CHAPTER 3

Everyone turned at her direction to be sure she was the one that shouted " Don't you dare touch my sister Vera. Lo and behold, it was she! What? Did she really mean it when she said I should call her my sister for today? I thought it was only going to be by name only but here she was acting like my sister, wow, so amazing, senior Julius turned to me and said, " I told you to beware of the devil's daughter just a while ago but now you have her as your sister or is she the one that has you as her sister?" Trying not to get myself into trouble, I replied senior Julius and said, " She's senior Vivian, not the devil's daughter." Senior Vera was now moving towards senior Vivian, senior Julius was still saying something which I obviously wasn't paying attention to, wait, how would I pay attention to what he was saying at that moment when some bully was cooking up trouble for me? Of course I had no reason to be worried because for today senior Vivian was my sister, senior Julius was by my side and we were still in the multipurpose hall,so if anything happened,I had lots of witnesses which means the punishment of the offender would go beyond " Say sorry. " But what if I were alone and senior Vera managed to locate me? Well then, I would be in real trouble because she would not take it very easy with me.

Senior Vera touched senior Vivian's neck with the back of her left hand-she was trying to check her temperature to see if she was okay. Of course everyone except me now thought she was not okay because how would she stop her friend from hitting me and on top of that called me her sister,it was really not a normal thing for senior Vivian to do. Senior Vivian removed senior Vera's hand from her neck and said, "Vera,you might be surprised but don't be 'cause for today this lady right here," she pointed to me," Is my sister."

"Exactly my point!" Senior Vera fired,"How would you call this seducer your sister,as in Viv, I don't really get you,or has she used her charms on you as well?"

"Shut it now!"

"Viv?"

"Yes,shut your mouth, nobody can use any charm on me,okay?Like I said,it's just for today, just today, she'll be my sister just for today and then the strive continues tomorrow." Senior Vera glared at me,hissed and walked away.

By now I was very sure that senior Vivian knew what she was doing when she asked me to call her sister and even saved me from being hit by senior Vera,yes,she knew what she was doing,she was trying to make me feel at rest and maybe develop some trust in her,but she was only preparing me for war, just like you keep a cake in the freezer after coating it only for you to eat it later, so this was her plan all along?Well thank God I wasn't a naive person to immediately fall for her sudden sweetness or should I call it sisterly love?

Whatever the case may be it's none of my business though it's all of my business, very funny. So I left the place and went out to locate my new class, remember I was now in the senior level. On my way to the class,I notice someone following me but I didn't put my mind to it at first thinking the person was just going his or her way, I didn't even look to see who the person was, it was until I got to the lane where students especially the junior ones don't usually follow that I realized that the person was really following me,the first thing that came to my mind was, "Senior Vera has come to get her revenge." , without giving much thought,I picked race. As I started running I realized the person was also running after me but I was also hearing something like my name,the person running after me was calling me? Who could it be? It was not even sounding like a voice that I recognized or maybe I wasn't paying much attention because of the fear in my heart, but then, who could it be? I automatically stopped running when I became very tired, I was breathing heavily, I turned to look who was running after me,(I was a little bit scared as I didn't know who it was) all I can hope now is that it should not be senior Vera because if it was she then I have two deaths to die: first,the drama at the multipurpose hall and second, I made her run after me; I stressed her out.I looked behind me and I was shocked who it was,guys,it was Slimzy!Now I know you are wondering who the hell that was, Slimzy was my classmate,seat mate, duty mate and almost everything.I was very angry and happy at the same time, wow, it was really Slimzy, old habits never die they say. One thing about Slimzy which always pissed me off was that he liked to scare people especially me. So when I saw it was he running after me I pretended to be cool and hugged him tightly, just after doing that,I pinched his back really hard that he screamed, "Ouch, that hurts!" I freed him, glared at him and fired, "I don't think it hurts as much as I felt while I was running.Wait Slimzy, do you always find it fun scaring people and do you have delight in scaring me as well, see, if you keep doing this then there would be no difference between you and the senior bullies except that you're a boy. " He didn't let me finish before he snapped at me,"Hey madam,I'm not a boy." I looked at him and said,"Then what are you?You don't want to tell me you're a man."

"Well young lady,I'm neither a boy nor a man, I'm a guy, though I'll become a man but never call me a boy okay?"

"Okay sir!" I put my right hand on my

forehead as if saluting a soldier man.

"Better." We looked at one another and bursted in laughter,he placed his left hand on my shoulder and we made our way to class. As we were going, we talked and chatted about lots of things including the drama that unfolded at the multipurpose hall.

