I was still with Jeremiah and Kenneth.

When Rebecca came to my class to see me, she was surprised to see that I was still with them.

" Winner your sit mates are boys." She said.

"Yes I know?"

"but why?"

"They understand me more."

"How."

"I don know."

"okay."

I enjoyed the whole of Second term with Rebecca as I did with her last term.

She did make me forget my pains and tried to adapt to the terrible School system of Osa School.

Just when I thought everything was going great, Asake walked up to I and Rebecca during break, on the very first day of third term. She stood beside us as we lined up in threes to get ice cream from the ice cream man. She looked scared. I noticed how she was looking behind to make sure that nobody was seeing or following her.

She quickly grabbed my right hand and shoved a small piece of paper in my hands . I was about to asked when happened but she left immediately and didn't look back.

I didn't give much attention to the note. I did open it until I got upstairs to Rebecca's hot class. I opened it and when I saw the content of it, my ice cream fell from my mouth unknowingly. I felt numb.

The note read;

HE IS IN TROUBLE!!