Humiliating her.

Blessing shook her head in disbelief, "You were so shy before, when did you suddenly become so bold? You want to snatch my boyfriend away from me, right?"

"Snatch?" Ana gasped. Hell no! She would never even think of doing such a thing. She wasn't even interested in those sorts of things.

If all this was happening just because her so-called boyfriend had spoken to Ana at the cafeteria, then Blessing was overreacting.

"No, no." Ana panicked. "It's not what you think. I don't like Micheal. I promise." Ana brought her right hand forward and placed her left hand on her chest as if she was saying the pledge.

Blessing looked her up and down and nodded slowly. "Micheal would never date a girl like you, anyway." She said with a smile.

Ana stared at her in disbelief. What was she supposed to say? Nod her head like the naive girl everyone thought she was? "Yes." She said after a few minutes of silence.

"So.. what do you want to wear for the party?" Blessing said, her voice sounding chirpy now. Ana was awed by how fast she was able to switch her personalities.

Ana shook her head, "I have nothing to wear." She said softly, her head lowered. She had never attended parties and didn't know the dress code for parties but she knew that her 'Okrika' clothes would not be appealing to anyone for an extravagant party.

"I think I have some clothes that might fit you." Blessing said as she brought out her suitcase. It was large. "You can take what you like."

Ana's eyes widened at Blessing's suggestion. Was she going to wear someone's clothes now? How many of her rules was she willing to break all for Samuel's sake?

"What are you thinking of?" Blessing asked as she snapped her fingers. "Check if the clothes are your size."

"Are you sure about this?" Ana asked nervously.

"Of course." Blessing said.

Ana nodded slowly and rummaged through her roommate's suitcase. There was nothing good enough for her to wear; they were all revealing outfits that Ana didn't like.

After rummaging through for a few more minutes, Ana finally picked a purple gown that was a few inches below her knee. She showed it to Blessing who in turn shook her head in disagreement. Ana's eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Let me look for cloth for us. Just sit down and relax." Blessing said, giving Ana no chance to disagree.

They both spent an hour trying to look for the perfect dress for Ana. "This one will look good on you." Blessing said. She held a short black sleeveless dress. Ana collected the dress from her and tried it on. Her expression turned sour as she didn't like the gown. The gown was short, way too short. If her parents saw her in the dress, they would freak out.

"It's very pretty. You should wear it to the party." Blessing said as she tried to convince her roommate. Ana still looked skeptical. What would people think of her if she ever decided to wear such a dress?

"You'll surely attract a lot of guys if you wear this dress." Blessing said. Ana's insides cringed in disgust. She was not a slut that needed to attract guys. Did she look like she was desperate for guys?

Ana sat down on her bed as she debated going to Samuel's party. What was the point of going to the party when she wouldn't be able to talk to him? Was all this necessary?

"I can give you some makeup. You'd look so pretty." Blessing blabbered, as she tried to convince Ana.

Ana's heartbeat raced as she thought of wearing a skimpy dress to a party that the whole University was going to attend. Was this who she truly was, a girl who dresses just to impress a guy?

"Okay," Ana muttered. That was it. Was this the change she needed? Was this the person she wanted to become?

***

Huge chandeliers were hung on the ceiling of Samuel's living room. Purple neon lights were displayed in the living room. The living room was packed with so many people, it was a loud party. The extremely loud music didn't seem to affect the people there as they swayed to the beat of the music.

Empty beer bottles lay on the ground as intoxicated people walked past them. A stack of unopened presents stood in a corner of the room. On one side, sweaty, drunken guys pour beer down their throats. Half-naked girls laughed hysterically as they gulped down their beer.

Ana's eyes widened as she stared at the half-naked girls, her heart raced as she glanced at a group of guys that she had caught smoking. Was this Samuel's life? Was this the life she wanted to be a part of?

Blessing and her friends had left her so that they could go to the pool since that was where the real party was going on.

Ana scanned the room as she tried to search for a quiet place so that she could stay. She had decided to step out of her comfort zone and this was where she was led to. A wild party filled with people who were so drunk that Ana was sure they wouldn't remember their names if she decided to ask them.

Her heart beat hitched up when she saw a guy gazing at her lustfully. She tried to pull her gown down her knees but every time she did that, it ended up exposing more of her thighs. What had she been thinking when she decided to come to a party that didn't make her feel comfortable? Right, she had been thinking of Samuel.

Her eyes scanned the room in search of Samuel but she didn't see him. She decided to go to the pool to search for him there. Red lights blazed in her head with every step that she took.

'Go home. You don't belong here.' Her sane mind said.

Then there was the part of her that made her act on impulse, 'Why would you leave now when you haven't spoken to Samuel?'

Deciding to ignore her sane mind, Ana took more steps toward the pool despite the warning signs. Every step she took reminded her that she could never fit in at a place like this. People did things that she would never imagine as she walked past.