Finally brethren, we were in class! As we entered the class,all the students started shouting and clapping and all sorts of noise in form of celebration, "I wonder whats happening." I thought to myself, after a while they stopped the shouting, then Slimzy asked, "Hey guys, anything special going on?" It was Googles that stood up and said, "Well Slimzy, Angel, you want to know what is happening right? Well yes, something very special is happening, you guys know that we are now in the senior level and are now in hierarchy, so to cheer ourselves up, we decided that we would shout in celebration whenever any of us comes in just to cheer up and celebrate our freedom from the dunghill that is the junior level." She placed her glasses on her nose right under her eyes,winked at us(Me and Slimzy) and then adjusted her glasses.As if suddenly remembering that he was now in the senior level,Slimzy screamed,jumped and shouted,"Yeah!" I looked at him and shook my head and said, "What a boy." Then quickly added before he glared at me,"Guy."

I dragged myself to my seat while thinking in my mind,"To hell with senior class,I'm only a step nearer and closer to my oppressors." I bumped in my chair and hit my leg hard on the floor. Then from I heard someone say, "You don't really seem to be excited about being in Rosebud's senior level. " That voice was unfamiliar so I knew it was probably a new student. Googles got up again and replied the person, "Well newbie,this pretty girl you are seeing right here is Angel,

QUEEN OF ROSEBUD." She came to my sit and pulled me out of my seat,"Oh,not again Googles,can you just let me rest?"

"Well, you would do that later,I need to formally introduce you to all your new classmates, they need to give you the respect you deserve as the QUEEN of our beloved ROSEBUD."

"Arrrgh." I grumbled. "You would never let one rest. " She looked at me and shook her head then she turned to the class again,"So guys where did I stop?Urrm, well, yeah I remember, I was trying it introduce to uor new classmates our pride, the beauty QUEEN of our beloved ROSEBUD. So here is Angel,yes, Angel, the most beautiful girl in Rosebud, I'm sure you would want to hear her story and why she doesn't really seem to be excited to be in the senior level,so who is ready to listed to a fantastic story?"

"Don't tell me you'd be telling your fantastic story while I'm up standing ?" I cut her off and continued, "See madam Googles the fantastic story teller, you pulled me out of my seat, now put me back on my chair, please."

Gently, as if handling an egg, she placed me on my seat, bowed slightly and said, "As you please my lady." Everyone in the class bursted in laughter. Trust Googles,she would never fail or forsake her mission, so immediately she was sure everyone one was done laughing, she continued her mission, remember? Introducing me to the newbies.She started her fantastic story , "So to all our newbies, I say welcome, I'm Gracia, but people call me Googles because of my thick glasses and because I love giving information to anyone willing to get some also I'm the most brilliant student in this school after our queen beauty right here.You know, not only is our queen beautiful, she is also brilliant and intelligent. So back to our story." She paused and looked around and then continued, " Angel is her name, the most befitting name for her. Since she got admitted into Rosebud,she had been facing troubles with the seniors, why? Because she's so beautiful and the boys loved to be around her, well, they still do,you see the one that followed her in, Slimzy, yes, Slimzy over there, " she pointed at him, "He's one of them." She laughed and everybody did too,she continued, "So as I was saying, she was bullied a lot by the senior girls because of the boys," she patted my back and shook her head as if she was sorry for me, she continued with her story, "They called and still call her prostitute, seducer,Delilah and all sorts of names, and now the funniest part is that she wasn't even making any attempt to get the boys closer to her, her beauty attracts them automatically, she's so innocent but they won't leave her be. "She pulled down her glasses to see and be sure if they were following her story, she put them back on and continued, "So now that she's in the senior level, you are saying she should be glad and exited right since she now has a share of the power? Well, that's what anyone would think but ironically and unfortunately, that is not so, now it is more like she's been brought closer to her oppressors or enemies or haters, however way you said it, now, they could leave their class any time to come for her and now the most unfortunate event is that she is even in the same twin room as senior Vivian, the master of bullies so tell me, how would she be excited about being in the senior level?" I looked at her in disbelief, how the hell did she know that I'm sharing a twin room with senior Vivian, well she was called Googles for a reason, now I know. Again she pulled down her glasses and said, "Those are the most basic things you need to know about our queen.Thank you." She put her glasses back on and sat down. "A round of applause for honourable speaker ,miss Googles." Martins shouted from behind.

Everyone continued with their business,

those that were chatting,those reading,

those trying to check if they have added weight in the course of the holiday and all sorts of child's play. I just placed my head on the desk waiting patiently for the first teacher to come in. "Hey pretty!" Someone tapped me,"Oh God! Who is this again, these people just don't want me to rest." I thought to myself, I raised my head to see who it was, damn, it was Clara, Lord please,let her not want to borrow my eraser again today, " Hi." I replied and without giving much thought, I said to her, "Clara, I don't have my eraser with me right now, I'm sorry." She looked at me with her eyes rolling slowly and slightly scratching a part of her forehead and said,

