C'est la vie!

Chapter 14🥀

31stof July.

My birthday.

I didn't wake up with the usual exhilaration I felt all the seventeen other years of this day. It was odd having to celebrating-

-without them.

The only thing I looked forward to, was Aiden's workplace. Even that was only going to make my day better. Not complete.

By the time I woke up, my phone had been buzzing with lots of birthday wishes. Max made breakfast, trying hard to be fancy. Eggs, sausages, even fried plantain.

But I was too anxious about the meeting, I could barely eat anything. Also reminding Max that I had a 'sleepover' with my friends after.

Maybe today I'll talk to my friends. Maybe I would approach them and everything would be fine.

But the minute I got out of Max's car and saw them, pride was like the heavy garment I couldn't take off.

We got to the administration desk. The others were already present, except for Lois. Sesinam was sitting by a woman I assumed was her mum, Petra with her mum, and Lois's parents.

We greeted and they all responded, except for Lois's mum who looked like she could burn the earth. We took our seats, participating in the deafening silence contest.

Few minutes later and we were called in, quietly filling the office. I, Petra and Sesinam only stood watching from behind whiles the grown-ups sat.

The conversation started off calmy, the head mistress broaching the subject and our guardians contributing to the solutions, humbly sidling with her to not add that to our testimonials.

I must've dozed off a little because the minute Lois's mum mentioned my name, I shook.

"My daughter would never do such a thing! Someone influenced her into this. And I would say Raine-or-whatever-her-name-is." She turned to me. "You are the one whose parents died right?"

I looked away, avoiding eye contact. Was this happening?

"Ma'am please bringing such sensitive mat- "

"-issues must be addressed regardless," she cut off the headmistress. "This should not be her excuse for messing around. I heard she disrespected a teacher and did not even get served with the punishment pertained for her. But for me, this is my daughter's life, I'm not going to let this slide just because- "

"-It was an act of all four of them. Even I would not seclude my daughter from this," Petra's mum interjected.

"I know this girl and she's a very notorious girl. First year in this school and my daughter came home with a love letter in her trunk. Who did that letter belong to? This Raine girl."

I huffed, and immediately felt the arms of Sesinam and Petra rubbing my shoulder, encouraging me to stay still.

Lois had written that letter, and I had only taken the blame for it because her parents were ready to take her to a government school.

"Her loss of someone shouldn't be the reason she would keep misbehaving. Who hasn't lost someone or something before?!"

I stood glued to my spot, speechless of what to say or even how to react, my head only looking down on the carpet and probably trying to count the number of dents on them.

My emotions battled with my brain, and I used all my energy to keep myself from bursting out. Where were my parents to defend me?

What happened and the conversation that continued to ensue, I could not remember because I was too deep in my emotions to even listen on.