The Gossip

"Did you hear?"

The second girl furrowed her eyebrows, before raising them."Hear what?"

"Feranmi Adelakun is dead." The first girl had said,in an attempt to whisper her words.

"I'm pretty sure the whole school has heard about it,Maryam." The second girl said, rolling her eyes and adding, "Hell,the whole city knows about it too."

"I still can't believe it. I mean, wasn't it just yesterday morning we talked to her?." Maryam had said, sitting on her friend's desk. "I heard they fired the cleaner."

"Well yeah,one of the school's students lost their lives because of her carelessness,so obviously she'd loose her job." The second girl stated, skimming through the book in her hands.

"How are we sure she died because she slipped?." Maryam said,after a moment of silence.

The second girl's face screwed up. "What else could it be then?. The investigators proved it didn't they?. She slipped and broke her neck."

*~*

Malia and her friends Sekeenat, Annike, Da'vion, and Chidera were seated around a table at the library, flipping through pages and scribbling on notepads. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and their Maths teacher had given them a task to complete before the week ended. They had all decided to tackle the assignment together, using the quiet atmosphere of the library to their advantage.Malia struggled to focus on her work as Annike suddenly brought up the topic of Feranmi's death.

"Have you guys heard about what happened to Feranmi?" Annike asked.

Sekeenat's face dropped as she replied, "Yeah, I heard it was so sudden. I can't believe she's gone."

Chidera, who was usually a joker, remained silent. Malia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, hoping they would change the subject.

"But what happened exactly?" Chidera asked curiously.

Annike began to explain, "Well, the school announced that Feranmi slipped on a wet floor and broke her neck. The cleaner was punished for not doing her job well."

Malia kept quiet, feeling uneasy with the sudden turn of the conversation. She didn't know Feranmi, but hearing about someone's death always made her feel uneasy.

Sekeenat seemed to sense Malia's discomfort. "Let's talk about something else, guys," she suggested, with a smile.

Chidera quickly picked up on Sekeenat's cue. "Speaking of something else, I'm having a party this weekend. You guys are all invited."

Malia perked up at the mention of a party. She hadn't been to one in ages, and she needed a break from all the studying.

"That sounds like fun!" she said, eagerly.

Annike grinned. "Is it going to be one of your wild parties again?"

Chidera chuckled. "Of course! I'll have music blasting, food, and drinks for everyone. It's going to be lit."

Da'vion raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion, though? It's not like you to throw a party for no reason."

Chidera looked sheepish. "Okay, I'll confess. I've been crushing on this girl in my Economics class, and I'm planning to invite her to the party. I need all of you guys there for moral support."

Malia and Sekeenat exchanged knowing looks, and Annike shook her head in disbelief. "You'll never change, Chidera."

As the group continued to bicker and joke around about the party plans, Malia felt herself relax.