" Weee...ll Angel,I am sorry,I'm not borrowing the eraser today, please I just need you to lend me your pencil and ruler and ermm e..eraser. " ,wow, what sort of a human being, I thought she said she wasn't borrowing eraser today, this girl will not kill me. It was not that I didn't want to lend my things to her in fact the eraser was in my locker, I was just very tired, I guess it was because I ran when I thought some bully was following me, I just opened my locker and gave her what she wanted, shortly after she left, the first teacher came in and we all paid respect and settled down, she was to take us literature in English. She introduced herself as Miss Lucille and she made us introduce ourselves too, when it was my turn to introduce myself to the class, I got up and formally said, "Good day Miss Lucille, good day classmates,I am....," My classmates chorused "Ange...l. " ,I looked at them and shook my head, I knew this would happen, old habits really never die, anytime I stood up to introduce myself in class or in any school gathering, no matter how official the gathering was, they made sure they chorused my name, even now I was expecting nothing less form them and I wasn't disappointed. After they had finished their chorus, I did the introduction again and had my seat. The teacher, Miss Lucille taught us introduction to literature, guys you should see how attentive everyone was, even the class disturbers, Miss Lucille was really a legend, she knew exactly how to get her students attention,she was also a very good teacher that even after the class we all wished she continued, it was really a nice one for a start for everyone of us.

After literature class, we did a few more subject and finally it was time to submit to our various hostels.

I picked up my bag and walked slowly out of the class,I heard someone called my name and I looked back, it was Clara, "Clara." , I said, " What's up? " , "I'm good." She replied.

" Did you call me?" , I asked, "Yes I did,I wanted to give back your things to you, thank you very much." She answered, "Oh, it's nothing." I collected the things from her and bid her good bye though we might probably see each other again later because we are now living in school boarding house.

I got out of the class and made my way to the hostel, as I was walking towards the boarding house,I noticed Googles ran pass me, "I wonder what she's running after this time." I thought to myself. At times I just wondered what type of human being she was, she was so weird, but she's fun anyways, I later met her in front and realized she was running after a grasshopper, what a girl, I walked pass her but she pulled me back with my bag and said, "Angel, queen mother, queen mother Angel, will you pass me by without greeting me, your loyal erm, your loyal subject,yes, subject,will you pass me by without greeting me, your loyal subject? "

" Googles." I called her name,

" Yes? "

" When was I made queen and who made me queen? " I asked with hands akimbo.

" You've been a queen since you were born and here in Rosebud,I made you queen and you our are everyone's queen." She replied grinning and said again,"Now back to my question,you haven't answered"

" Well,I thought you were busy with your grasshopper and didn't want to disturb you." I simply replied then I suddenly remembered that she mentioned me sharing a room with senior Vivian while she was introducing me to the newbies in class so out of curiosity I asked her, "So Googles."

"Yes?"

"How did you know that I am sharing a twin room with senior Vivian?"

"You know google ?" She asked.

"Yes ." I replied.

"What does google do?" She asked again.

"Well,it gives you information,or isn't that so?"

"Yes you are very right ,it gives or provides information,so why do you think I'm called Googles? Just because of my googles?" She asked while lifting her glasses from her eyes down to her nose .

"Well," I said ,"Google doesn't get information by itself, someone must have provided the information to it before it can give you the information you desire,so madam Googles, who provided you with this information?" I asked her.

"Hmnnn, anybody can provide me with the information but to tell the truth,I was there when your parents were selecting the hostel for you." She said and tried to be going her way. I pulled her back with her bag and exclaimed," Really? Googles! " ,

"What."

"Oh now you're asking me what? When you saw my parents pairing me up with senior Vivian why couldn't you just show up and just come up with something like ' Don't pair her up with senior Vivian,she's a bully ' or anything like that?"

"I wished I was able to do that but I was also with my parents,you know now?"

"Oh I understand,so what type of room are you staying, single? Twin? For four? General? Dormitory? Which one?"

She looked me straight in the eyes and said,"Single."

"Wow, really,then you room could serve as my city of refuge whenever I get into trouble with senior Vivian." At what I said, she bursted out in laughter to the extent that she was almost rolling, I was just looking at her Wondering why she was laughing so much,I folded my hands waiting for her to calm,when she had calmed down,I nodded my head and asked,"So why were you laughing, was there anything I said that was funny?" , She looked at me and said, " Well darling queen, everything you said was funny because I can't believe you really believe that I am in a single room come on, I'm in my dream hostel room." , " The dorm? " I asked her and she replied, " Yes,the dorm that's where life would be. " I looked at her, shook my head and said, " I wonder how you managed to be the second best student in Rosebud, anyways I'm off to my room it's almost four ."

" Siesta time? " , She asked.

" Yes "

" Okay let's go together till we part . "

" Won't you carry your baby along?"

" What baby ? "

" The grasshopper."

We both laughed out loud, we turned to the way that led to the female hostel and proceeded, when we got to the hostel gate,who we met shocked us!