𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 2022

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆

I can't believe it, I, Maddlyen Adeyemi Coker would be going to London. Not just me but my whole team including Miss Mayowa. We get to go to London and Train with the finest of ballerinas in London. I squealed so Loudly that the girls in the girls bathroom with me gave me weird stares. I just ignored them and continued staring at my self in the mirror. Thanks to Miss Mayowa's help I was now looking more like a human being than a scarecrow that survived a tornado.

My natural long black and luscious hair was made into a crown roll, my skin looked fresher, and not like a peice of skin attached to a bone, most importantly, my school uniform didn't look like something form 1933, all baggy and misshapen on my body. In conclusion I felt grateful, and now that I am done with NECO I am really to take on WAEC Full force. I just needed to focus and prepare for it starting today. Once I was done with my business in the bathroom I headed back to my class only to meet a very pissed off Gage siting on my seat.

Oh dear. This can't be good. This is where you should panic and run.

No, enough panicking and running, the sooner I addressed this the better.

I said in conclusion to the statement my subconscious made. I took in a few deep breath and made my way to my seat.  Gage stood up towering over me, anger sipping from his features. I gulped inaudibly praying that Gage doesn't lose it.

"Hello again Maddlyen. Long time no see, or should I say dance. Since that's one the things you do behind closed doors and you didn't think to tell me."

He said a fake smile plastered on his face. I cleared my throat and  occupied my seat first, this was going to be a long conversation but before I could answer him he banged his hand on the table glaring at me. This attracted a few stares from the rest of of our classmates that were in class in the moment. Seconds later they looked away and I heaved a sigh thankful for that, but even more thankfully it was lunch break so not many people were in class to watch this drama.

" you had better start talking else you will not like what I would do to you. So you better play along while I'm still calm, starting  with your real  age, Let me guess you are not even 14?
Oh and Why are you  still in Jss3? Okay more importantly Why can't you read?
And lastly Why the heck  didn't tell you me  you  knew my elder brother?!?"

He practically yelled into my face and I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt, I was beyond hurt, I just didn't let it show. Then again in his defense I've been keeping from him things I really shouldn't have kept from him. I sighed and gave him an awkward smile before saying.

"Okay okay, I'll talk. Just, calm down will you. You are drawing too much attention to ourselves."

He  rolled his eyes at me finally stepping aside from my sit, he grabbed his chair and dragged it close to me to sit. He stared at me expectantly and after a while of silence I spoke. I didn't want to go to deep into the ghastly information about my life and how I've suffered far too much from the ones who should have loved me. I just kept it short and simple saying.

" you already know my name, I am 16, I'm in JSS 3 because i repeated more than once and I can't read because — because— hmmm I have Dyslexia, Gage. That's why everyone has been hating on me and treating me with contempt. And about your brother, I didn't know you too were related until that very day when you two showed up at the ballet competition. Now can you please stop looking at me like I murdered your parents."

I confessed looked away. He sighed probably feeling sorry for lashing out at me like that or worse feeling sorry for my condition. I didn't come this far to be pitied with that in mind I put up a cheerful face and said to him what he least expected.

" hey, now you know the truth. So can we please go back to studying. We don't have all day to prepare for WAEC   Trevor Macaulay."

He looked at me, a lot of emotions swimming in his eyes so much he wanted to talk about a lot of things he wanted to say.  Fortunately for him, I knew pity was going to be one of them and I didn't have the time Or energy to wallow In pity, not now not ever. He looked at me one more time as if asking for permission to speaking on my confession but he saw the strong hold my face held. He faked a smile and said.

" very well. Let start with Basics technology, we  have a lot of grounds to cover."

And just like that we studied like I hadn't just confessed I was a dyslexia Patient  to him.  Like I hadn't just told him I was a 16 year old who was old enough to be the one teaching him and still earn a salary for that. Truth be told I did want to talk about it, I wanted to talk about how hard it was keeping up with this façade that i was okay being 16 and in JSS3. I wanted to talk about it so badly but i didn't know how- more like I didn't want to be pitied.

I sighed. We've been studying for 4 hours straight, and not only was my tummy grumbling, my mind was also grumbling. My mind was grumbling because I wanted to take a mind trip into his head. What was he thinking? Was he really 100 % thinking about basic Technology? Would he still want to be friends with me after this? So many questions going through my head, and the sad part of it was that I didn't have the courage to ask.

At least not after the way I shunned him. I just wish I had the second chance maybe I could ask all these questions swiming in my head. The growling of his tummy snapped me out of my mind trip I smiled at that but seconds later my tummy made a similar sound. I guess it's about time we went on a break from studying so we could get something to eat. As if on cue, we both stood up packing our books into our bags heading for the cafeteria in silence. We got there some minutes later and we both began to order our food.

" listen, about the stuff I said earlier."

" nah Maddy it's cool. My bad for asking all those random questions that made you feel uncomfortable. Even though I was asking because I wanted to know you, I was a little freaked out by the truth."

Now I felt bad, I really really felt bad. It was never a good look for the two us to yell at each other in the lions den - and by lions den I meant in the class room - like that. In fact it was a horrible idea I don't even know why I encouraged it, I sighed thinking of what to say while we both held our trays of food heading for an empty seat that was 3 seats away from the center. Once we were properly seated, I spoke again this time choosing my words carefully.

" Trevor I'm sorry. I'm sorry I sounded so harsh and straightforward but, I am kinda used to the fact that it's only Miss Amarachi that can be Genuinely nice to me while I'm in school."

" are the other kids that bad to you."

" you have no idea."

I said momentarily closing my eyes to shiver a little as my mind went down memory lane. It hasn't been easy having to repeat a class 3 times before being promoted. Don't even want my enemy to go though such torment how much more someone I considered as a friend.

" whoa, Adeyemi I am so so sorry all this had to happen to you. And pls forgive me for prying such information from you like that. It was rather irrational and insensitive. And I'm really sorry. Let me make it up to you."

" it's fine Gage as long as you stay on my team and help me study for WEAC. You have nothing to apologize for."

I said smiling at him he chuckled shaking his head at me and I just shrugged it off knowing I was in good hands.