𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 2022

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

The weeks after the incident have been nothing but stressful and hectic.

Mr. and Mrs. Idowu was always on my case, sending me to the famous Sabo market three times a day without a complete transport fare just to punish me for getting myself injured.

As if that was not enough. March and Michael were never far from trouble. If they weren't vandalizing the plate in the kitchen to blame it on me, they would blame me for the mishap that happened in the house and a very good example was the kitchen tap that they broke and hid in my room. It was when I was going to school the next day that I saw it and just automatically knew it was them.

I could remember the hurtful words Mrs. Idowu had said to me that day and fortunately for me, I was going to school.

I had so wanted to sit my ass back at home to cry my eyes out but I needed to be in school. Gage and I have bonded really well, and I didn't want him knowing the kind of hardship I endured at home.

I quickly dried my tears and rushed out of the house before they had the chance to pound on me and turn me into a punching bag. I knew going to school was way better than wallowing in self-pity in this house that no one appreciates me.

I am really thankful for Miss Da-Costa. She has been nothing but a huge help for the past 3 weeks.

She always dropped by my school every morning before going to work and even when she was not opportune to see me in the morning. She would leave a message with the gateman to give to me and sometimes there has always been money attached to it and it was never less than 2,000 naira. I am just really glad that the gateman has a good heart and he is on my side not like the rest of the school who keeps hating on me for something I can't fix, at least not on my own.

I was currently in my class with a few of my other classmates who obviously wanted nothing to do with me. I was listening to the recorder of HOW TO GET AWAY WITH BULLIES again. Yes again this is the third time this week and it's as if the more I listen to it the more I keep getting bullied.

To be honest, it was frustrating not being able to apply the things I learned in this book to my real life.

Our NECO exam was only five days away and I was trying my possible best to remain calm because I knew I won't be able to internalize anything at if I wasn't.

After putting aside the recordings on how to get away with bullies, I picked up that of English since it was our first paper and began to listen. In the process, I fell asleep and I ended up having a nightmare that didn't sit too well with me.

"I'm sorry Maddlyen due to your legs you can never dance ballet. Not for the competition, not ever!"

"No! no! Please. I can still dance. See, I can still dance, please,"

That was the last thing I remembered before waking up with a scream. Everyone looked at me as if I had lost it and I just hastily apologized in my raspy voice. They all went their merry way ignoring me again as they all concentrated on their books too. Whatever that dream meant, it obviously can't be good and I'm not going to sit back and let that dream become my reality.

"Urgh, dude. Can you be less disgusting?? Some of us are trying to read to pass our exams and sadly, you reek of failure," Said Japheth Abayomi, the class captain.

I just sank into my chair, sulking at how everything wasn't going as I wanted them to go. I didn't bother sparing him a glad or saying anything either and as a result, he took it to his advantage saying.

"Ha. As expected. Please, you should really make yourself useful as a waiter at some bar, not wasting your father's money writing junior WAEC for the third time,"